JUST SAY NO TO STUPIDITY
How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake? - Mike Satz's reputation as a no-nonsense, tough on crime State Attorney is eroding faster than the sand on Hollywood Beach. Every day brings a new public corruption scandal, or one from within the SAO itself. His legacy is kaput.
Meanwhile, while Scrooge is busy being distracted and haunted by ghosts of the past, present and future, Broward's minorities are still being shipped off to prison at nearly twice the rate per capita of Palm Beach and Miami-Dade Counties. Most of them are non-violent offenders, caught up in an immoral and failed drug war.
Does racism play a role in Broward's out-of-whack criminal justice system? The answer depends on who you ask. Inquire of a minority from an impoverished neighborhood, and the answer will undoubtedly be "yes". Inquire of a justice system professional, and you'll most likely get the opposite answer, with a mouthful of euphemisms and alternative sociological underpinnings to boot. The truth may lie somewhere in the middle, since racist intent, if it exists at all, is awfully hard to prove, while police and SAO drug policies in Broward irrefutably have a racially disparate impact. The evidence is on display every day of the week, in every circuit criminal courtroom.
Judges and the SAO treat small time drug distribution crimes with more severity than straight possession crimes, and trafficking statutes are often twisted to ensnare pill head addicts. The big fish are rarely caught, or allowed to escape prison through "substantial assistance" when they are. Individuals enter the system, and never leave, after traveling the familiar road of probation, jail and prison. Everyone knows the situation is hopeless, that the crime is non-deterrable no matter how many people are taken off the streets, and that the demand for chemical escape and the corresponding economic incentives can never be cured under the current paradigm. And everyone knows drugs don't discriminate: use and sales occur proportionately at every level of society.
Which leads to the main point - what would happen if police were let loose on middle class and affluent white neighborhoods, with the same often lawless ferocity currently reserved for Broward's poor minority neighborhoods? What if the SAO continued to wholeheartedly condone such behavior without setting limits, slavishly rubber stamping every ridiculous charge, while simultaneously insisting on excessive punishment? In short, what would happen if drug laws were enforced equally across all socio-economic and cultural segments of Broward?
Think about it. Could the rich and powerful tolerate the treatment currently reserved for poor minorities? The answer is no, or not without the business of Broward and America (ie, business) shutting down.
If the police stopped every BMW for illegal tint and called out drug sniffing dogs, there'd be trouble. If they followed and stopped the same BMWs leaving known narcotics areas, instead of going after the seller, there'd be trouble. If they stopped and harassed rich kids for riding bikes without lights in the evening, there'd be trouble. If they infiltrated prep schools and college dorms, and turned friends and family members into informants, there'd be trouble. If they utilized confidential informants, there'd be trouble. If they busted poker games, there'd be trouble. If they posed as cannabis or cocaine or ecstasy or xanax or oxy sellers and arrested all purchasers (a felony), there'd be trouble. If they patrolled wealthy areas with the same intensity the poor neighborhoods get, every rich kid would have a record. It's ridiculously obvious.
Could we move forward as a nation if wealthy whites became convicted felons (ie unemployable) at the same rates as poor minorities? The answer, of course, is no. If the same level of police and court oversight was injected equally across the board, the entire system would collapse. And where hopelessness and desperation rules, property crimes and violence inevitably follow.
Of course, the police and the SAO would never be allowed to enforce drug laws across the board. And any elected or appointed official who dared to try would lose their job. The war will remain confined to the poor. Period.
Someday, however, Mr. Satz's misguided, "no quarter for the poor" approach will change, as well as the laws themselves. Compassion will return, as well as fairness. The hypocrisy of public officials punishing poor minority offenders for the same offenses they once committed will end. The stupidity of sending drug offenders to prisons full of drugs will end. Reason and foresight will return. It's inevitable.
But in the meantime, how do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?
The Chief Judge tries to plug the leaks (and we're not talking about pipes this time) - Click here for Tobin's angry email after Bob Norman published Tobin's 6:45 AM missive about the Rothstein meltdown. Is the original email really exempt, or is Vic just embarrassed?
Ferrari or Porsche or Bentley? - speaking of Rothstein - we're told Stuart "I know nothing!" Rosenfeldt and Rothstein's non-lawyer COO may have each been the recipients not too long ago of a fine auto, courtesy of Rothstein. Of course, there are so many rumors floating around, but this one is strong. Watch for this investigation to build build build, and for terms like "fiduciary duty" from Corporations class appearing in the mainstream press ...
