It's Jail Time!

The Democrats' illegal tactics to suppress the Republican vote in Milwaukee and influence the 2004 presidential election are back in the news.

The four Democratic Party workers, the tire slashers of twenty-five rented vans intended to transport voters to the polls on Election Day 2004, are going to jail.

In a bold and highly appropriate move, Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge Michael Brennan threw out the plea deal agreement made in January that would have allowed the four criminals to avoid any jail time.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Calling the vandalism more than harmless hijinks, Brennan admonished the four men, including the sons of two prominent Milwaukee politicians, for disenfranchising voters. The judge said he had received letters from Milwaukee County citizens upset over the crime.

"They see you tampering with something they consider sacred and that’s the ballot box," Brennan said during a two-hour sentencing this morning.

Michael Pratt, 33, and Lewis Caldwell, 29, were each sentenced to six months in jail while Lavelle Mohammad, 36, got five months and Sowande Omokunde, 26, got four months. Each was also fined $1,000. They will be eligible for work release and were allowed to surrender to begin their sentences within two weeks.

Pratt is the son of former Acting Mayor Marvin Pratt and Omokunde is the son of U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.)

..."This case has to be an example of what happens if you interfere in voters' rights," said Brennan.

I agree completely.

The criminal actions of the four men were meant to disenfranchise Milwaukee voters. It would be a major mistake to let them off with a slap on the wrist.

Finally, someone in Milwaukee is doing something to uphold the integrity of elections in the city, and in effect, preserve the value of every citizen's vote.

District Attorney E. Michael McCann and Mayor Tom Barrett have preferred to dismiss the issue of voter irregularities and election corruption, considering it a minimal matter and not worthy of serious attention.

Judge Brennan, on the other hand, determined that he would use his position to ensure that justice was done in the name of protecting the voting rights of Milwaukeeans.

By handing jail sentences to the four criminals, Brennan showed that he would not take part in allowing Milwaukee to remain fertile ground for voter suppression.

He put all other Dem operatives, and Republicans as well, on notice -- DON'T MESS WITH MILWAUKEE'S ELECTIONS.

Outside the courtroom Marvin Pratt shook his head and mentioned the three fired Milwaukee police officers recently acquitted in the Frank Jude Jr. beating.

"Isn’t it funny - in the city of Milwaukee you can beat a man half to death and get exonerated and here you’ve got four men who committed a property crime" and are sentenced to jail, said Pratt said.

Brennan said Pratt and Caldwell got longer terms because they have prior criminal convictions – Pratt was convicted in 1996 in a hazing incident while he was a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater student and Caldwell was convicted of causing injury by drunken driving. Omokunde received the lightest punishment, Brennan said, because of his remorseful remarks to the judge during sentencing.

Omokunde told the judge that the 2004 presidential election sharply divided America but that no matter how divisive the election, no one had the right to commit vandalism.

"As a child I was taught honesty by my family and by my teachers. Your honor, I crossed the line," Omokunde said, as his mother watched from the front row of the courtroom gallery.

Obviously, Omokunde's apology paid off. Although he took part in a crime, he accepted responsibility for his actions and was remorseful. I guess Gwen Moore, other family members, and teachers can be proud of him for that; but I do wonder whether his apology stemmed from sincere regret or a calculated move.

Now, let's examine Pratt's comment.

It is really, really lame on a number of levels.

First, he's playing the race card. That is utterly irresponsible for anyone to do, but particularly for a former elected official and a community leader to pull.

Personally, I'm outraged that at this point no one has been held accountable for the brutal beating of Frank Jude, Jr. Hopefully, federal prosecutor Steve Biskupic will see to it that the individual or individuals responsible for Jude's beating will pay for it.

That, however, is irrelevant to the crimes of Pratt's son and the three others.

Because the three officers were acquitted in the Jude trial, does that mean that others found guilty of crimes should not be penalized appropriately?

Because Jude has not seen justice YET, does that mean that judges should shirk their responsibilities to the public?

Also, the officers are under a federal investigation now. I disagree with Pratt's claim that they've been "exonerated." The case is far from closed.

It's disturbing that Pratt is passing off what his son and Gwen Moore's son and the other two did as some sort of minor property crime.

Slashing the tires of twenty-five vans intended to take Republican voters to the polls is not a minor offense.

It's voter suppression.

As the former Acting Mayor of Milwaukee, Pratt's reaction to his son's sentence is disgraceful.

Maybe the jail time is just what that little prankster Michael Pratt needs to keep him from getting involved in the disenfranchisement of voters again.