Below is the motion to dismiss the case against Jason Vassell, as put forth by his lawyers. It was submitted on December 30th, prior to his hearing the next day. Most importantly, it will be accepted or rejected by a judge on Thursday, January 15th at 2:00pm.
We strongly encourage folks to read the motion and to attend the hearing on January 15th.
No Comments
On Monday, December 15th, the UMass Concerned Faculty and Librarians for Justice held a press conference at the school to release the signatures of 128 professors who support Jason and to make several statements about the case.
From the press release:
There is considerable apprehension among the group concerning possible damage to the University’s image and reputation from the national publicity incident to Vassell’s upcoming trial. Faculty proposals and strategies for averting such institutional embarrassment will be discussed.
The faculty will discuss the community’s ongoing concerns about the university’s initial response to the incident and the subsequent posture of the administration. “The petition initiative is an attempt by the faculty to initiate some appropriate and effective action on the part of the institutional leadership in asserting the University’s values and responsibilities,” said a spokesman for the group.
Media coverage:
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/12/umass_faculty_staff_petition_c.html?category=Amherst+category=Crime+category=Education
http://www.masslive.com/hampfrank/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-17/1229329308137800.xml&coll=1
http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/wwlp_professors_seek_justice_for_vassell_200812151836
Our thanks to everyone who participated (in the freezing cold!) in the rally today! 200 strong, we took over the streets of Northampton, and demonstrated the development of a serious campaign to demand Justice for Jason!
Some media coverage:
The next meeting:
This Monday (November 24)
6:00pm
Bangs Community Center (lower level) in Amherst
Here’s some of the images from today’s rally:
For more, go to the Facebook photo album here, and here!
Click to download PDF
On Wednesday, November 19, at 3:30pm, we will be meeting at Pulaski Park, Northampton. From there we will march downtown, to the office of District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel to deliver thousands of petition signatures calling for her to drop the charges against Jason Vassell!
3:30PM
Pulaski Park, Northampton
We want thank you all for coming out to the Jam for Justice. We were inspired by the energy and passion you all brought, and were excited by such a great turnout! To date, the committee and all of you have helped to raise more than $5,000 dollars towards Jason’s court fees. At last nights event alone, over $2,400 was raised.
Next up, the entire community will be holding an ALL COMMUNITY RALLY on November 19th! Please look out for details.
If you would like to continue to organize with the Justice for Jason Committee, join us for weekly organizing meetings: MONDAY’S at 7PM at 420 Student Union Building.
(Originally published in the Daily Collegian at UMass Amherst)
Re: “A new look at ‘Justice for Jason”
By: David P. Hoose and Luke Ryan
Posted: 9/25/08
Dear Editor:
We are the lawyers for Jason Vassell. As lawyers, we are limited in what we can say about the evidence in a pending case by our rules of professional responsibility. However, those rules do permit us to protect our client in a situation like this where substantial, undue prejudice may result from recent pre-trial publicity.
The Daily Collegian’s column by Alana Goodman on Sept. 19 contains many distortions and inaccuracies. At a minimum, the following points need to be corrected:
First, Goodman describes Jason as 5-foot-10″ and 200 pounds. In actuality, Jason is 5-foot-9″ and weighed approximately 185 pounds at the time of the incident. It is clear from the video evidence that Bosse is at least as tall as Jason and that Bowes is substantially larger.
Second, two white female UMass students who were in Jason’s first-floor dorm room describe the incident as beginning when Bosse and Bowes were observed peering into Jason’s window at 4:30 a.m. When Jason pulled the shade down and told them to leave, they began to call him a “pussy,” “nigger,” “retard,” and “bitch” and eventually smashed the window. A third white female next door was awakened by the racist taunting.
On Monday September 22, 2008, Malcolm Chu submitted, on behalf of the Committee for Justice for Jason, a response to an op-ed that was a most irresponsible and misleading, published, apparently, without reservation, by the Massachusetts Daily Collegian. Despite publishing an article which jeopardizes a current criminal trial, and the life of one of our community members, Jason Vassell, the Collegian did not find it possible to publish the following article without editorial intervention. Luckily, due to the support of a community member, we were able to purchase space in Monday’s issue to ensure that the community has accurate information on this case. Unfortunately, advertisements are not published on the collegian web site, nor accessible by internet search and therefore should be spread throughout the community by supporters.
Lastly, we encourage you to read Alana Goodman’s op-ed as well, to give proper context for this response.
An Honest Look at Justice For Jason
Author Note: After publishing what, I feel, was an inaccurate and misleading column, the Massachusetts Daily Collegian, according to policy, did not find it possible to publish this clarification in its present form, without editorial intervention. They were however, kind enough to allow us to purchase space so that the community can have accurate information on this case.
Raffle and Benefit Silent Auction – We will be holding a silent auction to defray the cost of Jason’s defense. The date and venue have not been finalized, but we are aiming for early November. (Watch the website for further information.) In the meantime, we are working hard to get the event organized. There are several ways you can help our efforts:
1. We are soliciting donations of items to be auctioned. If you can donate something, or if you are willing to approach someone else about donating, please let us know. We hope to have a significant number of big-ticket items, but we’d like to offer a wide range of items so that anyone who attends will be able to afford something.
Suggestions:
On February 3, 2008, two white men appeared at the window of the dormitory room of Jason Vassell, a black student who was majoring in Biology at UMass Amherst. The two men subjected Jason to racial invective and threats of violence. They kicked in his window and later gained access to an outer lobby of his dorm, where they attacked Jason, breaking his nose and causing a serious concussion. Injured and attempting to defend himself, Jason wounded his assailants with a small knife while the police were on the way to the site of the crime.
Jason faces two felony charges that could result in 30 years in prison. He needs our help now!
Click here to read more ...
Contact
January 5, 2009 
