Criminal Neglect

Diana Gonzalez never made it home from school tuesday night. The nineteen year old mother of a nine month old infant was found murdered in the men's bathroom at San Diego City College. It took a long time to positively identify the body, the wounds marring her body beyond recognition. Knife wounds.

Diana's relatives had been driving her to and from school because she was living in fear of her estranged husband Armando Gabriel Perez, 37. Perez had held her hostage in a motel recently for three days, kidnapping her, raping her and beating her. He ultimately choked her into unconsciousness. She managed to escape once but he caught her and threatened to kill her. He finally released her so that she could visit her parents in National City.

Perez was ultimately picked up and jailed, the SDPD Domestic Violence Unit investigated the case and forwarded it to District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis' office, which declined for some unknown and ungodly reason to file charges. Perez was released from custody following four days behind bars, according to police reports.

Steve Walker, a spokesman for the San Diego County District Attorney's Office, said the agency does not publicly "discuss why we reject cases." Gonzalez filed a temporary restraining order on September 28th, while Perez was still in jail. Perez had also allegedly beat his ex wife and spent two months in jail earlier this year for battery. That case was also dismissed for unknown reasons. The restraining order was served on him in jail. A police report says that there were twenty cases of prior abuse. Perez's car was recently found in Tijuana. His whereabouts are unknown at this time. I linked the restraining order pdf but must caution you that it is very graphic and disturbing. I honestly couldn't finish reading the handwritten notes from this beautiful, dead woman.

The Gonzalez family lashed out at the District Attorney for not moving more aggressively in the case.  A family that had begged the authorities for protection. Unfortunately there was a similar case with a similar result a few months ago in the county. The citizenry of San Diego deserves to know why the District Attorney refused to file charges in the Gonzalez case.

Dumanis left a written statement, "I want to make it clear that the District Attorney's Office takes cases of domestic violence very seriously. We work closely with victims and hold perpetrators accountable whenever responsible." Nice words but little consolation for Gonzalez's daughter and family. Hollow words.

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Jovan Jackson was in the clear. He had been judged not guilty during his trial last year on charges of illegally selling medical marijuana. Jovan managed the Answerdam Medical Marijuana collective that is now defunct in San Diego.

Jackson, a 32 year old black man now working as a barber, thought that he could get on with his life. Bonnie Dumanis had other ideas. She would try him again on the same charges, a clear case of double indemnity. She convinced a Superior Court Judge Howard Shore not to let Jackson use a medical marijuana defense. Jurors felt hamstrung by the draconian instructions. He was convicted and now he faces a six year term in prison. Jackson, a Navy veteran, read a statement outside of court saying he was disappointed at the verdict but vowed to press the appeal. He said he felt “pity and anger” at prosecutors for aggressively pursuing the case against him and other medical marijuana defendants.

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It is amazing to me that Ms. Dumanis can squander limited public resources going after medical marijuana patients and their caregivers and yet decide not to bother to protect a woman getting raped, assaulted and eventually murdered by her husband. Shame on the San Diego County District Attorney for her misplaced priorities.

Eugene Davidovich awaits his fate.

JUST IN - NOT GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS!

I guess I am lucky. My cancer history and other past medical problems have shielded me to some extent from the gestapo. I have a signed medical card from a physician that allows me to use medical marijuana legally, courtesy of California Proposition 215.

Eugene Davidovich also had such a card. He was set up by a cop who lied about his medical condition to a Doctor and fraudulently obtained a card. Davidovich worked at a cooperative that was caught up in District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis's perfidious web.

Eugene is sitting in a courtroom in San Diego right now while a jury decides his fate. The prosecution tried to disallow any reference to his stellar career in the armed forces, tried to exclude his medical defense and tried to exclude his expert witness. They claimed that they were not bound by the dictates of the State Attorney General and have spent a ton of taxpayer money on this stupid and expensive case. The judge wisely shot down all of their positions.

I hope the best for Eugene and hope that all of you do as well. He is a brave and articulate man who stands up for all of the marijuana community. It was interesting to me that my cooperative, Mother Earth, disclosed that 83% of their members were over the age of 50. Not exactly bomb throwing firebrands. More like normal people from every walk of life, using one of the safest and most effective substances available for pain relief and dare I say it, pleasure.

Eugene is on the front lines for people like you or me, who choose to use marijuana from our supposedly safe perches. People like him, people who have helped to make the medicine more readily available, are still being sentenced to lengthy prison terms in this state. Because of mealy mouthed double talk from Washington and draconian and sick actions from local prosecutors and police chiefs whose budgets are still funded by the senseless drug war. And dare I say it, inaction and laziness of users who would rather sit back and let someone else take all the heat and do all of the heavy lifting.

His expected acquittal will hopefully send a clear sign to the antediluvians to call off their dogs and stop wasting taxpayers money on prosecuting the sick. The County needs to look long and hard after this case.

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Speaking of pot, I find that there is an interesting kerfuffle brewing in the marijuana community regarding the new legalization initiative in California. Jack Herer, a prominent activist and writer is reportedly against it. Norml may be for it. I need to figure out the scuttlebutt. I think that one of the objections is taxation, something I have no problem with. I do think that it is pot is plainly too expensive. I remember 10 dollar cans, than lids, 100 dollar ounces of fresh green buds in the mid seventies and then the 400 dollar quagmire we are in today. With legalization I would hope that there could be a little price softening. I guess I am with certain powers that be on this point. It costs too damn much!