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Last charge dropped in police raid that killed sleeping Detroit child

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W

whatsinaname

Member
The last charge has been dropped.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jan/31/detroit-aiyana-stanley-jones-police-officer-cleared

Final charges against Joseph Weekley, a police officer who shot dead a 7-year-old girl, Aiyana Stanley-Jones, in Detroit in May 2010, were dismissed on Friday, leaving a family bereft and raising serious concern among national groups over an increasingly militarized –police force.

In an echo of deaths at police hands that rocked the US last year, including those of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in New York, Officer Weekley is white and Aiyana Stanley-Jones was black.

Juries twice failed to reach a verdict in Weekley’s case, first in June 2013 and then in October 2014. In October, judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway dismissed a charge of involuntary manslaughter, citing a lack of evidence.

On Friday, Hathaway dismissed a lesser second charge, of reckless use of a firearm. The dismissal was at the request of Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy, who called the decision, which by law cannot be appealed, “unfortunate”.
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2010 Neogaf thread

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=395618

2014 Neogaf thread - when the main Involuntary manslaughter charge was dropped.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=942970


I feel for the family that had to endure this "trial" for 5 fucking years.
 
N

Nobility

Banned
kqJEkap.gif
 
D

Dr. Benton Quest

Banned
So full of rage. Like a ball of hate rolling in my stomach.

It's just baffling. The path towards justice here is obvious. Why aren't they seeking it? Does his uniform allow him to kill children with impunity!?
 
M

Mesoian

Member
wasn't this for a TV show originally?

Or was that the case of a DIFFERENT black sleeping child who was shot to death by the police?
 
W

whatsinaname

Member
J

JustinBB7

Member
I looked at the previous threads but didn't see it, was the guy they were after guilty?

Would have been even worse if it was the wrong guy. (not that it matters in this case, just wondering)

"The officers had a search warrant and were looking for a 34-year-old man suspected in the shooting death of 17-year-old Jarean Blake."

But the father was 25, was the suspect in the same house?
 
Z

Zukuu

Banned
As a foreigner, can I say that I believe the US police / juridical system is beyond fucked up and needs major policy revamps, or would I be too quick to judge? All those cops walk away with not even a slap on their wrist.
 
D

Donos

Member
whatsinaname said:
Yeah, a Reality TV camera crew was on this raid. Lots of dodgy decisions, including not waiting for daylight for the raid and using flash-bangs.

Lots of quotes (anonymous of course..) from some Detroit police officers in this article.

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2010/11/aiyana-stanley-jones-detroit
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"It was a total fuck-up," the official said. "A total, unfortunate fuck-up."
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"I'm worried they went Hollywood," said a high-ranking Detroit police official
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Yeah...
 
W

whatsinaname

Member
JustinBB7 said:
I looked at the previous threads but didn't see it, was the guy they were after guilty?

Would have been even worse if it was the wrong guy. (not that it matters in this case, just wondering)

"The officers had a search warrant and were looking for a 34-year-old man suspected in the shooting death of 17-year-old Jarean Blake."

But the father was 25, was the suspect in the same house?
Click to expand...

Does it matter? It wasn't a drug manufacturing setup, where SWAT is trying to recover evidence. It wasn't a hostage situation, where people were under danger. It was a straightforward arrest warrant. Why not arrest him in a safer way?

To pre-empt any "you don't know the conditions a police officer has to work under", here's an opinion straight from another police officer.

"They had time," a Detroit police detective told me. "You don't go into a home around midnight. People are drinking. People are awake. Me? I would have waited until the morning when the guy went to the liquor store to buy a quart of milk. That's how it's supposed to be done."
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C

CornBurrito

Member
whatsinaname said:
Does it matter? It wasn't a drug manufacturing setup, where SWAT is trying to recover evidence. It wasn't a hostage situation, where people were under danger. It was a straightforward arrest warrant. Why not arrest him in a safer way?

To pre-empt any "you don't know the conditions a police officer has to work under", here's an opinion straight from another police officer.
Click to expand...

