Posted on 05/12/2007 5:39:01 PM PDT by SmithL
It's almost as if Lake County itself is on trial.
"There are few black people in Lake County, so people rely on stereotypes," said defense attorney Stuart Hanlon of San Francisco.
Nonsense, retorts Lake County District Attorney Jon Hopkins. "Can you say a county is racist because it doesn't have enough black people?" he asked.
The California Supreme Court, in a rare move, finally got involved in the war of words over the county's demographics. Earlier this week, it halted the proceedings in a double homicide case and agreed to review Hanlon's request for a change of venue, based on the "racial imbalance" of overwhelmingly white Lake County -- a land where dirt roads and double-wides coexist with wine country aspirations.
"It is highly unusual for the Supreme Court to get involved at this stage," said Nanci Clarence, president of the San Francisco Bar Association. "It tends to take a hands-off approach on matters that arrive before trial. This causes one to sit up and take notice."
The bizarre and complicated case has outraged civil rights groups throughout Northern California. Renato Hughes, a 22-year-old African American from San Francisco, has spent the past year and a half in a Lake County jail, charged with the murders of his two boyhood pals -- African American Bay Area residents shot in the back and killed by a white man who has not been charged.
According to the prosecutor, Hughes, Christian Foster of San Francisco and Rashad Williams of Pittsburg broke into the Clearlake house where Shannon Edmonds and four others were living on Dec. 7, 2005, a little after 4 a.m., to steal thousands of dollars' worth of marijuana. Edmonds has admitted gunning down two of the men who broke into...
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Guess they want to pull another OJ Simpson trial — get enough blacks on the jury and turn a murder trial in a race trial.... our impressive judicial system.
Did OJ get a fair trial? Oh that’s right, there were blacks on that jury.
And brenda moron got deliberated!
Shopping around for an OJ jury.
A direct violation of the US Constitution. But then the black robed dictators care nothing about the Constitution. Amendment VI states “The accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of he State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed...”
So if it is moved from the district where the crime took place it is in violation of the Constitution.
It seems this idiot and two others went to rob a man who alledgedly had marijuana in his home.
Somehow the white man killed his two buddies, during the robbery. The simplest thing to do would be to send this guy back to the home to rob it again and let the fellow who killed the other two get another shot at him.
All blacks accused of crimes should be tried in DC.
Scooter Libby should have used this defense. A jury pool of 93% Democrat can’t bode well for a Republican.
Which I believe is the root of all those corrupt Democrats who never get prosecuted. What Democrat could ever be convicted by jury in DC?
It’s getting to the point where only black cops can police black communities and vise versa. What about blacks on the jury of a white man? Would you trust them?
Why do this in CA? Thought they were so open-minded and progressive.
I know it does, but in this day and age race shouldn’t matter.
Ping...
How about one that cuts welfare benefits? Is against this type of racial gerrymandering of juries? Is against home rule for DC?
"Provocative Acts", huh? "Deaths during Felonius Misadventures" sounds better, imho.
Guy should go away for life just for the baseball bat damage.
This story is a pant-load! The author's editorializing is a pant-load!! The CA Supremes tampering with the case is a Supreme Pant-load!!! (Oh! And the premise is a monumental pant-load)
They would say the exact same thing about a multitude of other northern CA counties, especially those in Arnold Schwartzenegger's CONtroversial Sierra-Nevada CONservancy! They would smear them all as "enclaves of white flight exurban refugees!" Bet on it!!!
21 posted on 12/12/2005 7:02:48 AM PST by chuckles
Looks like your prediction from last Dec is coming true...
Not only is Lake County filled with evil whites with KKK hats in their closets, they’re ripping out the pear trees in favor of olive trees. That makes them evil white Italian descendents who favor pizza and spaghetti recipes over tacos or couscous.
Definetely needs an investigation by the justice department and Emeril.
This is racism at its finest. Edmonds, a well-known drug dealer and meth addict lies by claiming he was robbed, shoots two men in the back, and walks away free while Renato gets the blame. That is not playing the so-called race card; those are the facts! These three young gentlemen were educated African American men. They were NOT thugs, but because of racial stereotypes and ignorance, some people automatically assume that white Edmonds’ accusations are justified. How can the young men rob when they did not have any weapons? Why would they choose to pass San Francisco, Napa, Sonoma, Santa Rosa, and other cities just to rob this sick man? The facts are that Renato was not identified in a line up, Renato did not kill anyone, and Renato did not rob Edmonds! If Edmonds was supposedly being attacked in his home, how did he have time enough to get a gun and run after the men to shoot them? Also, it is not defense if you are pursuing someone else! Additionally, why didn’t the Lake County police take the buckets of marijuana and scale that was found in Edmonds’ home? No medical license allows an individual to have five or more pounds of weed for medical treatment. Edmonds is GUILTY! Edmonds needs to be prosecuted for HIS ACTIONS OF MULTIPLE MURDERS!!! This is why this case needs to be further examined. Renato Hughes is innocent and it is sad that he has to endure false accusations for something he did not do! There is no card that is being played, just another example of how a white man is trying to get away with murder and not being held accountable for his actions!
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