“The Houston Chronicle has jumped into the fray over a gag order issued in the case involving 177 bikers charged in Waco for their alleged roles in a melee that left nine people dead and 18 wounded,” the paper self-reported Friday. “The Chronicle’s parent company, the Hearst Corporation, is one of 16 news media companies that are supporting a biker’s fight against the gag order. Others include the Associated Press, New York Times and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.” . . .
“Authorized journalists” doing their job and acting as a watchdog on government seems a rarity to those of us jaded from seeing the establishment media act more like propagandists and spiking stories that don’t advance a narrative. In this case, the joint action is the result of legal circumstances that also merit further scrutiny.
“A state district judge [ruled] that a Dallas attorney can have a copy of a Twin Peaks franchisee’s video of the May 17 biker shootout, but the judge barred the release of the video to the public,” the Waco Tribune Herald reported. “Judge Matt Johnson of Waco’s 54th State District Court also granted a prosecution request to place a gag order in the Matthew Alan Clendennen case, preventing attorneys on both sides, law enforcement officers and witnesses from discussing that case only in the media.”
For his part, Clendennen, per Dallas/Fort Worth’s 5NBC, maintains “he was unfairly slapped with a gag order after publicly criticizing how the investigation has been handled [and], said the order in the state’s criminal case against him is unconstitutional and outside the court’s jurisdiction because he has not been indicted.”
That’s not the only questionable conduct on the part of both the court and the DA. For starters, again per NBC 5, Judge Johnson and prosecutor Abel Reyna, who requested the granted gag order, have enjoyed a longstanding personal and professional relationship. They’re former law partners, and Reyna contributed the maximum amount allowed by state law to the judge’s political campaign.
Problems from the government side don’t end there. In another move gun owners will be familiar with (because the technique is used to smear them all the time) Breitbart is reporting the use of language intended by the prosecution to tarnish reputations and prejudice the public, such as “persistent and flagrant use of terms such as ‘outlaw bikers,’ ‘biker gangs,’ and ‘outlaw biker gangs’ when referring to motorcycle riders and all of the bikers in Waco on May 17th. They cite legal opinions that prevent such ‘guilt by association’ arguments by the State.”
That flies in the face of the judge’s stated reason justifying his gag order…so that the potential jury pool would not be “tainted.” Add to that the empanelling of a grand jury under a system criticized as “pick a pal,” as opposed to random selection, and it gives credibility to allegations such as those leveled by oversight monitors like “The Aging Rebel” that “The gag order seems intended to protect public and police officials from being confronted with their own lies.”
But wait, as late TV pitchman Billy Mays used to say, there’s more, and if not directly related to the gag order and biker shootout stories, it’s at least indicative of government personnel.
This is the same DA’s office where one of their own negligently fired a gun inside the office, taking out a window he was pointing at and hitting a building across the street. Even afterward, despite intentionally pulled the trigger without determining there wasn’t a round in the chamber, the assistant prosecutor insisted he was “being extremely safe. I inspected the gun even after I was told it was not loaded, but it was just an unfortunate accident.”
And while he made a show of being angry, DA Reyna was adamant his guys would stay armed. And rather than treating his underling like he would a citizen — arresting, charging and prosecuting him — Reyna merely demoted the guy, and even then cited “related but unspecified personnel matters” as factors for a pay cut that still compensated the shooter with a six-figure salary.
Then there was a man who was forced to remain jailed an extra 83 days because Reyna’s office “declined his case for prosecution but failed to notify the McLennan County Jail.” The DA said he accepted responsibility, but accountability for these things always seems to come out other people’s pockets.
This is the prosecutor who doesn’t want defense lawyers and the media to inform the public of information relevant to a high-interest case — and his crony buddy on the bench goes along with it? This is the judge,who, with colleagues, approved $1 million bonds on arrested bikers, and then “ordered no other judge could rule on motions to reduce the bonds.”
There are plenty of questions to investigate regarding alleged criminal activities by those involved in the Twin Peaks incident. That’s what trials with a presumption of innocence are for. And investigating and reporting on all aspects of those trials, and of events leading up to them, is the purview of the “official” and alternative media, with their activities supposedly protected by the First Amendment.
For the prosecutor and the judge to hold their interests above scrutiny is unacceptable. All Americans interested in justice should join in seeing the gag order overturned so the truth is not suppressed by those wielding power to accuse and punish.
TTAG, thank you for leading the way here. Maybe some of the other Texas media has finally followed.
How long has it been and we still don’t know if the original narrative(law enforcement intervened to prevent the bikers killing each other)how those people were killed.
