Did Fallen Football Star Michael Vick Get Another Brotha's Break?
Word came down yesterday that Michael Vick has entered a prison drug treatment program that upon successful completion should reduce 1 year off his sentence. Now, after I posted that disgraced track star Marion Jones should go to jail instead of getting the probation she desires, I find that my view of Mr. Vick is quite similar. Why is he getting this break and so quickly? I can imagine that prisons are filled with average, everyday brothers with serious drug addictions beyond that weed Vick was smoking. Sounds like another rich and famous black athlete is getting over.
And Che says - "What in the Hell?! 
11 comments:
Your baby is sooooooo cute and yeah you know Vick stole somebody else's spot.
How about Che getting a chomp out of that Vick a**...lol.
pinky
Thanks Pinky! My dog Che is a "non-violent" Revolutionary dog!
LOL!
Come on, Professor Tracey, cut a brotha some slack. LOL.
I'm not a fan of football nor a fan of Vick. Heck, I find most athletes to be obnoxious creatures. They all need to be reminded that this is not ancient Sparta and, contrary to popular opinion, they are not gods and goddesses come down to earth.
That said, even Vick's odious crime isn't one, in my opinion, warranting jail time, not serious jail time anyway. Sentence him to cleaning up dog poop on the streets in one of those orange jail suits for the next 24 months is what I would have handed down if I were judge.
If there's a loophole in the system that lets Vick out earlier if he enrolls in a drug program, then so be it.
Another point of view is the Michael Vick was the beneficiary of a Good Lawyer. Mr. Martin initially took a beating (by many people not familiar with the legal process) for not getting his client “off” when the originally sentence was handed down. The truth is he probably felt from his extensive and successful legal experience that his client walked in with a bag of lemons ( bad facts and circumstance to work with for a Lawyer). I had a feeling that when Mr. Vick tested “hot” before sentencing that this drug treatment program for felons was the best option to get Vick out of jail and possibly back on the field as soon as possible (his client’s ultimate goal).
Billy Martin has the experience and masterful understanding of the criminal justice system (past the courtroom) to know how to gain the most favorable outcomes for his clients - Michael Vick included. It looks to me like Mr. Martin has just poured a large of Glass of Fresh squeezed sweet lemonade (made from a bag of bad lemons).
As far as the “average everyday brothers” in jail with drug issues - most were either poorly represented or unrepresented. Their lack of representation / resources to obtain such can not be blamed on Michael Vick. I am not a Vick fan but lets be fair, the process is the process. He paid dearly for super representation to navigate the legal system. It was the one good thing he did during the whole event -- so I think he does deserve some credit for hiring a good lawyer and following good advice.
There will be no celebratory Champagne for winning a championship this year for Michael Vick, but at least let him enjoy his lemonade for 12 months (he paid and lost Millions for it).
Hey Doc. Weems -
Love the new site! Is it completely finished, I keep getting re-directed.
Fine, Vick can come walk my dog and clean his poop for the next year and I will call it even! LOL!
But seriously, if Vick get off, shouldn't everyone else that does the same thing. Plenty of drug dealers and gangbangers are fighting dogs and killing people behind disagreements about dog fighting.
My issue is not whether the punishment exactly fits the crime, because I have always believed it was overkill, but I'm concerned about following the rules. Will young black males feel the impact of Vick going to jail or picking up trash on the highway? I'm willing to believe that if he went to jail at least they will think about it a little more!
Boomer -
Excellent point and you are absolutely right! Thanks for bringing up that important perspective!
I think Billy Martin is a great lawyer as well, most people have no idea what a lawyer does anyway, so they always get it wrong. Thanks for shedding light on his work!
"But seriously, if Vick get off, shouldn't everyone else that does the same thing. Plenty of drug dealers and gangbangers are fighting dogs and killing people behind disagreements about dog fighting."
KILLING PEOPLE. That's what separates the wheat from the tare there, even if they killed another human at a dog fight. Vick was engaged in what is considered in other countries a sport, like cock fighting. Although it is cruel, we are talking about animals. And even though PETA may not agree, an animal's life is worth much less than a human, even if he/she is a gangbanger.
The punishment was too heavy, but, as Chris Rock says, you can profit from pain only if you're white. If you're black, they'll make an example out of you every time. THAT train is never late!
Professor Tracey, I have one question. Whatever happened to probation???
I am sorry. No offense to you and your cute dog. I love you both. But I do not consider dogs on the same level as human beings. Perhaps I should.
Sidebar: I do believe that you have to be somewhat insane to enjoy watching any type of animal fighting as a sport. Then again, many of us enjoy boxing matches between two human beings, which is even more insane.
I just wonder, if this was your neighbor smoking weed and fighting dogs in the property next to you, where your children played, would everyone be fighting for picking up trash and probation?
I agree with many of you, it's very hard to make Vick's punishment fit the crime, but would you want any of his dog-fighting homies are you neighbor?
And this, how many excuses were mad for Mike Tyson until he really hurt someone and I'm not talking about the rape case, because even then, some black folks were still giving him a pass and then when he bit that ear off, then it was Oh, Mike's crazy. He wasn't crazy, he was over-indulged and excused one time too many. See I don't want to wait until Vick does something "really" bad.
And as far as the dogs versus humans debate, I'm not completely sold. I love my dog and I chose to be a pitbull owner. Vick and his buddies' actions has made it harder on me and my dog to live in peace. I take responsibility for my dog and it angers me when someone damages the reputation of my breed of dog.
@AM - special sidebar for you because I believe that you would understand - this is why I struggle with the dogs versus humans debate -
"And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:24-25).
All God's creatures great and small, right? I find this world has become so cold to everything, you can't turn on and off caring like a water faucet.
Professor Tracy,
It has been proven beyond dispute that the torture of animals is the greatest red flag of a psychopath. It symbolizes the desire to violate the powerless.
People torture animals because deep down inside, they REALLY want to do it to humans. And there lies the danger in not taking it seriously.
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