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Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied: When America Wasn’t Watching, Some Sheriffs Policing Tactics In A Southern Illinois County Were A Monstrosity

Introduction

The phrase “contempt of cop” has very little meaning to the lay person outside of the criminal justice system, but it is powerful language and a phrase some use to describe what happened to Rodney King (when four Los Angeles police officers were captured on film repeatedly beating King with batons), or what some also say happened to Freddie Gray (who sustained critical injuries while in Baltimore City police custody, and subsequently died days later as a result of those injuries).

While Rodney King survived the vicious and brutal attack he endured that fateful night back in 1991, a direct parallel can be made between his and Gray’s cases. Both were known to the respective police agencies that became the subject of national scrutiny as a result of their encounters having been filmed and then aired on national news outlets. Both had prior brushes with the police, and some debate whether they were in fact victims of “contempt of cop” style justice, which typically occurs due to police frustrations after repeated arrest of a known criminal that doesn’t result in meaningful punishment of the subject, or an inability of cops to obtain sufficient evidence of a crime for which a targeted subject is suspected of committing. The frustrations usually lead to drastic and often times illegal measures by police to have the subject incarcerated with substantial prison time by any means necessary.

The most egregious case of this kind of justice is when cops pushed the envelope into full “frame up” mode, as depicted in the (Denzel Washington Oscar Nominated role) film “The Hurricane,” which was based on the real life story of former professional boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, who was framed and subsequently wrongfully convicted of murder in a Patterson New Jersey triple homicide case. that a federal court tossed out after he spent nearly two decades in prison. Just like Rodney King and Freddie Gray, Rubin Carter was known to police, with a rap sheet that spanned back to his youth as a juvenile offender, and was targeted with “contempt of cop” style justice by dirty cops and corrupt prosecutors who framed him simply because they felt he belonged behind bars.

Fortunately, Carter garnered help from supporters outside of the state of New Jersey’s highly political justice system. A student’s first book “The Sixteenth Round,” written by Carter himself, led to the eventual belief in his innocence and laid the ground work that eventually resulted in Carter’s release from prison. The evidence which pointed to Carter’s framing was so overwhelming, despite Carter having two jury trials that resulted in convictions and were both subsequently upheld by the New Jersey state Supreme Court, his conviction was tossed out by a federal court on first review of the case record. The case of Rubin Carter highlighted how some law enforcement officials, while in their official capacity, acted as complete monsters and meted out the demise of a man that drew the ire of police who sought their own brand of criminal justice.

Public Fear

Prior to the highly publicized beating of Rodney King that was aired nationally and resulted in the “Watts Riots” (1992), following the unanticipated acquittal of four Los Angeles police officers by a Simi Valley jury, most of America outside of marginalized communities were completely ignorant to the inner workings of the American justice system. For many, the police reports of officers sworn to uphold the law were like the gospel, and if they ever witnessed police beating someone the general consensus was that the subject probably deserved it. In fact, some communities even welcomed such heavy handed police actions, especially during the period in this country that was considered to be associated with the war on drugs, due to the violence and devastating impact drug culture inflicted upon communities all across our nation.

The carnage that drugs, gang violence, and other crimes left behind created an epidemic that resulted in widespread fear, and in many community’s residence were rendered hostages within their own homes. The outcry for relief resulted in federal dollars being allocated for crime initiatives such as the “Safe Streets Task Force” (a coordinated effort with the combined resources of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies focused on violent street crime). For decades now, since federal task force initiatives were boots on the ground fighting a so called war on drugs, the fear that engulfed our country gave way to a heavy handed culture of policing which pretty much gave law enforcement “carte blanche” to deal with serious violent crime and the drug epidemic anyway they saw fit. Such widespread policing gave way to criminal activity within police agencies who took full advantage.

A seemingly unwritten law pertaining to probable cause was born (meaning screw a citizen’s rights), and a new norm for policing was established, as long as cops associated crimes with drugs and street violence, police tactics were not only supported by the American public, but also appeared to be upheld by the courts. The stigma of the “thug”, “hoodlum”, and “gangster” gave new meaning to America’s number one public enemy, that far too many times fell at the doorstep of black youth, latinos, and other minority and marginalized groups in our country. The “Authoritative” nature of certain police agencies seem to erode the very fundamental constitutional rights of American citizens, and was largely justified due to fear and public outcry. The urgency to end urban violence as a result of drug culture may have blindsided the American public, who to this day still may not have fully grasped exactly how far the law actually went to justify some of its prosecutions that put alleged criminal subjects away for decades.

