Suspicion (UPDATED)

(originally published September 30, 2010)

A friend has been accused of a crime. What do you do?

Someone I know has been charged with suspicion of a pretty bad offense. Not the crime itself - he was charged with suspicion so that police could search his home to look for evidence. His name and face have been publicly displayed and to judge from comments from the public, he has already been found guilty in people's hearts.

Even if cleared of all charges, his name is smeared. He will probably have to leave his home - move to another city. Maybe another state.

Saying anything in his favor most likely besmirches me in the minds of some, but I honestly don't think that he'd harm anyone. Can't say I care for his politics, but being a conservative doesn't automatically make everyone a demon. Nevertheless, I'm not mentioning specifics. I don't want to help spread stories before I know the truth. In the unlikely event that anyone comments here, I ask the same of you.

And I do want to know the truth. If I've been wrong about this man, if he's actually guilty, then I will no longer consider him a friend. Go ahead and vilify him then. I'll even bring the tar and feathers.

I'd just like to know: what happened to "innocent until proven guilty?" Why must the evening news turn police suspicion into national suspicion? Why prematurely destroy someone's life? Why turn public opinion so roundly against him that only cave-dwellers could possibly give him a fair trial?

A trial that can never truly exonerate him anyway.

No matter how this turns out, it's disturbing.