Letter to Charles B. Plattsmier
United African Movement
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Alton h. Maddox, jr. Tel: (718) 834-9034
Chairman Fax : (718) 834-1275
16 Court Street
Suite 1901
Brooklyn, NY 11241
October 18, 2007
Charles B. Plattsmier, Esq.
Chief Counsel
Lawyers Disciplinary Counsel
4000 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd. #607
Baton Rouge, LA 70806
Re: LaSalle Parish District Attorney, J. Reed Walters
Dear Sir:
I have enclosed petitions seeking a disciplinary investigation into the conduct of LaSalle Parish District Attorney J. Reed Walters at Jena High School in September 2006. After nooses were found at a tree, reserved for “whites only,” at Jena High School, Mr. Walters instructed the Black students that he could destroy their lives with the stroke of a pen.
In December 2006, he made good on his promise. After ignoring several instances of misconduct by white students, Walters is illegally prosecuting six Black high school students for an attack on a white student, Justin Barker.
Later, an intermediate appeals court in Louisiana overturned the conviction of Mychal Bell in adult court for lack of jurisdiction. He intentionally overcharged Bell and made good on his threat to destroy their lives. Moreover, the appeals court found that he lacks sufficient evidence to merit a prosecution in adult court..
The uproar in the United States is over the unpunished misconduct of Mr. Walters. His conduct was the last straw and he has continued prosecution of Mychal Bell in juvenile court despite the Double Jeopardy Clause. This prosecution is, knowingly, unconstitutional.
Bell’s probation on an earlier charge was revoked after Blacks exercised First Amendment rights on September 20 in Jena. This decision was prompted by prosecutorial vindictiveness and is, therefore, unconstitutional.
The precedent for disciplining Walters is the disbarment of Durham District Attorney Michael Nifong in North Carolina who withheld exculpatory evidence but none of the three Duke students spent a night in prison. This was not the case in the “Jena 6” and part of the problem stemmed from prosecutorial misconduct.
Very truly yours,
AHM:sr
Encs.
cc: Sen. Barack Obama
Cong. John Conyers
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Alton h. Maddox, jr. Tel: (718) 834-9034
Chairman Fax : (718) 834-1275
16 Court Street
Suite 1901
Brooklyn, NY 11241
October 18, 2007
Charles B. Plattsmier, Esq.
Chief Counsel
Lawyers Disciplinary Counsel
4000 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd. #607
Baton Rouge, LA 70806
Re: LaSalle Parish District Attorney, J. Reed Walters
Dear Sir:
I have enclosed petitions seeking a disciplinary investigation into the conduct of LaSalle Parish District Attorney J. Reed Walters at Jena High School in September 2006. After nooses were found at a tree, reserved for “whites only,” at Jena High School, Mr. Walters instructed the Black students that he could destroy their lives with the stroke of a pen.
In December 2006, he made good on his promise. After ignoring several instances of misconduct by white students, Walters is illegally prosecuting six Black high school students for an attack on a white student, Justin Barker.
Later, an intermediate appeals court in Louisiana overturned the conviction of Mychal Bell in adult court for lack of jurisdiction. He intentionally overcharged Bell and made good on his threat to destroy their lives. Moreover, the appeals court found that he lacks sufficient evidence to merit a prosecution in adult court..
The uproar in the United States is over the unpunished misconduct of Mr. Walters. His conduct was the last straw and he has continued prosecution of Mychal Bell in juvenile court despite the Double Jeopardy Clause. This prosecution is, knowingly, unconstitutional.
Bell’s probation on an earlier charge was revoked after Blacks exercised First Amendment rights on September 20 in Jena. This decision was prompted by prosecutorial vindictiveness and is, therefore, unconstitutional.
The precedent for disciplining Walters is the disbarment of Durham District Attorney Michael Nifong in North Carolina who withheld exculpatory evidence but none of the three Duke students spent a night in prison. This was not the case in the “Jena 6” and part of the problem stemmed from prosecutorial misconduct.
Very truly yours,
AHM:sr
Encs.
cc: Sen. Barack Obama
Cong. John Conyers
posted by Attorney Alton Maddox at 12:24 PM
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