美国国家公共电台 NPR Defense Attorney For Police In 'Algiers Motel Shooting': 'Am I A Soulless Person?'

 

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Now for another reflection on the 50th anniversary of the Detroit riots. Yesterday, we spoke¹ with Kathryn Bigelow, the Oscar-winning director whose latest film "Detroit" examines one of the most notorious incidents from the '67 uprising. Police, wrongly believing they'd been fired on by a sniper, terrorized and ultimately killed three young black men and then tried to cover it up. The officers involved - Ronald August, Robert Paille and David Senak - were variously charged with murder, conspiracy² and federal civil rights violations⁴. Eventually, they were all found not guilty.

Norman Lippitt was their attorney. At the time, he had an agreement to represent members of the Detroit Police Officers Association. We wanted to ask him about his role in the Algiers Motel case, so we went to visit him in his sprawling⁵ suburban⁶ home to talk about his memories of the trial and how he's reflected on it since.

So how did you get involved with the Algiers Motel case?

NORMAN LIPPITT: Well, it was a natural evolution. I mean, here - August, Paille and Senak, three police officers, were being interrogated⁷. I don't remember specifically which one I was called downtown to represent. It might have been August who had changed his story from not knowing how these young people were killed to the fact that he had killed one of them in self-defense⁸. And I believe I stopped the interrogation.

MARTIN: How did you determine what your defense was going to be or how you were going to proceed with your defense? Do you remember?

LIPPITT: Well, you have to understand there were three cases, not just one case. August and Paille were charged with murder. August, Paille and Senak were charged on a state level with conspiracy to do a lawful⁹ act in an unlawful fashion. Subsequently, the United States government, the Justice Department, charged them with violation³ of civil rights, Title 18, 1983, Mississippi Burning - same charge.

MARTIN: So fast forward to eventually you did go to trial. You were able to get the trial moved out of Detroit. How would you describe your strategy here?

LIPPITT: My strategy was the same strategy any defense lawyer would use. You look at the evidence. You look at the witnesses. You determine whether or not you can create a reasonable doubt based on their testimony¹⁰. And you proceed on the basis, in this case, Ronald August's defense was self-defense. He claimed that Auburey Pollard grabbed the shotgun while they were in one of the rooms at the Algiers Motel and the gun went off. That was his defense. However, the other witnesses were not very - I wouldn't say they weren't credible¹¹. They had a difficult time making out a cohesive¹² story. I did a very good job of destroying the credibility of the witnesses. I had a couple breaks in the case, and I can see that, if you'd like to know what they were.

MARTIN: Yeah. What were they?

LIPPITT: Well, Avery Weisswasser was the prosecutor¹³. The police and the National Guard claimed they heard a gun go off at the Algiers. That's why they converged¹⁴ on the motel. They found a starter pistol. Avery Weisswasser wanted to prove that nobody would have hearing that was good enough to hear a starter pistol from inside a building while they were out on the street. And so he persuaded the judge to allow him to fire the gun in the court room in the presence of the jury. Well, the courtroom in Mason, Mich., Michigan was a palatial¹⁵ courtroom. Acoustics¹⁶ were wonderful. It was like an opera house. He fired the gun, and it sounded like a howitzer. So that was a blunder.

MARTIN: So the argument that these people were in fear of their life was persuasive¹⁷. Hearing that starter gun go off in the courtroom was so loud that people - you think the jury would be persuaded that, yeah...

LIPPITT: They could hear it from the street.

MARTIN: ...They could hear it from the street. And then what was the second lucky break?

LIPPITT: The second lucky break was - And I think the most significant break was this. I mean, everybody says it was an all-white jury so, you know.

MARTIN: It was an all-white jury.

LIPPITT: Yeah, no question about it.

MARTIN: Do you think race played a role in a - that this white jury in a white town with a white judge predisposed to believe that whatever these guys did was right no matter what?

LIPPITT: Well, let's put it the other - let me turn it around for you, OK? What would an all-black jury do in Detroit? I think the likelihood of a conviction with an all-black jury would be greater than it was with a white jury, no question about it. However, the interesting thing that you need to understand is this - in those days in Detroit, they select a jury by voter registration¹⁸. The likelihood of an all-black jury in Detroit in those days was zero. It would have still been a majority white jury.

MARTIN: Going back now, you know, 50 years later, do you have any feelings about that trial?

