{"article":{"id":132267,"heading":"Garden Grove Police launch smear campaign against anti-Minutemen protesters","author":"Duane J. Roberts","created":"2005-07-13 14:25:42","modified":"2013-11-11 00:34:30","last_modified":"Mon, 11 Nov 2013 07:34:30","article":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><p>Hello everybody: <br><br> Notice that the subheadline in the following article <br>  <br> that was published in the printed version of today's <br>  <br> Orange County Register reads, \"Protesters said they <br>  <br> were run over, but video didn't support them.\" I know <br>  <br> as a fact this is the spin that Lt. Mike Handfield of <br>  <br> the Garden Grove Police department is putting out <br>  <br> regarding this matter. <br><br> I'm sure that as a police officer, Lt. Handfield has <br>  <br> been at the scene of enough accidents in his career to <br>  <br> know that it's not uncommon for people who have been <br>  <br> hit by motor vehicles to say they've been \"run over\" <br>  <br> even if they were just scraped. But in this case, Lt. <br>  <br> Handfield is trying to make this all sound strange and <br>  <br> unusual; he's trying to imply that protesters that had <br>  <br> been struck by Netkin's minivan were faking their <br>  <br> injuries. <br><br> Also, the article printed in The Register fails to <br>  <br> mention that Jim Lafferty, Executive Director of the <br>  <br> Los Angeles National Lawyer's Guild, was himself <br>  <br> almost \"run over\" by Netkin. He had to literally jump <br>  <br> on the hood of the minivan to avoid going underneath <br>  <br> it and being crushed. I should know because I saw this <br>  <br> happen. I wonder how Lt. Handfield would have tried to <br>  <br> spin this story if Lafferty had been crushed to death? <br>  <br> California state law doesn't give persons driving <br>  <br> 3,000 lb. minivans the right to roll over pedestrians, <br>  <br> does it? <br><br> Ignoring Lafferty is part of a deliberate strategy. <br>  <br> Lt. Handfield is trying to say, \"Oh, well, the <br>  <br> protesters just got knicked by Netkin's minivan. It <br>  <br> wasn't really all that bad. They are all just a bunch <br>  <br> of fakers.\" If he had told The Register what happened <br>  <br> to Lafferty, it would completely contradict the spin <br>  <br> he's trying to put on the story. Lt. Handfield knows <br>  <br> The Register was going to print verbatim everything he <br>  <br> said without bothering to investigate any of his <br>  <br> claims. And we all know that police officers always <br>  <br> tell the truth, yes? Perhaps his omission of this very <br>  <br> important fact was merely an oversight on his behalf? ;) <br><br> It's not surprising to me that the Garden Grove Police <br>  <br> department disclosed this information to The Register <br>  <br> first; they knew they would run it without getting <br>  <br> quotes from anybody else thinking they got a great big <br>  <br> scoop. That Lt. Handfield is quoted in this article <br>  <br> tells me he's the one who is orchestrating the spin <br>  <br> for this story. I know as a fact he was going to wage <br>  <br> this smear campaign almost three weeks ago, based on <br>  <br> various sources. All of this was done with the <br>  <br> approval of top brass, I gather. <br><br> Sincerely, <br><br> Duane J. Roberts <br>  <br> <a href=\"mailto:duaneroberts92804@yahoo.com\">duaneroberts92804@yahoo.com<\/a> <br><br> P.S. See my other post on la.indymedia.org for additional information:  <br><br> <a href=\"http:\/\/la.indymedia.org\/news\/2005\/07\/132245.php\">http:\/\/la.indymedia.org\/news\/2005\/07\/132245.php<\/a> <br><br>  <br><br>  <br>  <br> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ocregister.com\/ocr\/2005\/07\/12\/sections\/local\/local\/article_593491.php\">http:\/\/www.ocregister.com\/ocr\/2005\/07\/12\/sections\/local\/local\/article_593491.php<\/a> <br><br> Tuesday, July 12, 2005 <br><br> Driver not charged in Minuteman confrontation <br>  <br> Protesters said they were run over, but video didn't <br>  <br> support them. <br><br> By JENNIFER MUIR <br>  <br> The Orange County Register <br><br> GARDEN GROVE &ndash; No charges will be filed against a man <br>  <br> accused of running over two protesters outside a <br>  <br> building where the leader of a group that opposes <br>  <br> illegal immigration was being honored, police said <br>  <br> Monday. <br><br> Harold Netkin, 69, was arrested May 25 after driving <br>  <br> his van to the meeting honoring Jim Gilchrist, the <br>  <br> Minuteman Project leader. <br><br> The protesters said Netkin ran them over after they <br>  <br> surrounded his van outside the Garden Grove Women's <br>  <br> Club. <br><br> Video footage emerged during the investigation showing <br>  <br> that two protesters might have been hit by a side-view <br>  <br> mirror, Lt. Mike Handfield said. One protester was <br>  <br> shown standing up after apparently being hit, walking <br>  <br> through the crowd with a megaphone and returning to <br>  <br> lie next to the other protester before saying he had <br>  <br> been run over. <br><br> \"(Netkin) was not trying to assault anyone,\" Assistant <br>  <br> District Attorney Jo Marie Escobar said. \"He was <br>  <br> trying to save his own vehicle. There was really no <br>  <br> question about it.