Justice has been served.
Los Angeles Dodgers fans, Marvin Norwood and Louie Sanchez, have pleaded guilty for unlawfully attacking a San Francisco Giants fan, Bryan Stow, in 2011. The attack left Stow with brain damage. He is unable to shower, dress himself, or perform basic daily routines. His family, including his father, siblings and children, take care of Stow daily and will have to do so for the rest of their lives.
"We shower him, we dress him, we fix his meals," said Bonnie Stow, Bryan's sister. "We make sure he gets his 13 medications throughout the day. He takes two different anti-seizure medications to prevent the seizures he endured for months after you brutally and cowardly attacked him."
During the sentencing, Judge George Lomeli noticed Ramirez was scoffing at the judge and the charges.
"This is not funny," Lomeli said, in a loud, angry voice. "You show no remorse whatsoever, no remorse to the family and that is also something that is also unfortunate."
Sanchez was sentenced to eight years in prison. 1086 days were taken off due to prior prison service. Norwood was sentenced to four years in prison, but could be released anytime based on prior prison service. It should be noted that Sanchez and Norwood each face weapon possession charges, which could land them each in jail for an additional ten years.
The punishment doesn't fit the crime. By a moral standpoint, these men should be imprisoned for life. Their malice and angry actions over a baseball game are nothing more than evil. What is the point of attacking an innocent man over a baseball game? What could that accomplish? Only people filled with evil or stupidity could commit such atrocities.
By their actions alone, Norwood and Sanchez are evil. No amount of apologizing could take back what they've done to the Stow family. Sanchez even smirked as his sentence was being read. What is there to smirk about? Is Sanchez happy he ruined a man's life? Does he think the law doesn't apply to him? Only an evil man could laugh at the pain and suffering of others.
If it were a perfect world, Norwood and Sanchez would remain in jail as long as Stow remains physically impaired. They should not be allowed to walk as free men until Stow can walk on his own. Since Stow will likely never walk again, these men should never see the light of day again.
The only positive to come out of this tragedy (if you can even call it a positive) is the increased awareness of fan violence at sporting events. Fans can boo, sneer and barade the other team all they want. That's part of a fan's job description. There should never be any attacks at sporting events. No fan should fear being attacked. It's like common sense has left society, never to be heard from again.
"To say you got off easy is an understatement," said Erin Collins, Stow's other sister. "Because of you both, Bryan's life was nearly taken from him and will never be the same. That also goes for his children, our parents, my sister and I, all of our family and Bryan's friends."
The lives of Stow and his family are changed forever. Baseball, a game that is supposed to unite families and create bonds from all across the world, was reduced to nothing more than a battlefield in 2011. Stow did not deserve this fate, nor did his family. Yet in the end, they had no freedom to choose their destinies.
It's only fitting that Norwood and Sanchez should have to suffer from the lack of freedom. Justice has been served, but the dreams of the Stow family have been squashed.
Where is the justice in that?
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