But our political landscape is much more focused on gays, cakes, making fun of someone who believes the earth 6000 years old, black lives mattering, & Bruce Jenner winning courage awards.

Progressivism, fuck yeah! Suck it, inalienable rights!

There is simply no excuse for a trial to be delayed because the prosecution isn't ready.

@clevfan4life said:

Did you also read the part about him being beaten while he was in there, by guards and then they also allowed gang members to beat him? That "is" exactly what they've been talking about for years you impudent flaccid little muppet.

Relax Cleve. Just checking. You know very well how you folks always like to inject racism into everything. Glad you understand that there probably have been whites beaten and unjustly held as well.

@westside-steve said:

I think they offered him a plea out of that, not 100% sure. And yeah the whole story didn't sound right from the beginning, which he probably understood cause nothing like that remotely happened and he wasn't gonna take that hit.

@clevfan4life said:

hard to imagine if he did it that he wouldn't have pleaded out to simple backpack theft. It sounds like the kid took a principled stand and said no, I didn't do this shit and i'm not gonna plead out. And for that he got his ass beat.

Or he suspected they couldn't prove anything and since he was on probation understood the conviction for robbery was probably going to carry a pretty stiff sentence decided to roll the dice with a trial, not understanding I'll slowly the wheels of justice roll over their clients.

Also I thought the supposedly victims story was bogus, who the fuck carries 700 bucks in your backpack through the hood.

Remember he'd been in trouble before even though the article only went into one issue.

But I'm not implying that I don't think his treatment was fucked up beyond belief.

WSS

@westside-steve said:

hard to imagine if he did it that he wouldn't have pleaded out to simple backpack theft. It sounds like the kid took a principled stand and said no, I didn't do this shit and i'm not gonna plead out. And for that he got his ass beat.

@westside-steve said:

The evidence according to article is flimsy at best, the only "witness or evidence" was the victim saying it was him. No idea if the 2 knew each other outside of this act or not. Plus if the prosecutor had a good\decent case it would have likely went to trial quicker.

@sadbrownsfan said:

I was more going if he was a "especially a white kid whose parents had money" from clev.

From the article "But, because Browder was still on probation, the judge ordered him to be held and set bail at three thousand dollars. The amount was out of reach for his family, and soon Browder found himself aboard a Department of Correction bus."

Ah I understand. Hard to fathom someone not being able to scrape up the 300 bucks for a bail bondsman but we do live in different worlds.

And while I certainly feel terrible for this kids ordeal do we imagine he did it or not?

WSS

@westside-steve said:

I was more going if he was a "especially a white kid whose parents had money" from clev.

From the article "But, because Browder was still on probation, the judge ordered him to be held and set bail at three thousand dollars. The amount was out of reach for his family, and soon Browder found himself aboard a Department of Correction bus."

@sadbrownsfan said:

If he had money he would have been out on bail, and still waiting for trial, they could not afford bail so he was waiting in jail, also he would have had a lawyer who was not a public defender with multiple clients but one more dedicated to him.

Possibly but we will assume that whatever money they had would only purchase the services of one of the cheapest attorneys in the city with no guarantee that he'd be any better then the public defender.

and according to The New Yorker story he'd been on probation so wouldn't have gotten the bail anyway, correct?

WSS

@clevfan4life said:

If he had money he would have been out on bail, and still waiting for trial, they could not afford bail so he was waiting in jail, also he would have had a lawyer who was not a public defender with multiple clients but one more dedicated to him.

Stuart said:

Did you also read the part about him being beaten while he was in there, by guards and then they also allowed gang members to beat him? That "is" exactly what they've been talking about for years you impudent flaccid little muppet.

@sadbrownsfan said:

I don't think this incident is racially motivated, its just a huge local court issue but when it happens in an area that is predominately minority, you can at least see how it can be added to the narrative for people that blame the cops for being racially biased?

And that's one reason the tension mounts in America.

WSS

@westside-steve said:

I don't think this incident is racially motivated, its just a huge local court issue but when it happens in an area that is predominately minority, you can at least see how it can be added to the narrative for people that blame the cops for being racially biased?

@sadbrownsfan said:

But can you see how it could add to it? Specially when this is happening in an area that is predominately black\hispanic?

Because blacks and Hispanics commit an inordinate amount of crime. It is not right, that is to refuse anyone a speedier trial, but its not obviously racially motivated.

WSS

Stuart said:

But can you see how it could add to it? Specially when this is happening in an area that is predominately black\hispanic?

@clevfan4life said:

and you all wonder why black folk pissed? 3 years for backpack theft? That was a jail slot that more than likely could have been taken up by multiple serious offenders.

Um no Cleve, no one is "wondering" why black folk are pissed. How liberal of you to bring race into the issue.

Never realized that blacks being held in jail for years without being granted the right to a speedy trial is what all the violence and looting was about.

@chicopee-john said:

This seems less like a national issue and more with the local courts. From this article http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/10/06/before-the-law

"In order for a trial to start, both the defense attorney and the prosecutor have to declare that they are ready; the court clerk then searches for a trial judge who is free and transfers the case, and jury selection can begin. Not long after Browder was indicted, an assistant district attorney sent the court a “Notice of Readiness,” stating that “the People are ready for trial.” The case was put on the calendar for possible trial on December 10th, but it did not start that day. On January 28, 2011, Browder’s two-hundred-and-fifty-eighth day in jail, he was brought back to the courthouse once again. This time, the prosecutor said, “The People are not ready. We are requesting one week.” The next court date set by the judge—March 9th—was not one week away but six. As it happened, Browder didn’t go to trial anytime that year. An index card in the court file explains:

The Bronx courts are so clogged that when a lawyer asks for a one-week adjournment the next court date usually doesn’t happen for six weeks or more. As long as a prosecutor has filed a Notice of Readiness, however, delays caused by court congestion don’t count toward the number of days that are officially held to have elapsed. Every time a prosecutor stood before a judge in Browder’s case, requested a one-week adjournment, and got six weeks instead, this counted as only one week against the six-month deadline. Meanwhile, Browder remained on Rikers, where six weeks still felt like six weeks—and often much longer."

@oldbrownsfan said:

I believe legislation - signed into law by Obama - allows for 'suspects' to be arrested without any public notice, without charges being applied and without any time limit for resolution.

Perhaps an extension of the Patriot Act at the time. Certainly, hysteria after 911

The Constitution allows for a quick and public trial but..................................