JQC Sighting - yes, the man in the trench coat spotted making Courthouse rounds this week IS from the JQC. So many judges, so little time ...
Levenson staying put in Criminal - that's the word, this week ...
BACDL Meeting Thursday at 5:30 PM - Howard Finkelstein is hosting BACDL on his turf, to discuss the loss of the IC drug programs.
266 Police Officers - that's the current number of police officers with potential Brady issues. A very few were disclosed by the SAO, but most were not. The number of cases impacted could be huge. Developing ...
The strange case of Harry-O - the Miami SAO nolle prossed misdemeanor charges against Harry Williams today, after the Broward SAO held on for close to four years.
This one is classic Satz. Mr. Williams was charged by the Feds with a slew of felonies. Williams was found Not Guilty By Reason Of Insanity by Judge Cohn, based primarily on the findings of the Government's own shrink. Broward refused to drop the misdemeanor, which arose from the same facts, at one point reportedly disparaging the US Attorney's Office handling of the case.
The case stagnates over many years while Williams' competency is restored, and while five or so judges recuse themselves (Williams is related to Judge Elijah Williams). The SAO finally exercises a little sound judgment themselves, and asks for an outside prosecutor, very late in the game. Miami gets the case, and receives the reports and Cohn's order from the Federal case roughly three weeks ago (which the SAO sat on for years). They dismissed the case before Judge Diaz this morning, just like that.
Your tax dollars at work, ladies and gentleman, in the cruelest, most unusual fashion!
The Seventeenth, November 2009 "Team SATZ" - Click here for this month's SAO newsletter. Satz has been walking for MADD (it's obvious they don't know about his horrible conviction rate after trial, otherwise he'd have to run).
The "10 Second Man" - Click here for a PC Affidavit detailing a real bad case of the "Short and Curlies", and Norm Kent's post on the same case.
Coming soon - Man defends daughter's honor in court, gets a felony and INS problems for his trouble. Only in Broward!
Meanwhile, while Scrooge is busy being distracted and haunted by ghosts of the past, present and future, Broward's minorities are still being shipped off to prison at nearly twice the rate per capita of Palm Beach and Miami-Dade Counties. Most of them are non-violent offenders, caught up in an immoral and failed drug war.
Does racism play a role in Broward's out-of-whack criminal justice system? The answer depends on who you ask. Inquire of a minority from an impoverished neighborhood, and the answer will undoubtedly be "yes". Inquire of a justice system professional, and you'll most likely get the opposite answer, with a mouthful of euphemisms and alternative sociological underpinnings to boot. The truth may lie somewhere in the middle, since racist intent, if it exists at all, is awfully hard to prove, while police and SAO drug policies in Broward irrefutably have a racially disparate impact. The evidence is on display every day of the week, in every circuit criminal courtroom.
Judges and the SAO treat small time drug distribution crimes with more severity than straight possession crimes, and trafficking statutes are often twisted to ensnare pill head addicts. The big fish are rarely caught, or allowed to escape prison through "substantial assistance" when they are. Individuals enter the system, and never leave, after traveling the familiar road of probation, jail and prison. Everyone knows the situation is hopeless, that the crime is non-deterrable no matter how many people are taken off the streets, and that the demand for chemical escape and the corresponding economic incentives can never be cured under the current paradigm. And everyone knows drugs don't discriminate: use and sales occur proportionately at every level of society.
Which leads to the main point - what would happen if police were let loose on middle class and affluent white neighborhoods, with the same often lawless ferocity currently reserved for Broward's poor minority neighborhoods? What if the SAO continued to wholeheartedly condone such behavior without setting limits, slavishly rubber stamping every ridiculous charge, while simultaneously insisting on excessive punishment? In short, what would happen if drug laws were enforced equally across all socio-economic and cultural segments of Broward?
Think about it. Could the rich and powerful tolerate the treatment currently reserved for poor minorities? The answer is no, or not without the business of Broward and America (ie, business) shutting down.
If the police stopped every BMW for illegal tint and called out drug sniffing dogs, there'd be trouble. If they followed and stopped the same BMWs leaving known narcotics areas, instead of going after the seller, there'd be trouble. If they stopped and harassed rich kids for riding bikes without lights in the evening, there'd be trouble. If they infiltrated prep schools and college dorms, and turned friends and family members into informants, there'd be trouble. If they utilized confidential informants, there'd be trouble. If they busted poker games, there'd be trouble. If they posed as cannabis or cocaine or ecstasy or xanax or oxy sellers and arrested all purchasers (a felony), there'd be trouble. If they patrolled wealthy areas with the same intensity the poor neighborhoods get, every rich kid would have a record. It's ridiculously obvious.
