Recall that upon the prosecution of the 3 killers of James Byrd in Texas then NAACP CEO Julian Bond was quoted as saying "If George W Bush had signed the Hate Crimes Laws THEY ALL WOULD HAVE GOTTEN THE DEATH PENALTY". Keep in mind that 2 of the 3 were sentenced to the death penalty. More importantly, however, Bond an extreme left wing operative - is a staunch death penalty opponent.
Lets take this same line of thinking and apply it to this particular case. The fact that one of the 4 young men will not be prosecuted for First Degree Murder is of no consequence to most. Much of the emotion in this case has already dissipated. There will not be any call for blood that would be the case if this was an interracial crime.
In fact, I predict that the remaining young men that have video evidence of their physical assault will not face the death penalty. There would be protests from the Black community IF they were sentenced to death.
CHICAGO - First-degree murder charges were dropped Monday against one of four teens accused in the brutal beating of a Chicago honor student that was recorded in a cell phone camera video.
Eugene Bailey, 18, of Chicago, was arrested Sept. 26, two days after 16-year-old Derrion Albert was killed during a fight after classes let out at Christian Fenger Academy High School on the city's South Side.
Prosecutors dropped the charge Monday with little explanation.
"While the charge against Bailey was brought in good faith based on witness accounts and identifications, additional information has developed during the ongoing investigation that warranted dismissal of the murder charge against Bailey at this time," the state's attorney's office in Cook County said in a statement.
A spokeswoman for the office declined to elaborate, saying the investigation is ongoing.
Three other teens are facing charges in the melee: Silvonus Shannon, 19; Eugene Riley, 18; and Eric Carson, 16. All are being held without bail. Their next court date is Friday.
A cell phone video shows a group of people striking Albert with boards and kicking him as he lay on a sidewalk. Albert, who was a sophomore at Fenger, has been described by police as an innocent bystander caught up in the fight.
National attention
Albert's death and the disturbing footage of the beating quickly attracted the attention of President Barack Obama, who sent Attorney General Eric Holder and Education Secretary Arne Duncan to the city to meet with Fenger students, parents and administrators. Duncan, the former chief of Chicago Public Schools, said Fenger would receive an emergency grant of about $500,000 for counselors or other programs.
Federal officials also promised support for efforts nationwide to fight youth violence.
In Chicago, Mayor Richard Daley has introduced plans to add more police officers at schools and funding for after-school programs.
A woman who answered the phone at Bailey's home number hung up when contacted Monday for comment.
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Holder: Student beating death 'a wake-up call'
Bailey's family has maintained his innocence, saying he and Albert were friends. They claimed Bailey, a senior at Fenger, wasn't at the fatal fight and police had misidentified him in the video.
"They need to stop the crime, but when they do it, they need to get the right person," said Bailey's aunt, Desiyan Bacon
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