I wish the public was literate enough to have a rational discussion around these kinds of allegations. The Hill case shows they can be prosecuted successfully.
Great reporting as always, Elise. You manage to stay entirely factual while giving us enough to see the real story -- that this is a targeted investigation by a cop's good buddies meant to intimidate/punish LaFever for his work as a journalist.
The clarification on the mishandling of the Lafever case is good information. Lumping these two cases as similar in your lead though is a bit unjust - one person was accused of aggressive sexual assault, the other allegation is restricted to inappropriate communication (no physical contact). Both serious but at a totally different level. While you appear to be advocating for due process you are also (probably not intentionally) escalating social media as jury by the fact that you are somewhat equating one who has not yet even been charged with misdemeanor, to one who has been convicted of a serious felony.
You make an excellent point. There is a vocal online lynch mob operating on Facebook that has convicted the accused – without charges and with absolutely no defense — of the alleged misdemeanor. The framing was an attempt to widen the perspective of this group. The social media injury, which is acute (and extends to me and this young news site), was caused by the press release from the Ukiah Police Department, which was coordinated by a "unknown" leak to a former police officer turned YouTuber who referenced about his relationships with members of the Ukiah Police Department in his video. I'm not sure what the solution is, but our justice system cannot survive this behavior if left unchecked.
Yes, our justice system needs to honorably adhere to the highest standards. The actions in this instance seem to have been orchestrated with the intent to cause the greatest damage. The Sunday morning signing of a Ramey Warrant, the early morning in-person arrest when misdemeanors are usually handled via mail, the leak of uncorroborated "information to a provocateur - these can all raise question in regard to motivation. Every person in the USA, regardless of crime, deserves a justice system that is honorable and due process which is unbiased.
Excellent reporting!
Glad my comment in that FB post didn't go unnoticed. I knew they weren't looking into the evidence because they technically couldn't.
I wish the public was literate enough to have a rational discussion around these kinds of allegations. The Hill case shows they can be prosecuted successfully.
Great reporting as always, Elise. You manage to stay entirely factual while giving us enough to see the real story -- that this is a targeted investigation by a cop's good buddies meant to intimidate/punish LaFever for his work as a journalist.
The clarification on the mishandling of the Lafever case is good information. Lumping these two cases as similar in your lead though is a bit unjust - one person was accused of aggressive sexual assault, the other allegation is restricted to inappropriate communication (no physical contact). Both serious but at a totally different level. While you appear to be advocating for due process you are also (probably not intentionally) escalating social media as jury by the fact that you are somewhat equating one who has not yet even been charged with misdemeanor, to one who has been convicted of a serious felony.
You make an excellent point. There is a vocal online lynch mob operating on Facebook that has convicted the accused – without charges and with absolutely no defense — of the alleged misdemeanor. The framing was an attempt to widen the perspective of this group. The social media injury, which is acute (and extends to me and this young news site), was caused by the press release from the Ukiah Police Department, which was coordinated by a "unknown" leak to a former police officer turned YouTuber who referenced about his relationships with members of the Ukiah Police Department in his video. I'm not sure what the solution is, but our justice system cannot survive this behavior if left unchecked.
Yes, our justice system needs to honorably adhere to the highest standards. The actions in this instance seem to have been orchestrated with the intent to cause the greatest damage. The Sunday morning signing of a Ramey Warrant, the early morning in-person arrest when misdemeanors are usually handled via mail, the leak of uncorroborated "information to a provocateur - these can all raise question in regard to motivation. Every person in the USA, regardless of crime, deserves a justice system that is honorable and due process which is unbiased.