Could we move forward as a nation if wealthy whites became convicted felons (ie unemployable) at the same rates as poor minorities? The answer, of course, is no. If the same level of police and court oversight was injected equally across the board, the entire system would collapse. And where hopelessness and desperation rules, property crimes and violence inevitably follow.
Of course, the police and the SAO would never be allowed to enforce drug laws across the board. And any elected or appointed official who dared to try would lose their job. The war will remain confined to the poor. Period.
Someday, however, Mr. Satz's misguided, "no quarter for the poor" approach will change, as well as the laws themselves. Compassion will return, as well as fairness. The hypocrisy of public officials punishing poor minority offenders for the same offenses they once committed will end. The stupidity of sending drug offenders to prisons full of drugs will end. Reason and foresight will return. It's inevitable.
But in the meantime, how do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?
The Chief Judge tries to plug the leaks (and we're not talking about pipes this time) - Click here for Tobin's angry email after Bob Norman published Tobin's 6:45 AM missive about the Rothstein meltdown. Is the original email really exempt, or is Vic just embarrassed?
Ferrari or Porsche or Bentley? - speaking of Rothstein - we're told Stuart "I know nothing!" Rosenfeldt and Rothstein's non-lawyer COO may have each been the recipients not too long ago of a fine auto, courtesy of Rothstein. Of course, there are so many rumors floating around, but this one is strong. Watch for this investigation to build build build, and for terms like "fiduciary duty" from Corporations class appearing in the mainstream press ...
JQC Sighting - yes, the man in the trench coat spotted making Courthouse rounds this week IS from the JQC. So many judges, so little time ...
Levenson staying put in Criminal - that's the word, this week ...
BACDL Meeting Thursday at 5:30 PM - Howard Finkelstein is hosting BACDL on his turf, to discuss the loss of the IC drug programs.
266 Police Officers - that's the current number of police officers with potential Brady issues. A very few were disclosed by the SAO, but most were not. The number of cases impacted could be huge. Developing ...
The strange case of Harry-O - the Miami SAO nolle prossed misdemeanor charges against Harry Williams today, after the Broward SAO held on for close to four years.
This one is classic Satz. Mr. Williams was charged by the Feds with a slew of felonies. Williams was found Not Guilty By Reason Of Insanity by Judge Cohn, based primarily on the findings of the Government's own shrink. Broward refused to drop the misdemeanor, which arose from the same facts, at one point reportedly disparaging the US Attorney's Office handling of the case.
The case stagnates over many years while Williams' competency is restored, and while five or so judges recuse themselves (Williams is related to Judge Elijah Williams). The SAO finally exercises a little sound judgment themselves, and asks for an outside prosecutor, very late in the game. Miami gets the case, and receives the reports and Cohn's order from the Federal case roughly three weeks ago (which the SAO sat on for years). They dismissed the case before Judge Diaz this morning, just like that.
Your tax dollars at work, ladies and gentleman, in the cruelest, most unusual fashion!
The Seventeenth, November 2009 "Team SATZ" - Click here for this month's SAO newsletter. Satz has been walking for MADD (it's obvious they don't know about his horrible conviction rate after trial, otherwise he'd have to run).
The "10 Second Man" - Click here for a PC Affidavit detailing a real bad case of the "Short and Curlies", and Norm Kent's post on the same case.
Coming soon - Man defends daughter's honor in court, gets a felony and INS problems for his trouble. Only in Broward!
Is he serious? Sure seems like he has Miss Rieman working overtime to thwart public records requests. Wonder if they do this to others who make requests? At least this email was not really written by Vic or at least he used spell check. Can someone explain how he ordered other judges to give sympathy and extra courtesy to RRA lawyers and their cases? Is it true he is close to Rosenfelt? He put Rothestien on the new Committee for the new Courthouse has he been removed yet? Good job Bill, someone needs to look into the ties between this firm and Tobin
I wonder if Vic would go out of his way for a black or minority law firm if they were in the same problems as RRA? Would the same consideration be given if the clients of said firm were minorities. You make the call
Please I and the bulk of the other posters would of have prefered that judges be apointed is there anyone in disagreeance?
That presents its own set of problems which are worse than the elected kind. Take the voters out of the equation and it's wholesale corruption without oversight.
