[Ppnews] Alex Sanchez - Jan 6 Bail Hearing

[Political Prisoner News]

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- 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ordered Judge Real to reopen the 
Alex's bail hearing.
- New Bail Hearing is set for January 6th at 10 a.m. Downtown Los Angeles.

After reviewing Alex's appeal for bail, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of 
Appeals has ordered Judge Real to reopen the bail hearings and make 
his decision based on "findings of fact." The new bail hearing has 
been set for January 6th at 10 a.m. in the Federal Court House Downtown.

To deny bail the government must prove by a "preponderance of 
evidence" that Alex would be a flight risk and provide "clear and 
convincing evidence, that no condition or combination of conditions 
will reasonably assure the safety of the community."

The decision by the 9th Circuit to reopen the hearing validates our 
protests that Alex was denied a fair hearing.  While this is not yet 
reason for celebration as Alex must again sit before the 84 year old 
Judge Real, it is a direct challenge to the government to provide 
more than hearsay and innuendo.

Hopefully this decision by the 9th circuit will prove to be more than 
a symbolic gesture of equality.

Come show your support for Alex by joining us at his bail hearing 
this Wednesday, January 6th at 10:00 a.m. at the Federal Courthouse 
in downtown Los Angeles.


In peace & justice,

We Are Alex

NEXT ALEX SANCHEZ BAIL HEARING JANUARY 6th
By Tom Hayden

Responding to an admonishment by the federal appeals court, Judge 
Manuel Real has set a new bail hearing for Alex Sanchez at the 
federal court in downtown Los Angeles at 10 a.m. on January 6, 
leaving little time for legal preparations.

Judge Real is not expected to alter his denial of bail for Sanchez, 
but simply make new findings consistent with the 9th Circuit's 
requirements issued December 22. Those requirements are that Real 
"accept and consider" evidence "beyond a reasonable doubt" that 
Sanchez would be a danger to the community if released on bail, and 
the "preponderance of evidence" in determining whether Sanchez would 
be a flight risk.

The problem for Sanchez is that the 9th Circuit order only requires 
that Real "consider" such evidence. Real is widely regarded as 
hostile and arbitrary, and has been admonished or reversed many times 
before by the higher courts. Currently he controls both the bail 
hearing and the trial itself, which virtually guarantees that Sanchez 
will not be released for over a year unless the 9th Circuit intervenes.

Of particular interest is how the judge will find that Sanchez is a 
danger to the community "beyond a reasonable doubt." Hundreds of 
letters demanding bail for Sanchez have been filed with the court, 
insisting that his gang intervention efforts at Homies Unidos help
maintain community peace rather than violence. As to whether the 
preponderance of evidence indicates Sanchez is a flight risk, the 
judge must consider the fact that over two million dollars in 
property and funds has been proferred by Sanchez supporters, 
including a pledge by a former LA FBI director, Thomas Harper, to 
personally ensure that the defendant makes his scheduled court appearances.

At the previous bail hearing, Judge Real dismissed the letters of 
support as having nothing to do with the issues of danger and flight 
risk, although the vast majority of the letters spoke directly to those issues.

The judge also dismissed a lengthy affadavit by Fr. Gregory Boyle, 
SJ, as "irrelevant", and refused to allow the priest to take the 
stand. Fr. Boyle, the nationally-recognized founder of Homeboy 
Industries, offered a detailed refutation of charges against Sanchez 
made by LAPD anti-gang officer Frank Flores. Since no evidence has 
been offered showing Sanchez conspired in a 2006 gang killing in El 
Salvador, the LAPD's Flores attempted to argue that gang members 
spoke in code on wiretapped phone calls. Fr. Boyle dismissed Flores' 
interpretations as absurd efforts to create evidence that did not exist.

Though the LAPD's Flores was presented as an objective expert, his 
testimony on the wiretaps failed to include exculpatory evidence 
showing that Sanchez was a former member of Mara Salvatrucha who was 
inactive at the time of the phone calls. Sanchez maintains that he 
intervened only on several of 2006 phone calls [the FBI has tens of
thousands of recordings] after learning that his life was being 
threatened and rumors spread that he was collaborating with the FBI. 
When cross-examined, Flores had no explanation for his omission of 
the recorded evidence that Sanchez was a former member who left the 
gang life to found Homies Unidos in the 1990s.

If there is "reasonable" evidence that Sanchez was an inactive former 
gang member, the prosecution's conspiracy claim that he is a 
currently-active shotcaller leading a double life  - and therefore a 
present danger - falls apart.

TOM HAYDEN is a former California state senator and author of Street Wars.




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