Write This One Down, Paul Bucher Deserves Some Credit
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| Also listed in: LGBT Wisconsin |
Today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that two firefighters have plead in a case involving their victimization of an African American man that they found fishing in Waukesha County last year. It is reported that the two men were drunk and that they threatened the victim with both a gun and a German Shepherd and repeatedly used a racial epithet. The Waukesha County District Attorney, Paul Bucher, charged both men for their underlying crimes as well as a hate crime enhancer.
Bucher a conservative Republican deserves credit for charging these men with the hate crime enhancer. The same can not be said for the Democrat DA from neighboring Milwaukee County. It has been very clear that E. Michael McCann has a problem with the hate crime statutes because although there have been clear hate crimes committed, he has never actually applied that law. It has often annoyed me to see him ignore this specific statute because of his personal problem with it. I have often said that if he does not like a law that he should lobby against it with lawmakers. A District Attorney is responsible for enforcing the law as it stands not using only statutes with which he agrees.
I have no idea what Waukesha DA Paul Bucher's personal opinion is about the hate crime enhancer. If I had to guess, given that he is a conservative Republican, I'd assume that he has a problem with it. Even if he does, he did the right thing in this case by separating his own personal and ideological feelings about the enhancer and held the defendants accountable to the law, all of it, not just the parts that he likes. Hopefully the new Milwaukee County DA will follow that example, at least when it comes to prosecuting hate crimes.
Bucher a conservative Republican deserves credit for charging these men with the hate crime enhancer. The same can not be said for the Democrat DA from neighboring Milwaukee County. It has been very clear that E. Michael McCann has a problem with the hate crime statutes because although there have been clear hate crimes committed, he has never actually applied that law. It has often annoyed me to see him ignore this specific statute because of his personal problem with it. I have often said that if he does not like a law that he should lobby against it with lawmakers. A District Attorney is responsible for enforcing the law as it stands not using only statutes with which he agrees.
I have no idea what Waukesha DA Paul Bucher's personal opinion is about the hate crime enhancer. If I had to guess, given that he is a conservative Republican, I'd assume that he has a problem with it. Even if he does, he did the right thing in this case by separating his own personal and ideological feelings about the enhancer and held the defendants accountable to the law, all of it, not just the parts that he likes. Hopefully the new Milwaukee County DA will follow that example, at least when it comes to prosecuting hate crimes.
