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Hold elected officials to higher standards
It is not enough that Judge Persky followed the law in the Brock Turner case, as those opposed to his recall often remind us. He is an elected judge. We have every right to demand that our elected judges not only follow the law, but do so fairly. We must hold our elected officials to higher standards than the low baseline of staying within the parameters of what is legal.
The people of Santa Clara County deserve judges who take violence against women and children seriously. By voting to recall Judge Persky, we are demanding that our justice system provide actual justice, and that elite offenders such as Brock Turner face consequences proportionate to the seriousness of their crimes.
I absolutely plan to vote yes to recall Judge Persky on June 5, and I encourage my neighbors to join me.
Adolpha Cole
San Jose
Mandatory minimums not the solution
Following Brock Turner’s sentencing, legislators instituted a new mandatory minimum for his crime. Judge Persky so abused his discretion that the laws were changed to take that discretionary power away from judges.
But mandatory minimums are not the solution. In 2014, the National Academy of Sciences released a study exploring the causes of mass incarceration and concluded that mandatory minimums are one of its central drivers.
Neither the Recall Persky Campaign nor any members of its leadership team endorsed or lobbied for this change. There is no need to tie the hands of judges who use their judicial discretion justly.
We are not advocating for lengthy prison sentences, mass incarceration, or mandatory minimums. We are asking that people in elected positions of power in our community not abuse that power to perpetuate a culture of impunity for privileged sex offenders.
On June 5, please vote to recall Judge Persky.
Nicole Bratz
Committee to Recall Judge Persky co-chair
Persky unfit to be a judge
Our elected officials should represent their voters’ values, and should be held accountable for how they measure up to that task. Judge Persky’s sentencing of less than the minimum sentence for Stanford swimmer Brock Turner for attempted rape, because it was an “unusual” case, demonstrates a level of bias that makes him unfit to be a judge. This is only one of several instances where Persky has demonstrated concerningly lenient judgment for serious offenders of sex crimes and gender-based violence, particularly for those of privileged status.
The argument to retain Judge Persky in order to maintain judicial independence does not stand for me because he is an elected official and thus subject to recall. Considering his history, I am exercising my right and voting to recall Judge Persky on June 5.
Mingming Caressi
Palo Alto
Enough is enough
Women make up 50 percent of the population of Santa Clara County. When the damage perpetrators do to women is treated as if it pales in comparison to the damage that holding them accountable for their actions might cause them, we must stand up and assert that enough is enough. We do not need to tolerate crimes committed against us being treated as if they don’t matter.
Judge Persky has claimed that public confidence in the judiciary will be harmed if we successfully recall him, but I and the nearly 100,000 voters who signed the petition to put his recall on the ballot disagree. The six-month sentence that Judge Persky gave to former Stanford swimmer Brock Turner for assaulting an unconscious woman has done immeasurable damage to women’s confidence in the fairness or efficacy of our judicial system.
Please vote yes to recall Judge Persky.
Phuong Thao Macleod
San Jose
Women deserve better
In January 2015, Brock Turner was caught in the act of attempting to rape an unconscious woman behind a dumpster.
In March 2016, a 12-person jury unanimously convicted Turner of all three felonies he was charged with intent to commit rape of an intoxicated or unconscious person, sexual penetration of an intoxicated person, and sexual penetration of an unconscious person.
In June 2016, Judge Persky gave Brock Turner a six-month jail sentence and three years of probation. Legally speaking, to dip below the statutory minimum of two years in prison, Persky had to argue that this was an “unusual case where the interest of justice would best be served” by granting probation.
I do not support Persky’s recall out of animosity toward Turner or Persky. I support Persky’s recall because women deserve better.
The status quo has to change. Please vote yes to recall Persky.
Kim Noll
San Jose
Trinity homeless shelter
A homeless shelter was opened at the Trinity United Methodist Church (“With city shelter closed, for many there’s no place to go,” May 4) in Mountain View between Christmas and April 15, 2018. This shelter was dedicated for single women and children.
I volunteered there to serve dinners. Most guests shared their horrible stories, (saying) they were abused physically and mentally. A mother and daughter had no place to go they actually own a condominium here in Mountain View and their tenants refused to move, and thus, the landlady and her daughter had to go to the homeless shelter. They were very appreciative for this safe and warm environment for the winter while it’s cold and raining outside.
The staff from HomeFirst is amazing. They not only demonstrated professionalism in their work, they also showed compassion and empathy. They all went above and beyond the call of duty, always listening to the guests and accommodating their needs to their best ability. There was one dinner without vegetables after all dishes were opened; the staff purchased a vegetable dish immediately from a local restaurant to ensure they had vegetables with other foods.
Thank you! The Trinity United Methodist Church was generous enough to provide its space for this good cause. County of Santa Clara provided the necessary funding for this program. This is a very worthwhile project and a valuable lesson for volunteers from all walks of life corporate sponsors, high school students, regular employees and retired residents. Hopefully, this shelter will open again in winter 2018.
Rae Tso
Centre Street
Signature gatherers
Abusive paid signature gatherers alert! Inform police when they become intimidating!
Our city of Mountain View has become overrun with paid signature gatherers asking people to sign a deceptive petition that is designed to repeal all renter protections in Mountain View. Paid by the California Apartment Association, these signature gatherers are usually aggressive, and even abusive or threatening if you decline to sign their sneaky repeal petition, according to many reports coming in from all areas of our city.
The Mountain View police want you to report these abuses or threats. Call the non-emergency number for the MVPD at 650-903-6395, with a description of the offender and their location or direction that they are moving.
