Monica Krauth of the Woodland Daily Democrat writes a story today on District Attorney elect Jeff Reisig taking office. Apparently the biggest challenges that the DA's office will face are the murder cases of Ramirez and Garza and also the Reisig imposed Gang Injunction.
No mention that Henderson's office suffered from a number of ethical complaints.
No mention of the pending law suits against the DA's office most notably from Halema Buzayan and Khalid Berny, who in separate incidents have accused the District Attorney's office of selective and malicious prosecution.
Reisig will indeed face many challenges, but none of those external challenges may compare with the task he has to perform in cleaning up his own office--an office that he was a part of and an office that almost unanimously backed his candidacy for District Attorney in June's Primary Election.
Like elsewhere in the country, the rule of law is being imposed often at the expense of civil liberties. No one wants crime to increase, no wants to have to live with gangs. Everyone wants safety. Those are not the issue.
The question is one of ends versus means. Do we accomplish a reduction of crime at the expense of our own liberties? Do we accomplish a reduction of crime more to the point at the expense of the reduction of those people who lack the resources to fight the charges against them.
The one thing I keep coming back to over and over again, Halema Buzayan's father had the resources to fight her treatment. How many other people in her position are not so lucky? Khalid Berny likewise had the resources to fight his prosecution. How many other Khalid Berny's are there out there that we just haven't heard about because they lacked the means to fight unfair prosecution?
Why are the local papers giving the District Attorney's Office a pass on these issues?
---Doug Paul Davis reporting
No mention that Henderson's office suffered from a number of ethical complaints.
No mention of the pending law suits against the DA's office most notably from Halema Buzayan and Khalid Berny, who in separate incidents have accused the District Attorney's office of selective and malicious prosecution.
Reisig will indeed face many challenges, but none of those external challenges may compare with the task he has to perform in cleaning up his own office--an office that he was a part of and an office that almost unanimously backed his candidacy for District Attorney in June's Primary Election.
Like elsewhere in the country, the rule of law is being imposed often at the expense of civil liberties. No one wants crime to increase, no wants to have to live with gangs. Everyone wants safety. Those are not the issue.
The question is one of ends versus means. Do we accomplish a reduction of crime at the expense of our own liberties? Do we accomplish a reduction of crime more to the point at the expense of the reduction of those people who lack the resources to fight the charges against them.
The one thing I keep coming back to over and over again, Halema Buzayan's father had the resources to fight her treatment. How many other people in her position are not so lucky? Khalid Berny likewise had the resources to fight his prosecution. How many other Khalid Berny's are there out there that we just haven't heard about because they lacked the means to fight unfair prosecution?
Why are the local papers giving the District Attorney's Office a pass on these issues?
---Doug Paul Davis reporting
