When Brooklyn juries gentrify, defendants lose

[KamaAina]

http://nypost.com/2014/06/16/brooklyn-gentrification-is-changing-juries-who-decide-cases/

Brooklyn’s courthouses are being rocked by the “Williamsburg Effect.”

The influx of well-off and educated white people to trendy neighborhoods such as Williamsburg is rapidly “gentrifying’’ the borough’s jury pool — and transforming verdicts, lawyers and judges told The Post.

It’s good news for prosecutors in criminal cases — and bad news for plaintiffs in civil lawsuits, they said.

“They are . . . much more trusting of police,” Clark said of the jurors. “I’m not sure people from the University of Vermont would believe that a police officer would (plant) a gun.’’

I never thought about that, but it makes sense.

[Renew Deal]

1. Makes sense, but how fast is it gentrifying?

How long is it taking to get these cases to trial?

[bettyellen]

11. Very quickly and Brooklyn is a study in sharp contrasts of poverty and wealth-

Huge influx of upper middle class raised in a very different environment. It's odd that way.

[Renew Deal]

2. Beware "confident and educated hipster jurors."

A contrarian-minded person — and Billyburg has them in spades — can cause discord in the jury room. And if the hipster gets along with everyone, that can even be more dangerous because they are confident and educated, which means they have the potential to hijack the jury.”

That's crazy. Do we want insecure uneducated jurors? It's a weird statement.

[Dorian Gray]

4. Some lawyers do

if they believe it will help their position.

[drm604]

3. I'm an educated white person

and I'd certainly believe that a police officer could plant a gun.

[Nye Bevan]

5. Surely better-educated, well-informed people are more likely to reach a correct verdict?

Now, not every prosecutor or defense lawyer is necessarily going to see that as a plus.

[el_bryanto]

6. It depends on whether they can see past their experience or not

White people often have different experiences with the police than black people do. This leads them to put more stock in the police testimony, rather than being skeptical.

Bryant

[Nye Bevan]

7. I was referring to better educated, better informed jurors,

not white jurors versus black jurors.

Anyone who is well-informed and follows the news will be well aware of the numerous cases of police misconduct, and will know not to necessarily trust police testimony, regardless of their own personal experiences with cops. And I would think that this applies to the vast majority of DUers, regardless of their race.

[KamaAina]

8. But most of the better informed, better educated people moving into Brooklyn are white.

[el_bryanto]

9. Well that's probably true; but gentrification doesn't necessarily lead to better

educated, and better informed jurors on the issues of racial justice - you can be quite successful and well educated and still be pretty well wrapped in your own blanket of white privilege.

Bryant

[Cali_Democrat]

10. Well said!