You thought this was over?

🤨People ask "Are you SO glad to have this over?" :D

No.

It's not over... 😳

Why would anyone think it is?

We're not glad, we're exhausted! We've been in a fight every day since Jan 24th. We've had family, friends, neighbors, and people who have never met say horrible things about us in this situation.

Let me ask you something; What would it take for you to allow someone to assault your child? To throw them onto the asphalt and injure them? To climb on top of them and cuff them? To yell at and intimidate them. Book them into the county jail, finger print, and release a mug shot that makes its way through their school - Followed by months of rumors (at school and in the community) without being able to adequately defend them - out of fear it will upset the prosecutors and make things worse? To lord a bogus court case over

them for months? To have a town government (town council) go on the defensive against your child and the trauma they suffered? Go through months of concerns, tears, comforting your child, having them suffer anxiety driving to school, waking up from nightmares, and more.

This is a very minimal definition, mind you. It would fill a book to go into all the details.

Do you think dropping the charges is what Justice looks like? That would be 'over' for you? You would feel like your child was owed NOTHING? No apology? No policy changes to ensure it doesn't happen to someone else's child?

I found two definitions of Justice that I really like:

• Justice - The result of resolving an event, situation, or circumstance in a way that is fair for the victim.

• Justice for a person who has been unjustly arrested and assaulted by the police involves holding the responsible officers accountable for their actions through an impartial and thorough investigation, followed by appropriate disciplinary actions (for the officer, but what about the town council who knowingly hired him - different blog post), and criminal charges; where warranted. Justice in a police assault is difficult, because you cannot undo the event, nor the impact it has on the victim and community. As such, justice in police assault cases ought to include ensuring the victim receives adequate support, such as medical treatment, psychological counseling, support from the police department, support from the city government, and financial compensation. Additionally, systemic reforms may be necessary to prevent future incidents, including changes in police training, hiring, oversight, policies and procedures. The overarching goal is to restore the victim's rights and trust in the justice system, while promoting accountability and transparency within law enforcement agencies and city government.

You tell me what it would take to allow someone to do that to your child, or your wife, or mother?

What would it take to feel like Justice has been done?