What in the world is Tobin doing? Big mistake from someone who should know better. Very disappointing behavior. Even worse that he's so upset about it being leaked to the press. What's he trying to do for his buddies? Disgusting. His second term should be his last as chief judge of this cesspool. Broward County doesn't need anymore of this kind of political favoritism.
I wonder which soon to be former Broward Judge this involves. One comes to mind, but this time it could involve two of Broward's finest.
What would you expect to happen? He's related to Judge WIlliams. Stall and the case goes away.
Institutional racism? Whatever the hell that means? All I know is Daddy wants a new AMG. Gimme yo money, sucka!
If that memo from Tobin is exempt from a public records request then why would he not file an action against this blog to have it removed and to find out who violated the law by forwarding it to Bill. To do nothing implies that Tobin is willing to give this blog a pass for some reason.
The only drug crime enforced across all social spectrums is DUI. Unlike felony court the county courts are full of white people charged with DUI. If coke was treated like DUI the felony courts would look like the county courts.
What's going on with Feren?
stupid article.
putting people on probation and prison brings money into the system.
job creation. more police and judges and jail construction.
nice thoughts but it will never change in our ifetimes.
Gelin,you are such a whiny, pinko, lib, that's it's starting to wear extremely thin. How does Lynn deal with you? She is so cool and you are just such a turd!
Rumor is that a sitting judge let it be known that if he got an opponent he deemed to be connected to a former friend that a relative of the sitting judge by marriage would run against one of 3 incumbent judges up for reelection that is friendly with the former friend of sitting judge. Who knows though, there is so much BS in this town, a week ago I thought Rothstien was close friends with Crist and thats now not true
s.a.o I Just want to say that the s.a.o office is so messed up it's not funny they take care of the people who do nothing all day long but gossip on the phone or take long lunches but the ones that do there work get the shit end of the stick big time and the H.R. person they have now doesn't know what the hell she's doing she tries to wear three hats and can't handle neither one of her jobs since she took over the support staff is down in the pits they don't even permote from in office anymore its time for ms H.R. person to go then maybe the office will run better
Huh! Satz's office is now piling on Eggelletion. Not that he doesn't deserve it, but how about if Mikey's SPU takes down someone who hasn't already been nabbed by the feds.
phony mikey spatz u look a fool johnny come lately
You let these judges get just appointed and you open the flood gates for corruption, incompetence, and more. Let them all run for their positions and watch how they start doing what they are supposed to do. The problem with what we've already got is you'd have to throw them all out and start over again. Let the voters decide who serves them best, not some political appointment where they are beholding to who appointed them.
Be careful you don't get the J.P.Wonder treatment.
This guy is related to Judge E. Williams? Figures why it took the route it did to final disposition.
Is there any fairness that is applied to anyone around here?
And of course Judge Diaz is involved.
There should be an immediate investigation into this matter.
Isn't Rosenfeldt Tobin's good friend?
Something very fishy to all of this.
BREAKING NEWS! This sub-moron Joseph Alu has declared that Rothstein is innocent and the accusations are all "bullshit". He says, "this is just business as usual" Please!!!! The guy has already confessed!!
learn how to spell and proper grammar and maybe you will get promoted some day!!
Yeah 7:57, too bad Joe Alu can't be arrested for stupidity. Certainly he should not be serving the public with his misplaced loyalty and poor judgment of character...the worst part was to open his big mouth about it!
Just saw on Chan 4 the tour of Rothstien's office and there was the Humanitarian of the Year Award Aturd gave Rothstien last year when he was President of the Emerald Society. What a couple of losers.
Gelin,
Your rants are just like the schizoid defendants who complain on your blog. You are a caricature. Is there anything you can't find a way to blame Satz? Global warming next?
http://www.browardbeat.com/scott-rothstein-to-the-rescue/
"Is there anything you can't find a way to blame Satz?"
Take cocaine residue charged as a felony and you take a huge number of people out of the system.
Break down drug charges and give treatment like they do in other places and you save lives and reduce crime.
Satz is the problem here.
Everybody knows it.
Typical BS response. Taking drug addicts out of the system doesn't give them treatment. It just takes them out of the system. How does no intervention save lives? You can't get misdemeanants into treatment. Time served is just a revolving door. Guess what happens when you time serve a drug addict. They go right back to the pipe and committing more crimes. Anybody who wants treatment gets drug treatment. (At least they used to when there was money). Drug Court works because it can coerce them into treatment.
The SAO fought drug court. They want prison for all druggies. Duh.