Investigator In Bryant Case Named In Racial Profiling Lawsuit

[DoveTurnedHawk]

There's new information emerging in the Kobe Bryant case. ABC News has learned that an Eagle County sheriff's deputy involved in the investigation was named in a previous racial profiling settlement.

In 1995, the Eagle County Sheriff's Office agreed to pay $800,000 after being sued for racial profiling. More than 400 ethnic minorities said they were wrongfully pulled over when driving on Interstate 70 between Eagle and Glenwood Springs. One officer named in the lawsuit is now a key investigator in the case against the NBA superstar.

An ABC News legal expert and former prosecutor said this new information could be damaging to the prosecution's case.

"I think this is explosive evidence, and I am shocked that in fact the authorities in Eagle County had this individual, these people, involved in this case because again, this (shows) shades of Mark Fuhrman and the O.J. Simpson case," legal expert Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom told ABC's "Good Morning America."

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http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/2374656/detail.html

DTH

[thebeaglehaslanded]

1. But does it matter in this case? Kobe has already admitted having

sexual contact with the woman. The only question for the courts is whether or not it was consensual. I'm not sure there's a racial issue with this prosecution, is there?

[lazarus]

2. There is a racial issue

For the defense. That's going to be one of the straws they'll grasp at desperately.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

5. Hey, Police Misconduct Happens

Just look at Rampart in L.A.

And while I'm not one of the folks who believes OJ was framed, I do believe the police and their "experts" fucked up big time, and that that alone was probably enough to create reasonable doubt in the mind of at least one juror.

DTH

[Wonder]

10. and black america has rightfully had it with racial misconduct in policing

this plays on years of righteous discontent with southern justice. This is no small thing. Whether it bares any relevance is a whole other story? It might than again it might not!

[DoveTurnedHawk]

3. Too Early To Tell, But

I am ALWAYS worried when racist cops and investigators are used in a criminal matter involving a defendant of color.

DTH

[salin]

4. Hard to say

even latent or low levels of racism and/or prejudice can shape how one views the evidence - especially in a borderline case. For example, if I have preconceived notions about black males or worse yet about black males and white females, I might read a borderline situation (eg if the evidence suggests force MAY have happened, compared to evidence that force was present) in a different way than I would if the race of the key player was different.

Since we do not know what the evidence is - it is hard to say whether or not this is a borderline case.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

7. Exactly Right

:thumbsup: Salin!

DTH

[Wonder]

9. this is a crap shoot until evidence is revealed.

the race card is played depending on the jury pool and the incidence of racist policing in Eagle rock: Evidence, whatever it is, could be virtually meaningless, especially once conviction rate is factored in crimes of this type.

[plcdude]

6. I agree

but the strategy here is to confuse with complexity and ambiguity. It worked for O.J.

[Wonder]

8. Mud Wrestling Anyone!

divine drugde...damages prosecution or an ace of spades in the hole!

I have not myself saught any articles on this case, but on forum it seems there is so much drudge against the accuser and the prosecution...has no drudge been dug up on Kobe and the dream team?

I say keep the camera's out... at this stage of the game unless their evidence is golden ... the truth will be impossible to fathom.

not if the race card is played... people might as well just believe what they need.

[joeybee12]

11. Sorry, but this is big news for the defense

They are going to have to recruit jurors from at least 100 miles away from theis place if they want anyone with more than a light tan. Obviously, they don't recruit jurors--my point is this is a lily white area and a lot of people are going to see this in black vs. white. The prosecution must be incredibly incompetent if they didn't think this information about that cop wasn't going to get out--they should have kept him off from the start. Dimwits.

[Wonder]

14. I understand the ramifications of this

the media fucked up the jury pool for both sides on this and so so much dirty flung at the prosecution side... They'll need to pull jurors out of nursing homes... from cabins with no electricity... it's a joke.

Either the prosecution is incompetent or they have strong evidence as the DA indicated. Statistically speaking evidence don't mean dick (if you will pardon the expression). Sometimes you just can not get around the jurors biases even in cases without all this publicity regardless of the evidence. by the time the case rolls around physical bruises heal and the juror is just looking at one dimensional polariod. Jurors take in whatever societal prejudices abound regarding rape and from either side. Statistically the prejudices are known to favor the rapists.

It seems alleged rape victims get more justice from the grave after the alleged rapist has already killed a dozen women.

[Wonder]

15. and too I agree on the points you make regarding the racial issue

this is not about race we know this, but can not ignore the ramifications here. they already set it up in media in parallel to furhman that other blaring error in the OJ trial.

Why can't we just hang racist cops outright? They really hurt the judicial and policing process, more than they help it.

