New, Progressive SF District Attorney Ends Pretextual Searches
Interesting story out of San Francisco today.
In her recent election, establishment Democratic mayor of San Francisco, London Breed, tried like hell to get more "centrists" on her side in the city board of supervisors, and she failed. Breed was also supporting an establishment tool for District Attorney, Suzy Loftus, against the very progressive Chesa Boudin. It ended up being hellishly close, and Loftus was ahead. But when all mail-in ballots were finally counted, Boudin ended up on top.
As the story linked to above tells, today Boudin told SF police officers he would not prosecute people whose automobiles are searched (for drugs, weaponry, pretty much anything) when they are pulled over just for traffic violations. It's a type of stop-and-frisk that is pretty much nationwide at this point, and is really used against minorities (they get pulled over for minor traffic violations about 5 times more often than whites).
Boudin fired six prosecutors the day after he assumed office. He announced the implementation of the Primary Caregiver Diversion Program (authorized by Governor Gavin Newsom) to give options to parents who are arrested and have no means of caring for their children. He eliminated cash bail, replacing it with a risk-based system. And Boudin also suspended prosecution of Jamaica Hampton, a man who was shot by police after striking one with a liquor bottle--in order to avoid conflicts while his office determines whether to levy charges against the police officer as well as Hampton.
I'm very impressed with this guy. He's been in the office for about a month-and-a-half, and I like what he is doing.
Some good happens in this world--even if it does not get a lot of notice.
Comments
That's impressive.
I am also impressed that London Breed declared a state of emergency in San Francisco beginning immediately to prepare for the Coronavirus, and is getting the city organized to deal with it.
San Francisco Declares State of Emergency for Coronavirus
This article describes what that involves.
I am seeing this in Texas a lot.
People are not fully explained why they are being told to stand in a certain place. They are "detained", as they are not free to go, but watch as cops rifle through their vehicles, looking for something.
If they protest in any way, they are arrested for resisting arrest.
I am networking with other defense lawyers to see if any of them are suppressing evidence, and so forth.
Good all over this prosecutor.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
This is long overdue
Cops get a heads up from the DEA that people are coming through their area loaded with drugs and cops pull them over for speeding, busted tail lights and distracted driving. I'm betting that if one drives with drugs on board they don't speed and they make sure their cars are perfect.
This ruse is well known to lawyers and judges, but everyone turns a blind eye to it. It's long past time for cops to be reined in and charged when they step over the line including shooting unarmed people. I saw a video today where one shot a guy who was just standing there. Oh yeah and then there are the school resource cops that get away with beating kids up or arresting and handcuffing kids under 10. Long overdue.
Of course cops can make up a reason to stop you
Like one time I'm driving from Ft. Worth back to Nacogdoches and I get pulled over by a cop who tells me my license plate light was out.
As he is running a check on me I point out to him that light is working perfectly well and he just says I guess you have a 'short' in the wiring causing it to blink on and off but as long as he has me pulled over he wants to search the vehicle. I tell him to help himself and I pop open the trunk because first of all I have nothing to hide but more importantly if I say no my day is going downhill quick.
I've been told I was being pulled over because my car 'fit the description' of one seen at some crime, and once a cop accused me of 'giving him the finger' as I drove past.
I told them that there is no way I would drive slowly by two cop cars and do something that stupid but the truth doesn't matter only their version of what happens counts and they proceeded to pull out the back seat,take out the ashtray,open the trunk throwing everything on the road then pop open the hood and check the undercarriage of the car.
Fortunately there was nothing illegal to find, I didn't get a ticket for anything and as they drove off I got busy putting everything back in order. Of course as soon as they turned out of view I did what they'd accused me of, only with both hands and some choice words.
I gotta stop there because each example I gave caused me to start remembering many other 'stops'.
It is not against the law in Texas to flip a cop off.
It is not against the law to call a cop a no good mother fucker.
It is not against the law to tell the to get a search warrant.
I cannot tell you how many cops have gotten off the witness stand after my cross examination, met me in the hallway, called me a c..t
We will get arresting for showing them the slightest disrespect or giving the slightest argument.
But they can slam up face first into a grave road and break our noses, say we resisted arrest.
You did the right thing by not disrupting your life just to make a point. You could have been seriously injured, and be denied immediate medical treatment.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Know who endorsed Boudin?
Sure wasn't the former SF DA, Kamala Harris. Or any prominent SF or CA politician; they all endorsed his opponent. (Not that they will pay any price for endorsing a loser.)
It is none other than --- Bernie Sanders!
Will add that it was a ranked choice ballot and there were four candidates. Boudin led in the first round with 35.71% followed by L, T, and D. Then the second choice votes for D were counted. That eliminated T. Then 2nd choice on T's ballots and 3rd choice on any D ballots with T as second choice were counted. L might have been ahead after the second round. Anyway, Boudin ended up in the final round with 50.83%.
Boudin's stepparents did very well in raising this fine young man. Readers may recall that Boudin's stepfather was turned into a campaign issue against Obama in 2008.
MORE good news!
I didn't know SF used RCV. Of course, it's long past time to use it nationwide.
Washington state declares S of E
Washington Governor Jay Inslee (D) declared a state of emergenmcy on Saturday following the announcement of the first coronavirus-related death in his state and the nation. The governor directed all state agencies to use all resources necessary. He also authorized the use of National Guard troops.
Governor Inslee’s proclamation orders all “state agencies and departments to utilize state resources and do everything reasonably possible to assist affected communities responding to and recovering from COVID-19 cases.” It also allows for the deployment of the Washington National Guard if ht becomes necessary.
In January, the Washington Military Department activated the State Emergency Operations Center at a Level 1 condition, the governor stated. This allows the highest level of communication and control to help coordinate a statewide response.
The governor said the state now has the capability to locally test for COVID-19 cases.
Hmmm, The Washington Military Department.
Never heard of it. I'm getting an ominous feeling.
But I do remember the advisory vote in the last election that gave state government extraordinary powers in the event of emergencies that superceded constitutional law.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
We live here on a fault line extending
from British Columbia to California, though its changes are widely separated in time. If the sides of that fault shift substantially, then emergency responses will be crucial in saving lives. I don't know what the legislation says, but feel AG Ferguson would. All such emergency powers could likely be perverted, but perhaps not so easily on the Northwest Coast.
I read it
Don't remember the details. But gives what ever is left of the government absolute power over the citizendry and the suspension on constitutional rights.
I remember that part for sure.
It was an advisory vote.
Edit: Wa. Bill 8200 passed by a vote of 66% November 2019.
Edit: It gives that authority in the event of any other emergency that threatens the people's safety.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
Yes, that's correct -- the provisions are far too broad.
Yet my house, along with much of downtown Seattle, BNSF's main line loaded with 150-car tanks of Bakken crude (they travel in a tunnel under the whole west side of downtown), plus areas of I-5 50 miles or less south of here that bring most of our food up from California would be washed away in what I've heard could be a 600 meter tsunami. One of the nation's largest arsenals of nuclear weapons (Navy submarine base) are out here too -- somewhere near or on the Hood Canal.
AG Ferguson should be asked about the scope of this legislation.
Removed
inadvertent duplicate.