A prominent figure in the white nationalist movement argued he is a “shock jock” who runs a “racist podcast” before he was denied bond on Thursday evening.The charges are felonies, but denying bail seems a bit excessive. What's he going to do, run off to Nigeria like the Asswipe who was running a Nazi website?
Christopher Cantwell, 36, faces two charges of illegal use of tear gas, phosgene or other gases and one count of malicious bodily injury by means of a caustic substance or agent. The charges stem from clashes Cantwell had with protesters during the torch-lit march that occurred at the University of Virginia on Aug. 11, the night before a violent white nationalist rally overtook Charlottesville’s downtown, resulting in the death of one woman and dozens of injuries.
I'll let you mull over the irony of white supremacists hiding in a Sub-Saharan African nation.
Bail typically was denied when a defendant was either a flight risk or posed an unacceptable threat to the community if released. If PharmaBro, who is rather wealthy, can bail himself out, then why not the Crying Nazi?
Actually, I don't know why Shkreli's bail wasn't increased after he was found guilty. If he's seriously facing several years, I can see him chartering a jet and having himself dropped in a country where folding money can substitute for such pesky formalities such as passports and visas.
I'm all for the charges. A fair trial will determine guilt or not (I have no opinion on this, so please, don't bother flaming me). Let the evidence show one way or another. I would also expect that the violent counterprotestors be charged and tried. I saw many more leftist counter protestors than right-ish protestors be violent. (and that may well be simply coverage, mind you) but there needs to be an equal application of the law.
ReplyDeleteNot taking sides here. I think anyone who went to Charlottesville was looking for trouble and they found it. But lets arrest, try and (if possible) convict ALL the violent protestors. If violent protest is bad, so is violent counterprotest.
Or are we no longer a nation of laws?
Bail has become the debtors prison of this generation. What started as a generally good idea has become perverted beyind recognition. As the DoJ investigations into St. Louis area towns showed, bail quickly become unobtainable for those the system seeks to balance its budget on. Until a person fails to show for a court date, release should be automatic in all but the most serious crimes. A robust GPS tracking system would aid in making this work, I'd go for almost anything short of surgically implanted in order to allow release of those mid-grade criminals. The reality is those who will not change will likely commit another theft or such while being tracked.
ReplyDeleteAutomatic release would not apply to crimes of violent or sexual nature, but bail should not automatically be ruled out in those cases either, as there are many facets of everything.
We almost got money-bail reform this legislative session, but Brown said it needed more work and will take it up in the next. I hope he does, because I have some horror stories I could tell about bail.
ReplyDeleteJohn Oliver did a pretty good segment on bail a while back:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS5mwymTIJU
-Doug in Oakland
Tear gas and phosgene are in the same category?
ReplyDeleteThe argument was that the Crying Nazi had threatened multiple people in the community and thus was a threat to the community that had to be locked up to protect the community. Martin Shkrelli, on the other hand, was just an ass.
ReplyDeleteI would think that Shkreli is the poster-child for "flight risk".
ReplyDelete