\" <br><br> Five protesters were arrested after rocks and cans <br>  <br> were thrown. <br><br> Three face a felony charge of throwing a full soda can <br>  <br> at police. Kurt Isobe, 19, Hugo Sarmiento, 24, and <br>  <br> Juan Silva, 26, are scheduled to appear at a pretrial <br>  <br> hearing Aug. 22, Deputy District Attorney Kelly Grogan <br>  <br> said. <br><br>  <br>  <br><br> \t <br><br>  <br>  <br><br> \t<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","contact":"duaneroberts92804@yahoo.com","link":"","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"text\/plain","summary":" I wonder how Lt. Handfield would have tried to\r\nspin this story if Lafferty had been crushed to death?\r\nCalifornia state law doesn't give persons driving\r\n3,000 lb. minivans the right to roll over pedestrians,\r\ndoes it?","numcomment":17,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/","filesize":null,"article_url":"\/news\/2005\/07\/132267.php"},"attachments":[],"comments":[{"id":132272,"heading":"What A Spin","article":"Duane J. Roberts\r\n\r\nYou can put a spin most anything you want.  What are the injuries?  NON!   You guys keep coming up with new angles to try and prove your lie.   The irony is you all are quick to call others liars, but feel the falsehoods you spread are ok.","author":"Robertcs","parent_id":132267,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2005-07-13 14:43:12","modified":"2005-07-13 14:43:12","fileurl":""},{"id":132278,"heading":"In my opinion, GGPD is being deceptive","article":"In my opinion, the only one who is being deceptive here is Lt.  Mike Handfield of the Garden Grove Police department. Nobody knew at the time the videos were taken if the protesters were suffering from serious, life-threatening injuries. In addition to this, Lt. Handfield is completely oblivious to the fact there was a Registered Nurse at the scene who told people to stay on the ground until the paramedics came. Because one guy walked around for a little bit and then lied down doesn't mean he couldn't have ended up dead an hour later due to some unforseen medical complication as a result of being struck or pushed to the ground by the minivan. There isn't a physician in the world who would have advised someone struck by a motor vehicle to walk around until they were examined. The irony of this whole thing is that I can prove the Registered Nurse was there and talking to the protesters that were injured with evidence that the Garden Grove Police gave to the Orange County District Attorney's Office!  I've seen the videotape! Also, that Lt. Handfield omitted a key fact that a non-protester (i.e., Jim Lafferty of the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Lawyer's Guild ) almost was &quot;run over&quot; and crushed by Netkin's minivan shows you that the Garden Grove Police themselves haven't  been forthcoming in disclosing information about what happened. That's a key fact because if Lafferty had slipped, he would have been crushed to death by the minivan.\r\n \r\nBelieve it or not, I don't condone anybody lying about this matter. But I'm amused that the Garden Grove Police Department have decided to make this an issue. It's a major blunder that they will regret deeply.  I knew they were going to do this for weeks, and I'm sure glad I decided to let them make the first move; they've cornered themselves into a box and look like complete, utter fools for attacking people that were hit by a motor vehicle.\r\n\r\nSincerely,\r\n\r\nDuane J. Roberts\r\nduaneroberts92804@yahoo.com","author":"Duane J. Roberts","parent_id":132267,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2005-07-13 15:41:07","modified":"2005-07-13 15:41:07","fileurl":""},{"id":132287,"heading":"police did it to me","article":"I won't repost it, but I went completely over the car and ended up behind it on the ground\r\n\r\nI was able to get up and walk away - at first\r\n\r\nthe police refused to *even give him a ticket* for reckless driving or anything\r\n\r\nand when I called them later they refused to give me *any* information on him forcing me to place calls to Alaska if I wanted anything other than what the report stated\r\n\r\nI only wanted my bike replaced too - I wasn't going after a big settlement or anything\r\n\r\nIn another case I was riding my bike *on the sidewalk* and a commercial van turned into a driveway (crossing the sidewalk) as I was on it.  