Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • Judge Sets 300,000.00 Bail For Misdemeanor Charge

    Uploaded by

    william_e_pappas
    105 views1 page
    Last week, Long Beach Judge Laura Laesecke ordered Michael Tart, a Long Beach resident with no criminal record, into custody setting bail at $300,000 for his alleged violation of a municipal ordinance that is similar to a city law requiring a permit to display a sign. Judge Laesecke set Tart’s bail more than ten times higher than that set for a police officer charged in the 2011 killing of a homeless man in Fullerton, California. Tart remains in jail and has been transferred to a maximum security prison. The excessive punishment and jailing of Tart and his disproportionate bail may be related to a claim he filed against Long Beach after video cameras captured an unmarked van pulling up to a sidewalk on July 3, 2012 with officers grabbing Tart and forcing him into the back of the van (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSkZu9nKUaA). Not knowing what had happened to him for several days, Tart’s family members learned the van was actually operated by Long Beach Police who used it to arrest him for a minor violation. Separate video released in July showed an officer applying the full weight of his body while stepping on a patient volunteer’s neck. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WGfqN3pDRM). That same video showed other officers smashing video surveillance cameras that captured the attack on the patient volunteer, who has since filed an excessive force lawsuit against the city. In a string of cases dating back to 2004, Long Beach taxpayers have paid millions of dollars in damages in cases brought against the city. Lee Durst, Tart’s attorney, asked Judge Laesecke to consider that the alleged charges are based on a municipal ordinance that is being challenged in multiple lawsuits. “Even if he was convicted, the fine would be between 250 and 1,000 dollars at the very highest. Bail of 300,000 dollars is simply punitive,” Durst said. Matthew Pappas, a lawyer representing plaintiffs in lawsuits pending against the city, noted that approximately 43,000 signatures had been gathered by a local group for a medical marijuana ballot initiative but that the city is refusing to recognize the initiative. “It is a big problem when a city puts people in jail to thwart claims of misconduct and police violence. It is even worse when enough signatures have been gathered for an election to repeal the invalid law it is jailing people for allegedly violating,” he said. A federal judge has ordered Long Beach to explain on June 10 why it is conducting warrantless raids and using submachine guns when raiding medical cannabis collectives. As an unopposed candidate, Laesecke was re-elected to the limited jurisdiction court in 2012 without having her name appear on the ballot. She is paid a base salary of $178,789.00 annually. Investigation into whether she has ties to Long Beach city officials is ongoing. When asked in March why certain individuals had been targeted by Long Beach, Laesecke refused to comment.

    Original Title

    Judge Sets 300,000.00 Bail for Misdemeanor Charge

    Copyright

    © Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Report this Document
    Last week, Long Beach Judge Laura Laesecke ordered Michael Tart, a Long Beach resident with no criminal record, into custody setting bail at $300,000 for his alleged violation of a municipal ordinance that is similar to a city law requiring a permit to display a sign. Judge Laesecke set Tart’s bail more than ten times higher than that set for a police officer charged in the 2011 killing of a homeless man in Fullerton, California. Tart remains in jail and has been transferred to a maximum security prison. The excessive punishment and jailing of Tart and his disproportionate bail may be related to a claim he filed against Long Beach after video cameras captured an unmarked van pulling up to a sidewalk on July 3, 2012 with officers grabbing Tart and forcing him into the back of the van (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSkZu9nKUaA). Not knowing what had happened to him for several days, Tart’s family members learned the van was actually operated by Long Beach Police who used it to arrest him for a minor violation. Separate video released in July showed an officer applying the full weight of his body while stepping on a patient volunteer’s neck. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WGfqN3pDRM). That same video showed other officers smashing video surveillance cameras that captured the attack on the patient volunteer, who has since filed an excessive force lawsuit against the city. In a string of cases dating back to 2004, Long Beach taxpayers have paid millions of dollars in damages in cases brought against the city. Lee Durst, Tart’s attorney, asked Judge Laesecke to consider that the alleged charges are based on a municipal ordinance that is being challenged in multiple lawsuits. “Even if he was convicted, the fine would be between 250 and 1,000 dollars at the very highest. Bail of 300,000 dollars is simply punitive,” Durst said. Matthew Pappas, a lawyer representing plaintiffs in lawsuits pending against the city, noted that approximately 43,000 signatures had been gathered by a local group for a medical marijuana ballot initiative but that the city is refusing to recognize the initiative. “It is a big problem when a city puts people in jail to thwart claims of misconduct and police violence. It is even worse when enough signatures have been gathered for an election to repeal the invalid law it is jailing people for allegedly violating,” he said. A federal judge has ordered Long Beach to explain on June 10 why it is conducting warrantless raids and using submachine guns when raiding medical cannabis collectives. As an unopposed candidate, Laesecke was re-elected to the limited jurisdiction court in 2012 without having her name appear on the ballot. She is paid a base salary of $178,789.00 annually. Investigation into whether she has ties to Long Beach city officials is ongoing. When asked in March why certain individuals had been targeted by Long Beach, Laesecke refused to comment.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    105 views1 page

