Our community has been traumatized by escalating violence in our community, now the fingerpointing has begun.
Last week Monroe Mayor Oliver Friday Ellis and police Chief Victor Zordan hosted a press announcement placing blame for the violence in our community on 4th District Judges.
Chief Zordan, in his usual “John Wayne” tough guy style, said violence against police officers is not acceptable and perpetrators will be caught.
The Mayor went further blaming judges in the 4th District and promised to “out” them.
There have been meetings between law enforcement officials and the DA’s office recently about the revolving door that results in some suspects accused of violent acts receiving bond and committing more violent acts while on bond.
The focus of their meetings was 4th District Judge Larry Jefferson, who along with other judges routinely grants bail to violent suspects and accepts plea bargains offered by the DA.
The idea was to blame all of the violence on one judge, but the trick is not to say it themselves but to use the media to point fingers at him.
Mayor Ellis, in his press announcement, said he would “out” judges that allow repeat offenders to make a bond, but Judge Jefferson wasn’t named specifically.
A few days later, the Ouachita Citizen gave front-page coverage to Ellis’ statement with a photo of Ellis and Judge Jefferson on the front page.
In the story, it was mentioned that one of the persons involved in an incident in which four shots were fired at police had recently been given probation on a gun possession charge.
Judge Jefferson accepted the plea agreement arranged by the District Attorney to drop a gun possession charge against the defendant in return for a guilty plea for possession of marijuana. The plea deal recommended probation for the suspect. Because Jefferson accepted the DA’s recommendation, he was blamed for slapping a repeat offender on the wrist, not the DA’s office for making the deal.
The manipulation of the media continued this week with a KNOE report on police wives who fear for the lives of their husbands because of the gang violence.
Is Judge Larry Jefferson really the cause of the violence and murders in Monroe for the last ten years?
4th District Judges rotate their areas of service. Other judges have granted reasonable bonds to suspects as well. Why?
Why do judges give bonds to people already on bond accused of violent crimes?
It’s probably because there is a little thing called the “Constitution of the United States” that assumes all suspects are innocent until proven guilty and also provides that every person has a right to a reasonable bond.
There are procedures the law allows for the DAs to present a suspect’s prior history to a judge, including his violent background, that can impact whether a suspect gets a bond.
In the 4th District, those special motions are not always filed so all of the judges apply the law by what’s on paper in front of them.
Judges don’t make plea deals, they usually accept recommendations from the DA. However, if the deal leads to more crime, is it the judge’s fault alone?
Why wasn’t the young man who recently fired at a police officer charged with the attempted murder of a police officer instead of illegally discharging a weapon? It’s hard to get a bond for attempting to murder a police officer, it’s easier to get a bond for an illegal discharge of a weapon charge.
The violence in our community is a problem, but finger-pointing won’t get the job done.
Judge Jefferson and other judges on the court are not the cause of gang violence and escalating instances of criminality in our community.
We suggest that the Mayor and our “John Wayne” style chief of police, sweep around their own doors before blaming the judges and seek ways to work with the community to institute long-term best practices that will result in a reduction of violence.
It’s easier to use the media to declare war on Judge Jefferson and the judges.
The big question remains: Other than tough-guy statements, what is the city doing proactively to address the problem?
The answer to that question points to the root of the problem.
