"Witch Hunt,"- Falsely Imprisoned of Bakersfield, CA

I just had the opportunity to view a documentary called "Witch Hunt," about the total break down in our legal system. Total breakdown is harsh I know, however, after viewing this film I could see just that. After viewing, I felt compelled to share this story with all of you ATS. Many of you are no stranger to these types of things on here, but I thought it was a story you should all be aware of.

The movie chronicles an over-zealous prosecutor who has been the District Attorney in Kern County California since the early 1980's and has overseen his legal juggernaut unchallenged for over 20 years. The travesty portrayed in the film took place on his watch as DA.

The film is from MSNBC and it is a chronicle of the struggles of innocent fathers and mothers wrongfully convicted and sentenced for child molestation. Many went to prison for many years until the time of the vindication and release. The story takes place in Bakersfield, California during the mid-eighties and it chronicles a crusade led by the Kern County Sheriffs Department, Social Services, and the District Attorney's Office to root out child molesters.

Where the crack down on crime runs afoul, is that the accused of the crimes; where actually innocent and were convicted by the testimony of their young children through coaching by the aforementioned parties listed above. These legal establishments robbed these people of their dignity, time with their children, and their very livelihood. This story really struck a chord with me and it showed just how vulnerable you and I are to entities and individuals in government both local and federal that intend to do us harm. In light of this, we must be vigilant and continue to question authority where ever abuses of power reside. Remember right is right and wrong is wrong! Here are the links below to learn more about the case and the documentary.

www.msnbc.msn.com...

www.witchhuntmovie.com...

[edit on 13-6-2009 by Jakes51]

[edit on 13-6-2009 by Jakes51]

Yeahs, I saw this documentary a few weeks ago. .... its pretty astonishing right ??? makes you wonder wtf these people were thinking.

I hope all of the wrongfuly accused sue the crap out of bakersfield.

..... but the one thing that really made me mad was when they asked the main social worker who was responsible for starting the whole mess and coaching the kids what she thought ........ she says she has no regrets and would do it all over if she had the chance. I hope she dies from getting bear raped.

Originally posted by IntastellaBurst
Yeahs, I saw this documentary a few weeks ago. .... its pretty astonishing right ??? makes you wonder wtf these people were thinking.

I hope all of the wrongfuly accused sue the crap out of bakersfield.

..... but the one thing that really made me mad was when they asked the main social worker who was responsible for starting the whole mess and coaching the kids what she thought ........ she says she has no regrets and would do it all over if she had the chance. I hope she dies from getting bear raped.

Thanks for the reply. I agree with your sentiments exactly. This case was appalling! Then the guilty law enforcement officials and social services show no remorse for the actions they've done whatsoever. They can't even admit they were wrong or give the people they hurt a genuine, "I'm sorry." All I have for them is utter contempt and I hope they get their due maybe not in this life but the next. The judicial system and Kern County as a whole should be ashamed of themselves by what it's done to those people.

i cannot state my opinion on this matter, because it is probably illegal lol

all i can say is this, the govt will continue abusing people until we abuse them back (big time)

Originally posted by muzzleflash
i cannot state my opinion on this matter, because it is probably illegal lol

all i can say is this, the govt will continue abusing people until we abuse them back (big time)

I agree with your last sentence completely. This complacency as the wolf runs amok in the hen house infuriates me. When are people in mass going to demand honesty and integrity by their elected officials. If everyone where to vocalize their concerns I situation would improve. This type of corruption shown in the documentary or any corruption for that matter must be stomped out. Corruption is like the cancer that has spread to every corner of our country and it is eating us up from with in. Truly I think people are just desensitized to it.

[edit on 13-6-2009 by Jakes51]

A lot of people get wrongly jailed in kern county calif.

A lot of illegals get jailed for nothing.
Other people get arrested and have a bunch of false charges added to the minor charges that they were arrested for

In Kern county if you are arrested for a misdemeanor the cops will charge you with a felony just so the the DA can bargain it down to the original misdemeanor.

