‘Restorative justice’, probation: Corrine Brown’s sentencing goal
Corrine Brown is trying (again) to stay out of prison.

CBC

When it comes to proper sentencing for 18 felony counts related to wire and mail fraud, tax evasion, and fallacious financial disclosures, the feds may want prison, but Corrine Brown wants “restorative justice.”

A 19-page sentencing memorandum, one which may have benefited from a robust round of copy editing, contends that Brown’s good works should exonerate her — and that any rhetorical excesses that Brown may have made were the fault of a racist criminal justice system and media.

“Corrine Brown respectfully requests that this Court show mercy and compassion and impose a term or probation [SIC]. Brown’s over forty years of dedicated public service, her age, her health, and a comparison of other public integrity cases with her case justify a sentence of probation. The interests of justice would not be served by imposing a sentence of imprisonment,” the memo asserts.

The feds want prison for at least seven years, but Brown’s attorney says that would be “warehousing” Brown, stopping her from doing “what she does best” — “helping people.”

Cynics may scoff at that given that Brown was convicted of benefiting over the course of four calendar years from collecting donations for a charity to help poor children but traveling and shopping off the money.

“Restorative justice,” writes Brown’s attorney, would allow the city to make use of Brown’s “talents.”

The memo justifies Brown’s attacks on the FBI for investigating her instead of stopping the PULSE killings against the backdrop of “smear campaigns” against Martin Luther King and Malcolm X “and every other leader of the civil rights movement,”

“This reflexive fear of the FBI is like muscle memory,” Brown’s attorney asserts.

As well, “racism” has imposed its own sentence on Brown via media coverage and comment threads.

“Coverage of Corrine Brown in the local news has been particularly harsh, with many news outlets reverting to racially charged headlines and reporting,” the memo asserts. “Just a cursory look at the public comments sections on news websites reveals just how many racists still take every opportunity to insult her and other prominent African American politicians.”

Note to Corrine Brown: NEVER read the comments.

Strong family ties and a lack of ability to hold public office again are also cited as deterrents.

Sentencing is set for Thursday.

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has written for FloridaPolitics.com since 2014. He is based in Northeast Florida. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


7 comments

  • victor peel

    November 11, 2017 at 6:29 am

    Put her in jail and STOP with the dumb ideas because she did the crime now do the time

  • Seber Newsome III

    November 11, 2017 at 8:44 am

    She wants justice? Justice would be for her to go to prison for a long time. Ask yourselves, if this was you or me, what kind of sentence would we get? Prison time is what we would get. She deserves more than we would get because she represented the people. She was suppose to be a role model. Well she wasn’t. She was a crook. Dont do the crime if. you cant do the time is what Baretta use to say.

    • Steve

      November 11, 2017 at 12:03 pm

      I agree completely!
      The judge would not hesitate to throw the book at us; she should be no different

  • Frankie M.

    November 11, 2017 at 6:31 pm

    Restorative justice was all the rage under superintendent Vitti? Why not now?? At the end of the day who benefits from putting a 70 year old behind bars? If that were the case both Trump & Hillary would be sharing a cell but thank goodness for restorative justice. It teaches 7 & 70 year olds the same thing—-there are no consequences for your actions just a slap on the wrist. ‘Murica!

  • Stebe

    November 11, 2017 at 10:44 pm

    The best thing for society is to put this corrupt politician in jail. Liberalism requires a double standard. Don’t give her one.

  • Diane

    November 12, 2017 at 2:52 pm

    Brown should do jail time – she needs a good dose of humility – but the punishment should be consistent with that given to white men who have committed the same crimes.

  • Grace Swift

    November 13, 2017 at 2:30 pm

    What was going thru your mind as you were trading a BLACK YOUTH’S education for a LOUIS VITTON handbag? Did it even matter to you that a young Black Man or Woman would still be living in Section 8 Housing, or on the street instead of becoming a Doctor or an Engineer? Did you feel that hurting and stealing a higher education from a Black child was less harmful because you are a Richer, Black, educated Black woman, stealing rather than a White individual. Were you ever mindful even once that the reason for that particular organization was for advancing a Black child who was depending on you to do what perhaps a White person wasn’t willing to do? Did it ever occur to you that if that Black person had received an education he wouldn’t be facing a life sentence in prison for Bank Robbery or killed by an abusive police officer. Over all those years of stealing money from an organization that was founded to assist in educating African American students did you ever consider the fact that when you leave the office of Jacksonville, Florida that your place in that office could have been filled by another Black man or woman who would assist in advancing the good of that city. Does your “Restorative Justice” include selling your comfortable home and returning the full amount of the proceeds to offset what you stole from others? Does your “Restorative Justice” include all your retirement fund going towards replacing what you stole from those Black children. Does preventing any of your off springs from a college education (as you’ve done for other Black families) work towards your “Restorative Justice request? Oh, are you one of these people who feel that Black on Black crime is not as harsh or serious as White on Black crime? So, are you saying that since the White Man stole from the Black Man, you can do it too because it don’t matter as much? Oh, did you say, ” They should look at the crime of the Whites and allow you to steal from your own, after all we’re “just” Blacks, so it’s okay for you to slip right on by”. Or do you feel that since the White Man stole from the Black’s you learned it from them? So maybe you were assisting all the people in Jacksonville, Florida but just not the Black Youth. Well, truth is with the BLACK families and children YOU have defrauded and all the Blacks who feel you should “get by” like the White Folks… I’m wondering now, will we ever identify and have empathy for our own people because we understand the struggle? DO BLM? Do BLM to Corrine Brown?

Comments are closed.


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