Saturday, June 6, 2020

Myon Burrell: Mineapolis: Vice-Presidential contender Amy Klobuchar facing calls from Minneapolis black leaders to drop out after news reports found faults in the prosecution of black teenager Myon Burrell while Klobuchar was prosecutor, The Crime Report. "Burrell was convicted in the murder of an 11-year-old girl, but maintained his innocence, and one of his co-defendants admitted guilt."


PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "With Floyd’s death rekindling the national conversation about race, Klobuchar’s tenure as prosecutor could become a significant liability in the vice-presidential selection process. Representative Jim Clyburn (D-SC) said the timing of the killing and protests was “tough” for Klobuchar. She brushed off questions about whether she should withdraw her name from consideration while defending her record, pointing to downward trends in African-American incarceration rates. She rebutted reports that she had a role in declining to bring charges against Chauvin in a 2006 case as a “lie.” Critics pointed to her long record as being friendly to police officers."

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POST: "Klobuchar record under attack, published by The Crime  Report on June 1, 2020.

GIST: "Senator Amy Klobuchar won her seat in 2006 as a former tough prosecutor, boasting of how she had reduced crime in Minnesota’s most populous county. Amid protests over George Floyd’s death, her record is facing renewed scrutiny as she prepares to be vetted as a vice-presidential contender, the New York Times reports. With a police force in Minneapolis that has long faced accusations of racism and complaints of abuse, Klobuchar declined to charge many police officers who were involved in shootings during her seven-year tenure. She often opted to send cases to grand juries, a common practice but one that some law enforcement experts say favors police officers. On Friday,  Klobuchar said she now regretted those decisions. “I think that was wrong now,” she told MSNBC. “I think it would have been much better if I took the responsibility and looked at the cases and made the decision myself.”
With Floyd’s death rekindling the national conversation about race, Klobuchar’s tenure as prosecutor could become a significant liability in the vice-presidential selection process. Representative Jim Clyburn (D-SC) said the timing of the killing and protests was “tough” for Klobuchar. She brushed off questions about whether she should withdraw her name from consideration while defending her record, pointing to downward trends in African-American incarceration rates. She rebutted reports that she had a role in declining to bring charges against Chauvin in a 2006 case as a “lie.” Critics pointed to her long record as being friendly to police officers. During her own presidential campaign, Klobuchar faced some calls to drop out from Minneapolis black leaders after news reports found faults in the prosecution of black teenager Myon Burrell while Klobuchar was prosecutor. Burrell was convicted in the murder of an 11-year-old girl, but maintained his innocence, and one of his co-defendants admitted guilt."
The entire post can be read at:
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#all/FMfcgxwHNgcXjGhRNDQJGpCFfxDCqtst

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic"  section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com.  Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;
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FINAL WORD:  (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases):  "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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