Santa Rosa (suspected) killers set free

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

Surefire

Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2004
Messages
737
Location
Tampa
I work a block away from where this killing took place, and was working the night it happened (those of us in the media work crazy hours). I find it absolutely absurd that our DA and Judge are releasing these gang members, who (allegedly) killed a man in cold blood. We all know what is going to happen, they are going to flee the state (maybe even the country), and will be impossible to find if the DA ever does decide to press charges. Here are links to the articles, the one on top being the most recent.

I realize that they are innocent until proven guilty... but just releasing them back in the public (both have had MULTIPLE prior violent charges) is a disaster waiting to happen. Perhaps the laws didn't give the DA or judge an opportunity to continue to hold them, and if that is so the laws need to be changed, IMO.

To briefly summarize, a young man was gunned down after coming to the aide of his female cousin whom these gang members were harassing.

http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061205/NEWS/61205009/1033/NEWS01

http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061205/NEWS/61205006/1033/NEWS01

http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061205/NEWS/612050302/1033/NEWS01

http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061204/NEWS/612040302/1033/NEWS01
 
Ummm, this happens everyday across the country. The DA has insufficient evidence so they elect not to go forward at this time.

Do you prefer they file a weak case and the case be dismissed or the alleged murderers be acquitted at trial?

1. The Judge had nothing to do with this prosecutor's decision. Leave him out of it.

2. If there is insufficient evidence, don't you want ethical prosecutors who do their jobs and order the cops to reinvestigate or find the missing witness or evidence?

3. How do you know the cops have the right guys??? Maybe, just maybe, the cops arrested the wrong dudes at the party? (Doesn't anyone watch Gideon's Trumpet anymore?) Maybe, just maybe, they were merely bystanders and peoples' memories get fuzzy after drinking and violence and "eye witnesses" start telling new stories

The media gets it wrong, daily. Give it time and hold your fire.
 
California: Santa Rosa (suspected) killers set free

Gang members are cowards, IMO. They run in packs and tend to pick fights with unarmed and weaker people. I would label them as domestic terrorists... and they should be dealt with accordingly.
 
El Tejon,

I understand where you are going, and I certainly agree with your logic.

My frustration is more with the history of our DA... this has been a recurring pattern over many years (failure to prosecute). This county has been soft on crime, and hard on the law-abiding.
 
If anyone is interested in the local reaction, you can read local comments by clicking on the "View Comments" link in the stories.
 
The Bay Area type of liberals like people who are soft on crime, unfortunately (IMO).

I will NOT vote for him, nor did I originally.
 
Its actually quiet conceivable that the gangs will intimidate the witnesses, and the case will never take shape. 200 witnesses, and yet its possible that no one would say what happened.
 
Our system is innocent until proven guilty. Not innocent unless you could possibly be guilty and dangerous. These cowards deserve to be tried and punished if they are responsible for these acts, but I would rather guilty go free than innocent be locked up. It is one of the things that make our country a great nation. It is why we sadly must be unable to prove 'beyond a resonable doubt' when it is reasonably possible that scum could not be the proper scum, and merely another scum in the wrong place.

Would you rather guilty until proven innocent where the burden of proof rests with you to prove your innocent instead of with prosecutor to prove your guilty? Under that kind of system it could be fatal or jeapordize your freedom just to be alone or not surrounded at all times by people to have an alibi in case of being falsely accused.

The real solution is potential victims and people that can come to thier rescue being legaly armed so they don't have to be at the mercyof such scum and have another option.

Oh it was in CA where only criminals, police, and movie stars are armed in public.
 
I agree that gangbangers tend to run in packs and prey on those weaker than them but to call them cowards is a blanket statement that is all too frequently not true. Many predators hunt in packs and seek out the weak as
the preferred prey. This is not a sign of cowardice but a simple method employed to increase the chances of success while limiting personal risk.

