Would a Judge Allow 100 Gang Members to Show Up in Court in Solidarity With Killers?
Probably only if they're cops. Via the Cleveland Plain Dealer:
About 100 officers showed up at Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court today to support six officers charged in a police chase that killed two people after officers fired 137 shots at the fleeing car's passengers.
The six—Patrolman Michael Brelo and five supervisors—are appearing for arraignments. All officers pleaded not guilty. Judge Lance Mason set bond for Brelo at $10,000. The supervisors were released on personal bond.
That chase was of two unarmed people who had committed no crime. The most charitable explanation of why police initiated that pursuit is that a cop heard an engine pop and thought it was a gun shot. The chase ended with 13 cops firing 137 rounds into the car of Timothy Russell, killing him and passenger Malissa Williams. Only one of the cops, Brelo, is being tried. He allegedly jumped on the hood of the car and fired 15 shots into the windshield.
Separately, in Nassau County, New York, a large number of officers came to court to support a Nassau cop facing charges in the beating of an unarmed 20-year-old during a traffic stop. They're proud of what he did.
