The local newspaper announced to the general public on Tuesday, April 17, 2012 that Maxwell Soeth and Sgt. Charles Ellebrecht were the Fortuna police officers that shot and killed Jacob Robert Newmaker March 16, 2012. Newmaker had done nothing but try to stop them from beating him with their batons after tracking him down on a nothing accusation. In this case these guys initiated a violent arrest and then justify killing him for trying to stop them from beating him.
What's the difference between what Maxwell Soeth and Sgt. Charles Ellebrecht did and what George Zimmerman did killing Trevon Martin?
The situation is exactly the same, with a couple of minor exceptions. That being, George Zimmerman was supposedly a self-appointed security guard working to protect his neighborhood and these guys were police officers licenced by the city to protect their neighborhood. The killing of Robert Newmaker was justified because he was merely holding a police baton and Trevon Martin was killed for “standing his ground.” Neither one had done anything but ask to be left alone. So, why are they dead?
Personally, the biomorphic people of Fortuna deserve these kinds of police walking their streets protecting their children and property. In fact, I'd say the people in Garberville, or more accurately Southern Humboldt, roundly deserve their demonstrated breed of police as does Eureka and the rest of Humboldt County. When the killing of innocent people is “appropriate” for simply NOT immediately complying with some police officer's command or order I'd say a whole lot of people got their priorities skewed. Apparently, the only thing that is life-threatening are these cops legitimate right to be there in the first place. When they have the right, defacto or not, to put their right to pack a gun and a badge over the individual human lives of their fellow citizens, then I'd say the whole society is morally corrupt and deserve what they get.
--Joe
PS. Notice any local blog discussion on this issue? The District Attorney Paul Gallegos seems to believe there is NO conflict of interest in the police investigating or judging their own. Maybe Humboldt County could use another William Ferroggiaro.