Was Justice Served? Do We Have A Two-Tiered System?

I followed coverage of the case of cyclist Darcy Sheppard and former Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant since last August, when a run in between the two ended in Sheppard's death.

I'm not alone, of course -- it became a bit of a flashpoint for the tension between cyclists and drivers who share Toronto's roads in the uneasiest of ways.

The case has operatic overtones. There is the tragedy of Sheppard's death. And that is the biggest tragedy of the entire situation, which should go without saying, but which I think needs repeating.

Sheppard was a larger-than-life character, known to be aggressive and threatening to motorists. And the man who killed him, Michael Bryant, enjoys a privileged life and some renown.

When I read Rosie DiManno's take this week about the dismissal of charges against Bryant, I agreed with her conclusion that it was the right thing to do.

But something niggled at me and just sat, well, "not right."
And then I read Blogger Marshall Golden's take on the unfairness of the dismissal of charges and he took that niggling doubt, fleshed it out, examined it, summed it up and then wrote it up and posted it on his Blog.
Here's an excerpt that really made me think: "Remember that Bryant’s hands weren’t completely clean. He fled the scene to a hotel and only called the police after the fact. He left a bleeding Sheppard lying at the side of the road and did nothing to assist him."

What do you think? Was justice served... or was it served up on a silver platter to a man of privilege who should have had his day in court?

Vanessa