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

[Brian Dolinar]

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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