LAPhil
09-25-2010, 01:13 PM
After years of running shows sympathizing with illegal immigration, finally a network show which presented the other side! The show is "Outlaw" which premiered last night on NBC. The premise of this episode was a lawsuit being filed by the Department of Justice, this time against a white Arizona police officer who is accused of having shot a Hispanic suspect purely because of his race. (The incident not-so-coincidentally is said to have happened on "Brewer" Street). The officer claims to have demanded to see the victim's ID in keeping with the requirement of the Arizona law. The victim resists, insisting that he is an American citizen, and a fight breaks out, following by the officer shooting him three times. The victim survives but is confined to a hospital bed while recovering from his wounds.
It appears to be an open-and-shut case of racial profiling on the part of the officer until an ex-Supreme Court justice-turned lawyer named Cyrus Garza (played by Jimmy Smits) agrees to defend the officer in the lawsuit. His decision is totally unpopular with the citizens of Tucson, where the incident took place, and there are several shots of crowds of angry protestors. As if things aren't bad enough, the judge in the case rules that the victim be allowed to testify from his hospital bed despite the objections of Garza, who feels this will only cause the jurors to be more sympathetic with the victim.
The case reaches a turning point when Garza seeks out a less than reputable card room owner whom he knows has cameras posted in various locations outside the building, which is also in the area where the shooting took place. Garza makes a deal with the owner to release the video footage to him, and the video clearly shows the victim attacking the officer and wrestling with him before being shot. Garza presents the case to the jury, calling on them to put aside their own feelings about the Arizona law and racial profiling and to decide whether the officer was acting in the line of duty. Well, surprise, surprise, the officer is acquitted.
This was a welcome relief after the success of "Machete" (which I refuse to see because I already know too much about it). Maybe there's hope for network television after all.
It appears to be an open-and-shut case of racial profiling on the part of the officer until an ex-Supreme Court justice-turned lawyer named Cyrus Garza (played by Jimmy Smits) agrees to defend the officer in the lawsuit. His decision is totally unpopular with the citizens of Tucson, where the incident took place, and there are several shots of crowds of angry protestors. As if things aren't bad enough, the judge in the case rules that the victim be allowed to testify from his hospital bed despite the objections of Garza, who feels this will only cause the jurors to be more sympathetic with the victim.
The case reaches a turning point when Garza seeks out a less than reputable card room owner whom he knows has cameras posted in various locations outside the building, which is also in the area where the shooting took place. Garza makes a deal with the owner to release the video footage to him, and the video clearly shows the victim attacking the officer and wrestling with him before being shot. Garza presents the case to the jury, calling on them to put aside their own feelings about the Arizona law and racial profiling and to decide whether the officer was acting in the line of duty. Well, surprise, surprise, the officer is acquitted.
This was a welcome relief after the success of "Machete" (which I refuse to see because I already know too much about it). Maybe there's hope for network television after all.