Court Support Needed – Tuesday, October 13th – 8:30AM
BURBANK COURT: 2ND FLOOR, DEPARTMENT G
8:30AM – 300 East Olive, Burbank, CA 91502
Sentencing for Carlos Rojas and Joseph Mancillas
LAST SPRING WITH YOUR HELP, SEVEN OF THE 9 DEFENDENTS IN THE ECHO PARK HOMICIDE CASE WERE ACQUITTED BY THE JUDGE DUE TO LACK OF EVIDENCE AND THE OTHER TWO DEFENDANTS – CARLOS ROJAS AND JOSEPH MANCILLA RECEIVED A MISTRIAL.
But this summer, the LA Coutny DA brought Jpseph and Carlos back to court, and the jury found them guilty on nearly all the counts. The second judge disallowed most of the arguments made by the Defense, creating what many felt was a particularly discriminatory process. (In the first trial, Judge Perry stated, “In my entire career more than 3 decades in court, I have never seen a more incompetent prosecution of a case. This indictment was overly broad, and you – the Assistant DA – have wasted the court’s and the jury’s time, as well as caused unnecessary hardship for defendants and their families.” He also called the testimony from LAPD Officer Nariz “ludicrous,” and said that the Prosecutor’s main witness was the “least credible witness he has ever seen,” after it was proven in court that he had lied more than 50 times on the witness stand. The District Attorney’s office indicted 9 people for a murder that was caused by another neighborhood 4 years ago. There have also been dramatic increases in stops and frisks of youth on the street, raids of people’s homes, and the increased use of helicopters above the community since Echo Park got a gang injunction, despite the fact that violent crime is at its lowest level in more than 50 years..We think the arrest and all the police activity is suspicious given the amazing moves by community residents to challenge the injunction, to push against gentrification, and to take leadership of the Echo Park Neighborhood Council. We are urging all L.A. to continue to pack the court during the second trial and monitor the tactics being used by the LAPD and the DA’s office. As we all know too well, justice without the community’s close watch is no justice at all!
But this summer, the LA Coutny DA brought Jpseph and Carlos back to court, and the jury found them guilty on nearly all the counts. The second judge disallowed most of the arguments made by the Defense, creating what many felt was a particularly discriminatory process. (In the first trial, Judge Perry stated, “In my entire career more than 3 decades in court, I have never seen a more incompetent prosecution of a case. This indictment was overly broad, and you – the Assistant DA – have wasted the court’s and the jury’s time, as well as caused unnecessary hardship for defendants and their families.” He also called the testimony from LAPD Officer Nariz “ludicrous,” and said that the Prosecutor’s main witness was the “least credible witness he has ever seen,” after it was proven in court that he had lied more than 50 times on the witness stand. The District Attorney’s office indicted 9 people for a murder that was caused by another neighborhood 4 years ago. There have also been dramatic increases in stops and frisks of youth on the street, raids of people’s homes, and the increased use of helicopters above the community since Echo Park got a gang injunction, despite the fact that violent crime is at its lowest level in more than 50 years..We think the arrest and all the police activity is suspicious given the amazing moves by community residents to challenge the injunction, to push against gentrification, and to take leadership of the Echo Park Neighborhood Council. We are urging all L.A. to continue to pack the court during the second trial and monitor the tactics being used by the LAPD and the DA’s office. As we all know too well, justice without the community’s close watch is no justice at all!