Motion to be Given the Same Treatment and Protections as White Police Officers.

A suggestion from Kristin Wenstrom –

Hey Public Defenders– start drafting for each of your clients a Motion to be Given the Same Treatment and Protections as White Police Officers.  



Some initial ideas I have are:

1. Acknowledge and respect the humanity of my client;

2. Acknowledge and respect the humanity of my client's family, friends, and community;

3. Recognize his frailty and that he, like all humans, make mistakes;

4. Presume that he is telling the truth when he is speaking;

5. Presume that his family, friends, and community members are telling the truth when they are speaking;

6. Give my client an opportunity to be heard and respect his voice;

7. Consider the effect an arrest, prosecution, and conviction has on my client, his family, and his community; 

8. Oh and let me be present for the grand jury hearing, present a full defense of my client, and it can all be done in secret without the public ever knowing what was said in that room.

 

Kristin Wenstrom is an attorney with the Innocence Project of New Orleans