God bless the City of Portland. Attorneys are blaming the continuing media coverage of the death of James Chasse for so biasing its field of potential jurors that the case needs to be moved out of state. The move would be amusing were it not part of the city’s continued refusal to acknowledge responsibility for its part in Chasse’s death, says the Reverend Chuck Currie, this afternoon. “This is a question of a justice and so far the city of Portland has come down time and time again on the wrong side,” writes Currie, in an email to supporters and friends. Here’s the opener of the city’s 16-page memo to the judge:
- BLAMING THE PRESS
Deeply regrettable, all this.
Strange, the city and the DA seem content to use these same officers (and many other officers) in trials every day in the local circuit court. Perhaps the city might want to move all criminal trials to Eugene or elsewhere in the state so the populace won’t assume the testifying police officers are “liars” or “fascist thugs”.
Oh yeah, and this is for you, Mr. Rice, attorney for the City of Portland: http://theworldssmallestviolin.com/
I can’t be held accountable. I was only doing my job.
But this stuff is going right in the film release press packet at Sundance.
So much for being tried before a jury of their peers in this community.
Jason, I have donated my $5 and encouraged others to do so. Good luck getting these thugs (and I include the city attorney’s office in that term) under control. Visit Jason’s website at http://jasonforportland.com/ for info on how to help.
The family has stated that the purpose of the trial is to force a change in police policy and behavior in the court of public opinion, not for the purpose of monetary damages. If the case is moved from Portland, it will receive scant media coverage in Portland, defeating the entire intent of the case to encourage public debate and scrutiny of the relationship between Portland police and citizens.
It will also cost the City, you and me, more if the case is held elsewhere.
So it might be in the interest of media outlets to file briefs with the court in support of a Portland trial. It might also be a good idea to turn down the volume until the trial, as the judge has already expressed concerns about pre-trial publicity. Just saying.
Why Idaho? Why not California? Or Washington? We all know the reason at play in picking Idaho. It needs to take place here – the lawyers get to decide about the jury either way.
More potatoes there?