What is up with all of this plea bargaining after beating gay men in NYC and Philadelphia (2 Plead Guilty, Receive No Jail Time In Philadelphia Gay Bashing Case).
I may be wrong, but I think you get a longer sentence for selling a joint.
Pinchas Braver, 22, and Abraham Winkler, 42, were among five men arrested in 2014 for the 2013 attack on Taj Patterson, 25. Braver and Winkler, along with Aharon Hollender, 31, Mayer Herskovic, 24 and and Joseph Fried, 28, attacked Patterson early in the morning on December 1st as he walked home from a party on Flushing Avenue near Spencer Street.
Patterson, who is gay, said the men yelled homophobic slurs at him as they beat him. “I was alone. I was an easy target. I’m black. I’m gay, a whole slew of reasons,” Patterson said.
Patterson was taken to Woodhull Hospital, where he was treated for bruises, blood clotting, a torn retina and a broken eye socket. He remains blind in his left eye.
A witness to the beating said the men who attacked Patterson appeared to belong to the Williamsburg Safety Patrol, or Shomrim, a neighborhood watch group comprised of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men who patrol south Williamsburg. The NYPD Hate Crime Task Force investigated the attack, but Braver and Winkler ultimately avoided hate crime charges.
Braver and Winkler were charged with gang assault, which could have landed them both in prison for 25 years, but later took a plea deal for "unlawful imprisonment," a misdemeanor. Mayer Herskovic, another of the men charged with Patterson’s beating, didn’t take the deal, and is scheduled to go to trial on August 23. – gothamist.com
Part of the plea deal requires Braver and Winkler to perform their community service in "culturally diverse neighborhoods"—a condition they tried to get out of. The duo asked to be allowed to perform their service with Chai Lifeline, a group that helps Jewish children with life-threatening illnesses, the NY Post reports. The court denied their request. The two have 30 days to choose another organization, or one will be assigned to them.
They will also have to pay Patterson $1,400 in restitution, but the Daily News reports that they were given an extension on Tuesday. – gothamist.com
I am not sure there is anything we can do about this one guys and girls.
We are sorry Taj for the courts adding insult to injury with this ruling.
And by the way,
An arrest for possession of 8 ounces or more of marijuana or a mixture containing marijuana is classified as criminal possession of marijuana in the 3rd degree (New York State Penal Law § 221.20), a Class E felony punishable by 1 to 1½ years in prison – NYLegalDefense.com
h/t: gothamist.com
We may not be able to do
We may not be able to do anything about this specific instance, but I would encourage EVERYBODY to send written letters to whoever is supervising the judge and prosecutor in this case, to let them know how disgusting this "justice" turned out.