Why was a Reality TV camera crew with them anyway? Was the raid basically done for ratings for some dumb tv show?
 
S

SkullHydra

Member
After reading that previous thread on the issue, knowing that all charges were dropped makes me angry. This isn't right.
 
J

Jackpot

Banned
JustinBB7 said:
No, that's why I said it didn't and I was just wondering.
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Suspect was in the apartment above theirs.

They initially accused the family's grandmother of fighting with the police during the raid then dumbed it down to "possible collision" between her and a murderer - sorry, officer.
 
spookyfish

spookyfish

Member
Here's my surprised look: -_-

The officers in Georgia who fucked up a toddler's face with a flash-bang in the crib (and oh yeah- no drugs nor weapons found at the scene. No arrests made) got off free as well.

There is zero accountability.
 
MMaRsu

MMaRsu

Member
spookyfish said:
Here's my surprised look: -_-

The officers in Georgia who fucked up a toddler's face with a flash-bang in the crib (and oh yeah- no drugs nor weapons found at the scene. No arrests made) got off free as well.

There is zero accountability.
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Wow

This shit is the worst
 
K

kirblar

Member
Two Words said:
Can we ask these DAs exactly what does a cop have to do to be properly charged for murder/assault?
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They were charged twice. The jury hung both times, leading to what appears to have been a dismissal to avoid spending more resources on it.
 
A

Aaron

Member
The last New Yorker had an article about a cop out of uniform who killed a mentally disabled person with his personal firearm after breaking into the man's own back yard. All the police did was protect their own, and made sure no actual justice took place.
 
W

whatsinaname

Member
Two Words said:
Can we ask these DAs exactly what does a cop have to do to be properly charged for murder/assault?
Click to expand...

I think there is a huge conflict of interest built into the system right here. When a large part of a DA's prosecution record through their career rests on testimony and co-operation and support during elections from the police department, how can we expect them to be completely impartial in cases where they are prosecuting the police.
 
spookyfish

spookyfish

Member
MMaRsu said:
Wow

This shit is the worst
Click to expand...

Even worse are the idiots on WSB's Facebook page who are all "well, the family should have known that the person who lived there before was suspected of dealing."

WTF. Many responses support the tactics used (confidential informants; no-knock warrants). It amazes me that people can't put themselves in the family's position. I wonder if it's because the family didn't "look like them."

(I will self-report: I identify as conservative, which to me means standing against ANY oppressive authority. I'm saddened by people who say they are conservative, but are okay with jack-booted tactics.)
 
G

Gamerloid

Member
I can't fathom how you can live with yourself after something like this, and actually getting away with it to go about your job...
 
T

TheJLC

Member
MidgarBlowedUp said:
Can they sue the tv show? I mean, if they deliberately changed tactics for the show they are also partially at fault.
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Nah, these shows just follow cops around and aren't legally allowed to interfere in police operations. For many of our foreign friends, Look up COPS or COPS Tv show, there are many shows like this and movies of cameras just following police and making a show out of it. COPS lost some of its crew during some of the filming in the past. COPS has also had close calls.

These guys can't interfere with police operations. However, some officers might try to put on a show for the cameras so they look good on national tv. It is why our city has banned these shows from taking place here. Scripted TV shows are fine, but unscripted following police and stuff is not okay. Too much can go wrong. The ego of some can get on the way.
 
W

whatsinaname

Member
TheJLC said:
Nah, these shows just follow cops around and aren't legally allowed to interfere in police operations. For many of our foreign friends, Look up COPS or COPS Tv show, there are many shows like this and movies of cameras just following police and making a show out of it. COPS lost some of its crew during some of the filming in the past. COPS has also had close calls.

These guys can't interfere with police operations. However, some officers might try to put on a show for the cameras so they look good on national tv. It is why our city has banned these shows from taking place here. Scripted TV shows are fine, but unscripted following police and stuff is not okay. Too much can go wrong. The ego of some can get on the way.
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That's a great policy that your city has. In this particular case, the camera operator was actually covering something up. She got charged with perjury and was sentenced to probation.
 
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