Intended Consequences

[rubato]

This is an appropriate time to post this link again:

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/arc ... ns/361631/



yrs,
rubato

[rubato]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015 ... /24673097/

A municipal judge criticized in a Justice Department investigation of Ferguson, Mo.' s troubled police department and court system resigned Monday, KSDK-TV, St.. Louis, reported.

Judge Ronald Brockmeyer of Ferguson presided in Ferguson for more than a decade and is mentioned in the Justice Department's report about the city that criticized the court's use of sometimes excessive and unnecessary fees.

That Justice Department review also found that Missouri's troubled Ferguson Police Department engaged in a broad pattern of racially biased enforcement that permeated the city's justice system, including the use of unreasonable force against African American suspects. The report criticized the city's municipal court system and included Brockmeyer's boasts about increasing the court fees.

Citing a report from the finance director to city council, the Justice Department pointed out that Brockmeyer had been "successful in significantly increasing court collections over the years."

The report also includes a list of what the judge did to help in the areas of court efficiency and revenue. That list that Brockmeyer drafted approvingly highlighted the creation of additional fees, many of which are widely considered abusive and may be unlawful, according to the Justice Department. The city of Ferguson repealed some of the fees, including a "failure to appear fine," during the Justice Department's investigation.

The Justice Department's scathing denouncement of racially biased policing operations in Ferguson came six months after Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson shot Michael Brown, 18, setting off demonstrations that spread across the country.

The Supreme Court of Missouri transferred Judge Roy Richter of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, to the St. Louis County circuit court, where he will be assigned to hear all of Ferguson's pending and future municipal division cases. The court said the move was to "help restore public trust and confidence in the Ferguson municipal court division" and will take effect March 16.

"Judge Richter will bring a fresh, disinterested perspective to this court's practices and he is able and willing to implement needed reforms," Chief Justice Mary R. Russell said in a statement. "More than two-thirds of all Missouri court cases are filed in the municipal divisions.

"Though these are not courts of record, they are the first — and sometimes the only — impression Missourians have of their court system," she said. "Although we recognize the local control our statutes give these uniquely local entities, we must not sacrifice individual rights and society's collective commitment to justice."

But some who applaud the Justice Department report say Brockmeyer was not the only problem. Thomas Harvey of Arch City Defenders, who represents low-income people who need legal assistance, contends that all the city-leve municipal courts need to be shuttered and allow circuit courts to take over.

"Make these professional courts, make them full time courts, have the cases heard there," he said. "Reduce the number of places that poor people have to go to resolve these legal matters and let's restore some sanity to the region in terms of the way we handle the municipal courts."

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon also issued a statement Monday night.

"Courts are a vital part of our democracy, and our court system is built on the trust of the citizens it serves," he said. "Today's strong and appropriate actions by the Missouri Supreme Court are a solid step forward. I will continue to work with the Missouri Supreme Court and the legislature to ensure all municipal courts operate in the fair, transparent and accountable manner Missourians expect and deserve."

Representatives for the city of Ferguson as well as a Brockmeyer's law firm did not immediately return requests from USA TODAY for comment.

yrs,
rubato

[Lord Jim]

Suspect arrested in shooting of 2 officers in Ferguson

(CNN)A 20-year-old man from the St. Louis area has been arrested in connection with the shooting of two police officers during last week's protests in Ferguson, Missouri, a prosecutor said Sunday.

Jeffrey Williams was arrested late Saturday, and he has been charged with two counts of first-degree assault, a count of firing a weapon from a vehicle and three counts of armed criminal activity, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch said at a news conference in Clayton.

"The demonstrations were pretty much over (when the officers were shot). People were leaving, and that's when this happened," he said, describing Williams as a demonstrator who had taken part in protests on numerous occasions.

At the time of his arrest, Williams was on probation for receiving stolen property, and McCulloch said he believed Williams had an outstanding warrant after not reporting to his probation officer for several months.

The prosecutor repeatedly thanked the public for the information that led to the arrest. He also said that, because of the public's assistance in the case, police were able to serve a search warrant on Williams' residence where they seized a .40-caliber handgun, "which has been tied to the shell casings that were recovered" at the scene of the shooting.

Williams is being held on a cash-only $300,000 bond, McCulloch said, adding that it's possible Williams could face more charges and that others could be charged in the case.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/15/us/fergus ... index.html

[Econoline]

when you shit all over whatever legitimate points you may have with insults and smear attacks, (as rube does regularly, and did once again in this case) you should hardly be surprised when you don't see people wanting to respond to the points you made.

Indeed. I've left a significant part of this thread unread, and my scrollwheel has been getting quite a workout.

[Sue U]

Indeed. I've left a significant part of this thread unread, and my scrollwheel has been getting quite a workout.

Dit-Oh.

[liberty]

Yes, yes, yes. Every PD in a municipality having a significant "black" population should be investigated for signs of ACTUAL racism, and it should be addressed definitively. Heads should roll where serious civil rights violations are found.

However.

Finding that "Blacks" are arrested or incarcerated at a rate higher than their proportion of the population is evidence of exactly NOTHING. Every reliable study done in the past fifty years indicates that the "minority community" commits a disproportionate share of the felonies and violent crimes in essentially every community where they reside in large numbers. Not surprising, considering the illegitimacy rate, dropout rate, .... ".

You have not read any of the articles about what was happening in Ferguson or you would not spew such utter knee- jerk canned bullshit.



You continue to prove the causative link between ignorance and racism.



Yrs,
Rubato

Where is the error in what he said? I recently contributed money to the coffers a predominantly black town in North Louisiana. I decided I don’t want to contribute more so I will be watching my speed more closely when I travel through their town. Did they commit racism against me?