Robert William Pickton - innocent until proven guilty. Not so for some of the folks writing about or observing his trial this week.
For anyone who has resided on another planet for the past five years, Pickton is the Port Coquitlam pig farmer who is on trial for the murder of six women. In all, Pickton is accused of murdering 26 women. The women were, according to all accounts, people who worked in the sex trade in East Vancouver. In many instances, these women were victims their entire lives before becoming the ultimate victims in what will likely be B.C.'s trial of the decade, if not the century.
We realize what a landmine the big name journalists navigate in bringing this story to the public. But never has there been such public hand wringing since Lady MacBeth tried to oust that damn spot. We have the ever-so-pious publishers of the provincial papers saying, 'Please trust us, we know what we're writing will offend you, but buy our papers anyway and we'll try to find a way to whitewash these gruesome facts so you don't upchuck your cornflakes.' Just a little self-serving, we think.
However, at least people expect the press to be present at the Pickton trial. Love or hate the media, most of us depend on it to be our eyes and ears in places we can't or choose not to be.
But who in their right mind expects Grade 11 kids from a Christian school to be front and centre at a trial of this magnitude? Our society is already bemoaning the ease with which all of us, young people included, seem to digest graphic violence. Yet someone, in his or her wisdom, decided these impressionable teens should attend the trial to find out about the Canadian justice system. That's a little like vaccinating them with a .44-calibre pistol. It may do the job, but the aftermath isn't pretty.
It's very difficult to come to terms with something of this magnitude. Most of us have never been a part of the seamy world these women and Pickton occupied. However, the way we as a collective society deal with this trial will ultimately tell the story of what civilized actually means to all of us.
