Friday, October 24, 2014

What Is This, A Minstrel Show? Shame On CBS (R8 Re-Post)

What Is This, A Minstrel Show? Shame On CBS
I met a couple of new people today.
I met Jeffrey Deskovic.
I met Fernando Bermudez.
I met Derrick Hamilton. I actually wrote a piece about him. It began like this:
We've another one, dear readers. Can you guarantee your freedom, if you're convicted of a crime when you're in ANOTHER STATE, with dozens of witnesses who can attest to your presence at that time?
Read about Derrick Hamilton, and understand that a miscarriage of justice can happen to YOU. Let's put an end to this.
JUSTICE DENIED: THE MAGAZINE FOR THE WRONGLY CONVICTED
PAGE 10 ISSUE 41 - SUMMER 2008
Click anywhere in the above text to read that piece.
I met again with Abe George, current Brooklyn D.A. Charles "Joe" Hynes' challenger, and also with Doreen Quinn, mother of wrongly-convicted-of-murder John Guica. There are many pieces that I've written about John.
I believe that we are two movements into a performance piece by the Powers-That-Be.
The first movement consisted of a clean sweep of all of the Black and Hispanic "troublemakers" elected to represent We The People in Brooklyn. This movement was led by Shirley Huntley, but orchestrated by a person still unknown to us all. This was the bagman.
The first movement went off without a hitch.
The second movement was well on its way - a "reality" show called Brooklyn D.A. was set to go on the air, at the beginning of what looks to be a heated contest between Hynes and George.
Not so fast - George may have put the kibosh on that dog-and-pony show. Why not let Abe George say it in his own words:
Abe George Explains His Lawsuit Against "Brooklyn D.A."
Thanks to Brooklyn Ron for the above link.
I don't believe I made this clear when I first posted this piece. This show is a violation of campaign finance laws, and it is especially insidious in that the show was planned to air before the election.
"Brooklyn D.A." is essentially an INFOMERCIAL for Hynes.
It purports to masquerade as a "reality show", but the reality is that it glosses over any real cases of note.
One of the topics it wouldn't go near has to be the Hasidic sex scandal. Another topic would be the malicious prosecution of John Kennedy O'Hara. Yet another would be the machinations that cost the dearly departed "Kung-Fu" Judge John Phillips all of his Brooklyn properties and, eventually, his life.
Instead, we would be presented with a sanitized version of his "wins".
Here's the issue - these shouldn't be seen as "wins". I thought it was the job of the Brooklyn D.A. to do the business of Brooklyn residents.
Don't be fooled - "Brooklyn D.A." is an attempt to game the system.
For example, here's a description of one of the "stars" of the show:
Michael Vecchione: Rackets Bureau chief in the Brooklyn district attorney’s office is best known for his pursuit of the “Mafia cops” case against crooked NYPD Detectives Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa. Hard-charging Vecchione has successfully prosecuted pols and judges alike, including Clarence Norman, former head of the Brooklyn Democratic Party. He put a camera in Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Gerald Garson’s chambers and caught the judge accepting bribes.
Somehow, I don't think the $150 million lawsuit pending againt Vecchione will get a mention on the show.
Related to all of this is a piece in the New York Post:

‘Wrong-man’ cop spurs DA overload

  • Last Updated: 5:15 AM, May 14, 2013
  • Posted: 12:55 AM, May 14, 2013
   
Gregory P. Mango
David Ranta served 23 years in jail for crime he didn't commit.
A team of Brooklyn prosecutors will examine the work of a decorated retired NYPD detective whose case against an alleged rabbi-killer unraveled in March, sources said yesterday.
The team will assist the two-person Brooklyn district attorney’s Conviction Integrity Unit — headed by John O’Mara — to review as many as 50 cases in which former Detective Louis Scarcella was the lead investigator.
“There’s no way O’Mara can look into 50 cases, so they’re going to farm them out to other ADAs,” a source with knowledge of the review told The Post.
   
AP
Detective Louis Scarcella's wrong-man case prompts review.
The unit’s investigation of the 1990 trial of David Ranta led to his conviction for killing a Brooklyn rabbi being overturned after he spent 23 years behind bars.
DA Charles Hynes’ office has said it will now look into every murder case that resulted in a conviction after trial in which the once-heralded Scarcella, 61, headed the investigation.
“Our primary concern is to see if there are any innocent people in jail,” said Hynes’ spokesman, Jerry Schmetterer.
Among the 50 cases are several unrelated homicides in which the key witness was the same Brooklyn prostitute and crack addict.
Scarcella did not return a call for comment.
"Conviction Integrity Unit" - I wonder who came up with that? Why is it that every time one of these groups are formed, they seem to perform the opposite of their purported function?
You're going to "see if there are any innocent people in jail”?
Might I suggest somewhere to start, since you seem to be overwhelmed?
John Guica. If he isn't included in your cases, you're just blowing smoke up our fannies.
If only these people worked as hard to ensure that innocent people didn't end up behind bars as much as they seem to care about those dubious convictions...but you have to understand this salient point - those people's lives meant ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to them.
Nothing. Not worth a second thought.
However, you should know how hard they fought to KEEP THEM IN JAIL.
Fernando Bermudez had to file nearly a DOZEN TIMES before he could get his case heard.
I don't know how many times Jabbar Collins filed before getting his evidence examined. John Giuca is still waiting, despite the clearest case of juror misconduct I've ever heard. I've seen about every episode of Law & Order, as well as most of the famous movie trials, and I've seen killers, rapists and murderers set free on the merest technicalities; yet, John Giuca sits alone in a cell, separated from his family.
How many others are suffering the same fate?
You know what's crushing the headlines today?
Angelina Jolie's double mastectomy.
I commend Angelina for coming forth and admitting to such a huge decision...but isn't there other news of some import?
Oh...Prince Harry went to New Jersey.
Well, right now, Abe George seems to have interrupted that second movement. Let's see what develops.
This is no Swan Lake.
It's more like a bad minstrel show.

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