Hello everybody:
The latest issue of The Orange County Register is
reporting that the District Attorney's Office has
decided not to criminally prosecute Hal Netkin, the
Van Nuys bigot who drove the minivan that hit about
four people at the anti-Minuteman protest in Garden
Grove on May 25th. This is not a surprise to me since
the DA's office made the decision not to charge Netkin
with any crimes almost three weeks ago, but have been
sitting on this information ever since. Why? They
wanted things to cool down a bit after the Garden
Grove Police raided Theresa Dang's Westminster home
before they made their decision public.
But what I find very interesting is the comment that
Lt. Mike Handfield of the Garden Grove Police
Department supposedly made to The Register:
"Video footage emerged during the investigation
showing that two protesters might have been hit by a
side-view mirror, Lt. Mike Handfield said. One
protester was shown standing up after apparently being
hit, walking through the crowd with a megaphone and
returning to lay next to the other protester before
claiming to have been run over."
What Lt. Handfield hints is that the protesters were
faking their injuries. In essence, this is an attempt
to smear people. I knew this was coming, too. The
reputation of the Garden Grove Police Department has
been badly damaged by their mishandling of the May
25th demonstration, and their raids of homes for lost
flashlights and issuance of misdemeanor citations to
journalists who drop cigarette butts didn't make
things any better. So I guess they want to reclaim
some lost ground by smearing protesters, perhaps?
Well, I'm sorry Lt. Handfield, but I know as a fact
that a Registered Nurse at the anti-Minuteman protest
told persons struck by Netkin's minivan to stay on the
ground to avoid injuring themselves any further in
case bones and internal organs had been damaged. No
competent physician would ever allow anybody hit by a
moving vehicle to walk around until they've been
examined by a doctor or a paramedic.
In case anybody might have any doubts about this
claim, I have seen a videotape that the Orange County
District Attorney's Office released to a defendant
charged with an alleged criminal offense related to
the May 25th protest, and can tell you right now that
this Registered Nurse is clearly viewed in the tape
giving medical advice to the protester that Lt.
Handfield tries to smear. This tape was originally
given to the District Attorney's Office by the Garden
Grove Police, who incidently got it from a source
linked to people who support the Minutemen. (In fact,
Garden Grove Police are alleged to have gone out of
their way to contact racist groups linked to the
Minutemen to obtain videotape of the protesters; if
true, it puts into doubt their claim they are "neutral
party" trying to enforce the law in an "equal and fair
matter").
The real question that people need to ask now is this:
Is it the policy of the Garden Grove Police to smear
people who have been struck by automobiles? Do they
smear people who have been involved in other kinds of
accidents, as well? Does Lt. Handfield have
qualifications to diagnose people's injuries based on
what he sees on videotape? I thought his job was to
fight crime?
Sincerely,
Duane J. Roberts
duaneroberts92804@yahoo.com http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/2005/07/11/sections/breaking_news/article_593352.php Monday, July 11, 2005
Protest driver not charged
The incident occurred at an appearance by the
Minuteman Project's Jim Gilchrist.
By JENNIFER MUIR
The Orange County Register
GARDEN GROVE — No charges will be filed against a
man
accused of running over two protesters outside a
building where the leader of a group that opposes
illegal immigration was being honored, police said
today.
Harold Netkin, 69, of Van Nuys was arrested May 25
after trying to drive his van into the meeting
honoring Jim Gilchrist, the Minuteman Project leader.
The protesters said Netkin ran them over after they
surrounded his van outside the Garden Grove Women’s
Club.
Video footage emerged during the investigation showing
that two protesters might have been hit by a side-view
mirror, Lt. Mike Handfield said. One protester was
shown standing up after apparently being hit, walking
through the crowd with a megaphone and returning to
lay next to the other protester before claiming to
have been run over.
"(Netkin) was not trying to assault anyone," Assistant
District Attorney Jo Marie Escobar said. "He was
trying to save his own vehicle. There was really no
question about it."
Five protesters were arrested after rocks and cans
were thrown.
Three face a felony charge of throwing a full soda can
at police. Kurt Isobe, 19, Hugo Sarmiento, 24, and
Juan Silva, 26, are scheduled to appear at a pretrial
hearing Aug. 22, Deputy District Attorney Kelly Grogan
said.