3:25am May 3, 2014

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When someone kills another person robbing a 7-11, no one says “Walk a mile in his shoes; he was really broke-lack of services.” When someone drives while intoxicated and kills a carload of teenagers, no one says “Walk a mile in her shoes; she was drinking because she couldn’t get into the treatment center-lack of services.” When someone who is living in abject poverty kills another person, no one is there saying “Walk a mile in the destitute person’s shoes-lack of services.” Nope. They slap the person with a murder or manslaughter (in the case of the drunk driver) charge, have a trial, find the person guilty (if that can be ascertained from the evidence), and assign a sentence. No one finds it necessary to defend people who murder because they are poor, stoned, broke, or in other difficult situations. And they certainly don’t blame the victim. And they don’t ask you to walk in the murderer’s shoes. And they don’t tell you to shut up if you won’t.

But, if the deceased or almost-deceased person has a disability, defenders crawl out of the woodwork from all over.

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