[Peace-discuss] Chesley crime?

[Shirley Stillinger]

This kind of action on the part of the Champaign police is not new:  many of
us old-timers remember John Lee Johnson's arrest (while he was a member of
the Champaign city council) for resisting arrest in the mid-70's.  He had
walked out of Grunt's, a bar on Green St., with a glass in his hand.  The
police stopped him for consuming alcohol on public property and, in the
process, knocked the glass out of his hand.  He was then arrested for
resisting, shoved into a police car, and taken to jail.

Then State's Attorney Tom Difanis took the case to trial; my dear friend
Marty Kananishu represented John *pro bono*.  The trial ended with a hung
jury.  Tom took it to trial again (!!!) and, again, the trial ended with a
hung jury.  Tom gave up then.

On a personal note:  I let my 15-16-yr-old daughter Mary miss school to
attend the second trial, figuring that was more education than she would
receive that day in high school.  She is now a criminal defense attorney in
El Paso, TX, and cites Marty and that trial as her inspiration.








Note new email address: shirley.stillinger at gmail.com.
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