He was looking at a map and wasn't watching where he was going either\r\n\r\nI tried to avoid him by changing my direction in a arc but he never looked and kept coming..\r\n\r\nThe bike was about totaled (the frame was bent but some parts were still good)\r\n\r\nI got his *company insurance info*\r\n\r\nweeks went by and I started calling his employer complaining - they were being evasive (the insurance info was bogus) \r\n\r\nMy sister was a claims adjuster for another insurance company at the time so finally I called her\r\n\r\nwithin a few days a claims agent came out and wipped out a blank checkbook and asked me how much money I wanted\r\n\r\nI said $ 100 - to buy a new bike\r\n\r\nI'm not greedy unfair or dishonest\r\n\r\nbut it took my sister threatening legal action to even get that..\r\n\r\nso when people are hit by 2-ton moving deathtraps, hings sometimes do go badly even when no malice is involved\r\n\r\nwith the malice here both from the aggressor and the police a lawsuit is in order\r\n\r\nplus a retraction and apology from the media liars\r\n\r\n","author":"Hex","parent_id":132267,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2005-07-13 16:38:57","modified":"2005-07-13 16:38:57","fileurl":""},{"id":132313,"heading":"Never step infront of a moving vehicule","article":"Look both ways before crossing the street and never try and stand infront of a vehicule to intimidate the driver...nuff said ","author":"Fed Up","parent_id":132267,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2005-07-13 18:19:59","modified":"2005-07-13 18:19:59","fileurl":""},{"id":132324,"heading":"Nobody has a right to plow into pedestrians, either","article":"Fedup writes:\r\n\r\n> Never step infront of a moving vehicule\r\n>\r\n> Look both ways before crossing the street and\r\n> never try and stand infront of a vehicule to\r\n> intimidate the driver...nuff said\r\n\r\nBut California state law doesn't give the driver of a 3,000 lb. &quot;vehicule&quot; the unmitigated right to put one's foot on the gas peddle and plow into unarmed pedestrians standing in front of a motor vehicle, either.\r\n\r\nI could understand Hal Netkin doing what he did if people standing near his minivan were brandishing pick axes, shot guns, and machetes. In this situation, he could legitimately claimed he &quot;feared for his life&quot;. But that didn't happen.\r\n\r\nEnough said! \r\n\r\nSincerely,\r\n\r\nDuane J. Roberts\r\nduaneroberts92804@yahoo.com","author":"Duane J. Roberts","parent_id":132267,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2005-07-13 18:51:16","modified":"2005-07-13 18:51:16","fileurl":""},{"id":132327,"heading":"&quot;nuff said&quot;  - not quite","article":"\r\n&quot;never try and stand infront of a vehicule&quot;\r\n\r\n\r\nWRONG\r\n\r\n\r\nHere's the LAW\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\nNegligent vehicular assault --\r\n\r\n  A person who negligently operates a vehicle, other than a bicycle, and who causes bodily injury to another commits the offense of negligent vehicular assault.\r\n\r\n\r\npenalty\r\n\r\n \r\nA person convicted of the offense of negligent vehicular assault shall be fined an amount not to exceed $1,000 or incarcerated in a county jail for a term not to exceed 1 year, or both, and shall be ordered to pay restitution.\r\n\r\n\r\nA person convicted of the offense of negligent vehicular assault who caused serious bodily injury to another shall be fined an amount not to exceed $10,000 or incarcerated for a term not to exceed 10 years, or both, and shall be ordered to pay restitution.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n","author":"Hex","parent_id":132267,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2005-07-13 19:11:11","modified":"2005-07-13 19:11:11","fileurl":""},{"id":132335,"heading":"how the racists LOVE to run people over","article":"the truth is that Netkin could have killed somebody that day.  because that is what could happen when you take your car and drive it INTO A CROWD OF PEOPLE.  in fact, Netkin is lucky no one died!  otherwise, he would be facing manslaughter charges right now!\r\n\r\nwhen the police slander demonstrators' character, it is acceptable but when demonstrators offer their side, they are accused of spinning.  the Register by-line &quot;Protesters said they were run over, but video didn't support them&quot; picks at semantics.  yeah, they were &quot;run over&quot; in so much as they were ASSUALTED WITH NETKIN'S DEADLY WEAPON!  