Here comes the police state: Protesters held on $1 million bail

[Thomas Veil]

It’s “lock dissenters up and throw away the key” time. At least to this prosecutor, and whatever judge went along with it

$1 million bail set for Lancaster protesters decried as 'blatantly unconstitutional'

Bail was set Tuesday at $1 million for several protesters arrested during demonstrations against a fatal police shooting in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, a move decried by many including the state's lieutenant governor, who called it "blatantly unconstitutional."

Lancaster police arrested 12 adults and one juvenile after about 100 people gathered outside the city's police station Sunday following the police killing of Ricardo Munoz, 27, who authorities say chased an officer with a knife. Police said the demonstration devolved into a riot that caused damage to the station, vandalism to local businesses and a small fire, and officers used "chemical munitions" to disperse the crowd....

The adults face charges including conspiracy to commit arson, riot, institutional vandalism and disorderly conduct. One has been charged with carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. The 13 defendants range from 16 to 43 years old and live in Lancaster and surrounding communities....

“The $1 million cash bail orders for several young Black Lives Matter protesters last night is an egregious and unacceptable abuse of the bail system," Reggie Shuford, executive director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania, said in a statement. "Cash bail should never be used to deter demonstrators and chill speech."

So if this is bail, what’s the punishment if found guilty? Hanging?

 

[Alli]

I’ve already overused the word “outrageous.” What’s next?

 

[JayMysteri0]

It’s “lock dissenters up and throw away the key” time. At least to this prosecutor, and whatever judge went along with it

$1 million bail set for Lancaster protesters decried as 'blatantly unconstitutional'





So if this is bail, what’s the punishment if found guilty? Hanging?

I think you'll find as in other states, the punishment is meant to remove their voting rights. Which is perhaps why the bail is so high.

 

[SuperMatt]

Hmm... although the shooting of the man with a knife might have been justified, it appears minorities in Lancaster, PA had plenty of other reasons to protest.

 

[JayMysteri0]

There is a pattern forming...

Barr suggests charging violent protesters with sedition

Attorney General William Barr expressed frustration with some local and state prosecutors' handling of riot-related crimes, telling top Justice Department prosecutors that he wants them to be aggressive in bringing charges related to protest violence, including exploring using a rarely used...

www.cnn.com

Attorney General William Barr expressed frustration with some local and state prosecutors' handling of riot-related crimes, telling top Justice Department prosecutors that he wants them to be aggressive in bringing charges related to protest violence, including exploring using a rarely used sedition law, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Since taking office in 2019, Barr has lashed out at a group of left-leaning district attorneys in cities around the country who have sought to change the way they prosecute low-level drug and other crimes.

It's a theme that has gained traction in conservative media, which Barr follows closely, and he is known to focus on the issue from time to time.
Still, some federal prosecutors were taken aback last week when the attorney general brought up the possibility of charging violent protesters with sedition, which makes it a crime to conspire to overthrow the US government.

 

[Thomas Veil]

Attorney General William Barr expressed frustration...telling top Justice Department prosecutors that he wants them to be aggressive in bringing charges related to protest violence, including exploring using a rarely used sedition law, according to a person familiar with the matter.

People in glass houses...

 

[SuperMatt]

Maybe they can just kill the protesters or burn them alive. Trump is really doing a great job.

Military police weighed using 'heat ray' to burn skin of D.C. protesters at Trump church photo op in June | Boing Boing

Remember that Trump photo op in front of St. John’s Church in Lafayette Square in DC, on June 1st, where American citizens were tear-gassed? Military police were also considering using what i…

boingboing.net

 

[Huntn]

There is a pattern forming...

Barr is a little piece of shit the fell off the Big Turd. The sooner we flush, the sooner the stench will dissipate.

 

[SuperMatt]

Here’s another egregious example of unreasonable bail. A man saw a sign “2 for $3” on Mountain Dew. He left $2 on the counter and told them to keep the change and left. It turns out that they wanted $2.29 if you only bought one instead of 2. So did the store just take the $.43 (if you include tax) loss? Nope. They called the cops who found and arrested the guy and are holding him on $50,000 cash bond. Since he’s homeless, he doesn’t have that money. So now he sits in jail for a $.43 misunderstanding until trial, at which, if found guilty, he could serve 7 years.

This is not a “justice“ system. It is evil.

Man charged with felony, jailed on $50k cash bond for 43-cent ‘theft’

Joseph Sobolewski, of Harrisburg, paid $2 for a Mountain Dew at a Perry County convenience store after seeing a sign that said 2 for $3. But single bottles cost $2.29 each.

www.pennlive.com

 

[Alli]

Here’s another egregious example of unreasonable bail. A man saw a sign “2 for $3” on Mountain Dew. He left $2 on the counter and told them to keep the change and left. It turns out that they wanted $2.29 if you only bought one instead of 2. So did the store just take the $.43 (if you include tax) loss? Nope. They called the cops who found and arrested the guy and are holding him on $50,000 cash bond. Since he’s homeless, he doesn’t have that money. So now he sits in jail for a $.43 misunderstanding until trial, at which, if found guilty, he could serve 7 years.

This is not a “justice“ system. It is evil.

Man charged with felony, jailed on $50k cash bond for 43-cent ‘theft’

Joseph Sobolewski, of Harrisburg, paid $2 for a Mountain Dew at a Perry County convenience store after seeing a sign that said 2 for $3. But single bottles cost $2.29 each.

www.pennlive.com

Evil and stupid. Most of us would pay the $.43 for him rather than our taxes going to his room and board for however long these jackwads decide to keep him in jail. Talk about Les Miserables!

 

[Huntn]

Here’s another egregious example of unreasonable bail. A man saw a sign “2 for $3” on Mountain Dew. He left $2 on the counter and told them to keep the change and left. It turns out that they wanted $2.29 if you only bought one instead of 2. So did the store just take the $.43 (if you include tax) loss? Nope. They called the cops who found and arrested the guy and are holding him on $50,000 cash bond. Since he’s homeless, he doesn’t have that money. So now he sits in jail for a $.43 misunderstanding until trial, at which, if found guilty, he could serve 7 years.

This is not a “justice“ system. It is evil.

Man charged with felony, jailed on $50k cash bond for 43-cent ‘theft’

Joseph Sobolewski, of Harrisburg, paid $2 for a Mountain Dew at a Perry County convenience store after seeing a sign that said 2 for $3. But single bottles cost $2.29 each.

www.pennlive.com

But if you break the law you pay the price, except according to this article it sounds like they broke the law by jailing him.

 

[lizkat]

But if you break the law you pay the price, except according to this article it sounds like they broke the law by jailing him.

Meanwhile a guy up in my neck of the woods got by with just an appearance ticket for town court, after being busted for DWI, possession of an unregistered weapon, large cap magazines to go with it, and assorted violations related to how he was operating the vehicle, which behavior had terminated in a one-car crash. Go figure: all the charges put to him except the gun charges (class D felony) were misdemeanor-level even though he failed a roadside sobriety test and blew a .16 BAC after being taken into custody.

Police: Intoxicated driver had unregistered rifle

A Jefferson man is facing charges of driving while intoxicated and gun possession after a one-car crash.

www.thedailystar.com

Equality under rule of law in the USA is a seriously sometime thing, seems to me.