Get Ready (Acquittals loom in the Inglewood cop trial)

National Review OnLine ^ | July 17, 2003 | Jack Dunphy

[End Times Sentinel]

July 17, 2003, 9:55 a.m.
Get Ready
Acquittals loom in the Inglewood cop trial. Will trouble follow?

LOS ANGELES — Do you hear that? If you listen closely, you can hear the faint, far-off sounds of the No Justice, No Peace Hallelujah Chorus practicing their scales and limbering up the old vocal chords. That's right, soprano Maxine Waters, baritone Al Sharpton, bass Jesse Jackson, and all their assembled multitudes may soon be, as is their wont, raising a ruckus. Though the story has been largely eclipsed by other events in the national media, the two Inglewood, Calif. police officers indicted in last July's videotaped altercation with a teenager have been brought before the bar of justice. As the world knows, Los Angeles juries can be prone to irrationality at times, so predictions in such highly charged cases can be dicey, but I'm planning on working some overtime soon. Recall that Officers Jeremy Morse and Bijan Darvish were two of several officers involved in a July 6, 2002 fracas with 16-year-old Donovan Jackson, whose father had been stopped for driving a car with expired registration. The final moments of the incident were captured on a bystander's videotape, and for days and weeks thereafter few in the civilized world could escape the image of Morse slamming the handcuffed Jackson onto a police car's trunk and punching him in the mouth. Morse was charged with assault under the color of authority; Darvish, his partner that day, was charged with filing a false police report. The jury has now heard the prosecution's evidence, and what thin gruel it turned out to be. When prosecutors rested their case on Tuesday, some observers were prompted to ask, "That's it? That's all you got?"

L.A. County Sheriff's Commander Charles Heal, testifying for the prosecution as a use-of-force expert, told the jury on Monday that while he considered Morse's treatment of Jackson excessive, it did not rise to the level that would warrant criminal charges. "If [Morse] would have been my deputy, he would have got his chain rattled in my office," Heal testified under cross-examination. "Would I have filed [criminal charges] on him? No." What, then, the jurors might have wondered, are we all doing here?

Prosecutors sought to rebound from this setback on Tuesday by calling Inglewood P.D. Chief Ronald Banks and LAPD Captain Greg Meyer, both of whom testified that Morse's actions were excessive and inexcusable. But in relying on Heal, Banks, and Meyer as they have, prosecutors run the risk of seeing their testimony undercut by other use-of-force experts to be called when the defense presents their case. All three are high-ranking officers within their departments, and one doesn't get to be a high-ranking officer in any police department by mixing it up in gas-station donnybrooks. I don't care how many articles they've written or how many speeches they've given, I'll bet a paycheck that neither Heal, Banks, or Meyer has gotten his uniform dirty in 20 years. The defense will surely present use-of-force authorities whose expertise is more practical than theoretical, and whose testimony will likely carry more weight with the jury.

As if resigned to defeat, some in the anti-cop crowd were quick to denounce the prosecution's efforts. Max Huntsman and Michael Peterson, the two deputy district attorneys assigned to the case, came in for some colorful criticism from one Najee Ali, head of Project Islamic Hope. "What's up, Steve [Cooley, the county D.A]?" said Ali. "Why did you send us Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis? We want to know how come their best people weren't sent out instead of a comedy act."

An even more enlightening reaction came from Leo Terrel, the seldom-tranquil Los Angeles attorney. Reacting to Cmdr. Heal's admission that he did not believe Morse's actions to be criminal, Terrel nearly blew a gasket. "Are you telling me," he thundered, "that [prosecutors] couldn't find, out of all the use-of-force experts in the state, in the nation, one person that would have been loyal to them, and been on the same page?" Interesting that Terrel, who on his local radio show bills himself as "the fair-minded civil-rights attorney," should call for a witness to tailor his testimony so as to achieve some desired outcome.

We'll be hearing a great deal from Terrel and all the better-known cop bashers if the trial continues on its present course. It will be pointed out ad nauseam that only one black was on the jury, so when the acquittals come there will be all the more reason for the usual suspects to condemn them. All that furniture heisted in the '92 Rodney King riots is bound to be a bit threadbare by now, so some people may be looking forward to a shopping spree, one for which the bill never comes.

The jury may get the case as soon as next week. Look for me at Florence and Normandie.

— Jack Dunphy is an officer in the Los Angeles Police Department. "Jack Dunphy" is the author's nom de cyber. The opinions expressed are his own and almost certainly do not reflect those of the LAPD management.

[End Times Sentinel]

Batten down the hatches L.A.

 

Owl_Eagle
" WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
DIVERSITY IS STRENGTH"

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[Wil H]

Terrel, who on his local radio show bills himself as "the fair-minded civil-rights attorney,"

I saw the "fair-minded civil-rights attorney" on Hannity and Colmes last night, he screamed, shouted and pointed his finger for the entire segment. He did not let anyone get a word in edgewise and howled over the other, very calm and reasoned contributor (Mr McWhorter - who is also black) that he was a "black apologist and a sell out to his race"

Terrel is the quintessential example of a black racist. He also proudly proclaimed that he was a product of affirmative action, a more compelling argument against which I could not imagine.

[Moose4]

Maybe the LAPD will get a chance to use all those armored cars, M16s, and paramilitary gear they've been stocking up on.

