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

[Wendy Edwards]

I hate to rain on the conspiracy theory, but the age to be charged as  
an adult in Illinois is 17, so the 18th birthday thing doesn't make  
much difference.

Wendy

On Jan 30, 2008, at 7:28 AM, Brian Dolinar wrote:

> 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
> _______________________________________________
> Peace mailing list
> Peace at lists.chambana.net
> http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/archive/peace-discuss/attachments/20080130/b84b887b/attachment-0001.htm