A Reflective Mirror

Admittedly, I found myself trapped inside of a bubble of fear also, having grown up in one of America’s epicenters of violence in the state of Maryland’s East Baltimore, and like most Americans I have also long fostered a visceral hatred for drugs, addicts, and the violence associated with such culture. Luckily for me though, I have developed a posture of objectivity, and I am glad I did, especially when considering what I learned about stories such as the wrongful conviction of James Evans out of Alton Illinois. I have been reeducated it seems, as I thought I knew about most of the ills that plague our society and how our justice system works. I thought that stories about how police can frame an innocent man were only mere incidents of fiction played out on television dramas like in “The Hurricane”.

Although I firmly believe that most Americans want to live in communities free of crime and violence, I’m also convinced we’re collectively opposed to the “rogue cop” mentality which has permeated some police agencies with impunity that rose from America’s synthetic war on drugs. Now decades later, a new generation has inherited our failures that we’ve tried desperately to ignore as a society. You see, its our fear and lack of indulgence that has caused our own justice system to degenerate into the broken, unfair, and prejudicial institution of law enforcement that exist today, and prior to the “Black Lives Matter” movement, the posture of the average American was “not my business not my problem”.

So, the battle cries for equality in America, while not a new phenomenon, is currently in a fight against a system of law that has run rampid while trampling the constitutional rights of Americans both secretively and overtly. Now we are all faced with the self reflective realization that what’s actually wrong with the American Justice System falls directly upon the American people themselves. The over policing of poor communities in neighborhoods of color, followed by the importation of guns and drugs is what led to the carnage and fear that consumed our nation, while white America stood by silent, which resulted in many of their neighborhoods being just as vulnerable to bad policing within their communities as well.

Madison County Illinois

In many cities across America there is now tremendous push back against policing as a hyper sensitivity toward police aggression, and a lack of appetite for certain methods of enforcing the law that were once deemed acceptable, has now evolved into a completely new perspective within the American public, which has stringently demanded oversight, accountability, and police reform. The country now awaits legislation on what politicians and advocates alike say is badly needed redevelopment of our justice system.

However, just like drug culture left a devasting path of carnage, addiction, and suffering within many American cities, many say the same regarding American policing. There have been many families destroyed by bad policing, “contempt of cop” style justice, and corruption by many state prosecutors. In fact, there are municipalities such as Madison County Illinois that have a reputation of corruption so disturbing, that even President George W. Bush called its courts a “judicial hell hole.”

It certainly isn’t my intention to indict an entire county’s justice system in some kind of anti police spirit of hatred and without provocation, but when compelling evidence exist which is so bad and monstrous even, an intelligent mind must seriously ponder how such behavior can be tolerated and acceptable by any American system of law. Is it possible that a County Sheriff solicited the killing of a man solely because he believed the man killed someone? Is it possible for the same Sheriff to pay witnesses to falsely testify before a Grand Jury to obtain an indictment against a man in a murder, when the sheriff knew that the alleged victim was still alive, and then suppressed credible exculpatory evidence that suggest the alleged murder victim was still alive? Is it possible for the sheriff and state prosecutors to use a so called informant to falsely claim that nearly 10 murder suspects all individually confessed committing a murder to him? Is it possible for the sheriff to manufacture false evidence against a suspect to knowingly falsely have the suspect convicted? Is it even possible that the sheriff and prosecutor lied in open court to conceal their wrong doing, and arrogantly admited to their crimes in open court of other cases? Is it all even possible?

The questions I pose aren’t meant to be rhetorical, in fact as a crime blogger who has viewed thousands of documents, including affidavits, court transcripts of actual trial testimony, sentencing hearings and interviewed people within Madison County with intricate detail related to the case of James Evans, and I can answer all of those questions with the affirmative words of “yes.” The evidence is so compelling that I have committed nearly three years of my life advocating for a man that I don’t know from a can of paint, in an effort to expose the state and federal crimes that were committed during the prosecution of Mr. Evans and others.