The cops like to use jailhouse informants that will testify that someone admitted to a crime to the informant while in jail.
Even though the informant never was in the same cell block and had never talked with the other person and sometimes had never seen the person while in jail.

Originally posted by ANNED
A lot of people get wrongly jailed in kern county calif.

A lot of illegals get jailed for nothing.
Other people get arrested and have a bunch of false charges added to the minor charges that they were arrested for

In Kern county if you are arrested for a misdemeanor the cops will charge you with a felony just so the the DA can bargain it down to the original misdemeanor.

The cops like to use jailhouse informants that will testify that someone admitted to a crime to the informant while in jail.
Even though the informant never was in the same cell block and had never talked with the other person and sometimes had never seen the person while in jail.

Thanks for your perspective, I take it, you live near or in Kern County. Your incite just heightens my belief that Kern County is a detestable establishment.

However, I am not singling out Kern County. There are many others in this country. I live near Cook County in Illinois and don't need to go into to much emphasis about that. However, the same problems you are facing go on there. What I don't understand is this, we can remove these people with a stroke of a pen in the ballot booth; yet people continue to vote these individuals into office. Therefore, I am under the assumption they are just as complicit to the crimes and misconduct. They don't understand that their vote sanctions this type of behavior indirectly.

I thought I would comment a little further on the topic presented to all of you before this thread goes the way of the dodo bird. Again, as I stated earlier in the thread, this is a story that disturbs me greatly!! How and why would a county legal system go to great lengths to destroy the lives of so many innocent people. Then after the truth is presented to them, they act like they did no wrong and that poor behavior on their parts is justified.

We are a nation of laws but can those laws be bended by the same people who are tasked with enforcing them? According to the documentary, yes. These law enforcement officials from the prosecuting attorneys to the sheriffs department all contributed to heinous acts of corruption of the law. For what reason, I don't know; maybe they did it for recognition or fame? However, I think all they gained from their actions was utter contempt and shame. The individuals in the film who are supposed to be leaders of the community should be held responsible.

Again I will comment on this thread before it goes to the graveyard. Many of you need to hear about this. Kudos to the few that commented on this travesty of American justice. However, I find it mystifying that no one else has commented on this terrible story told in this documentary. Personally I feel many of you should view this documentary and you will feel the same I do.

[edit on 14-6-2009 by Jakes51]

In the 1980's I lived in a small town not far from Bakersfield, which is in the San Joaquin Valley, an area that at the time was pretty foreign to most Californians, unless they drove quickly through it up Hwy5.

Geographically, the Valley is separated from the metropolises of Los Angeles and San Francisco on the south and north by mountain ranges and hot weather, and hemmed in from sparse populations west and east by more mountain ranges.

The sociological separation is even greater, as it is the "red" in the "blue" state. As the Valley became the overflow area for the urban north and south, for those wishing to escape or to find a less expensive place to live, some more open minded folks moved in, but back in the 1980's the Valley was still a place where generations of minds had been made up already in regards to old time religion and politics. (A KKK headquarters could be found 70 miles up the road from BFL.) It's still pretty conservative today.

As American politics turned to more conservative religions as a power base in the late 1970's, conservative religious groups became more of a sociological force. Religious conservatives could be counted on to spread the word of political voting records, but at the same time, this channel of communication also could relay quite a bit of alarming misinformation, i.e. satanic ritual abuse, and its cousin, the sexual abuse rings. Coworkers and friends would give me books from their churches to read on these topics.

Back in the 1980's in the Valley, it seemed that every fire ring in a river bed left by a transient was said to be the site where members of a local satanic cult engaged in sexual abuse of children. Some law enforcement agencies had personnel devoted to rooting out these supposed local sex rings and cults. The hunt was on to find them and bring them to justice.