but none of it matters because they were not LITERALLY run over with blood and guts spalshing everywhere and on everybody, with bones crushed, and heads smashed in.  they were not run over in the sense that Netkin would be brought up on charges of murder.  and what luck because the demonstrators are still ALIVE!\r\n\r\nand what a fortunate man Netkin is... he is lucky his ugly ass didn't get BEAT!  see that SF cop who used his cruiser to run into a crowd???  THEY BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF HIM!  the people are in defense of themselves.  anyone would be mad if they came under similar assault and NO ONE was attacking Netkin that day.  the fact that GGPD assessed that he was is collusion and protection of violent, racist behavior.\r\n\r\nthe police are behaving in a hostile manner because they feel, as the racists feel, UNDER ATTACK!  why?  because are one in the same: BLUE BY DAY AND WHITE BY NIGHT!","author":"concerned person","parent_id":132267,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2005-07-13 19:27:17","modified":"2005-07-13 19:27:17","fileurl":""},{"id":132362,"heading":"Cops","article":"Some of those that work forces, are the same that . . . ","author":"Chop Chop","parent_id":132267,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2005-07-13 20:58:37","modified":"2005-07-13 20:58:37","fileurl":""},{"id":132365,"heading":"Okay","article":"If you quote Rage you're automatically entered into tommorow's  &quot;silliest post of the day&quot; contest.","author":"fresca","parent_id":132267,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2005-07-13 21:01:07","modified":"2005-07-13 21:01:07","fileurl":""},{"id":132375,"heading":"thanks Fresca","article":"I'm sorry Missy but you already gave away today's award.  \r\n\r\nIf you give me the tomorrow's award for something I say today then your award has no integrity.  ","author":"Chop Chop","parent_id":132267,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2005-07-13 21:33:21","modified":"2005-07-13 21:33:21","fileurl":""},{"id":132392,"heading":"Duane the Idiot","article":"WRONG again, Duane.  If your vehicle is attacked by a salivating, rock-throwing mob of Reconquista traitors you have every right to get the hell out of dodge.  Hal never hit anyone and the video Hal posted proves the&quot;injuries&quot; were a scam.  Give up already.  You have no credibility.","author":"Caught Lying Again","parent_id":132267,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2005-07-14 00:26:48","modified":"2005-07-14 00:26:48","fileurl":""},{"id":132407,"heading":"Re: Duane the idiot","article":"Caught Lying Again writes:\r\n\r\n> Duane the Idiot\r\n\r\n> WRONG again, Duane. If your vehicle is\r\n> attacked by a salivating, rock-throwing mob\r\n> of Reconquista traitors you have every right\r\n> to get the hell out of dodge. Hal never hit\r\n> anyone and the video Hal posted proves\r\n> the &quot;injuries&quot; were a scam. Give up already.\r\n> You have no credibility.\r\n>\r\n>  Caught Lying Again\r\n\r\nIt's funny, but  the videotape I talk about in this and other messages I've posted online within the past 24 hours was apparently shot by a cameraman who sympathizes with Jim Gilchrist and &quot;The Minuteman Project.&quot;\r\n\r\nThe Garden Grove Police gave this videotape to the Orange County District Attorney's Office and it contains evidence that completely undermines Hal Netkin's false claims that the protesters were faking their injuries.\r\n\r\nLife can be rather ironic at times, can't it? :)\r\n\r\nSincerely,\r\n\r\nDuane J. Roberts\r\nduaneroberts92804@uyahoo.com\r\n\r\n","author":"Duane J. Roberts","parent_id":132267,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2005-07-14 03:04:49","modified":"2005-07-14 03:04:49","fileurl":""},{"id":132472,"heading":"Spinning out of Control","article":"The O.C. Register article said the video showed that the only part of the vehicle that hit anyone was the side mirror.  So how do you get near death experience form a low speed (<5mph) clip by a side mirror.\r\n\r\nThe wackos on the left can realy put a spin on events, you guys need to watch Bill O'Reilly &quot;The No Spin Zone.&quot;","author":"Robertcs","parent_id":132267,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2005-07-14 17:57:07","modified":"2005-07-14 17:57:07","fileurl":""},{"id":132490,"heading":"Re: Spinning out of Control","article":"Robertcs writes:\r\n\r\n> The O.C. Register article said the video\r\n> showed that the only part of the vehicle\r\n> that hit anyone was the side mirror.\r\n\r\nI hate to disappoint you, but I talked to my sources in The Orange County Register yesterday who told me the press release that Lt. Mike Handfield faxed them Monday afternoon omitted a number of crucial facts.