There is also the question of who else(other than Waco PD)was present.
Place is cesspool of corruption. That there aren’t people with torches, pitchforks, tar, and feathers outside his office shows incredible restraint by the citizens of Waco. Too much restraint. They have a good old boy fiefdom going on that needs to be addressed.
Waco isn’t a cesspool of corruption, this isn’t Baltimore or New York either, we let justice take place and don’t loot and riot.
Sounds like you’re just protecting the machine so you don’t end up with increased taxes to pay for all the huge judgments that are going to have to be payed out to innocent people.
Disgusting.
Oh, don’t get me wrong, the City is going to be sued big time.
2 months on and still not disclosed on how the nine died.
I think the cesspool allegation is pretty much correct.
Ok Alex Jones
Texheim, can you think of any legitimate reason why details of the autopsy reports (and other such information that would normally be placed into the public record almost immediately) hasn’t been released to the public?
So as not to taint the public (and jury pool) view concerning the supposed crimes committed in an effort to provide the defendants with a fair trial. The judge that ordered the $1 million bonds has recused himself. Things are moving along
Yet they manage to release autopsy reports in plenty of other cases without tainting the jury pool. Why is this case special?
Because of the massive media coverage and the relative small population of Waco.
I wish the same media was as fired up whenever someone’s 2nd Amendment rights were trampled on. And 4th. I wish they were as outraged at pejorative words like gun nuts and assault weapons. I wonder how they miss the similarities?
Complete BS on the DAs side. If this was a big bust, where they took down real criminals at all. There would be no gag order there would be a proud DA posing with the police, patting each other on the back.
Yeah, I do find that rather odd. Usually after a big bust, yes, they do go high profile with it. That shows to the public “see, we are doing our jobs” and it tells criminals that they aren’t safe. But this time, nothing. So, yeah, strange.
A DA publicizes a case to try it in the court of public opinion and taint the jury pool in his favor. The fact that the DA asked for a gag order says loads about the quality of the case against the bikers.
Don’t worry about this. The police (and other justice officials) are policing themselves to the same high standard as always. Stay out of their business.
Was that said with sarcasm or do you really believe what you just said? Just trying to clarify.
Sarcasm.
I do imagine that good guys who go into police work are in a tough spot – more difficult ethical quandaries than most of us face. If I was younger and didn’t have a carry without a permit on my record I might put my “money” where my mouth is and join them and see if I could do better.
Move along, citizen, nothing to see here!
/sarcasm
So where’s the federal justice department at now that there is a REAL honest to goodness violation of civil rights on a massive scale?
You know the answer to why it is not a civil rights issue, and that is because Whites do not have civil rights in their own country.
The feds are in Baltimore to help clear all of homicide case of the black lives that didn’t matter. 116 people were killed in only three months, which exceeds ISIS for that same time frame.
Sticking up for “their” (the government) side. Where else?
In a well oiled tyranny, there are no “good” parts. It’s all bad. No different that Barre’s government was.
Never thought I’d say this, it might be time to start hunting 9 police officers plus a few misc officials.
Sounds like a threat. If the judge and DA are crooked in that county, they need to go. However, your idea sounds like an exceedingly bad idea. And no, I’m not a cop.
I’d recommend waiting for more info to get out. If the info comes out that the police illegally killed the citizens, then yea… open season.
Just make sure you’re meat hunting….. Otherwise, you’re not a “real” hunter.
Maybe he’s an expert in “gorilla” warfare?
The Governor, should get an independent investigation going, oh wait he wants too be top dog of the US, poor baby he hasn’t got the Gonads to do this against his buddies! the press is only doing this to regain some measure of respect so their opinion will supposedly mean something during this election cycle, Texas has always been a Good Ole boy state! talk about bounties being placed if this goes more south; then the Federal Baby Incinerator’s will have to be involved with their Stellar reputations at Waco! Oh wait its a left Wing plot to quell Fast and Furious witness’s because of an ask down by the ATF and Holder’s Panthers!
Our Poor, Anti- Constitutional Judicial system is fast Approaching Melt down!
Oh wait they will get prosecuted because they are not Muslim and receive the Jackass in the white House official blessing
Rick Perry is not the governor of Texas, Greg Abbott is since January 20th, 2015.
They appear to have just arrested everybody who was present. Even if some of the bikers were up to no good, it is abundantly clear many were not. In the US, law enforcement cannot just “round everyone up” and sort it out later. At least, they are not supposed to be able to do that. This is going to be a lawsuit bonanza by the time the dust settles in a few years.