[Booberdawg]

12. Oh great

He either raped her or he didn't. Race shouldn't even be an issue here.

Linda

[Wonder]

13. Yes we know this

but when has it ever been about justice? Technicalities, loopholes, emotional sabotage, racial manipulation. Any which way you look at it somebody gets to say screw you.

I haven't been digging into the news on this case, but sadly i find myself wondering: no one is kicking up any dirt on the side of defense are they? dirt on Kobe I mean. at least not posted in DU so far as I can see. not that I would suggest doing that. I just find it interesting all this digging into the dirt on the prosecutions side. Typical! Might mean the prosecution really does have a stronge case and they are not going to stoop down to the LCD.

Not that it matters till trial who knows and even at trial who knows...but for their evidence... which I have seen nothing about the evidence... just this character denigration stuff...

You almost out of cynicism want to say. Shit when rape trials come up why waste the tax payers money just drag the accuser through the mud and drop all charges. Whatever!

[Booberdawg]

17. I noticed too

Your comment:

"I haven't been digging into the news on this case, but sadly i find myself wondering: no one is kicking up any dirt on the side of defense are they? dirt on Kobe I mean. at least not posted in DU so far as I can see."

There has actually been some very damning information released about the case agaist Kobe as of yesterday. I've seen news articles and several TV segments about it, and have noticed with interest that none of it has made it's way to DU. I suspect the reason for that is that nobody wanted to be the one to start the thread - considering how ugly the other Kobe threads and the one on the rape law that is currently locked got. Another reason is that the ones who insisted he couldn't possibly be guilty have egg on their face now, and don't want to talk about it anymore.

And I don't want to be the one to post the story either!

Linda

[Wonder]

18. You know what I think the reason is to a degree?

check it out if you have seen it yet it's a good article so far the discussion is human and I see no reason, since most of the kobe threads seemed inundated by speculation regarding the alleged false accuser, that speculation can not be made regarding the remote possibility that she is telling the truth.

The lying woman mantra is a device to control our speculations, whether conscious or unconscious. Okay we have all considered ad nauseum the presumed guilt of the alleged accuser. How bout a swing of the pendulum to the other side. There are adults among us. Aren't there?

anyway if you haven't visited this thread here it is and if there is information the likes of which you suggest why should it be withheld from this forum?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=115374&mesg_id=116178&page=

[Wonder]

19. shit booberdawg PM me

I'll post it. I had to put up with all this bullshit. Fact is most of those countering the myths are no dumbies and what is wrong with a little intelligent exercise in the *hypothetical*, anything is apt to be better than that scum bag chilleb's fucked up hypothetical.

what is up with this? there is no good reason why there should be no speculation in DU regarding the presumed innocence of this alleged victim. Give me one good reason why not?

[depakid]

20. Faualty cmininal procedure, hidden agendas and outright fraud

lead often to travesties of justice in the American criminal "justice sytstem." High profile cases like this one, as repugnant as they are, at least shed light on what goes accepted, day by day, in a systen so massivly underfunded that guilt and innoscence take back seats to coercing questioanable pleas and/or convictions for large proportions of defendants- particularly poor snd minortiy defnendants.

While that may seem well and good, remember that for every person coerced into copping a plea, chances are that the guily perpetrator remains free to contuinues committings the same if not worse crimes on other citizens in thr community, Such is the illogic of the pound of flesh.

The criminal law is very old and takes into account many nuances that "popular" culture likes to denigrate (ingnorantly)lusuing oaded language like "tehniclities." or "Civil Rights." They rile people up amd sell more pares that way. Who care if they beat a 16 year old boy or his girfrind with a phone book out of an after three days in bright light with no with no sleep.

That's just a technicality, right.

My hope is that some semblane of fainness comes out of this cse and the relevant facts, whatever they nay be, get out before a impartial jury to see for themselves- somrthing I might add is too often not the case. hopefilly, justuce will be done and the chips will fly, affecting many other cases for the better. On both sides of the aisle.

[salin]

21. Or that some those who have been interested enough in the story

to bring the links back to DU (on the surface it isn't political afterall), perhaps have a certain viewpoint so the stories they do see and bring back reflect that viewpoint?

And that nearly everyone else is responding as you suggest (pulling away from the story due to the tenor of the threads that ensue)

:shrug:

[depakid]

16. It is even more curious because of the oddball way

that they investigators went around the DA's back to secure their arrest warrant. That conjures up the appearance of impropriety, even if turns out it was only a coincidence. It may also add some support to a defense motion for a change of venue.

[lazarus]

22. Is it the

lengthy consultations with the DA's office that you would consider going "around the DA's back", or something else entirely?