However, such a commitment doesn’t come without challenges. Our team has been beating the legal streets to solicit support to garner the national exposure that such an egregious case such as this rightfully deserves, and time after time we are faced with the task of having to qualify Mr. Evans’ innocence, or being queried about why people should believe him, and although the case against Evans is very convoluted, the record of his case clearly establishes that the state case was highly circumstantial with paid testimony, suppression of exculpatory evidence, manufactured evidence, and back door deals with known criminals in exchange for testimony, and proven perjured testimony by police and prosecutors alike (a volume of articles highlight the totality of the wrongful conviction of James Evans, but the case is best summarized in the article Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied: The Incredible But Surreptitious Conviction Of James Evans Summarized).

its simply a matter of time before the sheets are completely pulled off the dirty business of Madison County Illinoiso, as grassroot efforts always take considerable amount of time, but gradually through brick and mortar, the evil that was done in the case of James Evans will lay bare exposing some real evil bastards who broke the law and sent an innocece man to prison while destroying his family in the process. The reality of knowing paid public officials committed crimes this heinous demonstrates that actions of police agencies across America like the Madison County Sheriffs Office were a complete monstrosity while people were wrongfully sent to prison for decades on America’s watch. (To read more articles about the case of James Evans, simply type James Evans in the blog’s search engine at the top right to populate a list of previous articles about his fight for freedom).

The People’s Champion Blog

I’m Journalist and Crime Blogger David Adams

David Adams

David B. Adams grew up in the Highlandtown section of Baltimore's southeast district and is his parent's youngest child. He experienced pervasive poverty, which taught him humility and compassion for the plight of others. His exposure to violence and gritty urban life were some of his early lessons of life's many hardships. Adams credits the upheavals he endured during his conformity with helping to shape the foundation of his outlook and perspectives on society. With a steadfast commitment to giving voice to the voiceless, Adams is a journalist, crime writer, and blogger renowned for tireless investigative journalism and advocacy on behalf of vulnerable populations. As founder and administrator of The People's Champion, Adams sheds light on critical social issues, championing the rights of: - Homeless individuals - Victims of violent crime and their families - Wrongfully convicted individuals - Missing and exploited children; Additionally, he is a seasoned investigative reporter, Adams has earned recognition for relentless pursuit of truth and justice. With a strong national and global focus, on inspiring meaningful change and crucial conversations impacting all of humanity.

More Posts - Website

Follow Me:
TwitterFacebookLinkedInGoogle Plus

Introduction

The phrase “contempt of cop” has very little meaning to the lay person outside of the criminal justice system, but it is powerful language and a phrase some use to describe what happened to Rodney King (when four Los Angeles police officers were captured on film repeatedly beating King with batons), or what some also say happened to Freddie Gray (who sustained critical injuries while in Baltimore City police custody, and subsequently died days later as a result of those injuries).

While Rodney King survived the vicious and brutal attack he endured that fateful night back in 1991, a direct parallel can be made between his and Gray’s cases. Both were known to the respective police agencies that became the subject of national scrutiny as a result of their encounters having been filmed and then aired on national news outlets. Both had prior brushes with the police, and some debate whether they were in fact victims of “contempt of cop” style justice, which typically occurs due to police frustrations after repeated arrest of a known criminal that doesn’t result in meaningful punishment of the subject, or an inability of cops to obtain sufficient evidence of a crime for which a targeted subject is suspected of committing. The frustrations usually lead to drastic and often times illegal measures by police to have the subject incarcerated with substantial prison time by any means necessary.

The most egregious case of this kind of justice is when cops pushed the envelope into full “frame up” mode, as depicted in the (Denzel Washington Oscar Nominated role) film “The Hurricane,” which was based on the real life story of former professional boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, who was framed and subsequently wrongfully convicted of murder in a Patterson New Jersey triple homicide case. that a federal court tossed out after he spent nearly two decades in prison. Just like Rodney King and Freddie Gray, Rubin Carter was known to police, with a rap sheet that spanned back to his youth as a juvenile offender, and was targeted with “contempt of cop” style justice by dirty cops and corrupt prosecutors who framed him simply because they felt he belonged behind bars.

Fortunately, Carter garnered help from supporters outside of the state of New Jersey’s highly political justice system. A student’s first book “The Sixteenth Round,” written by Carter himself, led to the eventual belief in his innocence and laid the ground work that eventually resulted in Carter’s release from prison. The evidence which pointed to Carter’s framing was so overwhelming, despite Carter having two jury trials that resulted in convictions and were both subsequently upheld by the New Jersey state Supreme Court, his conviction was tossed out by a federal court on first review of the case record. The case of Rubin Carter highlighted how some law enforcement officials, while in their official capacity, acted as complete monsters and meted out the demise of a man that drew the ire of police who sought their own brand of criminal justice.

