Pubdate: Thu, 26 Jun 2008
Source: Fairfield Minuteman (CT)
Copyright: 2008 Fairfield Minuteman
Contact:  http://www.FairfieldMinuteman.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4801
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/raids.htm (Drug Raids)

THE NATURE OF CRIME

The very idea that charges are being pursued against Easton's Ronald 
Terebesi seems somewhat ludicrous, and news that after the accused 
issued a not-guilty plea a deal may be struck to have Terebesi enter 
a drug rehabilitation program is not comforting, when seen through 
the civil liberties lens.

First, let's get one thing straight: Crimes are crimes and should be 
punished as crimes. That a law is ethically and morally valid is 
beside the point for law enforcement personnel. It is the job of 
legislatures to debate the validity of a law - the prohibition 
against marijuana for example - not those police personnel charged 
with the task of enforcement.

But in the Terebesi case the drug charges leveled against the accused 
serve only to distract the public's eye from the real tragedy - the 
overwhelming and unnecessary use of force in the death of 33-year-old 
Gonzalo Guizan.

Guizan was unarmed when he reportedly attacked the special task force 
members who had invaded Terebesi's home, where he was a guest. The 
men in uniform, who may have reacted commensurate with their 
training, shot him dead. Only after Guizan was killed was Terebesi 
charged with a crime.

And what a crime! Drug paraphernalia was found in his house, as was 
some "resin" and a precision scale. So was Guizan's death worth the means?

If, for example, a stash of heroin destined for local schoolyards 
county-wide was found, or some kind of drug factory, or even a few 
pounds of hashish then, maybe (and only "maybe"), would the force 
used in the raid on Terebesi's home have been justified.

Guizan died for nothing more than some resin and a scale, and the 
hope that a den of iniquity would be destroyed.

Should Terebesi accept admittance into a six-month rehab program, the 
actions of the special task force involved in the raid are given 
credence. The accused's not-guilty plea keeps the focus on the 
actions of the police, which resulted in a death. Terebesi's crimes, 
should he be found guilty by a jury of his peers, pale in comparison; 
at no point was he accused of taking a life.

Yes, crimes are crimes and should be treated as such, whichever 
direction on the moral compass they point. But actions must be viewed 
in context, and the possession of a scale, some paraphernalia and 
some resin in no way justifies the force needed to take an unarmed man's life.

If the law does not take such things into consideration when 
prosecuting what by comparison are minor crimes, it has failed to be 
balanced and blind. And if law enforcement personnel are not trained 
to use judgment and discretion when using deadly force, they have 
failed to bring professionalism, respect and dignity to the law 
enforcement profession.

We wait with bated breath for the real charges - those of unnecessary 
force - to be brought.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom