[Peace-discuss] Bob's letter in NG

[Brian Dolinar]

Arrest in park not appropriate Thursday May 1, 2008

Brian Chesley was, Mike Monson wrote in the News-Gazette a year ago,
"arrested for resisting arrest." Brian was leaving Douglass Park when
Officer Andre Davis shouted at him to stop. Brian shouted back that he'd
been playing basketball and left the park.

Reinforcements arrived not knowing what if any crime had been committed, and
things got rough as they detained and handcuffed Chesley.

It is evident, since no trespassing charges were filed, that Brian was
crossing the park legally. The park was open for basketball. Officer Davis
explained from the witness stand that he wanted to put Brian in a database
that the police were making of the neighborhood, not arrest him.

The Bill of Rights guarantees that "the right of the people to be secure in
their persons ... against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be
violated." Yet at the trial, Judge Kennedy would not allow the jury to hear
the argument that Brian's arrest was unreasonable.

Why is being added to a police database so important that one should be
arrested for refusing? Why weren't reinforcements told the reason Brian was
to be detained, so they could judge for themselves what amount of force was
appropriate?

In the rush to blame the jury for the verdict and the police officers for
the arrest, we should instead be asking if current police procedures made
this incident inevitable, and why Judge Kennedy chose to exclude any
consideration of this from the trial.

BOB ILLYES

Champaign


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