A black judge from western Pennsylvania rejected a plea agreement for a man accused of fighting with police during a traffic stop, saying it was "a ridiculous plea that only goes to white boys."
The plea agreement was for a sentence of three months probation. Allegheny County Judge Joseph Williams said on Tuesday that a black defendant in that situation would not have been treated as leniently.
In court, Williams told Assistant District Attorney Brian Catanzarite that he "for some reason comes up with I think ridiculous pleas whenever it's a young white guy," according to The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "I'm just telling you what my observation is. If this had been a black kid who did the same thing, we wouldn't be talking about three months' probation."
Catanzarite responded that he was standing in for another prosecutor and didn't broker the plea deal.
"Now that the court has essentially called me a racist, I think that's unfair. I don't make offers based on race. I make offers based on facts," Catanzarite said, according to the Tribune-Review.
Williams later recused himself from the case, and a white judge accepted the plea agreement for 24-year-old Jeffery McGowan.
The defendant, who had no criminal record, agreed to plead guilty to disorderly conduct. He had faced charges including aggravated assault.
Williams' secretary on Wednesday told The Associated Press the judge does not give interviews.
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The plea agreement was for a sentence of three months probation. Allegheny County Judge Joseph Williams said on Tuesday that a black defendant in that situation would not have been treated as leniently.
In court, Williams told Assistant District Attorney Brian Catanzarite that he "for some reason comes up with I think ridiculous pleas whenever it's a young white guy," according to The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "I'm just telling you what my observation is. If this had been a black kid who did the same thing, we wouldn't be talking about three months' probation."
Catanzarite responded that he was standing in for another prosecutor and didn't broker the plea deal.
"Now that the court has essentially called me a racist, I think that's unfair. I don't make offers based on race. I make offers based on facts," Catanzarite said, according to the Tribune-Review.
Williams later recused himself from the case, and a white judge accepted the plea agreement for 24-year-old Jeffery McGowan.
The defendant, who had no criminal record, agreed to plead guilty to disorderly conduct. He had faced charges including aggravated assault.
Williams' secretary on Wednesday told The Associated Press the judge does not give interviews.
More
17 comments:
I think he is right. I alawies say call it what it is. But thats a two way street
OK...if it was a white judge that said "a ridiculous plea that only goes to black boys" what do you think would have happened?
I'm white and my normal response to anyone fighting with law enforcement during an arrest should get hammered by the judge and a black judge making the statement that he made would seem reasonable, that is until I read another more detailed article regarding this case that stated, "the plea deal was appropriate and agreed to by the officer, who was not injured". So, with that said, if the officer involved was not injured, and was in agreement with the procecutor about the sentence, then that should have been the end of it, and the race card that was played should never have come up. Case over.
Thanks Democrats! you have created this mess!
12:04, not defending the judge, but something tells me the officer is more likely to accept a plea for the white kid. Just like a pretty young girl is less likely to get a ticket. It's human nature.
Wow, If this were a white judge who said that this deal is "only for black kids" he would be on every news outlet in the United States on blast being called a racist and the NAACP would have stepped in as well, maybe even the black panthers. But now that it is a black judge saying it to a white kid there is supposed to be a difference ? WWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWW the whit ejudge would have been barred defnitely and would have lost his job....
I guess I just dont understand how he can speak freely on this subject if he is a judge doesnt that compromise his title at all ?
Obviously if the officer felt that he was assulted he would not let this kid off with a warning...
12:22 Tell me why it is human nature to be more lenient on a white kid over a black kid? We are not talking about a male police officer looking a a pretty girl.
1:23, it's human nature to identify with other people who seem more familiar and less threatening. It's applicable to most people regardless of race. I expect a judge to behave better than this, but alas he is still human.
If your guilty your guilty nobody wants to take responsibility for their screw ups always looking to blame something or someone else for their own actions. What a society we have become.
Sounds to me like it's time for that judge to "step down" from the bench. Can we say: Reverse discrimination??
Time for him to retire if he cant be colorblind on the bench.Its scary to think there are other people like him in power who hold the same prejudices and have unchecked authority.A judge should see no race.
The judge made a racist decision.
He admitted it , he needs to retire or quit the job. Very simple , not complex .
I'm a racist and proud of it , this decision and many others have made up my mind.
My buddy tells me there are 2 kinds of people , racist and liars.
It's starting people and heating up as it goes forward. The chosen one knows he has to rally blacks against whites so they'll back him in 2012 and he's willing to sacrifice our country to do it. Notice slowly but surely he's bring up slavery, equal rights, etc. How that change working out for you, fools?!?
Really 5:57, seems like he got plenty of black support along with whites in 2008. Take your crack pot race baiting theories and shove it
Pittsburgh Rocks,Go Steelers!
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