People arrested in Portland since late May on non-violent misdemeanor charges during the protests that have racked Oregon’s largest city for more than two months won’t be prosecuted.
Also, the DA acknowledged they are running 2 months behind due to covid.
From what i know about the Seattle DAs office, It seems pretty standard (for a big city DA) to choose not to prosecute lots of low level misdemeanors because of lack of resources even during good times… let alone being 2 months behind and during covid. Instead of saying that they are simply overstretched and dont have capacity, the DA seems to be painting over the reality of the situation with an SJW altruistic brush. Putting lipstick on that pig of a situation, you know?
Prosecution is spendy, and cases get dropped all the time because of lack of evidence. I imagine its not easy to tie a specific person to a specific crime during a riot. I am by no means condoning the riots or rioters, just looking at the reality of the situation and thinking that the public statements from the DA are intended to win support in the next election, but arent the real reason why the rioters arent getting prosecuted.
White people fighting against racial injustice in the criminal justice system benefiting from being white and not being charged by the criminal justice system. Say it aint so!!!
90% of all DA’s I have worked with are nothing but political opportunists. The Portland DA using the riots as political gain is disgusting, since the city / county he is sworn to protect has seen over 74 days of riots.
However, this is the first one I have ever known to come out a make this statement:
The same no prosecution policy applies to those arrested on similar charges in future demonstrations, he said.
How far does this “future” go? I mean can someone show up one year from now, commit a non-violent crime and not get arrested?
I believe this will come back and bite him on the ass, when someone of “celebrity status” is arrested and their lawyer screams the DA said they would not be arrested. A good example would be , “famous black/brown rapper / famous black/brown athlete arrested” I would use a name , but, I don’t know any rappers. His lawyer will have a field day with the DA’s brilliant thinking.
That’s the part I object to. I understand it’s relatively common for overworked and behind schedule departments to not prosecute the small fries. I DON’T approve of wording a message such that they effectively imply that “people frustrated by the system” and nonviolent are not being prosecuted.
That effectively gives the message that it’s ok to break the law when your SJW mindset is upset at the “system’s inequality”. It doesn’t matter whether it was INTENTIONALLY written with that in mind, even if it was a side effect (I don’t consider it likely; I consider it a planned PR move, which I like even less) that’s the outcome.
We are all supposed to be equal under the law. If you’re going to admit that your department is overstretched, overtaxed, and behind schedule then you should not imply that one group of citizens or one motivation is less deserving of prosecution than another.
This article says it’s night 78 of riots. I thought it was 76, but who knows anymore.
This article has some interesting quotes from the police:
“We’re in a county that’s not going to prosecute this criminal behavior,” Fox added."
“The Oregon State Police is continually reassessing our resources and the needs of our partner agencies and at this time we are inclined to move those resources back to counties where prosecution of criminal conduct is still a priority,” he said.
Meanwhile, in NYC they cancel the twin-lights display due to covid-19… BUT, BLM protests can continue without impediment.
Remember “Never forget!” Well its time to forget, apparently. Why, bright lights cause COVID! People may look at them and get sick.
You know, I can handle the violence and the virus, I can handle the craziness happening around the country…
What I cannot stand, what I hate, what makes me absolutely apoplectic, is the constant, unrelenting lying by these politicians and media scum bags…
Everyone is a white knight, then reality sets in and you realize that you are dealing with mostly unrepentant shit. These people think they will change the world but that doesn’t happen when people find themselves in the criminal justice system but before they get to that point. It’s like trying to get someone to quit smoking after they get lung cancer.
Without getting eggheadish, Maslow put security/safety pretty near foundational. I would say it belongs with the other physiological needs on the base. In my mind, without safety, everything else is in peril of being destroyed.
Forgetting morons walking in a daze, that we discuss in tactical thread - empowering hooligans seems to swim against inate self preservation.
In my mind, the DA is in fantasyland and the actual citizens should be raising 9 kinds of hell with him and the rioting. If they can’t or won’t, they deserve their misery.
Agreed that DA is in Fantasyland, but I do feel somewhat sorry for the citizens: nothing seems more inexorable than government, and often time sit seems like nothing can be done. It’s not true, but it sure seems that way
That’s why I put the thing up thread, on how there is a recall procedure.
Either the populace takes the bad choice out of the position legally through recall or election, puts up with his making the community more lawless, or takes vigilante action.
I feel sorry for some of the residents… Not all. Clearly, as we have an example on this thread, there are citizens of these places that provide cover for the rioters. Constantly telling us, its not that bad, there is only a small part, they didn’t mean to try to murder those policemen…
I am sorry, but if you support these fuck-sticks and they come to your neighborhood and demand your house, then eat it. Give them your house!
And where wear the cops? Oh, right you fired about 100 of them, there aren’t enough and you voted against them. They aren’t to inclined to give a shit about your house.
Got a body? Tell them where it is and they will come and get it. Otherwise, good luck.
Think about it, what is to stop the rioters from kicking in the door on a residential house and throw out the residents and declare it theirs? Who is going to stop them? Are the police going to do anything? Nope.
I feel bad for those who didn’t vote for this and didn’t support it, the rest of them, they reaped what they sowed. They got what the wanted. They fucked it up, they have to fix it.
When the big chain stores leave because it’s not worth it and small businesses are destroyed and cannot rebuild, what do you think is going to happen to these cities? The rioters are already going into residential neighborhoods. What happens when they demand your house? What happens when they throw you out? No cops to stop them, they just take it and if they stay long enough, they have squater’s rights…
These people got what they wanted, it’s what they voted for. Now they need to live with it. My sympathy goes only so far when it happens night, after night, after night and nobody does anything.
The Fed’s tried to help, but the people don’t want them, so they can live in their own filth.
