A Fair Trial?

Shaun Porter's case gets stranger by the day. Not him. The Buffalo Police & the Mayor's Office.

They don't want to release the video of Shaun being shoved and thrown around because they want to guarantee the accused, Buffalo PD Officer Matthew Jaskula a “fair trial.”

That is one of the excuses being used to keep the video securely locked up and safe from public viewing. That and the Federal investigation that is being done. I can buy the request by William Hochol to keep the video out of public view until he is done with his investigation. I can mostly buy that provided they do a massive PR campaign roll out of the video. Which they won't If it is released, it will be done on a Friday or during a heavy news day when there are more “pressing” news stories to cover. (The video is out. It was just swept under the rug. I can hear the media now ...)

The other line? No seriously.

We've all seen this on TV. Choose your favorite local (or national) corporate news program and look at the reporting when they have a video of a crime being committed and they want the publics help in solving the crime. When (presuming) the police nail the person (or persons) in the video and accuse them, the accused have their names and faces splashed all over the airwaves (and newspapers) and (immediately following) is the video of the crime that they are accused of committing.

Good old “trial by TV.” Always guarantees the accused will be convicted.

Unless, of course …..

Race comes to mind. Jaskula is white. Would the videos be out for all to see if he were Asian, Hispanic, or African American?

And then there is class. Jaskula is most likely middle class in his income. If he were poor, would the video be out? Or if his victim were wealthy?

And the gender question. If he were a female or LGBTQ, would the video still be protected?

I watch the news and I see pictures of people that are arrested all the time for drugs, sex crimes, drugs, you name it. If there was a vehicle accident or an arson or other property damage, that will be shown with it,

What really makes this case so special that it needs such heavy protection?

Or is it all the bad publicity that the Buffalo PD has received over the past year with police assaults, broken cell phones from people recording police actions, and all the problems in the Erie County Holding Center.

In any event, if any fairness is needed, the police need to be treated just like the rest of the public when they are nailed doing something wrong.

Even more so because our taxes are paying their salaries and we have to pay for any lawsuits that result from their misbehavior. And the settlement comes out of our pockets too.

So, let's have a little fairness. Roll out the video.