Personally I don't remember the BFL trials, but I am not surprised that they happened or what local justice did. The McMartin Preschool case was all over the headlines at the time frame, and that was in Los Angeles! It was a given in the Valley that such abuse could happen anywhere, and fear was spread via churches to quite a few households at the time.
Here's an interesting read. followed by part 2 Combine this fervor with criminal justice depts that relished the headlines and one has the perfect storm for a witch hunt.

From the first read

Joining the SRA movement during the early 1980's were many police officers, who were concerned that Satanists were literally getting away with murder. It soon became obvious to them that no hard evidence had ever been found which pointed to a Satanic conspiracy. There were "no bodies, no bones, no bloodstains, nothing" 12 The police reasoned that if survivors' testimony was true, then certain hard evidence would have been readily detectable. It wasn't. The most famous example are the non-existent tunnels under the McMartin Preschool center in California.

Truly what happened back then in Bakersfield was a modern day witch hunt, literally.

edit for spelling

[edit on 14-6-2009 by desert]

We are a "nation of laws" as you stated, but those laws don't apply to the lawmakers or their gestapo that enforce the laws - that includes children's services. The witch that coached those kids should be imprisoned for at the very least, the same amount of time that she had others imprisoned for.
They're all below scum. Star and flag for you OP!

Originally posted by Sundancer
We are a "nation of laws" as you stated, but those laws don't apply to the lawmakers or their gestapo that enforce the laws - that includes children's services. The witch that coached those kids should be imprisoned for at the very least, the same amount of time that she had others imprisoned for.
They're all below scum. Star and flag for you OP!

I agree with you Sun. The authorities who broke the public trust should be imprisoned like they did to the innocent. Yet they walk around today with their freedom and with no a sign of regret or remorse. The wheels of justice certainly fell off in the central California town.

I'm probably not going to watch the video at least for a while. It may take time before I could even think about it. But I'll confirm from personal experience that there is no justice in the law, that family court is a travesty and innocent people, adults and children alike, are irreversibly harmed by our system. I have a horror story that is not to be believed and can't be understood with a few simple paragraphs.

Just so everyone is clear on this, anyone at any time can accuse you of anything and there is no requirement of proof for the filer of the complaint. You can be accused and jailed, proving your innocence is at your own expense. If you can't afford to prove your innocence, you are royally screwed.

I'm sure, when I do watch it, the documentary posted will be a poignant reminder of the fragility of the system we try to survive under and despite of.

Originally posted by Hazelnut
I'm probably not going to watch the video at least for a while. It may take time before I could even think about it. But I'll confirm from personal experience that there is no justice in the law, that family court is a travesty and innocent people, adults and children alike, are irreversibly harmed by our system. I have a horror story that is not to be believed and can't be understood with a few simple paragraphs.

Just so everyone is clear on this, anyone at any time can accuse you of anything and there is no requirement of proof for the filer of the complaint. You can be accused and jailed, proving your innocence is at your own expense. If you can't afford to prove your innocence, you are royally screwed.

I'm sure, when I do watch it, the documentary posted will be a poignant reminder of the fragility of the system we try to survive under and despite of.

Oh I know the kangaroo court that we have in family court and civil court no doubt about it.

However, these were criminal courts and where the truth is paramount and if the truth is missing in trial then it should be made available in appeal. However, the truth in case this would have ended the whole fiasco quite quickly, however; the authorities and the prosecutors suppressed he truth.

The evidence presented was of a shoddy nature and the charges trumped up. This story is devastating to hear and I know others have been subjected to this type treatment elsewhere around the country. However, the injustices need to stop now!!!

This is NOT a movie the System is broken and people are arrested due to lies. See my REAL story at
www.estateofdenial.com...

5 months later computers and fire arms are still not returned. WHY they won't give an answer. The problem is its harassment, more perjury by the court who wants to hide their crimes. Our police and courts don't give a dam about you constitutional rights. ABUSE of power by judges and police who have no business being who they are.
Thousands of victims and affected people are networking on Facebook www.facebook.com... I suggest every American do the same and find out what is really going on in America.