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CHARLENE KENDRICK
13 Sept 2015
Eng. 101
Prof. Messer
Justice is It Privilege or Human Right

After reading Letter from Birmingham Jail, I was a bit emotional, I

understood without a doubt and could relate to every word Dr. King had
written. Although I have not endured the same types of injustices he and
others did at that time, I know how it feels to want justice and having to take
drastic measures to get it. Justice is not a privilege to be handed out
selectively, it is a right whom every human being deserves equally.

When Dr. King speaks of justice, I believe it was compassion, humanity,

respect and most importantly equality that he was speaking of. Society is
made up of a wide variety of people from different places and cultures,
whom all have different views and morals. And ultimately we are all human
and were created equal. Every man, woman, and child has the God given
constitutional right to receive every one of the things mentioned above. In
fact, it was some of those same principles that this country was built on. I

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believe in the plea for justice Dr. King was trying to make this fact very
apparent, when he says we must see the need of having nonviolent gadflies
to create the kind of tension in society that will help men to rise from the
dark depths of prejudice and racism to majestic heights and brotherhood.
Despite knowing his fellow white colleagues and religious brothers could not
or did not want to understand his view on segregation and the unjust laws
that were being forced upon people of color or the decision to take action by
staging non-violent sit-ins and protests after years of oppression, surely they
could relate to the basic needs of humanity. Consequently Dr. King states in
his letter Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating
than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance
is much more bewildering then outright rejection.

When looking at all the facts, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was speaking of
justice not only for people of color at that time, but also for the future of
mankind as a whole. In his letter Dr. King also makes mention of several
examples of injustices that have occurred throughout history that at times
required extreme measures, including breaking the law. If it were not for
those people taking a stand for what was morally right our society would
certainly not be what it is today. Dr. King confirms this for me when he says
we must come to see, as federal courts have consistently affirmed, that it is
immoral to urge an individual to withdraw his efforts to gain his basic

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constitutional rights because the quest precipitates violence. Society must

protect the robbed and punish the robber.
It has been fifty-two years since Dr. Martin Luther King wrote Letter from
Birmingham Jail, although there has been much progress made pertaining to
the injustices he spoke of in his letter, society still deals with many forms of
injustice today. One example that readily comes to mind is, the many
publicized cases of wrongful death caused by police brutality, especially
minorities. In the majority of these cases the officers involved never get
charged and the ones that do get charged get off on a technicality, despite
there being overwhelming evidence supporting the charges being brought
against them.
Investigations into the many incidents revealed that in some cases, evidence
had been tampered with, such as dash cam video being erased, reports
being falsified, missing evidence and some officers had even been coached
on what to say in court. This is a grave injustice to the victims and their
loved ones. The families of the victims and their lawyers seek answers, but
are getting half-truths and information thats very questionable. There is a
large amount of distrust in the community when it comes to the police.
If Dr. King were alive today, I believe he would have the same views about
the growing problem of police brutalities and the manner in which their being
handled, as he did when he wrote that historical letter, from a Birmingham
jail. Every man has a constitutional right to be treated with compassion,

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humanity, respect and equality. The laws should not be manipulated in order
to cover up any type of crime especially if it involves the very people that
swore to protect and serve the community. He would encourage non-violent
protests and sit-ins, help organize and even execute an effective plan. He
would be right at the forefront paving the way for change and equal rights
for every human being alive.

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