\r\n\r\nFor some strange reason, Lt. Handfield conveniently forgot to mention that Jim Lafferty, Executive Director of the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Lawyer's Guild, ended up on the front hood of Netkin's minivan. I saw that happen, and so did everybody else. But why do you suppose that Lt. Handfield didn't disclose this fact in the press release he issued EVEN THOUGH THE POLICE CAPTURED THIS ON VIDEOTAPE?\r\n\r\nIt's because he knew The Register was going to print his side of the story verbatim without checking it. By saying that protesters got knicked by two sideview mirriors makes it look like nothing happened at all. And by claiming that one protester was walking around after being hit makes it look like they were faking their injuries. (But Lt. Handfield didn't realize when he issued the release that the GGPD provided the DA's office evidence which completely contradicts the latter claim.)\r\n\r\nDid you notice all the sources for The Register story, by the way? Lt. Handfield, an Assistant District Attorney, and a Deputy District Attorney. Do you call that fair and accurate reporting?\r\n\r\nEven more interesting is the fact that it was Lt. Handfield who issued this press release. The DA did not issue one. Why is this? Why are the Garden Grove Police sending out press releases on behalf of the DA?\r\n\r\nI'm quite glad nobody was seriously injured by Netkin, but it still doesn't change the fact hecould have killed someone. I don't believe his argument that he felt his life was in danger. Nobody was standing near his minivan with guns and knives. \r\n\r\nAlthough I didn't see everything that occurred, I did observe people falling to the pavement when Netkin's minivan roared into the parking lot. If they didn't get hit, they certainly were forced to the ground. One of the people I talked with told me that if they hadn't moved as fast as they did, their leg would have ended up being rolled over by the minivan. Would have Netkin called them a faker if they had ended up in crutches?\r\n\r\n> The wackos on the left can realy put a spin\r\n> on events, you guys need to watch Bill\r\n> O'Reilly &quot;The No Spin Zone.&quot;\r\n\r\nInstead of waisting your time in front of the boob tube, maybe you need to contact the Garden Grove Police and ask them why they have stooped so low as to attack people who were victims of an accident? In addition to this, ask them also why their officers issue misdemeanor criminal citations to people who drop cigarette butts and raid the family homes of critics in search of  lost police flashlights?\r\n\r\nSincerely,\r\n\r\nDuane J. Roberts\r\nduaneroberts92804@yahoo.com\r\n\r\n","author":"Duane J. Roberts","parent_id":132267,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2005-07-14 21:00:41","modified":"2005-07-14 21:00:41","fileurl":""},{"id":132748,"heading":"Duane Roberts","article":"hey duane, are you still wearing that stupid green hat?","author":"JOHN","parent_id":132267,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2005-07-16 13:32:40","modified":"2005-07-16 13:32:40","fileurl":""},{"id":132767,"heading":"Hi JOHN!","article":"Hi JOHN!\r\n\r\n> hey duane, are you still wearing that stupid green hat?\r\n\r\nNo, I wore a completely different one at the May 25th demo in Garden Grove. \r\n\r\nSo how are you? It's been awhile since I've seen any of your postings. By virtue of the fact you've posted this message here,  I gather you're still working the criminal intelligence unit detail of the Anaheim Police Department ? :)\r\n\r\nLet's see. When was the last time I might  have bumped into you? During that immigrant rights march that went right through the Anaheim Resort District late last year, perhaps? Maybe? :)\r\n\r\nIf so, I've been meaning to tell you that the reason why I photographed your car was that I thought you were working for the feds. I didn't realize APD was using new undercover vehicles!  :)\r\n\r\nSincerely,\r\n\r\nDuane J. Roberts\r\nduaneroberts92804@yahoo.com","author":"Duane J. Roberts","parent_id":132267,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2005-07-16 15:38:56","modified":"2005-07-16 15:38:56","fileurl":""},{"id":150097,"heading":"faked injury","article":"I know this topic is old, but i saw the video of that guy in the white shirt, AFTER the vehicle drove by,  walk away, then come back and fall down, pretending to be injured.\r\n\r\nThe video shows the woman, was touched by the white-shirt-guy, before she dropped to the ground.\r\n\r\nPathetic fakers......\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n","author":"ndog","parent_id":132267,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2006-03-15 23:03:04","modified":"2006-03-15 23:03:04","fileurl":""}]}