Tag Archives: Pro-Palestinian protesters

When The Sentence Doesn’t Fit The Crime

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On Wednesday, The Daily Caller posted an article about the sentencing of Loay Abdel Fattah Alnaji, who at the time of his crime worked as a professor at Moorpark College in California.

The article reports:

A California college professor who admitted to killing an elderly demonstrator with a megaphone will spend about a year in county jail, far less than the prison term prosecutors sought.

A judge sentenced Loay Abdel Fattah Alnaji, 53, to one year in Ventura County Jail plus two years of felony probation, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office (VCDAO) announced June 30. He had pleaded guilty in May to felony involuntary manslaughter as well as felony battery causing serious bodily injury in the 2023 death of 69-year-old Paul Kessler. Alnaji further admitted that he personally caused great bodily harm and confessed to the two aggravating factors of his use of a weapon and the vulnerability of his victim, according to the DA’s office. Alnaji worked as a professor at Moorpark College at the time of the incident, KTLA5 reported.

The killing traces back to November 2023, when rival protesters gathered around a month after the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war, the outlet reported. Kessler stood with the pro-Israel group while Alnaji was with the pro-Palestinian protesters. Prosecutors said a verbal dispute between Alnaji and Kessler turned physical and Alnaji brought the megaphone down on Kessler’s head. The 69-year-old dropped to the pavement and struck his head, and Alnaji did not flee, according to the DA’s office. He dialed 911 and talked to investigators. Kessler died from his injuries, and deputies arrested Alnaji days afterward, according to the VCDAO.

I suppose it is nice that Alnaji did not flee the scene; however, he hit a man over the head and the man died as a result of that blow. I don’t think a one-year sentence is appropriate. I wonder if the sentence would have been different if he had accidentally killed the man under other circumstances. I can’t help but believe that there is some serious politics involved in this sentence.

The article concludes:

District Attorney Erik Nasarenko responded to the sentence. “Mr. Kessler lost his life in a violent attack that took him from his family and his wife of 43 years,” he said. “Given the circumstances of this case and the death that resulted, we believe a state prison commitment was the appropriate and just sentence.”

Ventura County Superior Court Judge Derek Malan handed Alnaji the deal, The Forward reported. A trial had loomed just days away, with Alnaji facing up to four years behind bars. His lawyer, Ron Bamieh, told the Ventura County Star that Malan saw the case as “two old guys had a dispute and an accident happened.”

Jewish advocacy groups took aim at the sentencing. “It exposes major flaws in the criminal justice system that need to be addressed,” Gerard Filitti, senior counsel at the Lawfare Project, told the Jewish News Syndicate, saying prosecutors did not pursue a hate crime charge.

The outlet identified Kessler as Jewish. Moorpark College placed Alnaji on administrative leave after officials took him into custody and he subsequently bailed himself out, according to the Forward.

The Obvious Contrast

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If you haven’t read the article here titled “Common Sense in the Courtroom,” please read it after you read this article.

On Tuesday, ABC News posted an article about some pro-Palestinian protestors who were arrested for criminal trespassing when creating an encampment at the Art Institute of Chicago.

The article reports:

Dozens of pro-Palestinian protestors walked free Tuesday, after having their charges dropped following their arrests in May.

Now, some local leaders are concerned this sends the wrong message, with the Democratic National Convention just a month away.

It was all hugs after 80 people walked out of the courthouse, free of all charges.

“None of us showed up to be arrested. I didn’t show up to be arrested,” protester Jeffery Sun said. “We’re trying everything we can because of the ongoing genocide in Palestine.”

Sun is one of the 80 protesters whose charges were dropped after being arrested for criminal trespassing when creating an encampment at the Art Institute of Chicago.

The article notes:

“No question that crimes were committed during this illegal encampment, there was criminal trespassing. There was refusal to disperse and follow lawful orders. There was vandalism; there was assault. Several police officers were physically attacked,” 2nd Ward Ald. Brian Hopkins said.

Hopkins said he’s working with the Secret Service and Chicago police to prepare for the Democratic National Convention, where many protests are expected.

“They need to be prosecuted. If we’re not willing to do that, then we as a society are saying we’re willing to let protesters do whatever they want, without regard to the damage that they cause,” Hopkins said.

The fact that the majority of pro-Palestinian protesters have not been held accountable for their actions (which were often violent) is about to come back to bite the Democrats in Chicago. It will also be a problem for the Republicans in Milwaukee, but at least the Republicans can remind people that they do not control the Justice Department.

It is going to be a long summer.

Protesting Is Legal; Civil Disobedience Should Have Consequences

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On April 16th, Townhall posted an article illustrating how the pro-Palestinian protestors that tried to block roads on Monday were treated in Florida.

The article reports:

Pro-Palestinian protesters shut down major bridges, roads, and highways across the United States on Monday, with CNN reporting that over 150 arrests were made. But whether in Chicago, where demonstrators blocked a road to Terminal 1 at O’Hare, or in San Francisco, where protesters brought traffic to a halt on the Golden Gate bridge, there was generally tolerance of the disruptive and dangerous demonstrations by those tasked with upholding law and order.

…Traffic was also affected in two other areas in the Bay area by the protesters, with California Highway Patrol Chief Don Goodbrand saying “it was an orchestrated event.” 

“They blocked three separate locations on freeways. They prevented law enforcement, paramedics, ambulances from getting to their points of destination,” he added. 

The article includes a screenshot of how these protestors were treated in Florida (this is the address if you want to watch the video–  https://twitter.com/i/status/1779976321629565433):

Protesting is legal under the First Amendment; blocking roads and bridges is not.

 

Did You See This In The Mainstream Media?

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The following was posted on Twitter on Saturday. I totally support peaceful protest. I don’t support breaking the law, and I don’t support the unequal application of the law. It will be interesting to see exactly what happens to the people involved in this ‘protest.’ It really does not look like a peaceful protest.