Pedestrian convicted of vehicular homicide of her child, could serve more time than hit & run driver

[nothingmuch]

Prosecuting the victim, absolving the perpetrators
July 18, 2011
By David Goldberg

Updated 7/19: The charge has been corrected. Nelson was charged with vehicular homicide.

This is an advocacy blog, but typically we’re rather measured in our tone. Sometimes, however, we see something so utterly outrageous, so emblematic of the failure of

Comments

[bethan_b_bad]

OMG, so much rage.

SO. MUCH. RAGE. I cannot even.

[staringiscaring]

Fucking ridiculous. Its disgraceful that her lawyer didn't manage to get one working class person on the jury.

[jasoncourtney]

"Its disgraceful that her lawyer didn't manage to get one working class person on the jury."

this so much! that's why you NEED to have money to afford a good lawyer b/c this to me makes NO SENSE.

[staringiscaring]

Some public defenders are just god awful.

A family friend of mine (a mother of three, BTW) was arrest for a DUI like three years ago yet the blood and breath tests were lost so she was let go. She was scared to tell her parents so she just went on with her life like it never happened. Then, only a few months ago, the police are like 'dur hur, we found the tests' and she got a public defender who didn't even argue the shady found 'tests'. She didn't tell her parents (who had more money to afford a lawyer) until it was too late. She had to give birth to twins in a AZ jail. She was definitely neglected during the pregnant while in prison so when she gave birth one of the twins was underweight and underdeveloped. The cherry on the shit sundae was that her public lawyer fell asleep during the hearing! It was a clusterfuck all around. You won't be surprised to hear that she is a hispanic woman.

[lickety_split]

Hot damn, even I could have drafted up a quick memo that would have gotten that evidence thrown out in a HEARTBEAT.

[ntensity]

I can't even bring myself to read all of this right now. It's unbelievable.

[fenris_lorsrai]

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH

[brewsternorth]

Oh jfc. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. When I once went to a friend's place in lower Westchester, walking from the nearest MNRR since it wasn't far, I got some *very* strange looks from the local motorists. Even in the UK they're usually more careful about pedestrian crossings (we're the ones who came up with Belisha beacons and all the other weird and wonderful variations on the lighted crossing after all).

[sasha_davidovna]

Engineers for large transit projects apparently HATE including pedestrians and don't realize if they don't plan for them, they'll find a path ANYWAY.

The Grist article about this case makes a really good point about "desire lines" and what an important part of good design they are. In this case, paying more attention to them clearly would have saved lives. :(

http://www.grist.org/infrastructure/2011-07-20-when-design-kills-the-criminalization-of-walking

[supermishelle]

Fuck the police. Fuck our justice system.

After last night when the police clearly treated my White boyfriend with way more respect than they treated me and my queer room mates it was painfully validated to me that we don't have rights. The whole justice system is bullshit.

[vanillakokakola]

I'm intrigued to know what happened if you're ok with discussing it, just out of pure curiosity.

TW for suicide attempts, violence,

[supermishelle]

When I answered the door, they pretty much forced themselves inside. I told them I wanted to get my room mates so they can talk outside because they were the ones fighting and it was their issue. My room mates were talking in the bathroom. I told them my room mates were in the bathroom and I was going to go get them. Instead the police opened my door, followed me into the room, then made us all sit down and then tried to get all my information when I had absolutely nothing to do with their argument

Re: TW for suicide attempts, violence,

[vanillakokakola]

wow, that's infuriating, disgusting and really flagrant discrimination. also, if those officers were going to be that obtuse and unhelpful when responding to a call that involved someone potentially suicidal, they should've transferred the fucking call to someone else.

i'm sorry that that happened to you.