How a Google Engineer (and Reddit) Bailed an 18-Year-Old Out of Jail

[PeaceNikki]

http://gawker.com/5717652/how-a-google-engineer-and-reddit-bailed-an-18+year+old-out-of-jail

Since May, Los Angeles high schooler Jeremy Marks has been in jail—essentially for filming a school police officer hit a 15-year-old. He'll be home for Christmas, though, thanks to a Google engineer who heard about Marks on Reddit.

A few weeks ago, the LA Weekly wrote a story about Marks and the unbelievable chain of events that led to his incarceration. Marks had been filming a Los Angeles Unified School District police officer engage in a scuffle with a 15-year-old at a bus stop (ostensibly because the kid was smoking a joint) when the police approached him and arrested him at gunpoint.

The 15-year-old—who was hit with Officer Erin Robles' baton and sprayed with mace—was released quickly. Marks was charged with "attempted lynching of a police officer," allegedly for yelling "kick her ass" during the fight, and put in jail.

But—as the Weekly pointed out—the other amateur videos taken during the altercation (of which there are many—welcome to the 21st century) show Marks quietly filming without saying or shouting anything. They also seem to show that Marks was filming out of the sight line of Officer Robles, despite her positive identification of the then-17-year-old as the student who yelled "kick her ass."

Much more at link. The backstory on this is an example of shocking and awful abuse of power.

[Hannah Bell]

1. kr

[Poll_Blind]

2. K&R

PB

[PeaceNikki]

3. Here's the complete LA Weekly story.

http://www.laweekly.com/2010-12-09/news/jeremy-marks-attempted-lynching-case/


Unfuckingbelievable.

[formercia]

4. I get it now...

He's Black and a Special Ed. student.

Rule 1 in Amerika: Pick on Blacks, especially ones who can't fight back.

pulling all the safeties in the name of fighting 'Terrorism.'

[MadMaddie]

12. No surprise here

Luckily in this day and age everone is filming and there is proof that the police lied.

Imagine 30 years ago and no camaras. He would be in jail for life.

[formercia]

13. I should have used the sarcasm tag

Ditto that.

[roguevalley]

18. Justice will mean a cop without a job and facing false report charges.

Justice will be that child feeling safe again in his own country.

[ThomCat]

21. If you read the complete newspaper article linked,

you will find that the LA School Police Department does not act on Internal Affairs cases. Even when these cops are found to be corrupt or incompetent, nothing happens. They sit on the cases until so long has gone by that they can no longer act on the charges. The cops get off with no punishment or correctional response.

How totally fucked up is that? :wtf:

That cop will never lose her job for deliberately ruining this kid's life and keeping him in prison for 7 months (so far) on false charges.

There are people convicted of violent felonies who have spent less time in prison than this kid, and he not only hasn't been accused of anything violent, he hasn't even had his trial yet. And they want him in prison for 7 years! :(

7 years for being a black, special ed kid with a camera that they decided to single out for no damned reason! x(

[ThomCat]

20. That's it. There is no justice when the cops are corrupt,

and the "justice system" backs up the corruption.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

5. "To serve and Protect"

To serve whom? To protect what?

[formercia]

6. It's an inside joke among the Oligarchs.

They have been laughing about it for generations.

It's like the saying at the entrance to CIA Headquarters: The truth will set you free.

I used to laugh about that too.

[PeaceNikki]

7. It's also notable that Fraser paid $1500 toward Marks' legal fees (which Google matched) AND

has gone shopping to make sure there are presents under the Christmas tree for Marks’ homecoming. His mother says two gifts have already arrived.

Fraser is a very good person.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

8. the biggest present is his presence.

what a story.

[PeaceNikki]

9. Exactly.

It's reassuring to know that there are some amazingly awesome people in the world. Some days it just doesn't feel like there are.

[FrancisTreptoe]

10. "liberty and justice for all"

Yeah right.

[Cleita]

11. Apparently, the police state is alive and well in America.n/t

[Generic Other]

14. Arrested for being black with a video cam

And the nerve of her accusing him of lynching!

[Kennah]

15. You have the right to remain silent

Apparently, we don't have the right to speak or freely express ourselves.

[Citizen Worker]

16. Recalling what a lawyer said to me 14 years ago, "cops lie, all cops lie."

[PeaceNikki]

17. An important thing to always remember.

[Angry Dragon]

19. The officer should be jailed

[Iggo]

22. Yay, Cops!

They're the best!