my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Community   » Film-Yak   » Equality in america?

Author Topic: Equality in america? Jason Burroughs Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 654 From: Allen, TX Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-16-2003 01:56 PM                     Here in Dallas we've had a couple of very unfortunate incidents. Both of these incidents have happened in Dallas County and will be processed through the same courts. Incident 1: On Jan 3 a group of teens ran out on their tab while dining at a local restraunt. Their waitess persued them into the parking lot, against company policy, at which time she was struck and killed by the vehicle driven by Sarah Foust (19) after which they left the scene. They were caught a few miles away by city police. She has been held in custody since then and her bond has been set at $100,000. She has pretty much acknowledged and expressed remose for what happened. Very sad situation indeed for all involved. Incident 2: On Jan 14 2 people were killed on a Dallas highway trying to help annother motorist that was trapped in a buring vehicle. While trying to assist the drive, they were struck and killed by a car traveling at excessive speeds, estimated to be at near 100mph on the shoulder of the highway. The drive of this vehicle made no attempt to stop and render aid or even acknowledge what had happened. On Jan 15 it is revealed that Dallas Cowboys player Dwayne Goodrich (a Dallas Cowboys football player) was the driver of this vehicle. He had his lawer leave a message for the officer working the hit and run case, and later turned himself in more than 21 hours after the incident. Expressing no remorse and not speaking publicly, he has been RELEASED on $50,000 bond, less than 3 hours after he turned himself in. Here we have a girl that killed 1 person and her bond is set at $100,000, a sum that her family can in no way afford. On the other hand we have a wealthy professional athelete (he recieved a $1,000,000 signing bonus) to whom $50,000 is easily obtainable, yet he wrecklesly and carelessly killed 2 people and injured a 3rd. While both of these are very unfortunate, it just makes me mad that a professional athelete is being treated with kid-gloves, while an ordinary person is given the shaft. to the judge that set Dwayne Goodrich's bond so low! Further details on either of these stories can be found in the Dallas Morning news. Dallas Morning News webpage  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 01-16-2003 03:52 PM                        I don't think it's quite as simple as that. The point of bail is to ensure that an individual will not be tempted to disappear and attempt to evade standing trial. It is not a punishment in its own right. As the O.J. Simpson case demonstrated, a celebrity cannot just disappear in the way that a relatively unknown citizen potentially could. Goodrich is well known in his local community and beyond, and his arrest has no doubt been highly publicised. The judge in this case was not having to take into account the possibility that he might try to jump bail, because his celebrity status makes it almost impossible for him to do so. From the way you describe the incident it seems that there has already been a certain amount of trial by media (for example, what if he failed to stop because he was worried about being attacked by the occupants of the car he hit?). The issue here is not whether he'll turn up in court, but whether or not he'll get a fair trial. In these circumstances, the amount of bail is completely irrelevant. As you point out, even if it had been set at $1 million, he'd still be able to pay. The girl whose car hit the waitress is a different case altogether. For all the judge setting bail knew, their might be a real risk of her successfully jumping bail - relatives in a south American country with no extradition treaty, perhaps? So for whatever reason, that judge set bail so high that either the family just couldn't pay at all, or if they did then losing that money would totally ruin them.  |  IP: Logged Jason Burroughs Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 654 From: Allen, TX Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-16-2003 04:12 PM                     Acutally supposedly all of the girl's family is located in town. I'm not disagreeing with the amout of bail that was set for her. My disagreement is with a professional athelete who has already run from responsibility getting such light treatment. Correct, bail is not intended to be punishment, as there has been no trial to base guilt on. However is is there to, in effect, compel the individual to make all court apperances etc. Such an insignifigant amount would not be as compelling for someone that is already wealthy. In addition the athelete's family is not from here, and people, including celebrities dissapear from the law all the time, as they can afford to run.  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 01-16-2003 04:23 PM                        Points taken - I was just suggesting that maybe the judge's reasoning was that this guy's wanting to defend himself was possibly a more powerful incentive for voluntarily standing trial than any amount of money ever could be. After all, if there's any outcome to this other than him being found not guilty then his career - and source of high income - is finished.  |  IP: Logged Jason Burroughs Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 654 From: Allen, TX Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-16-2003 04:33 PM                     I can understand (not agree with) the desire of avoiding a confrontation as being the reason for flight. However this person waited 21 hours before comming forward. This is after he got home, noticed the damage on his car, and even saw news reports about the accident, though it was not known at the time who was responsible. Its not like he left the scene and immediatly contacted police, which he should have done regardless of the injury of any individuals. I just find this a striking case of how those with money or celebrity status can (and in the case of O.J.) get away with murder, right in view of the judicial system.  |  IP: Logged Greg Mueller Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1687 From: Port Gamble, WA Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-16-2003 04:39 PM                        Maybe the ball player was in an "altered state" of mind and wanted the time to get his head cleared, fearing a large punishment. It is irritating when preferential treatment is applied to persons of fame, isn't it  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 01-16-2003 04:50 PM                        If the facts are anywhere near as reported in the Dallas Morning News link, then lock the guy up and throw the key away with my blessing. While he's awaiting the trial which will hopefully result in that happening (if he did as reported), I'm simply arguing that money isn't an issue. Either you remand him in custody pending the trial or you let him out on bail. $<insert figure here> will not make a difference as to whether he shows up or not. As for the girl the same argument applies in reverse. I can't see any point in setting a bail figure which the family could never, period, raise. For the bail system to achieve its job you want a figure which they can just about raise but which would ruin them so much to lose that the accused has a powerful disincentive to abscond. If the authorities have no intention of letting her out on bail then again, they should simply remand her in custody pending the trial. If she has no previous convictions and the offence she is accused of is not premeditated and not likely to be repeated then I can't see much point in remanding her in custody. It'll only cost the taxpayer money, but that having been said the taxpayer will end up paying out quite a bit over the decades she's likely to spend in jail after she's sentenced. But she should have thought about that before she ran over the waitress.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 01-16-2003 05:56 PM                     I think the Dwayne Goodrich got bailed out easy since he is a professional athlete and will have lots of money to pay to lawyers. Because he is wealthy and is something of a celebrity he'll likely get off with a suspended sentence or some other crap like that. If I did the same stunt as Dwayne, I would have been charged with felony hit-and-run and, at the very least, two counts of vehicular manslaughter. Since I am not a celebrity and not rich, I would be looking at a pretty heavy jail term. That's our legal system for you.  |  IP: Logged Jason Burroughs Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 654 From: Allen, TX Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-26-2003 12:21 PM                     Just an updated on this story from MSNBC Police have filed three charges of failure to stop and render aid against Dallas Cowboy Dwayne Goodrich, who already faces manslaughter hit-and-run charges. Goodrich, 24, was free on bond totaling $50,000 for two felony counts of manslaughter in the deaths of Joseph "Joby" Wood, 21, and Demont Matthews, 23, both of Plano. Wood and Matthews were reportedly trying to rescue a motorist from a burning car when they were hit in the early-morning hours of Jan. 14. That car had caught fire after it rear-ended a disabled tractor trailer. Witnesses told police the car was traveling at more than 100 mph when it hit the two victims and a third man, whose leg was broken. The driver of the burning car eventually escaped with only minor injuries. Through his attorney, Goodrich has said he initially thought he'd struck only debris. According to court documents, Investigators have collected blood and hair samples from a car owned by Goodrich, who is accused by police in the hit-and-run accident that killed the two good Samaritans. Court records made public Wednesday show that investigators collected samples from a point of impact in the center of the windshield of the backup cornerback's car. Tissue and hair samples were also found underneath weather stripping near the windshield, and fiber and hair were found near the right headlight of Goodrich's car, the records indicate. They stated that fragments of glass with blood were collected from the right dashboard. NBC 5 reported that Goodrich could return to jail on the additional charges as early as Monday.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 01-27-2003 01:26 AM                     quote: ...investigators collected samples from a point of impact in the center of the windsheild... --And the guy claims he thought he only hit debris!? That sounds like his windsheild was smashed by one of the people he hit. I mean they collected samples of blood and, uh, hair from there, and man that makes me feel kind of ill. The defense should be glad I'm not sitting on that jury. Sure sounds like felony hit and run to me. I'm usually going to pull over if something smashes my windsheild --unless perhaps someone threw a brick through it and maybe I'd keep driving under those threatening circumstances. It doesn't sound like Goodrich had any excuse. I'll bet he was high or drunk off his ass when he those people. He likely had reasons to run.  |  IP: Logged Barry Floyd Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1079 From: Lebanon, Tennessee, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 01-27-2003 03:13 PM                        That kind of stuff happens here in Nashville too. We have MANY country music singers who end up getting arrested for drunk driving, and all get a slap on the wrist, take a remedial driving course, and that's it. If I did it, I'd end up in jail, have my truck impounded and sold at auction, and loose my drivers license... just because I'm a regular joe on the street. One of our Nashville Predator's NHL Hockey players was arrested for DUI several weeks ago.. and nothing happened to him. Last fall, the mother of our star running back for the Tennessee Titans (not naming names here) was arrested for DUI after a home game.... again, nothing happened. Like in most situations, it's either "who you are", or "who you know".  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.