Hello everybody: The latest issue of The Orange County Register is reporting that the District Attorney's Office has decided not to criminally prosecute Hal Netkin, the Van Nuys bigot who drove the minivan that hit about four people at the anti-Minuteman protest in Garden Grove on May 25th. This is not a surprise to me since the DA's office made the decision not to charge Netkin with any crimes almost three weeks ago, but have been sitting on this information ever since. Why? They wanted things to cool down a bit after the Garden Grove Police raided Theresa Dang's Westminster home before they made their decision public.
But what I find very interesting is the comment that Lt. Mike Handfield of the Garden Grove Police Department supposedly made to The Register: "Video footage emerged during the investigation showing that two protesters might have been hit by a side-view mirror, Lt. Mike Handfield said. One protester was shown standing up after apparently being hit, walking through the crowd with a megaphone and returning to lay next to the other protester before claiming to have been run over." What Lt. Handfield hints is that the protesters were faking their injuries. In essence, this is an attempt to smear people. I knew this was coming, too. The reputation of the Garden Grove Police Department has been badly damaged by their mishandling of the May 25th demonstration, and their raids of homes for lost flashlights and issuance of misdemeanor citations to journalists who drop cigarette butts didn't make things any better. So I guess they want to reclaim some lost ground by smearing protesters, perhaps? Well, I'm sorry Lt. Handfield, but I know as a fact that a Registered Nurse at the anti-Minuteman protest told persons struck by Netkin's minivan to stay on the ground to avoid injuring themselves any further in case bones and internal organs had been damaged. No competent physician would ever allow anybody hit by a moving vehicle to walk around until they've been examined by a doctor or a paramedic. In case anybody might have any doubts about this claim, I have seen a videotape that the Orange County District Attorney's Office released to a defendant charged with an alleged criminal offense related to the May 25th protest, and can tell you right now that this Registered Nurse is clearly viewed in the tape giving medical advice to the protester that Lt. Handfield tries to smear. This tape was originally given to the District Attorney's Office by the Garden Grove Police, who incidently got it from a source linked to people who support the Minutemen. (In fact, Garden Grove Police are alleged to have gone out of their way to contact racist groups linked to the Minutemen to obtain videotape of the protesters; if true, it puts into doubt their claim they are "neutral party" trying to enforce the law in an "equal and fair matter"). The real question that people need to ask now is this: Is it the policy of the Garden Grove Police to smear people who have been struck by automobiles? Do they smear people who have been involved in other kinds of accidents, as well? Does Lt. Handfield have qualifications to diagnose people's injuries based on what he sees on videotape? I thought his job was to fight crime? Sincerely, Duane J. Roberts [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/2005/07/11/sections/breaking_news/article_593352.php Monday, July 11, 2005 Protest driver not charged The incident occurred at an appearance by the Minuteman Project's Jim Gilchrist. By JENNIFER MUIR The Orange County Register GARDEN GROVE â No charges will be filed against a man accused of running over two protesters outside a building where the leader of a group that opposes illegal immigration was being honored, police said today. Harold Netkin, 69, of Van Nuys was arrested May 25 after trying to drive his van into the meeting honoring Jim Gilchrist, the Minuteman Project leader. The protesters said Netkin ran them over after they surrounded his van outside the Garden Grove Womenâs Club. Video footage emerged during the investigation showing that two protesters might have been hit by a side-view mirror, Lt. Mike Handfield said. One protester was shown standing up after apparently being hit, walking through the crowd with a megaphone and returning to lay next to the other protester before claiming to have been run over. "(Netkin) was not trying to assault anyone," Assistant District Attorney Jo Marie Escobar said. "He was trying to save his own vehicle. There was really no question about it." Five protesters were arrested after rocks and cans were thrown. Three face a felony charge of throwing a full soda can at police. Kurt Isobe, 19, Hugo Sarmiento, 24, and Juan Silva, 26, are scheduled to appear at a pretrial hearing Aug. 22, Deputy District Attorney Kelly Grogan said. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! 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