From: nelshou1@cicero.spc.uchicago.edu (Roger Shouse)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african.american
Subject: Re: Detroit Killer Cops to Stand Trial
Date: 22 Jan 93 18:41:23 GMT
Organization: U of Chicago, SSPPCC

In article <1993Jan21.220213.18000@cs.wayne.edu> delledg@jake.cc.wayne.edu writes:
>In article 15000@midway.uchicago.edu, nelshou1@cicero.spc.uchicago.edu (Roger Shouse) writes:
(Earlier comments deleted)


>	I agree this trial shouldn't be held at Cobo Hall and I also believe
>that this trial shouldn't be moved. For the simple fact, If I beat someone
>to death, regardless of color, I would be tried in the city in which the crime
>was committed. Even if the media trumpped it up by showing it every day and it
>appeared on David Letterman as one of the top ten things not to do, my trial
>would not be moved. The mayor of Detroit pronounced them guilty after reviewing
>the evidence, he didn't just hear it then shout off his mouth. What will make
>it difficult to pass a not guilty vote, is the FACT that the officers waved
>off the first EMS unit that arrived while beatting him also the FACT that he
>was already handcuffed before the beating started has already done that! There
>is no two ways around it and Detroit isn't buying it!

Your trial would have a good chance of being moved if you could make a
reasonable argument that you could not get a fair trial where the offense
occured.  The defense in this case can indeed make such an argument--a 
pretty good argument, in fact, that few if any  Detroiters would cast
a not guilty vote if it might lead to rioting in their community.  As far
as the mayor's comments, it matters not a bit whether he "shot his mouth off"
or made a reasoned judgement.  The defense can reasonably claim that his
comments have a great deal of influence over potential jurrors.


>
>=>Another problem in this case is that the prosecution made the mistake of
>=>charging these officers with first degree murder.  If the case does get
>=>moved out of Detroit, it will be very difficult to convince 12 honest
>=>jurrors that Green's killing was premeditated.
>=>
>       O.K. no lets look at this a moment. It might not be premeditated but it
>is MURDER. These are people who are trained to know better than to do what they
>did and that makes it even worse!!
>

You may be right, however, they're risking a lot by not going by the 
technical legal definitions of "murder."

>=>Finally, a small clarification.  The term "Starsky and Hutch" is a 
>=>generic one in Detroit.  It's generally used in reference to any
>=>white cop two-man team, not just the officers in this case.
>=>
>
>  I'm sorry but your small clarification is totally off the mark. The term
>"Starsky and Hutch" was and still is used to refer to two specific cops being
>from Detroit. A generic terms used in Detroit to refer to Police officers in
>Detroit are "the Boys", "five-oh", "Hook", "Law", and the oldie but goodie
>Salt and Pepper is the only one used to describe the officers themselves. Also,
>being from the street, a nick-name like that had to be earned, if these officers
>were just two ordinary officers that weren't from the area, just weren't known
>for brutality, or just saw to many Rodney King videos and decided to try the
>neighbor hood would have refered to them as the Boys, or simply "They".
>

I'm not saying that these officers didn't have that reputation, but as one
who lived on St. Anne St.  for several years and who spent several years
at Southwestern High School, I know that a whole lot of white cops have
been called "Starsky and Hutch" over the years.

Roger Shouse, UofC
>

>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 		       	    - De Vaughn A. Elledge -
>delledg@jake.cc.wayne.edu               	        delledg@cms.cc.wayne.edu 
>			Wayne State University, DETROIT MI
>
>The new Rodney King watch! It won't stop tick'n til the charges start stick'n
>
>