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Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Nutter doesn't condone vigilante justice, but he doesn't condemn it either

Mayor Nutter today refused to condemn last night's apparent case of vigilante justice, where Kensington residents seized and beat a man wanted by police in connection with the rape of an 11-year-old girl.

"I do not generally condone what someone might consider vigilantism out in our streets, but it’s indicative of the anger and the compassion that many of our citizens have," Nutter said. He went on to call the episode a "demonstration" of the fact "that Philadelphians care passionately about this city, about our quality of life and certainly about our children."

"I think we need to maintain our primary focus on the young girl who was viciously assaulted. There is no place in this city for that kind of behavior and our thoughts and prayers should remain focused on her and her family," Nutter said.

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Posted by Patrick Kerkstra @ 3:01 PM  Permalink | 70 comments
Comments   
Posted 03:42 PM, 06/03/2009
CleanupPhilly
Its an example of how the people are sick of the revolving door and have no faith that if someone gets arrested that any meaningful consequence of involving punishment or greater public safety will result. Nutter has a lot of nerve after trying to cut the DA and Courts.
Posted 03:46 PM, 06/03/2009
CleanupPhilly
Nutter and Council have tried to cut prisons, police, courts, and any life or limb service first before even addressing the obvious waste in government. The row offices that don't work, the assessments not made, the collections not recovered. There's half a billion in uncollected property taxes in Philly, there's $1 billion in forfeit bail for noshows to court that is owed the city. Why is the city even in the bail bond business, especially if they are not any good at it, and it's a get out of jail free card? But Nutter and Council claim they can only cut police, fire, courts, prisons, and safety measures. That's the only thing they can do, because they want to preserve their corrupt patronage row office system that is completely broken. This directly causes a system that is so underfunded and compromised that true sociopaths walk among us free men.
Posted 03:48 PM, 06/03/2009
CleanupPhilly
Please voice your support of the state bills that will toughen early release and and sentencing for repeat violent offenders. House Bill 1567 would "increase prison sentences for second- and third-strike offenses and end the possibility of early parole for those violent offenders." Perzel has sponsored several measures that close gaps in the system that hard core criminals flow through, see http://www.johnperzel.com/?sectionid=268&parentid=1§iontree=268&itemid=1150
Posted 03:50 PM, 06/03/2009
CleanupPhilly
Brendan Boyle is calling for the passage of HB 1567 and for more info on that, catch the quiet but timely article by Angela Couloumbis: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/46700512.html
Posted 03:57 PM, 06/03/2009
dreinterests
it's not underfunded, it's poorly run. single defendants requiring several cases and different lawyers, endless paperwork etc.
Posted 04:07 PM, 06/03/2009
CleanupPhilly
Dre is right that there are efficiencies that other counties already use. Chester Co. doesn't bail out everyone because they know that there are client are are likely no show risks. Instead of trying to save a few pennies in incarceration until a court date and wasting thousands scheduling court dates the client never shows for, they hold the guy until his court date if he's got a record. It's really not rocket science. That's how a county with much less property tax revenue than us can have a good court system.
Posted 04:08 PM, 06/03/2009
ClarkU
It was wrong to beat that man. The people could have restrained him for the police. He should have a trial before he is punished. What if he isn't the right man? Its wrong, in the spirit of Dr. King, for a people who've been victimizied by lynch mobs for 250 years to participate in the withholding of justice for a fellow citizen, and its shocking that the authorities apparently condone it. There is no excuse...
Posted 04:09 PM, 06/03/2009
CleanupPhilly
I should say, that's how a county with less revenue than Philly, total, can have a better court system -- they hold inmates charged with priors and don't let them walk out with county-underwritten bail. They don't have "costs of collection" of forfeit bail, because private bailbondsmen handle that. This is all so uncomplicated that sixth graders could do it.
Posted 04:14 PM, 06/03/2009
CleanupPhilly
Clark, why do people take their own justice into their own hands? Why do they use the unmarked $100 dollar solution, instead of taking all their vacation to go to the CJC to see someone walk, get plead out, get a sentence that has no real meaning? People see stone cold psychos get arrested on the drug corner, and come right back in 2-4 years. That's just insane. No one wants to be a witness, when you have to mark in your calendar when the guy gets out. Letting people revolve in and out of the system IS NOT WORKING. People KNOW it. Look a Jose Carasquillo's contacts with the judicial system. Look at the percent of his crimes that were nolle prossed. It saves money. That's the reason. And another nut job gets right out to string himself up on heroin and sadistically rape a child. Who would want to be a vigilante except that you know already that your one crack at him will be the only thing that makes a dent? Look at his record: http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MC.aspx#
Posted 04:16 PM, 06/03/2009
CleanupPhilly
If you want people to not be vigilantes, you have to have a court system that gets the basics right. PA has to have enough prison space to meet the severity of the crimes committed by the hard core Philly criminal element. I know liberals want so much to reform every criminal, but right now we don't possess that magic wand for everyone. There's no pill to fix the Jose Carasquillos in Philly, there's only long term lock.
Posted 04:18 PM, 06/03/2009
Bmoney123
They should have killed that POS. If you do not want to get beat then do not rape and 11 year old girl....sounds reasonable to me.
Posted 04:20 PM, 06/03/2009
Choie
The victim was the girl...don't forget that. This has nothing to do with MLK. MLK himself would smack this guy in the head with a board if he knew he raped a little girl. There is no mistake here..This guy was the rapist, the guys who beat him down knew it and so did the cops..Justice was served.
Posted 04:21 PM, 06/03/2009
irish3m
ClarkU, let us know if you are still opposed to these "vigilantes" after your 11 year old daughter is raped!
Posted 04:29 PM, 06/03/2009
Zues
Clark your absolutely right. However he did have time to turn himself in. He did not. He didn't even leave the city. After your picture is posted on TV, detectives are all over your neighborhood passing out photos, and a million articles are written, its time to flee or turn yourself in. If you don't I don't blame the people in this not so well off neighborhood for doing what they did and detaining this guy, even it was a bit violent. Especially after they read: Carrasquillo has a history of drug charges and other offenses, according to court records, and at least 12 convictions. He has pleaded guilty to manufacturing drugs, driving under the influence, and simple assault. He was charged with attempted rape and aggravated assault in 2002, according to court records, but those charges were later withdrawn."
Posted 04:29 PM, 06/03/2009
CleanupPhilly
Nobody wants to face that Jose Carasquillo is one of the inmates that would qualify for what Seth Williams envisions for community placement for drug offenders. Carasquillo is primarily a drug offender in the docket. The more severe charges were dropped or nolle prossed, so his record makes him a candidate for Wiliam's Community Drug Treatment plan. Community placement in Philly is too often just a decision made to relieve state prison overcrowding. We can't fit the volume of hard core offenders to the size of the prison, and just white wash their records. We have to fit the prison volume to the hard core offenders. That's why mand mins get results in decreased rates of crime. Philly is never going to be able to fit its criminals in a 10,000 bed county system. By the numbers, it won't work. PA will have to house Philly offenders and we'll have to be better at sticking state and federal charges where the ADAs are now just allowed to nolle prosse and drop the some of the most severe charges. The record on Carasquillo doesn't reflect his real criminal history because the system so often let him slide. There's a little girl who needed surgery to repair that damage the system allowed.
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