Comments on: Report from Chesapeake

By: HorsesAss.Org» Blog Archive » Open Thread with Links

HorsesAss.Org» Blog Archive » Open Thread with Links — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 03:40:51 +0000

[...] faulty info from an informant, but Frederick may still face capital murder charges, even though most of his neighbors believe him when he says he thought he was in danger for his life and even held a rally at the jail last [...]

By: Gen

Gen — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:08:15 +0000

Radley thank you for coming to the rally and all the great reporting you have done and are doing. I wish i could have met you at the rally but sadly my son was sick so i couldn’t make it , and Ryans uncle would also have loved to meet you and many of the supporters as well but he happened to be out of town and didn’t make it back in untill later that evening due to the weather. i’m sure as the trial for may 27th approaches there will be another rally in his support, especially since there is a month or so that people could forget and we want it to be fresh in there minds. again thank you so much for your support and everyone who reads this..

By: Burrow Owl

Burrow Owl — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:43:42 +0000

Cearly there were far better ways for the police to search Mr. Fredrick’s home then the manner they choose. This could have been avoided had the police acted in a more rationae and less “storm tropper” manner.

It seems that some would disagree..
http://www.topix.net/forum/source/wavy/TN9P5CV9AKD9VTNBE

By: Patrick Henry

Patrick Henry — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:26:19 +0000

It is very sad to see the Commonwealth moving to deny bail in what does not appear to be a capital case by any stretch of the imagination.

By: Reid Greenmun

Reid Greenmun — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:43:11 +0000

The question I am most interested in having answered in exactly how long did the two officers wait after they “knocked” and announced who they were?

I know it takes me a while to get to the front door after I have gone to bed.

By: MikeT

MikeT — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 12:37:02 +0000

Louis,

The media will not do that. Despite all of its pretenses of being an important institution in society, the mainstream media is typically only capable of two modes of operation: propaganda wing for the state or agent provocateur.

By: TC

TC — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 09:35:54 +0000

From tidewater comments.

“Have you questioned why the city had to bring in a retired judge and a prosecutor that has already been voted out of his office, both from different cities? A judge and prosecutor with no political futures to be concerned about?”

But it is very telling!

By: Lee

Lee — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 04:08:31 +0000

Well said #6, I make the same statements using the word [i]technically[/i] to illustrate the vile evil of some cops, judges, and prosecutors. [i]Technically[/i] we’re all murderers, rapists, and thieves, it just hasn’t happened yet. This is called Minority Report thinking (after the movie). Arrest us all now to prevent something that could [i]technically[/i] happen, even if it’s a 0.0000000000001% chance.

By: tarran

tarran — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 00:02:11 +0000

He is a potential threat to society, just like he is a potential politician, a potential gardener, potential astronaut or a potential car crash victim. Of course, some of these potential roles are quite unlikely...

By: David Chesler

David Chesler — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 23:33:13 +0000

“A potential danger to society.”

Is there any requirement of proof for a predictive opinion like this?

I don’t mind locking people up for what they did, but not for what they might do — whether in this case or in places where a few high-profile recidivists have lead to calls for lifetime parole or indefinite civil commitment for sex offenders.

“Excessive bail shall not be required” — if this is a capital case then bail is not appropriate (and they might be angling for that ) otherwise pre-trial detention and bail are to assure that the defendant will show up at trial, not to get a jump start on punishing him or separating him from decent society.

By: Louis Nardozi

Louis Nardozi — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 22:25:58 +0000

Between the DA’s use of the media to convict Frederick and Frederick’s use of the media to proclaim his complete innocence, I don’t think we’ll ever really know what happened here. Too bad the cops don’t videotape these encounters as a matter of course. It would be better for everyone involved. Cops would do things by the book, and suspects would be taped in the act if something happened. Now there’s no PROOF they identified themselves, just the insistence of 13 LEO’s versus one admitted drug user. Not too har to figure out who’s going to be believed there. Only way he’ll get free is to get the media to cause a firestorm of resentment for the police’s guerrilla tactics - which is going to happen because they’re ALREADY lying. Police would have been a million times better off just taping it.

By: TC

TC — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 19:56:26 +0000

Thanks for making the trip and giving us the report.

Priceless information.

By: Billy Beck

Billy Beck — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 16:46:33 +0000

“One of the most important, certainly to me, long-run blog developments in recent years has been Radley Balko’s series of posts on ‘the new professionalism’ of American police. The quote comes from Antonin Scalia’s eye-popping rubbish in ‘Hudson v. Michigan’, and Balko’s constant attention to the facts ought to be worth your attention.”

Me, yesterday, at my place.

What you’re doing, Radley, is all the best of what I conceive blogs to be in their political potential.

I don’t know if anything in the world can save Ryan Frederick from these animals, but at least he won’t go down in the complete dark. There will be this much light on the thing, and you’re The Man.

Good for you, sir.

By: Thomas Paine's Goiter

Thomas Paine's Goiter — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 16:26:45 +0000

Jeez oh man Radley, I don’t know how to express my gratitude for your diligence and my admiration for the work you do. I don’t want to hyperbolize, but you are a hero in every sense of the word. You do the heavy lifting for a journalistic community that forgot what their purpose was long ago.

The attention you bring to situations like these means so much for the subjects of your tireless reporting, but it means even more to long-term rights for everyone in this country. You change attitudes with your passion and eloquence, and you move people with your direct and humble style.

Please don’t ever stop doing this. Please.