Mass Call-In for Jason Vassell 2/3/09

[nattyreb]

Justice for Jason

On February 3rd, 2009–the one year anniversary of the hate crime against Jason–organizations and citizens throughout the country will be calling into the Northampton District Attorney's Office to demand Justice For Jason. Throughout the country folks are infuriated at the racist prosecution that has already taken a year of his life and is threatening to take away 30 more years! Join the effort by signing up to call the DA and DEMAND JUSTICE FOR JASON!

The phone number for the office of Northwestern District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel is (413) 586-9225. The office is open from 8am-5pm. You are welcome to call anytime. We have attached a sample script for your call below, feel free to stick with it, or speak your mind as you deem appropriate.

We ask that you keep your call respectful in tone.

Hello.

My name is __________ and I'm calling from ______________. I am calling to express my concern about the manner in which your office has pursued charges against Jason Vassell. It has become apparent that Jason was unjustly and selectively prosecuted due to the color of his skin, while his white assailants have escaped serious charges.

For local supporters: As a resident in the Northwestern District, this is not how I had intended for my elected District Attorney to act. I urge your office to view all races equally in the eyes of the law and to drop all charges against Jason Vassell. Thank you for your time.

For non-local supporters: As a resident of (your hometown) I will be watching closely the developments of this case and the actions you choose to pursue. I urge your office to view all races equally in the eyes of the law and to drop all charges against Jason Vassell. Thank you for your time.

If you are unable to reach via phone, please either send an e-mail or fax demanding that the charges against Jason Vassell be dropped and informing the DA that you are watching her actions.

FAX: (413) 584-3635

E-Mail: elizabeth.d.schiebel@state.ma.us

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About Jason’s Situation:

On February 3, 2008 Jason Vassell was the victim of a racist hate crime. Since then he has been further victimized by a racist prosecution. We, a coalition of community organizations, students and faculty, seek solidarity in challenging this racist prosecution.

Early on the morning of February 3, 2008, Jason, an African American student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, was in his dormitory. Two intoxicated white men, Jonathan Bowes and Jonathan Bosse, approached Jason’s dormitory window repeatedly referring to him as a “nigger” and breaking in the window. They then forced their way into the dormitory lobby where they assaulted Jason, breaking his nose and giving him a concussion.

Under this continuing assault Jason was forced to defend himself with a pocketknife, injuring his assailants. As a result of defending himself against this unprovoked assault Jason, the victim of the attack, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon. These charges carry a possible thirty year prison sentence. One of the perpetrators, Jonathan Bowes, was charged only with misdemeanors carrying a maximum eighteen month sentence. The other, Jonathan Bosse, was not charged at all.
It was disturbing enough that Jason Vassell was subjected to a severe physical attack and an assault on his spirit. What we have subsequently witnessed has been an even more shameful violation both of Jason’s rights and of the community’s values of justice and equality irrespective of race. We have watched the Northwestern District Attorney’s office march forward with no apparent regard for the potentially explosive racial implications of this case. The question here is one of justice and fairness; one of making a decision that is right. It is a question of justice for Jason and, equally important, of whether the interests and well being of the community are being served by this prosecution. It is not a question of whether criminal charges can be brought, but rather, whether they should be brought and against whom. It is a question of whether the interests of true justice and the well being of the community are being served by this prosecution.

Faced with a case in which the violent and racist motivations of Jason’s white attackers were clear, the District Attorney has chosen to pursue excessive charges against a young black victim with no criminal record and an exemplary academic and personal reputation. Concurrently, the DA has also chosen to pursue minor charges against only one of his two white attackers and no charges against the other. Both of whom have a reputation for racial bias and one of whom, John Bowes, has been previously arrested for racist violence. The District Attorney’s decision to prosecute a black man and slap the wrists of two white men is yet another example of the long history of racist prosecutions that plague our country’s legal legacy. Therefore, we stand as a community united for true justice, demanding that the District Attorney drop all charges against Jason Vassell.

To find out more about the case, the coalition or to contact us click on the appropriate link above. If you’d like to get involved in fighting for Justice for Jason on a local or national level, please contact us as mobilizingforjason@gmail.com -- Justice for Jason

[Justice for Jason]

Here's some additional facts of the case. For more information, see the "Motion to Dismiss" filed by Jason's lawyers:

Justice for Jason Lawyers File Motion to Dismiss; Cite Racist Selective Prosecution

Upon First learning of the incident and after hearing testimony from Jason, Police Lieutenant Thrasher, identified Jason as an "asshole" and a "donkey." He then proceeded to investigate the case under the full assumption that Jason was not a poor black kid, but a "drug dealer" who had had a drug deal gone wrong leading to the attack.

His assumption, a racist and vile one, led the Police department to---despite multiple testimony which make it clear that Jason was attacked, and subjected to racial hatred and violence, and that he was acting in self-defense---pursue charges which grossly and disproportionately place Jason on the verge of 30 years in prison.

Concurrently the two attackers, who have a documented history of violence, including chasing a black man with a metal pipe and a wooden board filled with nails, are facing slaps on the wrists. They, as so many young white men are, were treated as innocent victims, who were at the mercy of a demonized black drug dealer.

This blatant racism and institutionalized racist prosecution must end.

In strength and struggle

Brother Malcolm