Politicizing a Tragedy

There are some very good reasons why people hate politicians. Mostly, its when they show that they are opportunist. Sometimes during tragedies, politicos find a way to make it about them, when its not about them.

Sometimes they politicize things they shouldn't. So let me rip the band-aid off about the shooter and Yvonne Rosales calling for a special prosecutor.

I don't blame you if you haven't heard about it, but here is an article in the El Paso Times the other day where she calls for a special prosecutor.

Click here if you haven't read the article, because you should. The fact that she's calling for a special prosecutor really bothers me because its politicizing the most important case this community has ever seen. I feel her doing so is an insult to the families.

You just knew someone would try to get mileage out of this tragedy. At first I thought it was just school board trustees from Socorro milking every interview from CNN and every ounce on his Facebook page possible, but it actually turned out to be much worse.

DA Candidate Yvonne Rosales called for a special prosecutor. We all know she's running for District Attorney, but this is the wrong time to make a community tragedy like the loss of 22 lives at the hands of a racial terrorist that drove 10 hours to hunt brown people down, all about your campaign for DA.

The reality is that Rosales has never prosecuted a major crime her in life - much less the biggest, most horrific case that has ever happened in El Paso County. One of her opponents is an experienced Assistant District Attorney that has spent his entire career prosecuting seriously crimes - murders being the majority.

This is the most important case to ever happen in El Paso. Who do you trust to make sure justice is done? A guy like Roger Montoya who has shot trees because of traffic altercations and has 5 convictions, Rosales who has never been part of a major trial much less ever prosecuted a trial, or an experienced prosecutor?

Rosales calling for a special prosecutor while she's a candidate for DA smacks of opportunism but more importantly underscores her lack of prosecutorial experience.

That choice is obvious - James Montoya is the only one who has prosecuted major cases. This isn't a time to play politics, grandstand, or try to milk a tragedy. This is a time when El Pasoans need an experienced prosecutor to make sure justice is done.

By Rosales calling for a special prosecutor, is she saying that her opponent James Montoya is somehow taking the wrong course of action by going for the death penalty?

Is she saying that she'd go for lighter sentence? Does she think that the El Paso community deserves to see less than the death penalty?

But quite frankly, I think James Montoya is right in his quote in the Times about this case. Actually both Montoya's are right - James and Roger (Rosales former fiancee and financial backer). The reality is Rosales, doesn't have the experience to prosecute the most important case to ever face this community.

So another point to make about the DA race and this case is that it makes every decision related to campaigns that much more scrutinized.

At this point, anyone else who jumps in the race will be seen as trying to capitalize on a tragedy similarly to Rosales. You can't get in this race without being asked about this case. It'll be seen as political opportunism at this point. Most of the people running, or thinking about running, are defense lawyers who have been talking about being softer on crime.

You think this community wants this racial terrorist to walk? You think they want him treated with kid gloves? You think the community wants anything but a person committed to seeing that the 22 families see justice?

We have three capital murder cases facing our community right now. A guy who killed a family on Thanksgiving Day, the man who murdered a sheriff's deputy, and the man who committed the most heinous crime ever committed against the Hispanic community.

Who do you want to make sure there's a conviction? This isn't the type of case to politicize. The stakes are too high. The community wants justice.

This is a serious situation. Do you really want to put the MOST IMPORTANT case this community has ever seen into the hands of people who have never even prosecuted a major crime?

I think we all know the answer to that question.