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The National Black Church Initiative this week expressed dismay and outrage at the acquittal of Casey Anthony in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, and called the not-guilty verdict “a moral outrage.”
“Caylee’s murderer walks free – a grievous perversion of justice,” said the Rev. Anthony Evans, president of the organization, in a statement under a headline that declared, “Not Guilty Verdict a War Against Children.”
The National Black Church Initiative is a coalition 34,000 African American and Latino churches. The initiative, based in Washington, says it works to eradicate racial disparities in health care, technology, education, housing, and the environment.
In his statement, Evans used strong and strident language in his depiction of Tuesday’s verdict in the Florida case.
“As humans we should be outraged, as Americans we should be disappointed that justice has not been achieved, and as Christians we mourn the loss of God given life,” Evans said. “Caylee’s death sheds light on Casey Anthony’s moral deficiencies and illustrates the ineptitude of those charged with achieving justice.”
Following six weeks of testimony, a jury of seven women and five men on Tuesday acquitted 25-year-old Casey Anthony on a charge of first-degree murder. The verdict came after the unraveling of a 3-year-old case involving the 2008 discovery of the child’s decomposed body as well as alleged family dysfunction involving sexual abuse and an extramarital affair.
The medical examiner was not able to determine how Caylee died.
The jury found Anthony guilty on four misdemeanor counts of lying to the law enforcement officers investigating the disappearance of her daughter. Today she was fined $4,000 and sentenced to four years in prison for those convictions. With time off for many months spent in jail awaiting trial, she will be released Wednesday.
In reaction to the verdict, Anthony’s attorney, Jose Baez, stated, “I really do have mixed feelings over the whole situation. Caylee has passed on far, far too soon and what my driving force has been for the last three years has been always to make sure there is justice for Caylee and Casey because Casey did not murder Caylee. It is that simple. And today, our system of justice has not dishonored her memory by a false conviction.”
Evans took an entirely different view and showed no restraint in his criticism of the jury’s decision. “This is a moral outrage,” he said in the National Black Church Initiative statement. “Who is responsible for Caylee Anthony’s death?”
Evans questioned who would stand up for the dead child and offered black congregations as her advocate. “The black church,” he said, “we will be her voice, crying from the top of our lungs to insure that justice rolls down like water and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. We recommit ourselves to protect God’s precious children. The church cannot afford to fail.”
Tuesday’s press release by the National Black Church Initiative was the latest in a series of outspoken commentary by the religious coalition.
In May, Evans and the initiative were harshly critical of Atlanta Bishop Eddie Long for his agreeing to an out-of-court settlement of allegations of sexual misconduct made by four members of his congregation.
“Bishop Long’s refusal to adjudicate this case in the court system is a glaring illustration of guilt – one that the church cannot afford to endorse…,” Evans said. “We de-fellowship Bishop Long and his church for three years for condoning this behavior – we can ill afford to allow abusers in the House of God.”
Earlier, in March, Evans and the initiative issued a statement condemning the Roman Catholic Church’s handling of allegations that priests had molested young parishioners.
“We have made it very clear — we condemn the perpetuation of sexual abuse. We condemn the Church’s lack of transparency. We no longer believe that the Catholic Church is utilizing the necessary resources to end the evil abuse of God’s children.”
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4 Responses to Church Group Calls Casey Anthony Verdict “A War Against Children”
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cal myers says:
I'm looking for a place or avenue to voice my contempt regarding the casey anthony situation.
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I think the jury felt so pressured by the media that it affected their decision. The lack of physical evidence that they claimed didn't really seem sufficient in my mind to say there was reasonable doubt.
One of the craziest things was that supposedly they put duck tape on caylee's mouth after she was dead? I still don't quite get that part…just doesn't make sense…
I made an alternate ending to the court trial on my site, http://www.funnyvideosviral.com/2011/07/11casey-a…
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I think the jury felt so pressured by the media that it affected their decision. The lack of physical evidence that they claimed didn't really seem sufficient in my mind to say there was reasonable doubt.
One of the craziest things was that supposedly they put duck tape on caylee's mouth after she was dead? I still don't quite get that part…just doesn't make sense…
I made an alternate ending to the court trial on my site, http://www.funnyvideosviral.com/2011/07/11casey-a…
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The jurors from the Casey Anthony made a decision based on the lack of evidence in the case. Rev. Evans and his coalition should not hold them accountable for what the prosecutor failed to do (provide evidence that proved guilt beyond a shadow of doubt). I agree the child and other children who are victimized need a voice, hopefully, one will be available for others and their fate will not be the same as Caylee's