    Judge Sets 300,000.00 Bail For Misdemeanor Charge

    Uploaded by

    william_e_pappas
    Last week, Long Beach Judge Laura Laesecke ordered Michael Tart, a Long Beach resident with no criminal record, into custody setting bail at $300,000 for his alleged violation of a municipal ordinance that is similar to a city law requiring a permit to display a sign. Judge Laesecke set Tart’s bail more than ten times higher than that set for a police officer charged in the 2011 killing of a homeless man in Fullerton, California. Tart remains in jail and has been transferred to a maximum security prison. The excessive punishment and jailing of Tart and his disproportionate bail may be related to a claim he filed against Long Beach after video cameras captured an unmarked van pulling up to a sidewalk on July 3, 2012 with officers grabbing Tart and forcing him into the back of the van (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSkZu9nKUaA). Not knowing what had happened to him for several days, Tart’s family members learned the van was actually operated by Long Beach Police who used it to arrest him for a minor violation. Separate video released in July showed an officer applying the full weight of his body while stepping on a patient volunteer’s neck. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WGfqN3pDRM). That same video showed other officers smashing video surveillance cameras that captured the attack on the patient volunteer, who has since filed an excessive force lawsuit against the city. In a string of cases dating back to 2004, Long Beach taxpayers have paid millions of dollars in damages in cases brought against the city. Lee Durst, Tart’s attorney, asked Judge Laesecke to consider that the alleged charges are based on a municipal ordinance that is being challenged in multiple lawsuits. “Even if he was convicted, the fine would be between 250 and 1,000 dollars at the very highest. Bail of 300,000 dollars is simply punitive,” Durst said. Matthew Pappas, a lawyer representing plaintiffs in lawsuits pending against the city, noted that approximately 43,000 signatures had been gathered by a local group for a medical marijuana ballot initiative but that the city is refusing to recognize the initiative. “It is a big problem when a city puts people in jail to thwart claims of misconduct and police violence. It is even worse when enough signatures have been gathered for an election to repeal the invalid law it is jailing people for allegedly violating,” he said. A federal judge has ordered Long Beach to explain on June 10 why it is conducting warrantless raids and using submachine guns when raiding medical cannabis collectives. As an unopposed candidate, Laesecke was re-elected to the limited jurisdiction court in 2012 without having her name appear on the ballot. She is paid a base salary of $178,789.00 annually. Investigation into whether she has ties to Long Beach city officials is ongoing. When asked in March why certain individuals had been targeted by Long Beach, Laesecke refused to comment.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 1

    Long Beach Judge Sets $300,000.

    00 Bail in Misdemeanor Case


    Los Angeles, CA May 29, 2013 Last week, Long Beach Judge Laura Laesecke ordered Michael Tart, a Long Beach resident with no criminal record, into custody setting bail at $300,000 for his alleged violation of a municipal ordinance that is similar to a city law requiring a permit to display a sign. Judge Laesecke set Tarts bail more than ten times higher than that set for a police officer charged in the 2011 killing of a homeless man in Fullerton, California. Tart remains in jail and has been transferred to a maximum security prison. The excessive punishment and jailing of Tart and his disproportionate bail may be related to a claim he filed against Long Beach after video cameras captured an unmarked van pulling up to a sidewalk on July 3, 2012 with officers grabbing Tart and forcing him into the back of the van (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSkZu9nKUaA). Not knowing what had happened to him for several days, Tarts family members learned the van was actually operated by Long Beach Police who used it to arrest him for a minor violation. Separate video released in July showed an officer applying the full weight of his body while stepping on a patient volunteers neck. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WGfqN3pDRM). That same video showed other officers smashing video surveillance cameras that captured the attack on the patient volunteer, who has since filed an excessive force lawsuit against the city. In a string of cases dating back to 2004, Long Beach taxpayers have paid millions of dollars in damages in cases brought against the city. Lee Durst, Tarts attorney, asked Judge Laesecke to consider that the alleged charges are based on a municipal ordinance that is being challenged in multiple lawsuits. Even if he was convicted, the fine would be between 250 and 1,000 dollars at the very highest. Bail of 300,000 dollars is simply punitive, Durst said. Matthew Pappas, a lawyer representing plaintiffs in lawsuits pending against the city, noted that approximately 43,000 signatures had been gathered by a local group for a medical marijuana ballot initiative but that the city is refusing to recognize the initiative. It is a big problem when a city puts people in jail to thwart claims of misconduct and police violence. It is even worse when enough signatures have been gathered for an election to repeal the invalid law it is jailing people for allegedly violating, he said. A federal judge has ordered Long Beach to explain on June 10 why it is conducting warrantless raids and using submachine guns when raiding medical cannabis collectives. As an unopposed candidate, Laesecke was re-elected to the limited jurisdiction court in 2012 without having her name appear on the ballot. She is paid a base salary of $178,789.00 annually. Investigation into whether she has ties to Long Beach city officials is ongoing. When asked in March why certain individuals had been targeted by Long Beach, Laesecke refused to comment.

    You might also like