Montel Williams Tweet re: Chicago 4

[Rustyeye77]

"Life in prison. No parole. I'm not interested in whether these kids had a tough life, whether their parents loved them enough, I don't care.
Whether this is a hate crime is a distraction and irrelevant - THIS IS THE COLD BLOODED TORTURE OF AN INNOCENT HUMAN BEING. That's bigger than a hate crime, it's bigger than racism (saying F*ck white people is racist by definition), its bigger than politics.
Life in prison. No parole. If you can do this to another human being once, you can't be trusted to not do it again.
My prayers go out to the young man in this disgusting video."

[underpants]

1. Horrible act by these people.

[Achilleaze]

2. Republican support of torture has lowered the bar on morality

Republican support of torture has lowered the bar on morality and basic human decency

[Rustyeye77]

3. Do they deserve life ?

[a kennedy]

5. Yes.....everyone deserves life. WE DO NOT KILL. JMHO.

[brooklynite]

23. Since they didn't kill their victim, I don't think the death penalty is an issue.

[demmiblue]

4. Can you please provide the link? TIA

[Rustyeye77]

6. Can't do on my iPad.

Google montel Williams twitter.

[demmiblue]

8. Meh, I'll pass.

And, yes, you can do it on an iPad.

[CurtEastPoint]

13. Christ. Google it. Here it is.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/01/07/montel-williams-slams-chicago-facebook-live-attack-suspects-on-social-media.html

[Rustyeye77]

19. Thank you.

[HipChick]

7. Montel who?

[TheBlackAdder]

32. He's a guy who used to come on TV promoting Payday Lenders that were fined for lawbreaking.

[brush]

9. Hope the young man recovers, but where the hell was Montel Williams when all the innocent black . .

men were being gunned down by racist cops?

[Rustyeye77]

11. Good question...I don't know the answer.

[LenaBaby61]

21. Hope the young man recovers, but where the hell was Montel Williams when all the innocent black ...

men were being gunned down by racist cops?

I have a friend, and she told me that her & her brother had a discussion about that poor young man who was mercilessly tortured by those people (And I use the term people loosely), and her brother told her that all of them should receive the death penalty. She said she asked her brother why most of the policemen who were charged with killing African-Americans--Be they male or female--usually are not charged with murder? He told her that police have the most difficult job in the world, and that instead of making their job more difficult and second-guessing them, they should be given the benefit of the doubt.

My friend said she told her brother "Spoken like a true, well-off, authoritarian, white male who'll more than likely never be stopped and murdered by the police." She said he told her that he had to take another phone call, and that he'd get back with her.

She said sure he did (And she said for the record that he never answers that "police" question she poses to him.

[Rustyeye77]

24. Montel words..will add link later

"Let me conclude with some context. I was once a young black man, and I'm raising a black son in his 20's. It's a fact that my son is more likely to be stopped by the police than his white friends. I'm not calling police racist. I'm saying there's something called implicit bias. My white friends don't understand the feeling I get, as a black father, when one of these shootings occurs. I realize that statistically, death by cop for a young black male might be relatively rare on a per capita basis—but every time I learn about one of these shootings, I think about the next time my son gets pulled over.

Will an officer's implicit bias lead him to believe my (broad-shouldered) black son is a threat? Will this set off an adrenaline-fueled chain of events leading to shots fired? My son is law abiding. He's never been arrested, he's in school, he's done everything right. But he was born with a strike against him—his color. And that's where a lot of this anger comes from."

[elehhhhna]

22. He was speaking out against it . You're welcome.

http://www.cnsnews.com/blog/mark-judge/montel-williams-no-civilized-society-can-tolerate-shooting-cops

[brush]

27. Where did he talk about the killer cops? Seems he was bashing AAs except for an . . .

after thought in the last paragraph.

[Wiseman32218]

10. That sounds ridiculous, life is too severe

I could see 25 to 30 years, not life.

[SaschaHM]

12. They deserve the maximum sentence that their crime carries.

If that's life, fine. If not, then absent changes in the law that apply to everyone else convicted of similar crimes, I'm not for it.

[Rustyeye77]

31. I agree.

Nt

[Kittycow]

14. Not high school football stars so they'll get the book.

[mercuryblues]

33. We already know

the end result when white football players do even worse to an autistic black teenager.

