[Discuss] [Peace-discuss] Re: [Peace] State's Attorney Rietz Participates In Cover-up Of Police Brutality

[Laurie at advancenet.net]

Out of curiosity, why are you satisfied in limiting the prohibition to
spousal relationships only; how about brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers,
children, cousins, nephews & nieces, and in-laws?  History has shown that
even close friends and business associates can influence the decisions that
law enforcement officers, prosecuting attorneys and judges; I do not think
that one can preclude such influences or even minimize them if they are
going to exist.  Why can’t states attorneys recuse themselves from each and
every such case?  As a practical matter, the states attorney does not
actually do the prosecutions in trails in most cases but passes it on to
their assistants and deputies.  While it is true that they can influence the
decisions and actions of their assistants and deputies, it is also true that
they can do the same if and when they recuse themselves.  Independent
prosecutors do not really exist except in name only, as documented over and
over, unless the attorney acting as prosecuting attorney has the fortitude
to fight for their independence and are willing to put their careers at
jeopardy.

 

Most states attorneys are administrators and managers of their
bureaucracies; they frequently seek to travel the paths of least resistance
and disruption to the routine daily operations of their agencies which might
cause them to loss cooperation of those whom they pragmatically or
politically are dependent on if their agencies are to be efficient and
effective. Fairness and justice are secondary to administrative and
managerial priorities and bureaucratic culture.  Indeed, they typically are
even dependent on police and ex-police to do their investigations and
furnish them with information and data, which makes them inclined to not
make trouble vis-à-vis law enforcement; similarly, they are also dependent
on judges and are not inclined to do anything that would alienate the
judges.

 

Unfortunately, it is only human propensity for individuals who become
prosecuting attorneys as well as police officers to self select such
positions based on their values and beliefs, attitudes, psychological needs
among other factors; if they were not inclined to believe that their side is
right and give the benefit of the doubt to those who are aligned with their
values and beliefs, they would not have become prosecutors and cops.  There
often is a tendency for judges to presume that the prosecutors and cops are
correct and give them the benefit of the doubt whenever a question arises
until proven otherwise.  It is rare for judges, prosecutors, or police
officers to question the word of prosecutors and law enforcement personnel.

 

From: peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net
[mailto:peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net] On Behalf Of Belden Fields
Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2008 3:02 PM
To: Marti Wilkinson
Cc: peace-discuss at anti-war.net
Subject: Re: [Discuss] [Peace-discuss] Re: [Peace] State's Attorney Rietz
Participates In Cover-up Of Police Brutality

 

I have to take issue with my friend Marti's position on Julia's being
married to a police officer.  While it is a delicate issue, I do not think
that it is sexist to argue that someone who is very lenient with police and
corrections officers when they commit crimes, and is very willing to take
officers' sides of a story when there is an arrest with force and the
arrestee claims that he/she has been unjustifiably roughed up by police, can
be more inclined to side with the officers because of such a relationship.
I think that would likely be the case if a policewoman were married to a
civilian male or if the officers were engaged in a gay or lesbian
relationship.  States attorneys make judgments  about how cases of arrest
should be handled.  In that sense they are judges of first instance.  Since
states attorneys cannot recuse themselves from each and every case, I think
it is best that there not be a spousal relationship between states attorneys
and police officers, corrections officers,  or trial judges.  I don't think
that this has anything to do with sexism Marti, just a natural human
propensity to be sympathetic with the perspectives of a spouse of whatever
gender or sexual preference.

Belden

On Feb 3, 2008, at 1:21 AM, Marti Wilkinson wrote:





Actually Julia Rietz is married to a police officer (they have two children)
and she has never made that aspect of her personal life a secret. She has
even pointed out that to judge her for who she is married to is sexist and
that is something I do agree with her on. As an individual Rietz is capable
of standing or falling on her record as States Attorney.  