Public Fear

Prior to the highly publicized beating of Rodney King that was aired nationally and resulted in the “Watts Riots” (1992), following the unanticipated acquittal of four Los Angeles police officers by a Simi Valley jury, most of America outside of marginalized communities were completely ignorant to the inner workings of the American justice system. For many, the police reports of officers sworn to uphold the law were like the gospel, and if they ever witnessed police beating someone the general consensus was that the subject probably deserved it. In fact, some communities even welcomed such heavy handed police actions, especially during the period in this country that was considered to be associated with the war on drugs, due to the violence and devastating impact drug culture inflicted upon communities all across our nation.

The carnage that drugs, gang violence, and other crimes left behind created an epidemic that resulted in widespread fear, and in many community’s residence were rendered hostages within their own homes. The outcry for relief resulted in federal dollars being allocated for crime initiatives such as the “Safe Streets Task Force” (a coordinated effort with the combined resources of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies focused on violent street crime). For decades now, since federal task force initiatives were boots on the ground fighting a so called war on drugs, the fear that engulfed our country gave way to a heavy handed culture of policing which pretty much gave law enforcement “carte blanche” to deal with serious violent crime and the drug epidemic anyway they saw fit. Such widespread policing gave way to criminal activity within police agencies who took full advantage.

A seemingly unwritten law pertaining to probable cause was born (meaning screw a citizen’s rights), and a new norm for policing was established, as long as cops associated crimes with drugs and street violence, police tactics were not only supported by the American public, but also appeared to be upheld by the courts. The stigma of the “thug”, “hoodlum”, and “gangster” gave new meaning to America’s number one public enemy, that far too many times fell at the doorstep of black youth, latinos, and other minority and marginalized groups in our country. The “Authoritative” nature of certain police agencies seem to erode the very fundamental constitutional rights of American citizens, and was largely justified due to fear and public outcry. The urgency to end urban violence as a result of drug culture may have blindsided the American public, who to this day still may not have fully grasped exactly how far the law actually went to justify some of its prosecutions that put alleged criminal subjects away for decades.

A Reflective Mirror

Admittedly, I found myself trapped inside of a bubble of fear also, having grown up in one of America’s epicenters of violence in the state of Maryland’s East Baltimore, and like most Americans I have also long fostered a visceral hatred for drugs, addicts, and the violence associated with such culture. Luckily for me though, I have developed a posture of objectivity, and I am glad I did, especially when considering what I learned about stories such as the wrongful conviction of James Evans out of Alton Illinois. I have been reeducated it seems, as I thought I knew about most of the ills that plague our society and how our justice system works. I thought that stories about how police can frame an innocent man were only mere incidents of fiction played out on television dramas like in “The Hurricane”.

Although I firmly believe that most Americans want to live in communities free of crime and violence, I’m also convinced we’re collectively opposed to the “rogue cop” mentality which has permeated some police agencies with impunity that rose from America’s synthetic war on drugs. Now decades later, a new generation has inherited our failures that we’ve tried desperately to ignore as a society. You see, its our fear and lack of indulgence that has caused our own justice system to degenerate into the broken, unfair, and prejudicial institution of law enforcement that exist today, and prior to the “Black Lives Matter” movement, the posture of the average American was “not my business not my problem”.

So, the battle cries for equality in America, while not a new phenomenon, is currently in a fight against a system of law that has run rampid while trampling the constitutional rights of Americans both secretively and overtly. Now we are all faced with the self reflective realization that what’s actually wrong with the American Justice System falls directly upon the American people themselves. The over policing of poor communities in neighborhoods of color, followed by the importation of guns and drugs is what led to the carnage and fear that consumed our nation, while white America stood by silent, which resulted in many of their neighborhoods being just as vulnerable to bad policing within their communities as well.

Madison County Illinois

In many cities across America there is now tremendous push back against policing as a hyper sensitivity toward police aggression, and a lack of appetite for certain methods of enforcing the law that were once deemed acceptable, has now evolved into a completely new perspective within the American public, which has stringently demanded oversight, accountability, and police reform. The country now awaits legislation on what politicians and advocates alike say is badly needed redevelopment of our justice system.