The PROSECUTOR. Let that sink in for a minute. the PROSECUTOR not only allowed, but encouraged and defended the perpetrator of torture and rape to plead down to injury to a child.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/20/idaho-football-coat-hanger-rape-teammate-john-rk-howard

An Idaho prosecutor’s declaration that an alleged rape of a black, mentally disabled football player with a coat hanger by his white team-mate was not a sex crime and was not racially motivated has sparked mounting criticism among campaigners against sexual assault.

snip

John RK Howard was initially charged with felony forcible sexual penetration by use of a foreign object, but on Friday, the 19-year-old reached a plea bargain that allowed him to plead guilty to a felony count of injury to a child. The deal will allow Howard to avoid prison time unless he violates his probation, the Twin Falls Times-News reported.

snip

The victim was called racial epithets such as “watermelon”, “chicken-eater”, and “nigger”, and Howard taunted the victim with a “Ku Klux Klan” song, the lawsuit alleged.

[Rustyeye77]

34. No argument here.

The 3 white trash punks should be in prison...preferably for life.

[mercuryblues]

35. Yup

I am glad you saw where I was going with this. I was not advocating a lesser sentence for the Chi4. But a bigger sentence for the football players. Imagine the prosecutor defending the perp of a crime.

[Rustyeye77]

36. I hope the Feds have started an investigation...

BEFORE the next attorney general is installed.

[rollin74]

15. I think 30 years or so might be an appropriate sentence

but wouldn't mind if they rot for life

[MicaelS]

16. Amazing how this crime has nearly disappeared....

From discussion at DU.

[Rustyeye77]

17. This story really bothered me.

[MicaelS]

18. Me too, BUT...

Apparently because of the way it broke, racially, many want to ignore it, claim it was a hoax, or claim it doesn't "pass the sniff test".

[Rustyeye77]

37. I saw that.

Very depressing.

[SecularMotion]

46. Keep crying

I'm not going to join your lynch mob.

[Rustyeye77]

49. Ok...no problem.

[uponit7771]

20. It hasn't imho, just treason from McPootin is a bigger story

[cwydro]

26. Hypocrisy is alive and well at DU.

Some here excel at it.

[cwydro]

25. Yep. Nt

[cwydro]

28. K and r..

Nt

[gwheezie]

29. They won't & shouldn't get life

I don't think the charges carry a life sentence. They have a right to a vigorous defense & their day in court.

[branford]

38. None of the charges carry a life sentence.

However, under certain circumstances, a judge could order that the defendants serve the sentence for each charge consecutively, rather than concurrently. An total 70+ year sentence would effectively be life.

The defendants do indeed have the right to a trial and vigorous defense. However, given the fact that the crime is on video, the defendants have prior criminal records, and the conduct shocks the conscience of most people. I assume they will desperately try for a plea bargain. As an attorney, I truly do not envy the defendants' defense counsel.

[Rustyeye77]

39. Race to the DA.

First one in gets the best deal.

"It wasn't me... it was the other person".

[gwheezie]

42. So far we've seen parts of a video

All 4 are being lumped together in the press but these are 4 individuals who apparently were not all together at the beginning of this incident.

[branford]

47. A defense that is little more than

"I tortured the victim slightly less than my co-defendants," is a big loser, particularly when guilt is not really in doubt and the crime itself is so uniquely repugnant.

As for purported other parts of the video, do you honestly believe there's something that can actually mitigate or excuse the kidnapping, torture, extortion, etc.

I also believe the "hate crime" charges are largely irrelevant at this point. There is more than sufficient proof of multiple serious crimes, together with prior criminal records, that if a trial were held, guilt would be assured, and no judge would be kind in sentencing.

[Cha]

30. Aww.. that's really comprehensive and tears me up.

[coco22]

40. I think they should throw the book at them but..

where was all of Montel's outrage about Dylan Roof,and other cases similar to this involving the opposite races, where was his outrage when a man was dragged in texas until decapitated why is he acting like this is the first time in history. He seems to think he can tell (black people) what to be and how to be outraged.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

41. Life in prison? I disagree.

I saw the videos and I was sickened by them, but the mentally disabled victim wasn't severely hurt from what I saw.

I was clobbered in the back of the head and beat up while unconscious far worse a few years ago. The difference is that my attackers weren't identified, but I seriously doubt they would've spent life in prison for it despite how such hard blows to the head can often be lethal.

[Generator]

43. I know people are having a natural reaction to this that makes sense

But what are the terms for rape? A rapist gets a few years-but that is torture to a woman-your life is NEVER the same. By the standards of this thread-every rapist should get life. As a woman-it's hard to not want that.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

44. Good point.

I'd also choose that experience in Chicago over being raped... probably anally raped in my case since I'm a guy.

A woman being raped must be even more distressing given pregnancy concerns... and many conservatives arguing that the victims should also be forced to carry the fetus to term.

[treestar]

45. They didn't kill the victim though

so while it should be a good long sentence, life should be reserved for killers.

[branford]

48. As I indicated above, if permissible under local rules.

given the severity and cruelness of the crime, mandating that the defendants' sentences be served consecutively for each charge, rather than concurrently, could achieve a life sentence in all but name.