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Peter Watts Found Guilty

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QuantumCowboy
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21 Mar 2010, 6:40 pm

For those of you who don't know, Peter Watts was actually found guilty.

Peter Watts is a Hugo Award winning Canadian Science Fiction author. on his way out of the United States from helping a friend move, he was stopped for a random exit check while still on US soil.

During the incident, Peter Watts was assaulted, and pepper sprayed. Then, his coat was confiscated, and he was left in a cold cell for a day. After that, he was dropped off on the Canadian side of the border during a blizzard in the night -- still without his coat.

The charge (after the usual prosecution overreaching was removed) was obstructing an officer of the law. Apparently, he had the audacity to ask "why" when asked to lie down on the ground after being assaulted. During the trial, it appears that the arresting officer perjured himself not once, but twice. The law in question is rather broad, and may be interpreted in a light to cause him to be guilty. The jury did not wish to convict him, however, under instruction from the judge, they were of the belief that they had no other choice.

Much of this information may be found at Peter Watt's Blog.

I will now vacate this soapbox. Feel free to use it yourself, if you wish...


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DemonAbyss10
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21 Mar 2010, 8:01 pm

and this is why I support being able to exercise self defence in any form. I never liked law enforcement even in the US. They pull all kinds of s**t and tend to be corrupt as hell. The public cant do anything really, because they are either blinded by the wool, or they just dont give a f**k.


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ruveyn
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21 Mar 2010, 9:21 pm

QuantumCowboy wrote:
For those of you who don't know, Peter Watts was actually found guilty.

Peter Watts is a Hugo Award winning Canadian Science Fiction author. on his way out of the United States from helping a friend move, he was stopped for a random exit check while still on US soil.

During the incident, Peter Watts was assaulted, and pepper sprayed. Then, his coat was confiscated, and he was left in a cold cell for a day. After that, he was dropped off on the Canadian side of the border during a blizzard in the night -- still without his coat.

The charge (after the usual prosecution overreaching was removed) was obstructing an officer of the law. Apparently, he had the audacity to ask "why" when asked to lie down on the ground after being assaulted. During the trial, it appears that the arresting officer perjured himself not once, but twice. The law in question is rather broad, and may be interpreted in a light to cause him to be guilty. The jury did not wish to convict him, however, under instruction from the judge, they were of the belief that they had no other choice.

Much of this information may be found at Peter Watt's Blog.

I will now vacate this soapbox. Feel free to use it yourself, if you wish...


Documentation on that please?

ruveyn



QuantumCowboy
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21 Mar 2010, 10:02 pm

ruveyn wrote:
QuantumCowboy wrote:
For those of you who don't know, Peter Watts was actually found guilty.

Peter Watts is a Hugo Award winning Canadian Science Fiction author. on his way out of the United States from helping a friend move, he was stopped for a random exit check while still on US soil.

During the incident, Peter Watts was assaulted, and pepper sprayed. Then, his coat was confiscated, and he was left in a cold cell for a day. After that, he was dropped off on the Canadian side of the border during a blizzard in the night -- still without his coat.

The charge (after the usual prosecution overreaching was removed) was obstructing an officer of the law. Apparently, he had the audacity to ask "why" when asked to lie down on the ground after being assaulted. During the trial, it appears that the arresting officer perjured himself not once, but twice. The law in question is rather broad, and may be interpreted in a light to cause him to be guilty. The jury did not wish to convict him, however, under instruction from the judge, they were of the belief that they had no other choice.

Much of this information may be found at Peter Watt's Blog.

I will now vacate this soapbox. Feel free to use it yourself, if you wish...


Documentation on that please?

ruveyn


I have already included a link to his blog, where much of this is summarized. Further details may be gleaned from another blog found here.

Many of the mainstream media (including CBC) have stated that he was convicted of assaulting an officer. Instead, he was actually convicted of obstructing an officer. This was on the grounds of not complying quickly enough for the officer's desire.


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ruveyn
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22 Mar 2010, 6:12 am

QuantumCowboy wrote:


Many of the mainstream media (including CBC) have stated that he was convicted of assaulting an officer. Instead, he was actually convicted of obstructing an officer. This was on the grounds of not complying quickly enough for the officer's desire.


Blogs are hearsay. Official records of legal proceedings are not. Got any pointers to the official public record?

ruveyn



QuantumCowboy
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22 Mar 2010, 8:43 am

ruveyn wrote:
QuantumCowboy wrote:


Many of the mainstream media (including CBC) have stated that he was convicted of assaulting an officer. Instead, he was actually convicted of obstructing an officer. This was on the grounds of not complying quickly enough for the officer's desire.


Blogs are hearsay. Official records of legal proceedings are not. Got any pointers to the official public record?

ruveyn


If one wishes to take that tact, then newspapers are also hearsay. These days I have found that a well written blog is as informative and accurate (if not more so) than traditional media.

The official record may be found at:

http://www.stclaircounty.org/DCS/search.aspx

Last Name: watts
First Name: peter

Hopefully, that will help you.


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visagrunt
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22 Mar 2010, 1:51 pm

ruveyn wrote:
Blogs are hearsay. Official records of legal proceedings are not. Got any pointers to the official public record?

ruveyn


Blogs are not inherently hearsay.

Hearsay is the presentation of statements made by another individual as evidence of the truth of those statements. Hearsay can occur in viva voce testimony, in printed or broadcast media or in conversation. So, if the blog contains the statement, "The officer said, 'X'," then X is hearsay. The fact that the officer said it is not.

The law of evidence permits hearsay evidence in a variety of circumstances, generally involving statements made by a party who is not available to be summoned to testify, who refuses to comply with a summons, or who is a party adverse in interest. Generally speaking, a criminal accused is free to present statements by an arresting or an investigating officer.

Now, blogs are biased, but that's an entirely different objection to their reliability.


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ruveyn
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22 Mar 2010, 3:47 pm

visagrunt wrote:
ruveyn wrote:
Blogs are hearsay. Official records of legal proceedings are not. Got any pointers to the official public record?

ruveyn


Blogs are not inherently hearsay.



Blogs are collections of opinions and do not constitute substantial documentation of anything. Blogs are hot air.

ruveyn



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22 Mar 2010, 4:00 pm

I personally once nearly got in a fight with Peter Watts. He and I are both kind of hot headed.

I think that while it was wrong for them to search him leaving the country, that wasn't the time or place for him to take it physical. I would have heckled the customs officials, but I wouldn't have gotten in their face.

It was also wrong for them to f**k with him afterward - e.g. impounding his rental vehicle and leaving him in the cold with no jacket. They should have to answer for that, but it doesn't affect the case.