One of the reasons why Piland lost to Rietz back in 2004 was for his lenient
handling of the Brady Smith case. He allowed Smith to plea bargain on
charges that he molested African American boys in his capacity as Dean at
Franklin Middle School. Smith was able to get probation while facing these
serious charges. Pilands office was also accused of overcharging African
Americans in this county. Rietz ran for office with the promises that she
would change things.

Now lets look at the record of Rietz. When Sgt. Meyers received a felony
conviction for his part in torturing inmates at the Champaign County Jail -
Rietz allowed him to plea bargain his way into probation. Her justification
was that losing his job and pension was sufficient punishment for his
actions. This is somewhat reminiscent of what went down with the Brady Smith
case.

Someone else recently pointed out that her office was willing to allow
Robert Arnette the opportunity to plea bargain his way into probation when
he faced charges of molesting his stepchildren. He is now facing murder
charges in the death of his ex-wife Naomi.

The issues with overcharging that Pilands office faced has not been resolved
under Rietz's watch. For this and for other reasons Rietz is now facing some
competition in the primary.

My suggestion at this point is to leave her personal life out of the
equation. 

Peace, Marti





On Feb 2, 2008 5:57 PM, <cboland at insightbb.com> wrote:

Reitz...must go. She has been using both sides of the coin for the longest.
First to begin with her long time boyfriend is a police officer and a
republican. She has been using the Democratic party as a way of power, many
of us in AWARE found that out during campaigning for Obama as Senator a few
years back. She is really a wolf in sheeps' clothing! Let's get rid of her
as fast as possible!

----- Original Message ----- 

From: Brian Dolinar <mailto:briandolinar at gmail.com>  

To: announce at communitycourtwatch.org ; AWARE peace
<mailto:peace at lists.chambana.net>  ; stop at iresist.org ;
coalition at iresist.org ; Jenny Putman <mailto:jenny-p at sbcglobal.net>  ;
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<mailto:itsmattsworld at yahoo.com>  ; Giraldo Rosales
<mailto:grosales at nitrogendesign.com>  ; Melodye Rosales
<mailto:melodye at nitrogendesign.com>  ; Ruth <mailto:rewyman at hotmail.com>
Wyman ; Public i <mailto:print at ucimc.org>  ; Aghi, Shaleen
<mailto:saghi at law.uiuc.edu>  ; Austin <mailto:wickerparkusa at gmail.com>  ;
Claudia Lennhoff <mailto:claudia at shout.net>  ; Cope
<mailto:cumpston at uiuc.edu>  Cumpston ; Carol Spindel
<mailto:cspindel at uiuc.edu>  ; tanya parker
<mailto:contactus at habariconnection.com>  ; andrea carter
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McDuffie ; cdbenson at uiuc.edu ; Jason <mailto:finkelma at uiuc.edu>  Finkelman ;
Joe Futrelle <mailto:futrelle at prairiegreens.org>  ; Joe
<mailto:futrelle at shout.net>  Futrelle ; Jeremy Gipson
<mailto:jgipson at stu.parkland.edu>  ; Stephen <mailto:hartnett at uiuc.edu>
Hartnett ; Anna Hochhalter <mailto:alhochhalter at city.urbana.il.us>  ;
Jacqueline <mailto:jzwhannah at gmail.com>  Hannah ; Patsy Howell
<mailto:ummtamala at yahoo.com>  ; Rochelle <mailto:rharden at parkland.edu>
Harden ; Alfred Ivy <mailto:lawmba1 at gmail.com>  ; Imani Bazzell
<mailto:ibazzell at urbanleague.net>  ; Amira <mailto:amira_davis at aacap-cu.org>
; Amira Davis <mailto:amira_davis at yahoo.com>  ; Gene Vanderport
<mailto:lightport at sbcglobal.net>  ; Germaine <mailto:glight at ms.k12.il.us>
Light ; Raymond Morales <mailto:rmorales02 at gmail.com>  ; martin
<mailto:send2smith at yahoo.com>  smith ; Chime Asonye
<mailto:casonye2 at gmail.com>  ; Dave Roediger <mailto:droedige at uiuc.edu>  ;
carl <mailto:creisman61 at yahoo.com>  reisman ; mdp at uiuc.edu ; Jenny
<mailto:jennyb at uiuc.edu>  Barrett ; jrbarret at uiuc.edu ; Rory Thompson
<mailto:thompsro at champaignschools.org>  ; Jeffrey <mailto:thibert2 at uiuc.edu>
R. Thibert ; Tom Mackaman <mailto:tmackaman at yahoo.com>  ; dmlarson at uiuc.edu
; Vern <mailto:vfein4 at yahoo.com>  Fein ; Vacellia Clark
<mailto:vpclark at city.urbana.il.us>  ; briandolinar at gmail.com 

Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 7:28 AM

Subject: [Peace] State's Attorney Rietz Participates In Cover-up Of Police
Brutality

 

Some may remember an incident on March 30, 2007 when Champaign police sent
17 year-old Brian Chesley to the hospital after an incident in Douglass
Park. The claims of police brutality were dismissed by local officials, and
quickly dropped by the mainstream media, but the case remains in court.
State's Attorney Julia Rietz, currently up for re-election, is taking
Chesley to court in a trial that could begin in March for a misdemeanor
charge of resisting a peace officer. 

Charges were filed five weeks after the incident on May 8, 2007, Chesley's
18th birthday, so he could be tried as an adult. The current prosecution by
Rietz's office is clearly an attempt to stave off a civil suit against
Champaign police for excessive use of force. Like the 2005 case of Sgt.
Myers, a jail guard who was caught using a Taser to torture inmates, Rietz
is once again placing the threat of law suits over the concerns of justice.
This is an attempt to cover up another incident of police brutality.

On March 30, at approximately 8:30 p.m., Brian Chesley was walking out of
the Douglass Park gymnasium with two other youth, a 15 year-old and a 8
year-old, after playing basketball. The two older boys were walking the
younger one home. Park programs continued until midnight and park signs
(changed soon after) indicated the park was closed at 9:00 p.m. Champaign
police said the park closed at dusk and they had probable cause to stop the
youth. What happened afterwards is in dispute. Champaign police say Chesley
youth ran. Chesley says he was grabbed by police, thrown up against a fence,
beaten, and heavily pepper sprayed. An ambulance had to be called to take
him to the hospital. 

This occurred the same night as a Democratic fundraiser at the house of Gina
Jackson, Champaign city council representative of District 1. Local kids
came to her front door that night saying police had just beat up somebody.
The alderwoman, with other members of the local Democratic Party, walked
down the street to find a crowd of frightened youth, and young Chesley
sitting on the curb obviously in pain.

Community members went to Champaign city council the following Tuesday night
to address what they said was police brutality. Martel Miller, of VEYA
(Visionaries Educating Youth and Adults), brought Chesley and his mother to
the meeting and pleaded for something to be done. Gina Jackson (who has
endorsed Rietz's re-election) said that there must be "zero tolerance" for
youth who do not obey authority. 

Attorneys Bob Kirchner and Ruth Wyman have taken up Chesley's case and are
currently representing him. The State's Attorney's office attempted to make
an offer of adult diversion, which would have required an admission of
guilt. Chesley refused the offer. The trial date will be set in the next
hearing on March 3, 2008 at 3 p.m. in Courtroom E. 

The Circuit Clerk web site clearly shows the offense date of 3/30/07 and
charges filed 5/8/07, the 18th birthday of Chesley, 5/8/89: 

https://secure.jtsmith.com/clerk/clerk.asp

***Don't miss the debate Wednesday night, January 30, 6 p.m.***
University of Illinois Law School Auditorium
Alfred Ivy, III, Julia Rietz, and Janie Miller-Jones.

-- 

Brian Dolinar, Ph.D.
303 W. Locust St.
Urbana, IL 61801
briandolinar at gmail.com

 

  _____  

 

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