Oh. My bad, that's only to be used on Second Amendment defenders and tax evaders, not on black rioters.

}:-)4

[onedoug]

I was ready for the SOBs then, and I'll be ready again.

[islander-11]

Great lesson from the last riot - the Korean shopkeepers who armed themselves and saved their businesses. The founding fathers were right to give us the RIGHT to keep and bear arms!

Good luck and stay safe, onedoug!

[Grut]

...while he considered Morse's treatment of Jackson excessive, it did not rise to the level that would warrant criminal charges.

"did not rise to the level"... hmm, where have we heard that before? Practically guarantees both innocence and nonconviction. Just because we have video of the guy getting his face bounced off a car doesn't mean getting your face bounced off a car isn't just one of those things... noooo....

[End Times Sentinel]

I was ready for the SOBs then, and I'll be ready again.

Stay armed and stay safe onedoug!

 

 

Owl_Eagle
" WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
DIVERSITY IS STRENGTH"

[JudyB1938]

As far as I am concerned, this is not a black/white issues. Nor is it an attack on honorable law enforcement offiers. It is "them" (jack-booted thugs) against "us" (citizens).

I can understand the need for force when the person is fighting the officer, but from the video I saw, this was some young, scared kid who was brutalized by a weight-lifting, steroid-taking (probably), sadist egotist. I hope they throw the book at those cops and send them to where their muscles will do the most good ... digging ditches!

[Redcloak]

And to add to the mix: It's been really hot here lately. It's 104° in the Valley right now. Temps are usually cooler "over the hill", but it's probably still pretty warm in the 'hood. There's no talk of a marked cooling trend any time soon.

[Just another Joe]

IMO, bouncing the kid off the trunk was nothing. You can see as much on the TV show COPS.
It was the punch in the jaw after the kid was in handcuffs that warrants looking into.
I don't care if the someone knees you in the b*lls and bites your leg right behind the knee, after they're in handcuffs and are being held by other LEOs you don't take a swing because you're pi$$ed.

[.38sw]

All that furniture heisted in the '92 Rodney King riots is bound to be a bit threadbare by now, so some people may be looking forward to a shopping spree, one for which the bill never comes.

Kinda sums it up nicely.

[End Times Sentinel]

from the video I saw, this was some young, scared kid who was brutalized by a weight-lifting, steroid-taking (probably), sadist egotist. .

Keep in mind that if an alien arrived at Normandy on June 6, 1944, he'd wonder why the hyper aggressive Allies were attacking the peaceful Germans unprovoked.  Until you've seen the entire video as well as the station security tape and not just the last 12 seconds of video that clearly doesn't show not only what led up to the incident, or what Jackson's hands were doing, all side's testimony deserve equal hearing.

The assumption that you're drawing is very similar to that which many people drew after seeing the final 16 seconds of the Rodney King video tape.  When one watches the entire tape and sees King throwing the officers around like rag dolls in a PCP induced rage, you come away with quite a different take on the episode, which goes a long way toward explaining the Simi Valley verdict.

 

Owl_Eagle
" WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
DIVERSITY IS STRENGTH"

[L,TOWM]

What you did'nt see Judy, is the handful of family jewels that the kid had got a grip on when the cuffs were being put on.

Of course, the cuffs would'nt have been put on at all, except for this fine young man DISOBEYING POLICE OFFICERS instructions to stay away from where they were writing his poppa a "fix it" ticket. So this pillar of the community is cruising around in a car that did'nt have its annual registration current, and his mentally deffective kid comes at the cops when they tell him to keep his distance.

The kid a grip on the cop's balls for a full 5 seconds, the cop told him "let go" twice, AND ONLY THEN, coldcocked him.

I would have shot the dumba$$. Jack booted thugs, my clymer...

[L,TOWM]

Another one of "The Brownshirts are coming for us" crowd chimes in...

[usadave]

I can understand the need for force when the person is fighting the officer, but from the video I saw, this was some young, scared kid who was brutalized by a weight-lifting, steroid-taking (probably), sadist egotist. I hope they throw the book at those cops and send them to where their muscles will do the most good ... digging ditches!

From the testimony presented at the trial, the kid brutalized the police officer by reaching back and grabbing and then squeezing the police officer's genitals. The kid ought to be charged with assault on a police officer.

[Tijeras_Slim]

I think the troops fending off the firebomb are from the UK. Unless, of course, the LAPD is issuing Enfield Bullpups.

[End Times Sentinel]

LOL!  You are correct sir!  I did a google search on LA riots and selected whatever photo had flames and didn't have, say, a camel walking around in it.  Odd what comes up in those searches.

Good eye!

 

Owl_Eagle
" WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
DIVERSITY IS STRENGTH"

[Poohbah]

From the testimony presented at the trial, the kid brutalized the police officer by reaching back and grabbing and then squeezing the police officer's genitals.

Does the kid have five-foot-long arms? That's about the only thing that would explain how he grabbed the cop's package.

[newwahoo]

"I don't care if the someone knees you in the b*lls and bites your leg right behind the knee, after they're in handcuffs and are being held by other LEOs you don't take a swing because you're pi$$ed."

Why not? Handcuffs are "restraint devices". Their use does not automatically mean that the individual has been restrained.