PASSAGE OF THE DAY: " We are one of the only major cities in America not to have our forensics lab to test crime scene DNA or DNA from a firearm, and we shamefully don’t have the capacity to test DNA from rape kits. So currently, detectives have to drive DNA samples to Baton Rouge, where we are put on a waiting list, sometimes for months, to have evidence tested. The tragedy of all this is that the families of victims are left hurting: mothers, fathers, and children are left in pain, never knowing how their loved ones were taken from them. Victims of assault live in fear, knowing that their attackers are still out there. And maybe the worst of all… innocent people are right now serving time that could have been set free by DNA evidence if New Orleans took solving crime seriously."
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STORY: "City Councilwoman Kristen Palmer Discusses Her Life, Accomplishments and Policy Goals if Elected As At-Large Council member, by Contributing Writer Danae Columbus, published by 'Big Easy Magazine' on July 17, 2021. (Big Easy Magazine describes itself as 'unapologetically progressive.')
GIST: "You would think that after decades of violent crime in New Orleans that the politicians elected to higher office would be doing everything, they can to make sure that we have modern, state-of-the-art forensic science to solve crime in our city. But that’s not the case–our folks in Baton Rouge have just shrugged their shoulders and accepted that crimes go unsolved in New Orleans. Instead, they’ve chosen to invest precious dollars into pet projects rather than into stopping violent crime. Let me give you an example… New Orleans doesn’t just have an ineffective DNA lab. WE DON’T HAVE ONE AT ALL. We are one of the only major cities in America not to have our forensics lab to test crime scene DNA or DNA from a firearm, and we shamefully don’t have the capacity to test DNA from rape kits. So currently, detectives have to drive DNA samples to Baton Rouge, where we are put on a waiting list, sometimes for months, to have evidence tested. The tragedy of all this is that the families of victims are left hurting: mothers, fathers, and children are left in pain, never knowing how their loved ones were taken from them. Victims of assault live in fear, knowing that their attackers are still out there. And maybe the worst of all… innocent people are right now serving time that could have been set free by DNA evidence if New Orleans took solving crime seriously."
Th entire interview can be read at:
https://www.bigeasymagazine.com/2021/07/17/city-councilwoman-kristen-palmer-discusses-her-life-
https://www.bigeasymagazine.com/2021/07/17/city-councilwoman-kristen-palmer-discusses-her-life-
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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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they’ve exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