However, just like drug culture left a devasting path of carnage, addiction, and suffering within many American cities, many say the same regarding American policing. There have been many families destroyed by bad policing, “contempt of cop” style justice, and corruption by many state prosecutors. In fact, there are municipalities such as Madison County Illinois that have a reputation of corruption so disturbing, that even President George W. Bush called its courts a “judicial hell hole.”

It certainly isn’t my intention to indict an entire county’s justice system in some kind of anti police spirit of hatred and without provocation, but when compelling evidence exist which is so bad and monstrous even, an intelligent mind must seriously ponder how such behavior can be tolerated and acceptable by any American system of law. Is it possible that a County Sheriff solicited the killing of a man solely because he believed the man killed someone? Is it possible for the same Sheriff to pay witnesses to falsely testify before a Grand Jury to obtain an indictment against a man in a murder, when the sheriff knew that the alleged victim was still alive, and then suppressed credible exculpatory evidence that suggest the alleged murder victim was still alive? Is it possible for the sheriff and state prosecutors to use a so called informant to falsely claim that nearly 10 murder suspects all individually confessed committing a murder to him? Is it possible for the sheriff to manufacture false evidence against a suspect to knowingly falsely have the suspect convicted? Is it even possible that the sheriff and prosecutor lied in open court to conceal their wrong doing, and arrogantly admited to their crimes in open court of other cases? Is it all even possible?

The questions I pose aren’t meant to be rhetorical, in fact as a crime blogger who has viewed thousands of documents, including affidavits, court transcripts of actual trial testimony, sentencing hearings and interviewed people within Madison County with intricate detail related to the case of James Evans, and I can answer all of those questions with the affirmative words of “yes.” The evidence is so compelling that I have committed nearly three years of my life advocating for a man that I don’t know from a can of paint, in an effort to expose the state and federal crimes that were committed during the prosecution of Mr. Evans and others.

However, such a commitment doesn’t come without challenges. Our team has been beating the legal streets to solicit support to garner the national exposure that such an egregious case such as this rightfully deserves, and time after time we are faced with the task of having to qualify Mr. Evans’ innocence, or being queried about why people should believe him, and although the case against Evans is very convoluted, the record of his case clearly establishes that the state case was highly circumstantial with paid testimony, suppression of exculpatory evidence, manufactured evidence, and back door deals with known criminals in exchange for testimony, and proven perjured testimony by police and prosecutors alike (a volume of articles highlight the totality of the wrongful conviction of James Evans, but the case is best summarized in the article Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied: The Incredible But Surreptitious Conviction Of James Evans Summarized).

its simply a matter of time before the sheets are completely pulled off the dirty business of Madison County Illinoiso, as grassroot efforts always take considerable amount of time, but gradually through brick and mortar, the evil that was done in the case of James Evans will lay bare exposing some real evil bastards who broke the law and sent an innocece man to prison while destroying his family in the process. The reality of knowing paid public officials committed crimes this heinous demonstrates that actions of police agencies across America like the Madison County Sheriffs Office were a complete monstrosity while people were wrongfully sent to prison for decades on America’s watch. (To read more articles about the case of James Evans, simply type James Evans in the blog’s search engine at the top right to populate a list of previous articles about his fight for freedom).

The People’s Champion Blog

I’m Journalist and Crime Blogger David Adams

David Adams

David B. Adams grew up in the Highlandtown section of Baltimore's southeast district and is his parent's youngest child. He experienced pervasive poverty, which taught him humility and compassion for the plight of others. His exposure to violence and gritty urban life were some of his early lessons of life's many hardships. Adams credits the upheavals he endured during his conformity with helping to shape the foundation of his outlook and perspectives on society. With a steadfast commitment to giving voice to the voiceless, Adams is a journalist, crime writer, and blogger renowned for tireless investigative journalism and advocacy on behalf of vulnerable populations. As founder and administrator of The People's Champion, Adams sheds light on critical social issues, championing the rights of: - Homeless individuals - Victims of violent crime and their families - Wrongfully convicted individuals - Missing and exploited children; Additionally, he is a seasoned investigative reporter, Adams has earned recognition for relentless pursuit of truth and justice. With a strong national and global focus, on inspiring meaningful change and crucial conversations impacting all of humanity.

More Posts - Website

Follow Me:
TwitterFacebookLinkedInGoogle Plus

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