I remember a few years ago when a media pundit made the statement that
those who hijacked the airlines to attack New York were not the cowards that
most called them. He was barbecued in the press for stating a fact not popular at the time. Like the terrorists our country faces, members of many
street gangs are not cowards. They are self centered and not willing to risk
their own skin unless absolutely necessary but when push comes to shove they will fight if necessary. To classify them as cowards can lead people to
underestimate the danger they can pose.
 
a friends daughter went to high school

In a town close to Santa Rosa, the history book gave great detail on all the bill of rights...but one sentence on the 2nd!

it said the 2nd pertains to the national guard having weapons.

I pray my friends are ok ...but CA made it's bed and is sleeping in it.
 
they're gang members. I wouldn't sweat this one, because they'll be back. Better to let them get caught again and have a solid case than blow it on an almost solid case and not get another shot at them.

But you'll see these guys again. It'll be a drug charge or a robbery charge or an assault charge, but they'll be back. And when they come back, you will have been watching them more closely because you know that they're bad hombres already. Or at least shady.
 
IMO if the case is so weak the prosecutor is unwilling to go forward, that is the correct action. This is america after all, and if there is not enough of a case to convict, the prosecutor ought to decline to take a suspect to court.
 
gang members

be VERY careful not to jump on the "gang members are coming to a neighborhood near you" bandwagon.

I work and have known many gang members in all stages of development and while I do not like criminals I do understand and acknowledge that the right to form a gang must be protected.

Summary persecution of "gang-type activity" can easily be expanded to summary persecution of "militia-type activity". From there I can see a very viable path to legislation against "subversive activity".

When there is not enough evidence, we do not put someone on trial. It does not matter what he has done in the past. It is the job of the police to put pressure on criminals, and the job of the citizen to arm himself.
 
Well, first off, if they are really gang members, the good news is George Bevan, federal prosecutor in charge of guns, gangs, and drugs, and the FBI are based in San Francisco, and, they actually do get gangs, and members, on racketeering charges, guns, and drugs. You could ring up the FBI, or Mr. Bevan at DOJ, and bring the gang to their attention. On the otherhand, the gang may not know about the task force, and, just move to the criminal Haven of the western US; San Francisco, all on their own.;)

If it's any help, often the prosecutors let the criminal go, giving them the impression they have no evidence, and, continue to gather enough evidence to put together an airtight case. For all you know, the gang could be an inch away from Federal prosecution, and, the feds want them out, so they can finish the case, and put them all away.

Having worked a bit in the SFDA's office, we were MORE then delighted to have the Federal prosecutors cherry pick our cases, and move offenders into the much stricter federal court system, where the likelyhood of conviction was about 100% higher.

As a side note, some of the gangs police themselves. We had an assault and battery, near attempted murder, stabbing outside a SF nightclub. The guy that started it was a Hell's Angels wannabe, and, his girlfriend. The girl mouthed off to another kids girl, the guys got involved, backing up his obnoxious girlfriend, and, true to HA code, they all dove in on some innocent kids from the east bay. We couldn't get them to testify, but, an intresting thing happened in the investigation.

The guy who's girl started the affair disappeared. His shop was never opened again, and, no one's been able to find him. The Hells Angel's do NOT want any heat from the Federal task force, or any other police agency. This guys actions made him a liability, and created a problem, plus a potential states witness. Since he wasn't yet an Angel, theory according to the investigators, is he's somewhere in the communal bellies of a number of sharks, somewhere on the north coast.

S
 
As one who grew up just a few miles south of Santa Rosa it has pained me over the years to read how crime and crowds have changed Sonoma County for the worst.Makes me kind of sad but also glad that I left there 34 years,or so,ago...don't miss it much,cept when it's in the "minus teens" here in the middle of the midwest.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

S
  • Locked
Sonoma County Gun Confiscation/Testing
2
Replies
36
Views
3K
entropy
entropy
P
  • Locked
Update Cincy man who shot 14 yr stealing car
2
Replies
25
Views
2K
poppy
P
M
  • Locked
Home robbers pose as police
Replies
15
Views
840
Jeff White
J
B
  • Locked
Gangwar?
Replies
0
Views
544
Bob F.
B
A
  • Locked
If you guys thought killer squirrels were bad...
2 3
Replies
51
Views
3K
Geronimo45
G
Back
Top