A Vigorous Prosecution of Strauss-Kahn Is Urged

[defendandprotect]

A Vigorous Prosecution of Strauss-Kahn Is Urged

As the sexual assault case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn teetered on the brink of collapse, several supporters of his accuser gathered in Harlem on Sunday to urge the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., to pursue the case “vigorously.”

“Today is a very important day because it is a time for us to guarantee that justice is done,” said State Senator Bill Perkins, a Democrat, who was joined at an afternoon news conference by other politicians and members of various advocacy organizations.

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In the letter, Mr. Perkins wrote: “To preserve the principle of due process, the decision to bring charges should be decided on its merits, not the character of the victim or the victimizer. If anything less than due process is delivered in this case, then justice will have been unduly denied.”

Asked if race had played a part in the weakening of the case against Mr. Strauss-Kahn, Mr. Perkins said: “This is a very powerful white man; this is a very poor African woman. For us to ignore race would not really be looking at reality.”


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/11/nyregion/prosecution-of-strauss-kahn-is-urged.html

[aquart]

1. Speaking of playing RACE, Mr. Perkins...

[Bluebear]

2. 'For us to ignore race would not really be looking at reality.' - this DA needs to be FIRED.

[Fumesucker]

3. I think it was the state senator, Perkins, who said that. n/t

[TorchTheWitch]

4. I think you may be confused

I understand from Bluebear's post that the DA should be fired because of what Mr. Perkins said about race and the powerful. And I would agree with Mr. Perkins' assessment that to not pursue the case on its merits (as it should be) would be wrong.

I may be wrong, but that's what I see Bluebear's post conveying.

[Fumesucker]

5. Given that confusion is entirely normal for me..

You may have a point.

:hi:

[SoDesuKa]

6. Perkins Raises His Profile

Bill Perkins might be imagining himself as a successor to Mayor Michael Bloomberg. A lot of otherwise totally obscure Democrats are raising their political profiles now that Anthony Weiner is out of the running.



I can dream, can't I?

[leveymg]

7. The character of the (alleged) victim counts quite a lot, I am afraid, Mr. Perkins.

It goes right to the credibility of the witnesses' testimony against the accused. Or, maybe such niceties aren't so important when someone "is a powerful white man" who has already been tried and convicted in the tabloid press.

Cheez-itz.

[daa]

8. Beyond a reasonable doubt

if you lied and cheated and talked of extortion and were a maid with 100 grand in your account why would a jury side with her, no matter what color she is. The case has to be proven and she is the case.

[defendandprotect]

9. and then certainly the character of DSJ must also count -- and its pretty bad!!