[Peace-discuss] Chesley crime?

[ewj at pigs.ag]

In Roman days there was limited public right to petition/request release of prisoners.
Pilate tried to invoke this right to release so that he could release Jesus. 
(The public chose Barabbas, but that really is another Story).

In cases like the Chesley case 

-where the Iron Claw of the State is so obviously blatantly unjust in its treatment of a young man
-where the outcry of the public is so strongly against the injustice done to him in the "name of the law"
-where the accomplices to the Real Crime being committed are so uncaring in making statements like "Mr. Chesley had responsiblity in this situation" (*ahem*)

there ought to be mechanism for extracting the victim from the jaws of the beast
some way to get those of us who fall into the trap out of the maw of the monster

There ought to be a public right of redress.  The State arrogates itself to say
People vs. Chesley.  There ought to be some way for the People to say "No,
that sure enough isn't Us the People against Chesley, that's the System against 
Chesley, and we the people say leave Mr. Chesley alone.  Enough Already."

If there is reason to have a Police Review Board (and there is), there ought
to be a State's Attorney's Department review board, too.  There is the appeals system
but we must realize that the appeals system is more of the same folks.  "Felix" might 
release you if you have enough money  to interest him.

Brian Dolinar suggested that there is an Election coming.  Surely we can and must vote for our
Rights and against that "Rietz" but that seems to be a horribly ineffective way to bring about the sort
of systemic change in the way that things are done that the Chesley case is crying out for.  
"Even voting against Rietz is doing nothing for the Right. It is only expressing to men feebly your desire that the Right should prevail." (apologies to Thoreau)  The election process leaves too much to the vagaries of chance and the chicanery of the political process.  Of course we must work hard to get Reitz removed if at all possible--it requires viable willing opponent candidates and even so, "Will that be enough to Make a Difference?"

There ought to be something more that we can do.  We have about 2 million of our fellow countrymen behind bars in this country and I will contend that many of them are being held unjustly and that their punishment is not only cruel in proportion to the societal impact of their errata, but that sort of injustice in corrections should be unusual as well.  It would be unusual punishment as well as cruel if it were not that the People have been asleep at the switch and allowed the Criminal-Legal-Industrial-Complex (the CLIC) to enlarge itself far beyond what is needful, useful, helpful and just.

A citizen is one who has the power to take part in the deliberative 
or judicial administration of any state.
-Aristotle


> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: [Peace-discuss] Chesley crime?
> From: Bob Illyes <illyes at uiuc.edu>
> Date: Wed, April 30, 2008 10:28 am
> To: peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
> 
> It is easy, Shirley, to think that the Brian Chesley case makes sense, if 
> each step of the process is inspected without looking at the whole. But we 
> must always ask if the full means used are in proportion to the seriousness 
> of the offense.
> 
> Brian was lawfully leaving scheduled park district basketball. Officer 
> Davis, for reasons that have never been adequately explained, decided that 
> Brian, out of all of the kids in the park at that time, should be included 
> in a police database of the area, and called for reinforcements when Brian 
> declined.
> 
> For this minor infraction, Brian was roughed up, arrested, charged and 
> tried. This is absolutely out of proportion to the "crime".
> 
> I don't see a plan here. What I do see is that Chief Finney needs to 
> tighten up procedures so that this sort of over-reaction is made a lot less 
> likely than it is.
> 
> Bob
> 
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