Dump Charles Hynes

I am constantly reminded how easy it is to create a police state and how close to one we live in for those not protected by social status and a little cash. If the criminal justice system decides to go after you, there isn’t a whole lot you can do, which is why the Obama-approved snooping now part of our daily lives is so dangerous, despite what people think (i.e., Oh, I’m innocent, so I don’t have to worry!)

This week’s Village Voice has yet another hair-raising tale of how the cops get their way at all times, on this occasion through the offices of the morally corrupt Brooklyn DA, Charles Hynes. Hynes has attracted some decent press lately by prosecuting Nechemya Weberman, a Hasidic for child molesting, but this welcome event obscures the fact that he let them accused Hasidic men off the hook for decades until a New York Times expose create a fire under his seat. That led even the Murdochian NY Post and Ed Koch to chime in for reform. And Hynes’ electoral base (since DAs here are elected) is precisely the Orthodox/Hasidic groups whose voters listen for what the rabbi says to do and then do it, thus producing vast majorities that have enabled Hynes to turn back challengers from the other big Brooklyn population: black people.

And now the Hasids are hopping mad because Neehaman was not only charged but convicted, to their great astonishment. Here’s a creepy video of the black suits raising a big legal defense fund for the accused, dismissing any thought that he might be guilty. After listening to their comments, one is left with the feeling that their underlying attitude was, And if he is, so what?

Meanwhile, other people not so well connected end up sitting in jail for months or even years while city lawyers known for judicial misconduct and promoted systematically by Hynes continue to stonewall any attempt to shared exculpatory evidence with the defense, as required by law. Hynes also had no trouble indicting a social worker for negligent homicide over a case of an abused child because she failed in her oversight duties, which looks a bit like overkill unless you think about the electoral benefits of a show trial over a popular cause and the juicy headlines you can pull down by looking tough.

Hynes is up for re-election this year when city politics warms up with a race to replace mayor Bloomberg. It would be encouraging to see the Working Families Party, remnants of the Occupy organizations and the reform Democrats operating outside the sleaze-filled borough machine get involved in retiring this creep. Meanwhile, if you get arrested in Brooklyn or anywhere in New York City, say nothing until your lawyer arrives. Innocence is of little interest to the our system, just convictions.