LIPPITT: Well, Sheila Cockrel, who is a...

MARTIN: Former city councilwoman in Detroit.

LIPPITT: ...Says I'm a soulless person. I read that in a magazine, I'm soulless. I - you know, see, I - I guess what really upsets me, do you know how many black officers I represented? For - the most infamous¹⁹ case was the Rochester Street incident, where I represented three black officers with a white jury who acquitted²⁰. I represented many, many black officers over the years. I was a hero to the black officers as much as I was the white officers. I couldn't get a ticket in the city of Detroit from a black officer or a white officer.

MARTIN: As a citizen. Now, 50 years later, you don't do criminal defense work anymore. You don't represent the police department or officers anymore. A lot of people are taking a look back on these events and they're asking, you know, why it happened. And could this happen again? What do you think?

LIPPITT: Could it happen again? I don't know. I am not a part of it anymore. And I kind of feel bad that that people believe that I was part of a movement to suppress people. It wasn't - I was a criminal defense attorney. I was doing my job, and I really didn't think anything about it. And, you know, you need to understand this as well.

And I'm not I'm not trying to be defensive²¹. I grew up in the '50s, the Eisenhower administration. I wasn't a part of the civil rights movement, the college protests in Vietnam. It was all after my time. I was 31 years old practicing law, raising a family. And I'm not making excuses. It just wasn't within the scope of my thinking - period. We never talked about race relations.

MARTIN: Did you ever talk to those officers again after the trial was over?

LIPPITT: It's very interesting you ask that question. Guess who called me yesterday? David Senak. And...

LIPPITT: He's the only one still alive, right?

LIPPITT: Yeah. And he...

MARTIN: Oh, he's the only one of the three officers still alive.

LIPPITT: He was considered - I think the media characterized him as the worst of the three. Guess what? David Senak's son-in-law or daughter-in-law is African-American.

MARTIN: Norman Lippitt. He was the defense attorney for the police officers charged in the Algiers Motel murder case.

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

3 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

4 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

5 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

6 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

7 interrogated   

v.询问( interrogate的过去式和过去分词 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询

参考例句：

• He was interrogated by the police for over 12 hours. 他被警察审问了12个多小时。
• Two suspects are now being interrogated in connection with the killing. 与杀人案有关的两名嫌疑犯正在接受审讯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

9 lawful   

adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的

参考例句：

• It is not lawful to park in front of a hydrant.在消火栓前停车是不合法的。
• We don't recognised him to be the lawful heir.我们不承认他为合法继承人。

10 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

11 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

12 cohesive   

adj.有粘着力的；有结合力的；凝聚性的

参考例句：

• She sealed the parcel with cohesive tape.她用粘胶带把包裹封起来。
• The author skillfully fuses these fragments into a cohesive whole.作者将这些片断巧妙地结合成一个连贯的整体。

13 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

14 converged   

v.（线条、运动的物体等）会于一点( converge的过去式 )；（趋于）相似或相同；人或车辆汇集；聚集

参考例句：

• Thousands of supporters converged on London for the rally. 成千上万的支持者从四面八方汇聚伦敦举行集会。
• People converged on the political meeting from all parts of the city. 人们从城市的四面八方涌向这次政治集会。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 palatial   

adj.宫殿般的，宏伟的

参考例句：

• Palatial office buildings are being constructed in the city.那个城市正在兴建一些宫殿式办公大楼。
• He bought a palatial house.他买了套富丽堂皇的大房子。

16 acoustics   

n.声学，(复)音响效果，音响装置

参考例句：

• The acoustics of the new concert hall are excellent.这座新音乐厅的音响效果极好。
• The auditorium has comfortable seating and modern acoustics.礼堂里有舒适的座椅和现代化的音响设备。

17 persuasive   

adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的

参考例句：

• His arguments in favour of a new school are very persuasive.他赞成办一座新学校的理由很有说服力。
• The evidence was not really persuasive enough.证据并不是太有说服力。

18 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

19 infamous   

adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的

参考例句：

• He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.他因反对女性主义而声名狼藉。
• I was shocked by her infamous behaviour.她的无耻行径令我震惊。

20 acquitted   

宣判…无罪( acquit的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现

参考例句：

• The jury acquitted him of murder. 陪审团裁决他谋杀罪不成立。
• Five months ago she was acquitted on a shoplifting charge. 五个月前她被宣判未犯入店行窃罪。

21 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。