The tragedy at the Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, which claimed the lives of at least five Americans, exposed weaknesses in US justice. It turned out that by trying to be impartial and follow new trends, it allows the release of those who should not be there. Against this background, the restrained reaction to what happened by the US President may surprise a common man in the street, but for experts it is quite understandable. It is also understandable why another high-profile verdict in this state – the acquittal of 18-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse – did not leave Joe Biden indifferent and even “angered” him. The fact is that the Waukesha tragedy is yet another proof of the authorities’ erroneous actions, according to American experts.
On Sunday night in Waukesha, Wisconsin, an SUV drove full speed into the nation’s famous Christmas parade. Five people were killed and 48, including children, were injured, city officials said. The age of the victims was from 52 to 81 years old, most of them were participants in the Christmas “procession of grandmothers”. It is possible that there will be more victims of the tragedy, since several victims are in critical condition, and there are children among them.
Despite the scale of the tragedy, the American president’s reaction on Monday was very low-key. According to a pool of White House journalists, Joe Biden has no plans to visit Wisconsin yet. He devoted only a few minutes to what had happened.
Mr. Biden did not condemn the violence, saying that “he does not yet have all the details and facts” and the White House will continue to monitor events.
The President added that he sends his prayers to the victims and their families and thanks the emergency services for their prompt response. Even on Monday evening in Washington, the White House did not issue any separate statement on the tragedy at the Christmas parade. “Joe Biden has harsher words to Kyle Rittenhouse than to the Waukesha killer,” – bewildered commented on This is Texas Congressman Ronnie Jackson.
Note that since the tragedy in Wisconsin occurred two days later after the announcement of the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse in the same state, many Americans linked these events. The actions of Mr. Rittenhouse, who, as part of self-defense, shot the people who attacked him, were recognized as legal. The decision was criticized by representatives of the Democratic Party, including the president, who said he was “angry.”
In this regard, many politicians were waiting for mass protests, the state’s security forces were brought to high alert. However, most Americans chose to prepare for Thanksgiving rather than protest. As a result, almost the entire weekend was quite calm until social media circled footage from the Christmas parade in Wisconsin.
The director of social media for the Democratic Party of the DuPage Administrative District in Illinois, Marie Limansky, even rushed to call the incident retribution, blaming everyone on the state, including children, for the verdict of Mr. Rittenhouse.
However, after a violent public reaction, her name was removed from the list of representatives of the Democratic Party in the district. The party’s arm later issued a public apology, saying the “former member of the organization” was “incredibly soulless” and contrary to its spirit, FoxNews reported.
At lunchtime on Monday, police chief Dan Thompson spoke out with official confirmation that the two events were unrelated. “I would like to dispel some rumors … This is not an act of terrorism,” – said Thompson during a press conference. He added that the attack on the crowd by the criminal was preceded by a scuffle, with which he fled before the arrival of the police.
He ran into the people at the parade “deliberately”, the investigation does not have any information that he acted in collusion with someone, added the law enforcement officer, without giving the name of the perpetrator.
However, as reported by CNN, citing local authorities, 39-year-old African American Darrell Brooks, who has a rich criminal history behind him, is suspected of hitting the crowd. In particular, as the TV channel notes, the suspect was detained and released from prison on bail of $ 1,000 less than two weeks ago. On November 2, the suspect, according to the prosecution, ran over the woman as she walked through the parking lot of the gas station. The prosecutor’s office, which itself recommended such a bail, now calls it “inappropriately low.”
Among other acts of the suspect only in the last couple of years – obstruction of the actions of police officers, domestic violence, hooliganism, violation of the rules of being on bail. In February of this year, he was also charged on two counts related to the use of dangerous weapons and the possession of firearms.
For these two episodes, a bail of $ 10 thousand was first established for him, but after that the amount was reduced to $ 500, the TV channel says, citing court documents. The detainee was also included in the list of sexual offenders for the abuse of a minor in 1996. The Wisconsin authorities said they are currently opening an investigation into why the bail was so small, and they also promise to make the new bail for the suspect so large that he would not have any way to get out before he goes to trial. to freedom.
Interestingly, the suspect has publicly stated his views on solving problems through violence. According to the Independent, citing deleted accounts of Darrell Brooks, he called himself an “underground hip-hop performer” and even released several videos under the pseudonym MathBoi Fly. In them, he poses against the backdrop of the infamous SUV, often with automatic weapons. In his texts, he also threatened former presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama.
American lawyer, founder of The Bukh Law Firm Arkady Bukh, commenting in an interview with Kommersant on the situation with a long criminal list of a suspect, noted that it should be remembered that previously existing but canceled convictions and parallel proceedings on suspicions of other crimes do not affect the course investigations.
“The American judicial system tries to conduct cases impartially. As for the lowering of the bail, usually the judges make such a decision in order to avoid racial discrimination (recall, the suspected African American – “B”), since it is extremely difficult for low-income African Americans to pay a larger bond, ”explains the lawyer.
Mr. Buch continues that supporters of this approach insist that only in freedom can an effective line of defense be prepared: “Therefore, many states, especially democratic ones, have abandoned the practice of pledges. And it has been lobbied by racial equality activists and African American leaders. ” Although it is obvious that this leads to an increase in crime, and it is in the areas of compact residence of African Americans, and, probably, this rule will change at their own request, the source said to Kommersant.
According to the lawyer, now the detainee “on all episodes faces more than five life sentences without the possibility of getting an amnesty or good behavior.”
“The accusations against him are too serious. Other violations, but only if his guilt is proven, can become aggravating circumstances, ”the interlocutor sums up.
President of the American University in Moscow, Edward Lozansky, in an interview with Kommersant, commenting on court decisions in such cases, notes that in the United States “there is a serious crisis due to many accumulated internal problems, including a growing gap in income levels between various strata of society, the growth of crime, as well as racial and gender differences. “
The expert emphasizes that all this translates into the fact that in some states the authorities practically encourage criminal behavior, “cutting the budgets of the police, for example, in California, a robbery in the amount of less than $ 1,000 is considered a minor offense without serious consequences.” According to him, “all this is superimposed on an unprecedented polarization of society associated with party struggles that go beyond the framework of civilized discussion and competition.”
At the same time, US President Joe Biden, “who promised in case of victory to do everything to overcome the split, not only fails to cope with this task, but also contributes to the growth of confrontation.” Mr. Lozansky notes with regret that so far there are no prospects for normalizing the situation in this area. “Against this background, radical elements on both sides of the barricades, feeling impunity, allow themselves robberies, violence and other violations of the law,” he sums up.
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