HispanicVista Columnists
Rules of Engagement: Cop criminals
-
By
Raoul Lowery Contreras/HispanicVista.com - February 8, 2007
Rules
of Engagement: Cop criminals
By Raoul Lowery Contreras
February 8, 2007
There is a minor disturbance floating around the American homeland that is
roiling the waters of those among us who hate Mexicans, hate immigrants and
love swaggering badge-wearing, gun-toting bullies. It swirls around two
former Border Patrol Agents, Jose Alonso Compean and Ignacio Ramos and an
alleged marijuana smuggler, Mexican Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila.
Fact: Last year, Agent Compean noticed Aldrete-Davila driving a van in a
remote area adjacent to the Rio Grande River between Texas and Mexico. He
thought the driver was suspicious. He radioed for help. Agent Ramos
responded along with other agents.
Fact: Realizing that he was being followed, Aldrete-Davila abandoned the van
and ran towards the river and Mexico. Agent Compean headed him off and tried
to subdue the Mexican.
Fact: Another Agent present testified that Aldrete-Davila stopped running,
raised his hands and tried to surrender. Agent Compean told this same story
to investigators early in the case.
Fact: Rather than arrest and handcuff the Mexican, Agent Compean tried to
wack Aldrete-Davila in the head with his shotgun. Aldrete-Davila took off
again for the border. Other Border Patrol agents present so testified.
Normal arrest procedure is to order the suspect down on the ground sp they
can be handcuffed, not to slam a suspect on the head with a shotgun.
Fact: Ramos testified in court that he heard "shots" and saw Compean on the
"ground." Aldrete-Davila continued his dash for the border. Ramos testified
that he saw "something shiny" in Aldrete-Davila’s hands and thought it was a
gun. He commenced firing his weapon at the fleeing Mexican. He fired 15
times.
Fact: Aldrete-Davila was struck by one of Ramo’s bullets in the ass.
Fact: Agents Ramos and Compean cleaned up the area of shell casings and did
not report the incident.
Fact: Agents Ramos and Compean were charged with various felonies including
the use of a firearm during a nnnon-violent crime.
Fact: Agents Ramos and Compean were convicted after a three-week trial by a
jury of 12 Texans and sent to prison for 11 and 12 years.
These facts were all brought out in the trial, prosecuted by United States
Attorney Johnny Sutton (appointed by President Bush in 2001). The jury chose
to believe the other Border Patrol agents on the scene who testified and the
statements of Compean and Ramos that indicated they were totally guilty.
Smarmy, self-serving testimony by Ramos and Compean was rejected by the
jury. In a word, the jury believed both Ramos and Compean -- LIED.
Fiction: Ramos and Compean are "heroes." So say CNN "newscaster" and
commentator Lou Dobbs and the World Net Daily, edited by Arab American
Joseph Farrah. So say radio talk show hosts around the country who are
beating the drums for a Presidential pardon of these two convicted felons.
Big Lie Fiction: For example, San Diego’s former Mayor, Roger Hedgecock
beats the issue to death every day. He should know about juries not
believing self-serving testimonial lies by criminal defendants because he
was convicted of 13 counts of felony lying and run out of the San Diego
Mayor’s office on the same day that 12 tried and true jurors voted him
guilty. Hedgecock, Ramos and Compean make a good trifecta of convicted lying
felons.
Immunity for Aldrete-Davila and two Border Patrol Agents: The fact U.S.
Attorney Sutton gave immunity to the Mexican Aldrete-Davila means nothing.
Why, as a grant of immunity could actually only be conferred by a judge and
only with permission of a Senate confirmed officer in the Justice Department
at a much higher pay grade than that of Johnny Sutton. In fact, it would not
surprise this writer if the Attorney General himself gave approved the
immunity and the prosecution of Ramos and Compean. Sutton also granted
immunity from prosecution to two Border Patrol agents who were on the scene
and testified against Ramos and Compean. Critics fail to mention this fact
when they complain that these men are "heroes" when, in fact, they are
nothing more than criminals.
Aldrete-Davila: Neither Ramos nor Compean nor any other Border Patrol Agent
knew that Aldrete-Davila was smuggling marijuana in his van when they
stopped him. No one knew that Aldrete-Davila was in country illegally when
he was stopped. In other words, these agents had nothing but a fleeting
suspicion that Alfrete-Davila was guilty of something other than looking
Mexican, they had no proof whatsoever. They certainly had no proof that
Adlrete-Davila had committed a crime with a death penalty attached, nor did
he endanger any agent, according to testimony of other agents present at the
scene.
We must ask this: Should felons wearing badges and guns and collecting their
paychecks from the taxpayer be allowed to roam around free when they,
themselves, violate the law? Should we permit swaggering gun-bearing thugs
to shoot at people willy-nilly without any danger to themselves or others in
direct violation of the "rules of engagement" for every law enforcement
officer in the country?
The answers are no, thugs wearing badges must be sent to prison. Former
Border Patrol Agents Ramos and Compean are convicted criminals who must
serve their terms in prison. Now, comes the case of a Texas Deputy Sheriff
who fired many shots at a fleeing car and wounded a woman passenger. He
claims the driver tried to run him over. Fine, but why shoot at a car
driving away?
Contreras' books, THE ILLEGAL ALIEN: A DAGGER INTO THE HEART OF AMERICA and A HISPANIC VIEW OF AMERICAN POLITICS AND THE POLITICS OF IMMIGRATION are available at www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com