A SCORE IS A SCORE IS A SCORE, OR JUST ABOUT 20

(Ed.'s Note: Call it a tempest in a teapot or something akin as far as its importance, but when we took the photo of the protesters at the FBI Building on Hudson Blvd. we counted 18 people and were told that a few more were on their way, therefore, about a score.(20). Alas, we struck someone's nerve and have been called liars, and worse. The above photo was a snapshot in time, while we were there. That's all.

We noticed, for example, that the parents of Ivan Reyes, the corrections guard shot to death by Marco Antonio Gonzalez had not arrived yet. Gonzalez, by the way, is due to be released soon after he completes half of his five-year sentence imposed upon him by a jury after they were thoroughly confused on whether he would serve five years apiece for the nine felony convictions for shooting it out with law enforcement officers during a six-hour standoff where he held his former girlfriend hostage after shooting Reyes in the chest and head. Jurors thought he would get nine consecutive five-year sentences for each conviction.

The confusion stemmed from 404th Judge Elia Cornejo-Lopez's jury charge when she told them it would be up to them to decide whether the sentences would run concurrent or consecutively and – after objections by the defense – corrected herself and told them she would ultimately decide which one. It turned out that Texas law mandates that sentencing for any charges stemming from the same incident run concurrent and the judge has nothing to say about it.

The Asst, DA lead attorney Peter Gilman did not object to the defense jury charge omitting this explanation and the jurors thought they were sentencing Gonzalez to 45 years. In a very short time, Gonzalez might be walking free in the city after having beat the rap for murder and aggravated assault on law enforcement officers. Justice? Hardly. Does it matter that there were 18, 20 or only one perlson there? Not really. If just one person protests injustice, it matters.)