I don't know Sim Gill, but I
spent a few years working with his dad. His father is a good man. I know
many of the leaders of the Sikh temple in Utah.
I think Chad Bennion is badly referring to what Sim himself has said,
but not doing a great job of doing it, or the press is not connecting
the dots.
http://voicesofutah.wordpress.com/2012/03/08/from-india-to-district-attorney-sim-gill-fights-for-salt-lake-county/
(from that account)
Gill, 52, spoke in a faint Indian accent of a formative moment from
his youth, to a classroom of 13 students recently at the University of
Utah. At the age of “eight or nine” in his native India, Gill said, he
witnessed the brutal beating of a man accused of stealing jewelry from a
neighbor’s home, and in the end, the beating of an innocent man.
“That left a very strong impression on me,” Gill said, “that when you
have that authority, when you have that power, when you have that
capacity to alter and impact people’s lives, you have to really use that
with a great level of deference and responsibility.”
I believe Utah has seen a large problem from Ogden to other places in the state of
an abuse of power by a few members of the police, based on the 4th
amendment and state law. I have no problem with Sim Gill calling them on
it.
Update:
Lisa Riley Roche, Deseret News/KSL
re:
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865584932/State-GOP-supporting-county-party-chairmans-comments-about-district-attorney.html
I felt like you were clear on Chad. Thanks.
What isn't as clear on the quote you have from me is that I didn't think that Chad was being racist, but others have believed that.
If you have time, perhaps you could add a couple of clarifying words.
"by others"
Fred Cox, a member of the state party's central committee, said Bennion's comments have been interpreted [by others] as "trying to use Sim's ethic background as one of the reasons he is a 'cop hater.'"
While Cox, a former West Valley City lawmaker, said there needs to be a discussion about whether Gill is trying to protect against a police state by leaning "too far in the other direction," Bennion's comments may be hurting the party.
"He's coming across as being angry," Cox said. "Instead of remaining on the attack, in my mind what he should have done is make sure people understood what his intent was."
Cox and other Salt Lake County Republicans said party members may discuss Bennion at next month's county central committee meeting, but it's not clear there's support for taking action against him.
Thanks again,
Fred C. Cox
Update2:
The reporter did a good job of clarifying that Chad Bennion was quoting
Sim Gill re: an experience sim had as a 8 or 9 year old. I am less
impressed with some of the quotes by others. Especially mine. I was very
clear that I felt Bennion was not trying to pull in ethnic race but some
were interpreting it or reporting that way. We do need to focus on if
Sim Gill is pushing the pendulum too far. It is also obvious that we do
need some balance. Sim Gill should provide some balance. We don't need a
police state.
Update 3:
I
don't believe Sim's experience when his was 8 or 9 is a liability for
his current office, nor do I believe he is a cop hater. I do wonder if
all the over 100 West Valley City cases should have been tossed the way they were or if more could have been saved. If you have someone breaking into
neighborhoods and they are caught, and then let them off the hook, it is a
pretty big deal.
Update 4:
As a member of the Utah House of Representatives for the years 2011 and 2012, I
voted to remove DUI check points as a 4th amendment violation, voted to
fix the problem with police arresting the legal carry of guns under
disturbing the peace, and helped stop AG Mark Shurtleff's "clean up
bill" 3 times in the House Judicial Standing Committee (it was voted on twice and the 3rd idea didn't get enough support to be put on the agenda) that would have allowed police arresting someone without a
warrant with only probable cause for class B and C misdemeanors. (what I felt was further amending our 4th amendment US Constitutional rights)
I have
tried to listen to and be fair to both sides.