Yeah, I think that’s what happened, too. I think that they really don’t know what to do about it at this point and are just trying to keep it hush-hush, hoping it will go away. It will end up biting them in the backside and the judge and DA will likely lose their jobs over this one.
Fine example of government taking liberties with citizen Liberty.
The government & “justice” system has been giving Lady Liberty the Cosby-treatment for a long time now.
Honestly while Cliven Bundy may or may not have been a good reason to bring the militias up, this sure as hell looks like a good reason. Public opinion of bikers is the only reason this shit is sliding by the way it is. Somebody ring up the Oath Keepers and see if we can’t force some kind of answers out of these thugs.
What the Oath Keepers view as unconstitutional is pretty limited in scope and since their ranks are filled with mostly current and former LE, they wouldn’t touch this with a ten foot pole.
The Oath Keepers are cool with corruption and abuse of power within Local and State agencies.
BINGO!
The Oathkeepers is a PAC, nothing more. Anybody who thinks otherwise is just willfully ignorant.
Color me willfully ignorant.
http://oathkeepers.org/author/davidc/
So anyone who disagrees with your unfounded opinion is willfully ignorant? It sounds like there is only one willfully ignorant person here. The senior board of the Oath Keepers is almost entirely comprised of veterans. They are most certainly not a PAC, as a matter of fact the Oath Keepers website regularly publishes scathing criticisms of the shenanigans occurring on both sides of the divide. If you took the time to investigate you would see that local chapters are involved in a wide variety of community projects on a hometown scale.
Frankly, I have a hard time understanding why anyone who supports the Constitution would object to an organization dedicated to the same.
It is sad that you have such an opinion of Oath Keepers. I would like to point out that our Republic is in dire constitutional straights and we Oath Keepers have a simple message; “remember the oath you took”. The one in which you swore to “protect and defend the Constitution from all enemies both foreign and domestic”. We do so publicly but do not seek notoriety, for it is a solemn duty to our country and all those who came before us who stood up and sacrificed so much for our freedoms. We do so for future generations, that they may exercise
their rights as guaranteed by our Bill of Rights.
I invite you to seek out your local chapter of Oath Keepers and attend a meeting and perhaps you will be moved to join and take the oath with us.
Is that a fact?
http://oathkeepers.org/author/davidc/
Well yes: http://oathkeepers.org/oktester/declaration-of-orders-we-will-not-obey/
As far as I know they have never published any numbers as far as membership and from where they come (LE Sector, Military Branch, etc) I can only speculate as most of the leadership has an LE background.
They have a proven track record of only going where the publicity is and to date have only been willing to confront Federal Agencies. Waco is a prime example, your coverage excluded of course, that they are unwilling to engage at the local, county or state level.
http://oathkeepers.org/police-expert-war-on-terror-has-turned-our-cops-into-occupying-armies-and-were-the-enemy/
The autopsies were completed weeks ago and the Waco police and prosecutor still haven’t announced whose bullets were dug out of those bodies. Nor have they explained how, after a pitched battle, there are nine dead, eighteen wounded and 177 arrested bikers, yet no officer received a scratch. How the fvck did that happen?
When I see 27 dead and wounded on one side and nobody with the slightest injury on the other side, I’m thinking massacre, not shootout. Welcome to Malmedy in Texas.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the court & officers involved are betting that the national ADHD news-cycle will cover their collective sixes.
Why haven’t the defense lawyers gone to the federal courts with habeas corpus writs?
That sounds like an argument the ACLU would have. Speaking of which, I haven’t seen them on this either. Surely there’s a transgendered biker caught up in the mass arrests and wrongfully locked up. Why doesn’t the ACLU look into this?
Because the ACLU has no morals, only interests. They pick and choose which civil rights for which protected class of citizen they feel like defending, seemingly on a whim.
The mere concept of a protected class of citizen is an insult to our own Constitiution which guarantees *equal* protection under the law.
*err: Constitution
Where’d that pesky edit button go?
It appears that the District Attorney and the judge have irreparably damaged the ability of the defendants and their attorneys to defend themselves by delaying their ability to locate and identify witnesses to the point they can no longer be found.
If I were on a jury for this case I they would have to be found guilty beyond any doubt–not just a reasonable doubt.
It is most likely LE that started the bbloodbath, after all they count on the label they assign those they arrest and use with the media and there reports.
And now it’s CYA time and time to make there story fit that day.
When all else fails…..Make’em pay.
Very suspicious case all around.
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