“The criminal justice system failed Donald Marshall, Jr. at virtually every turn from his arrest and wrongful conviction for murder in 1971, up to, and even beyond, his acquittal by the Court of Appeal in 1983.”
What is one to do when racism overshadows the law? For Donald, there was nothing that he could do. His background made him susceptible to having an unfair accusation take away countless years of his life that he won’t ever get back, and unfortunately, that was the norm for many Mi’kmaq people. For him, however, it wasn’t just being sentenced to community service; Donald Marshall Jr. was wrongfully given the title of a murderer.
The scene went down on May the twenty-eighth, nineteen ninety-one. Sandy Steale was on his way home from a school dance when he had seen Marshall in Wentworth Park, and had started to chat with him. It was then that Roy Ebsary, along with his friend, Jimmy MacNeil, approached, asking for a lighter for their cigarettes. Ebsary ended up stabbing Steale, and slashing Donald across the arm. Sandy Steale was pronounced dead on the account of his wounds the very next day. Due to the fact that authorities thought Marshalls’ wound …show more content…
For him, no amount of money he had been compensated with could heal the scars that had permanently etched into his thoughts; his views on the judicial system in Canada had stood as negative forever, and not to mention the emotional turmoil he was left with. The depth of the process had no doubt left him with personal issues, such as issues with addiction, and depression- something he had spent the rest of his life trying to get away from. To say Donald Marshall Jr.’s wrongful conviction had only affected him is completely false, as not only has it affected him and his family, but also the lives of all interracial people who have to deal with the criminal justice system here in Canada, and all over the
What is one to do when racism overshadows the law? For Donald, there was nothing that he could do. His background made him susceptible to having an unfair accusation take away countless years of his life that he won’t ever get back, and unfortunately, that was the norm for many Mi’kmaq people. For him, however, it wasn’t just being sentenced to community service; Donald Marshall Jr. was wrongfully given the title of a murderer.
The scene went down on May the twenty-eighth, nineteen ninety-one. Sandy Steale was on his way home from a school dance when he had seen Marshall in Wentworth Park, and had started to chat with him. It was then that Roy Ebsary, along with his friend, Jimmy MacNeil, approached, asking for a lighter for their cigarettes. Ebsary ended up stabbing Steale, and slashing Donald across the arm. Sandy Steale was pronounced dead on the account of his wounds the very next day. Due to the fact that authorities thought Marshalls’ wound …show more content…
For him, no amount of money he had been compensated with could heal the scars that had permanently etched into his thoughts; his views on the judicial system in Canada had stood as negative forever, and not to mention the emotional turmoil he was left with. The depth of the process had no doubt left him with personal issues, such as issues with addiction, and depression- something he had spent the rest of his life trying to get away from. To say Donald Marshall Jr.’s wrongful conviction had only affected him is completely false, as not only has it affected him and his family, but also the lives of all interracial people who have to deal with the criminal justice system here in Canada, and all over the