ALL-WHITE Jury Chosen to hear Racially Motivated Beating of Black Man by Milwaukee Police
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Officers' lawyers defend removal of Black & Latino women
An all-white jury of 10 women and five men was chosen Tuesday to hear the case of three former Milwaukee police officers charged in the beating of Frank Jude Jr., over the strong objections of Milwaukee County District Attorney E. Michael McCann, who wanted a more diverse panel.
Defendants Jon Bartlett, Daniel Masarik and Andrew Spengler are white. Jude, who is Black says he was subjected to racial slurs during the attack October 2004 in the street outside a party for off-duty officers at Spengler's house in Bay View. Two African-American women were among the final 33 jurors being considered. Defense attorneys said they eliminated the women because one was inattentive and the other couldn't hear well. Defense attorneys noted prosecutors removed two Hispanic women. Circuit Judge David Hansher considered starting the selection over with a different pool of prospective jurors or forcing the two black jurors on the jury. Ultimately, he found the defense's reasons for striking the women from the panel were valid and allowed the jury to be seated. "It looks bad to the public; it would be an all-white jury," Hansher said as he heard arguments about the issues outside the presence of the jury panel. McCann said. "I do not think we have a fair panel." [more] and [more] and [more]
