Share this page!

Rebecca Kavanagh Profile picture
Twitter logo
17 Apr, 5 tweets, 2 min read
It would have been helpful if @andersoncooper had pointed out that Charles Morgan is a professional expert witness for the defense, not an unbiased academic observer.

The professor gets paid to testify that stress justifies police officers killing Black and Brown people.
In 2016, Dr. Morgan argued that stress caused Tulsa County Sheriff's deputy Robert Bates to grab his gun instead of his taser and shoot 44-year-old Eric Harris, who was Black.

tulsaworld.com/news/local/cri…
In that case, Bates was charged with manslaughter. After he shot Mr. Harris with his gun, according to the Tulsa County Sheriff's office, he immediately said, "Oh, I shot him! I'm sorry" (sounds familiar).

Ultimately he was sentenced to 4 years in prison.
Seriously, either @CNN is not properly vetting their guests or they are not being transparent with their reporting. Either way this ends up being police propaganda rather than journalism.
Oh and this:

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
　

Keep Current with Rebecca Kavanagh

Rebecca Kavanagh Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @DrRJKavanagh

Rebecca Kavanagh Profile picture
17 Apr
In New York, the model jury instructions directing jurors not to draw any negative inference from the fact that a defendant didn't testify, don't mention the 5th amendment.

I feel like this is helpful where in popular culture, people conflate "pleading the 5th" with guilt. Image
Also, in my experience, in New York, the judge will always question the person on trial about their decision whether to testify outside the presence of the jury.

Again, I think this is helpful in not causing the jury to speculate about why the decision was made.
People still do, and I will always address it, together with the prosecution having the burden of proof, during jury selection.

A lot of people say they don't feel they can be fair and impartial jurors unless they hear from the defendant and they can then be excused for cause.
Read 4 tweets
Rebecca Kavanagh Profile picture
15 Apr
People need to stop with the hot takes on why someone wouldn't testify on their own behalf at trial.

It has nothing to do with guilt and everything to do with the prosecutor having the burden of proof.

Most criminal defense attorneys rarely put a client on the stand.
People have this idea that the person on trial should tell "their side of the story" but that's not how it works. It's not a "both sides" thing.

The prosecutor always has the burden. The defense doesn't even have to put on a case or cross examine prosecution witnesses.
And there are so many things that can go wrong when someone takes the stand that have nothing to do with a person's credibility.

Some people are just not good witnesses - maybe they are not confident, or not likeable, or speak in a way that is confusing.
Read 5 tweets
Rebecca Kavanagh Profile picture
15 Apr
David Fowler, who today testified for Chauvin's defense, is being sued by Antwon Black's family for covering up police responsibility for his death.

Like George Floyd, Fowler found then 19-year-old Antwon died of cardiac arrhythmia caused by heart disease.theintercept.com/2021/04/04/der…
"The determination in Black’s case was part of a broader pattern of the medical examiner’s office relying on police narratives in cases involving deaths in custody, the complaint on behalf of the Black family argues."
Antwon Black died in eerily similar circumstances to George Floyd. "Both were unarmed. Both were pinned to the ground by multiple officers and said they were afraid of dying at the hands of police. Both cried out for their mothers. And both were ignored until it was too late."
Read 4 tweets
Rebecca Kavanagh Profile picture
14 Apr
It's interesting how prosecutors always overcharge cases, except when it comes to White cops who kill Black people.

They charged Mohamed Noor with 2nd Degree Murder (he was convicted of 3rd).

Potter's conduct easily makes out Murder in the 3rd Degree.
thedailybeast.com/kim-potter-vet…
Murder in the 3rd degree requires that a person acted recklessly. Manslaughter in the 2nd requires that a person acted negligently.

I don't know about you, but I think a 26-year veteran of the police force shooting someone in broad daylight is pretty reckless.
In charging Potter with Manslaughter in the 2nd, prosecutors are essentially buying her argument that she mistook her taser for a gun.

Prosecutors do not normally believe what a defendant says.
Read 10 tweets
Rebecca Kavanagh Profile picture
10 Apr
Matt Loughery, the photographer who manipulated images of Khmer Rouge victims to make it appear they were smiling, did the same thing to old mug shots, was interviewed by the same journalist, and @VICE published that article two weeks ago. vice.com/en/article/pkd…
Here are those original photos. sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/justice-police…
This is the story from today.
Read 7 tweets
Rebecca Kavanagh Profile picture
10 Apr
This is an absolutely appalling denigration of the victims of the Khmer Rouge genocide.
It appears the journalist who wrote the @vice story didn't even look at the original S21 photos to understand the photographer, Matt Loughrey, had not just colourised them but also changed them to make the victims appear to be smiling. vice.com/en/article/y3d…
Even more mind-blowing, when he is asked a question about the fact that some victims are smiling (again the interviewer has apparently not compared the original photographs) Loughrey says this:
Read 8 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

Like this author's thread?

Get emails when @DrRJKavanagh has new unrolls!

Check out other threads from @DrRJKavanagh!

Read all threads by @DrRJKavanagh