In Walter Dean Myers’ Monster, there is a moment in the beginning of the story where Steve’s case is described by the guard and stenographer as a “motion case” meaning that the jury has already made up their minds about Steve (and King’s) guilt. This is very similar to a real case that took place in 1944 when 14 year old George Stinney was convicted of a double murder and put death even though there was evidence to prove his innocence. The trial was also a motion case because the facts of the case did not matter because everyone wanted vengeance for the deaths of the girls and George Stinney fit the bill since he was a young black teen.
- McVeigh, Karen. Black 14-year-old exonerated 70 years after South Carolina put him to death. 17 December 2014. The Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/dec/17/black-14-year-old-exonerated-70-years-after-south-carolina-put-him-to-death This is the article about George Stinney, a young boy who was executed for the murder of two girls in 1944. He was finally proven innocent 70 years after his execution.
- Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. 1960 Within this book is a story about Tom Robinson, a man who is obviously innocent yet is convicted of rape and is later shot when he tries to escape jail.
- Bracey, Gerald W. Curing Teen Violence. The Phi Delta Kappan. Vol. 77, No. 2 (Oct., 1995), pp. 185-186
Accessed on JSTOR Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org.remote.baruch.cuny.edu/stable/20405518 This piece is about what ways teens are so violent. Bracey also suggests different steps schools can take to lessen that violence and decrease the continuation of violence.