Steve Chandler
Sierra Vista Avenue
RV dwellers
So, what if they were you? There but for the grace of God go I. It, homelessness, can happen to any of us. East Palo Alto is starting a safe park lot and so should Mountain View. That RV dweller could be our mother/father, your sister/brother.
Morris Chubb
Springer Road
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Gee, MV Voice, you are displaying an overwhelming editorial bias in favor of the recall in printing only letters from its supporters this week. An embarrassing display of pandering.
Unlike these letter-writers, I don’t believe that a judge is supposed to sentence a defendant to satisfy a public whim or send a message to others. A judge’s sentence should be targeted toward that particular individual, and should take into account only the law and the facts, not some media spin. Recall supporters claim that Persky is biased because he didn’t do what they wanted him to do – be biased for their side, stand with them, wave a flag, send a message. They seem not to understand the concept of neutrality. Multiple outside reviews of his record show no evidence of bias (Commission on Judicial Performance, Santa Clara County Bar Association, AP News). The Mercury News also discounted the allegations of bias. The Turner sentence was in line with the independent recommendation of the probation office. And yet they keep saying he’s biased because he’s not with them.
Vote NO on the recall.
Vote NO on the Recall
Most of these anti-Pesky letters currently published in the Voice are straight from the SJ Mercury News. Judge Persky followed the rule of law, and among other requirements, he followed the voter initiative to consider probation for first-time offenders, and he considered both sides, as he is required to do. Then he followed the recommendation of the Probation Department, whose job is to conduct a thorough investigation, including interviews, and devise a recommended sentence.
Uninformed people seem to think that the longer the sentence, the quicker the victim will heal, and the more righteous the offender will become–but studies refute these myths. Longer sentences don’t help the victim heal faster, and longer sentences actually breed anger and lead to increased recidivism.
Brock Turner was handed stiff sentencing; 6 months in jail, probation for 3 years, rehab, and a life sentence as a registered sex offender. The sex offender designation is a life-altering sentence, especially for a young man, who will now have a very difficult time finding a job, face minimal educational opportunities, face restrictions where he may live, require re-registration every three months for the rest of his life even when he’s a senior citizen, and he’ll undergo a multitude of other restrictions for the remainder of his life.
Turner and Emily Doe were both highly intoxicated. Turner claims consent, and Emily Doe can’t recall a thing. DNA was negative for rape.
Having read the “People v. Brock Allen Turner” court documents, the Commission on Judicial Performance report which cleared Judge Persky of bias and wrongdoing, and other valid documents, I am voting NO on the recall.
The pro-recall letter writers show bias and present false information.
Adolpha Coles talks of elite offenders, and Nicole Bratz asks that elected officials not abuse power “to perpetuate a culture of impunity for privileged sex offenders.”
Phuong Thao Macleod speaks only of Turner’s 6-month sentence, completely omitting the probation, rehab, and the worst sentence of all—Turner’s life-time sexual offender registration. Kim Noll only speaks of a six-month jail sentence and probation, and also omits the worst sentence, Turner’s life-time sex offender designation.
Ms. Caressi falsely states, “This is only one of several instances where Persky has demonstrated concerningly lenient judgment for serious offenders of sex crimes and gender-based violence, particularly for those of privileged status.”
The aforementioned ladies are wrong. Nobody, including Judge Persky, is perpetuating a culture of immunity for privileged sex offenders. Brock turner was raised in a middle-class neighborhood, and his mother is as nurse—no privilege here.
According to the Commission on Judicial Performance, Judge Persky’s decisions “do not provide clear and convincing evidence to support the contention that Judge Persky’s decisions reflect personal bias in favor of white criminal defendants and/or more privileged criminal defendants, or that he takes crimes involving violence against women less seriously.” Additionally, the Santa Clara County Bar Association and the Associated Press, which conducted its own independent investigation, found no evidence of bias.
So ladies, please stick to the truth.
It’s very clear that Persky should be recalled. Judicial independence has its limits. If the decisions by a judge are abhorrent to the general public, then an appropriate check and balance should be a recall.
The pattern of bias is clear, even if many of his judicial brethren choose to ignore it.
Wow. Quite a string of letters in favor of the recall. Nice letter-writing campaign. But here is my question for recallers: How many Superior Court judges in Santa Clara County (out of some 80) would likely have sent Brock Turner to state prison? Women comprise a third of the local bench. Retired Judge LaDoris Cordell has said repeatedly that none of the judges would have sent Turner to prison. Assuming, for the moment, that Judge Cordell is right (or close to right) about that, why did the recallers not recruit any attorneys to run against any of the 25 judges up for election this year? 25 judges just got “elected” to (new) 6-year terms in this county by default when no one ran against them. Is that how judges may be held accountable? When they run unopposed?
Persky gave a sentence in line with the law and the recommendations of the other professionals dealing with Turner. He did what he is supposed to do – base his decision on the merits of the case, not who the people involved are.
The fact that this became a high-profile case means nothing. What we do NOT need is a judge giving harsher sentences to certain defendants because of who they are or because the public has decided to try that defendant in the court of public opinion. Do you REALLY want a judge deciding his cases based on who the litigants are?
If you think the laws aren’t harsh enough, then lobby to change them. It is not up to the judge to change the law. We have a whole branch of government dedicated to doing just that. Talk to your congressperson about harsher laws for crime. But keep in mind that it isn’t okay to decide later that the law is too harsh because you like the defendant.
NO Recall