[Peace-discuss] Fw: [Discuss] Fwd: states attorney

[David Green]

     On Sunday, October 9, 2016 9:31 AM, mark enslin via Discuss-CommunityCourtwatch <discuss-communitycourtwatch at lists.chambana.net> wrote:
 
 

 
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Belden Fields <belden.fields at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Oct 9, 2016 at 9:16 AM
Subject: states attorney
To: peace at antiwar.net
Cc: mark enslin <enslin.mark at gmail.com>




Mark, please forward to the discuss list. Thanks.

Dear Friends and Comrades, Why I Support Vargas for States Attorney In 2004, I was delighted when Julia Rietz defeated JohnPiland in the States Attorney race. However, my then-delight has turned to chagrin given some of herprosecutorial decisions, over which she had wide discretion.  They included her decisions to prosecute andask for prison time for retiree Willie Craft, whose vehicle had hit and killeda student after Craft fell into a diabetic coma, and for Bidemi Ajobiewe, whosetruck had skidded on the ice resulting in the death of an oncoming driver.These prosecutions served no social purpose and no sense of justice.  The deaths were tragic, but accidental. Whilethese two people wound up serving prison time, Rietz had no trouble decidingthat the 2009 shooting of young unarmed Kiwane Carrington by Champaign policeofficer Daniel Norbits was just an accident. This despite the fact that Norbitswas violating departmental policy by struggling with the boy while holding hisservice weapon that has no safety lock. No involuntary manslaughter charge, nonegligent homicide, nothing. Being tough on civilians but easy on the police has beentypical of Rietz's behavior. In 2005, Rietz did not call in a special prosecutorfrom the Appellate Court or from the Attorney General's  office to prosecute Urbana officer Kurt Hjortwho was accused of  rape and  only lost his job, and she let sheriff deputySgt. William Myers off with  probationand community service after he tortured a jail inmate with a Taser.  This year, sherefused to ask for an additional penalty for a rape Champaign police officerJerad Gale committed in Champaign County, over and above the 6 months (and 48months probation) sentence imposed by a Piatt County court for another rape hehad committed there.  Six months and a freepass on one rape?  Quite a deal! Civilianshave gotten several decades of imprisonment for sexual assault in ChampaignCounty. One would think that officers of the law would be held to an even higherstandard.  To me, these prosecutorial decisions are a perversion ofjustice. There needs to be a change in the office of states attorney. After conversationswith George Vargas, Rietz's opponent in the November elections, I haveconcluded that he would bring positive changes to that office. I will vote forhim and urge others to do so as well.  Belden        



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