Sara Jane Olson and 2 Systems of Justice

Former Symbionese Liberation Army member Sarah Jane Olson was paroled today, Tuesday, and, despite very bitter opposition from the LAPPL–the police union—she was given permission to travel to Minnesota to serve out her parole term. Minnesota is where her family resides. (I wrote extensively on the Olson issue last March, all of which you can find here.)

The union has been protesting this parole transfer for weeks. Here’s a clip from Tuesday’s statement:

“The unions representing the police officers of Los Angeles and St. Paul, as well as the governor of Minnesota, all asked that Ms. Soliah remain in California,” Weber said. “It is not enough to simply send her off to another state and hope for the best – to hope authorities in Minnesota carry out the wishes of people they are not accountable to. “

“It was a California mother of four she was convicted of murdering. It was Los Angeles police officers she attempted to blow up,” he said. “We continue to believe that the community she targeted with her crimes retains the right to ensure she complies with the terms of her parole.”

Look, just to be clear: I don’t for a minute think that Sara Jane Olson is a threat to public safety. And, yes of course, I think it’s better for her family to have their mother back. She is not the reckless young woman she was when she committed the crimes of which she was convicted. We understand that she was a productive and law-abiding member of her community for many years before she was apprehended in 1999. (See more back story here.)

ALL THAT SAID, I’m still entirely with the union on this—although for slightly different reasons than the ones they list.

I think Sara Jane Olson should have to stay put because this is another instance of the hideous inequality of our justice system. Olson is a nice, appealing, middle-aged white woman and mother—-who participated in some terrible crimes that killed another mother, and could have killed some police officers. It is just blind luck that several LAPD cops—likely family men too— were not killed by the bombs she and her cronies planted. (See back story.) For this crime she served a mere seven years on a 12-year sentence. And now is able to spend her years on parole in the state of her choosing.

Yet, over and over again I see young men of color sent away for decades for crimes of far lesser magnitude in which no one was injured. When they get out on parole, they usually can’t even get their paroles transferred to Riverside—if that’s what they need to be out of harm’s way, get a job and be with their families—-much less Minnesota.

Had those same young men been convicted of participating in a murder, plus attempts on the lives of multiple police officers, they would be serving several consecutive life terms in a maximum security level 4 prison.

At best.

TO FURTHER PROVE MY POINT.... I notice that on Monday, Anna Nicole Smith’s lawyer and her two doctors—each of whom is charged with 8 felonies—- just bailed themselves out, their bails set at $20,000 each. These are folks whom AG Jerry Brown intends to nail for illegally supplying Anna Nicole with the prescription drugs that kept her in a stupor for most of her waking hours, and eventually killed her. If they are convicted they will serve a maximum of six years.

Now remember, not only were they breaking the law, someone DIED as a result of their lawbreaking.

So….why is it that their bails were set at $20,000—which meant that they could each bail out for a piddling bail fee of $2,000? (In case you are unfamiliar, bail bondsmen require 10 percent fee, an amount that one loses, whether one is proved innocent or guilty).

Meanwhile, I can think of a dozen guys who were arrested for lessor charges than Smith’s doctors and lawyer, but whose bails were ten times that of drug pushing white folks. For instance, one guy I know was arrested for selling a $20 piece of rock cocaine, and his bail was set for….are you ready? $250,000. This meant that while he was awaiting trial he lost his job and his kids suffered terribly from having their dad away.

Finally after spending six and a half months behind bars waiting to go to trial, the judge lowered the bail to $125,000. He managed to borrow money from family and friends, and found a bail bondsman who was a friend of a friend, who agreed to lower the fee to 8 percent, and to accept time payments, and thus eventually bailed himself out for $10,000.

Later the prosecutor dropped all charges because the evidence against the guy was slim and, as it turned out, largely manufactured. (Yes, I have proof.) But the guy was still was out the ten grand. It didn’t matter that he was a working man with a family trying to turn his life around and do right by his kids. He was a former Latino gang member with a record….

….not a nice white upstreet professional who helped kill a woman.

There are two justice systems in America. And it’s not okay.

So, until that changes, if it was up to me, Sara Jane Olson’s butt could bloody well just stay in California.

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NOTE: The real truth is, I have nothing against Sara Jane Olson going to Minnesota. Like many former gang members I know, she has clearly demonstrated that she is much better person than the worst thing she ever did. I merely resent the double standard.

The trio who helpfully crammed pathetic Anna Nicole Smith full of drugs, however, are another matter.