Chad LoderA former San Francisco city official has allegedly been caught on camera attacking unhoused people with bear spray, calling into question his claim of being a victim. https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/27/us/san-francisco-city-official-homeless-pipe-attack-bear-spray/index.html
John@chadloder I’d be more careful. The only people alleging this so far (and being careful doing it) are his assailant’s counsel. Who are doing their duty by throwing everything out there to muddy the waters. I would not go so far as to say any of this calls his victim status into question. Whether or not his assailant (Definitely caught on video) will ultimately be deemed to be justified in beating his skull with a lead pipe is still TBD.
nonazisformethanksThere's also this interesting SFGate article, h/t PJ Evans.
"A witness said Carmignani allegedly threatened to stab and kill Doty if he didn’t leave the area, the office said. Prosecutors turned over this evidence because they considered it relevant to the circumstances involving Doty, the office said."
And my favorite detail:
"Carmignani said the individuals began shouting at him, and he deployed pepper spray but accidentally sprayed himself. Carmignani said the next thing he remembers is being assaulted."
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/da-may-drop-charges-ex-fire-commissioner-attack-17921309.php
@No_Nazis_Please @chadloder I honestly wonder who that witness is as I’m familiar with some of the folks in that alley. It’s almost beside the point - I went & looked at the CALCRIM jury instruction on self defense. Doty is going to have to convince a jury that a reasonable person would have beaten DC as badly as he did with a metal pipe. Who knows? But the idea that this shouldn’t get to a jury, notwithstanding how much of a bad guy DC may have been, doesn’t work for me.
@jcsnotes @No_Nazis_Please I don't agree at all. Prosecutors drop cases all the time against wealthy people when they're not sure they can win at trial. I'm 1000% fine with prosecutors dropping a case against a homeless person who was responding to being bear maced.
@chadloder @No_Nazis_Please I agree - the system is often unfair in the way you describe. But it’s odd to me how a lot of the discourse has avoided the severity of what happened - only a rod, not a pipe - it’s absurd. If the guy serially maced people, he should be charged. But “responded” is a mellow term. I know this is a hypo but what if the beating victim died? We aren’t *that* far from that and so we just leave it at “responded” I guess.
@jcsnotes @chadloder Reverse the stations in life. If Doty approached Carmignani, holding a can of bear spray and said he was going to stab and kill him him if he didn't leave the neighborhood -- and then bear sprayed C. when all C. did was shout -- you wouldn't bat an eye if C. picked up a metal rod and hit Doty with it.
The only difference is you're sympathetic to the guy with more money.
@No_Nazis_Please @chadloder Dead wrong. I’m for indicting them both in the current scenario. Reverse it and I’d still be in favor.