Due Process In Milwaukee? Go Screw Yourself
Due process is "the legal requirement that the state must respect all of the legal rights that are owed to a person."

Bruce Vielmetti of the Journal Sentinel writes about how it was of little concern in an arrest in Milwaukee, and in the subsequent court appearances:

Some people who beat a ticket in Milwaukee Municipal Court might do a little victory dance.

Geoff Davidian appealed.

Davidian wanted his day in court to explore what he contends was a mishandling of a traffic accident involving a police officer and Davidian's attempts to report it. He wanted a trial, where the police officer would have to testify. Instead, a judge dismissed the case.

"What am I trying to accomplish?" Davidian said. "To have cops not stop a reporter with a camera, and to make this judge think before he does that kind of thing again."

It all started more than a year ago when Davidian was ticketed for resisting or obstructing, after he tried to videotape the arrest of a woman he says was wrongly struck by a Milwaukee police cruiser exiting an alley.

Unsuccessful in having the case reactivated, Davidian returned to Municipal Court last week with fliers about his experience, warning others headed inside to not let themselves be rushed or bullied.

Davidian says he discovered a whole lot of things he didn't like about the court during his foray through the system. He says Judge Phillip Chavez refused to allow him to record his own proceeding, wouldn't allow Davidian's chosen counsel to appear on his behalf, and didn't notify him when he denied Davidian's appeal.

His biggest surprise, he said, was having a substitute judge who's not even a lawyer appear one day to dismiss the case, while ordering no record be made.

Davidian is soliciting input from others who have similar experiences at an email address he created just for that purpose: stop-chavez-tyranny@milwaukeepress.net.

Every time you hear of abuses like this, it's a sign our country is headed in a dangerous direction, and each of these abuses paves the way for further abuses. If you know people in Milwaukee, please send them this link and Davidian's email address.

More about Davidian:

Davidian, 68, is a former Milwaukee Journal reporter who now works as a freelance journalist and runs Milwaukee Press, his own news site. He says he got a tip about a traffic crash April 5, 2011, involving a Milwaukee police officer and went to the scene near the main post office. He says a squad car came out of an alley without yielding the right of way and struck a passing car, but police ticketed the other driver for not having a license. While he was videotaping, he said, an officer came over and broke his camera, then gave him a $189 ticket.

On his site, Davidian covers the story of ruling in favor of a family whose dog was shot by a Cookville police officer, along with other stories of police and court abuse.

via Instapundit