Thursday, September 9, 2010

Pigtown fuming

Pigtown residents not happy after assault charges are dropped in a case that drove a former neighbor all the way to Oregon.
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'd rather not leave a comment on the IV boards (it's a steaming pile of Angry White People), but it's obvious that without the sole witness (the victim), this case was not going to go forward. Hell, the attorney even said as much.

Being the victim of a crime is terrible, but if you want to actually punish the assailants, you might kinda sorta have to STAY IN THE STATE to TESTIFY.

Thu Sep 09, 11:13:00 AM EDT
buzoncrime said...

Anonymous---I agree with you about the commenters on the IV articles. One in particular seems to have a special hate for Commissioner Bealefeld and his "racist" policies--without citing any specifics. But you do occasionally get some interesting insight into the police department from some retired cops who post there.

The Sun's talk forums are probably even worse. There's hardly any rational conversation going on. People are just venting because they can and anonymously--vicariously living out their fantasies of sterilization, euthanasia, or becoming Bernard Goetz. Occasionally, an astute comment, but it's generally depressing.

As far as prosecuting crime goes, the victim pretty much has to testify. However, the thugs are pretty much into intimidation, so even people who still live here are reluctant to testify--or even report crimes against them, whether they're in the drug world, Hispanic, domestic "partner", or just afraid. Buz wonders to what extent this "snitching" fear has to do with the drop in crime across the country, along with other factors.

Thu Sep 09, 11:27:00 AM EDT

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