Petition cover letter to District Attorney Scheibel
This letter was presented to Northwestern District Attorney Elizabeth D. Scheibel’s office on May 12th, 2008: j4jpetitioncoverletterscheibel.doc
May 12, 2008
Dear District Attorney Scheibel,
Enclosed are copies of a petition calling for you to reconsider the excessive charges that Mr. Jason Vassell faces. The petitions have over 1,700 names from students and alumni at the University and from the general community. The text of the petition reads:
On Sunday, February 3, 2008, Jason Vassell, a twenty-three year old African American student at the University of Massachusetts, was arrested and charged with two counts of assault with intent to murder and two counts of aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. These charges stem from an altercation that Jason had with two white men, who were on campus for no legitimate purpose and provoked the confrontation by smashing Jason’s window and repeatedly referring to him as a “nigger.” Although Jason never left the dormitory, he was the only one charged at first. While one of the perpetrators, John Bowes, was recently charged with two hate crimes and disorderly conduct, the other white man, Jonathan Bosse, has not been charged as of yet.
Jason Vassell, who has no prior criminal record and is a widely respected member of the UMass community, is currently being charged with a felony, though he was attacked in his own home by outside intruders, who put Mr. Vassell and fellow UMass students at risk.
We call for the excessive charges against Mr. Vassell to be reconsidered.
We find it impossible to believe, Madame Prosecutor, that a careful review of the facts—i.e., the circumstances, the event, and the exemplary character of the accused—will fail to persuade you that a different line of procedure would be in everyone’s best interest. We urge you to undertake such a review now that you have a more complete picture of the circumstances.
We think you might be interested to learn something of the intensity of the public response and the political implications of this case. To that end, we are appending some of the comments of signatories of the petition.
Signed,
Tracy Kelley,
Executive Secretary
Committee for Justice for Jason Vassell
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Selected Comments from Online Petition in Support of Justice for Jason Vassell
“I am writing to request that the severe charges Jason Vassell faces be lessened due to the horrific violence he suffered from this racist hate crime. Your help with this will be greatly appreciated by many, many friends and acquaintances of Jason’s.” Patty McGill, Office Manager Residence Life Resource Center UMass Amherst
“I am Jason’s former English teacher at the O’Bryant School, Boston’s Examination School in Mathematic and Science. I have known Jason since he was in 7th grade. He has always been an exemplar of a gentleman, and was highly respected by staff and peers. In the years I have known him; I have never seen Jason express an angry mood or hostile gesture to anyone of any race. In our highly diverse school, Jason had many friends of various ethnic groups. In my classes, I viewed him as a polite, kind, young man… He knows how to walk away from conflagrations. Knowing Jason makes me realize how very threatened he must have been by his attackers. This fine young man should not be punished for defending himself.” Mrs. Joan Santamaria
“Jason was an outstanding and talented student in my program at the Museum of the National Center for Afro American Artists. His talent was in service to the community and he has continued to serve his community well. I support his position for justice and the justice our community deserves.” LMerchie Frazier
“Justice needs to be served in this instance–and that means that the two men who attacked Jason be brought to trial and held accountable for what they did. And Jason, being the victim, should absolutely not be charged with a felony. This is a clear instance of a hate crime.” Amanda Calder
“If we can’t feel safe in our home, what values are we promoting? Why should Jason be threatened and attacked physically, racially, and emotionally (and now publicly and professionally)…? This is truly sad for Jason and all involved, but the long-term implications are clearly very big here.” Victoria Lenshyn
“It is unfair; the two white boys are not students at UMass and shouldn’t have been causing disorderly conduct. They could have put other students at risk. The charges against Mr. Vassell should be reconsidered because he didn’t intently leave his room to cause trouble. Trouble came to him…” Guerdith Morency
“Jason has been my friend since I was a freshman at UMass Amherst (which was three years ago)…. His work ethic and open-mindedness should be an example for all of us to follow. I think that what has happened to Jason is completely unfair, and biased, he should not be charged with anything for defending himself against people intruding into his home and displaying aggression while yelling obscenities and racial slurs… I hope for the sake of the justice system and morality of people involved … that [Jason] is completely dismissed of all his charges and immediately enrolled back into UMass Amherst with no problems.” Renatta Warren
“My daughter is also a Biology major with Jason at Umass Amherst. I am astonished that this is happening. My prayers are with Jason and his family.” Melissa Viega
“Please reconsider the charges of Mr. Vassell. The acts of Jonathan Bowes and Bosse are deplorable and should be considered for higher crimes. There clearly was a violation and threat and Jason Vassell, an upstanding student and member of the community, with no criminal record, was acting to protect himself. However, Jonathan Bowes and Bosse were clearly the instigators.” Chin Ho
“It would be a tragedy to subject Jason Vassell to felony charges when it is undoubtedly a case of self-defense. I hope the integrity of the Umass Police and the local criminal justice system remains intact after this incident, and Jason’s stature as an upstanding citizen with no criminal record is restored.” Chris Tarnstrom, UMass Amherst Class of 2000, BBA - Isenberg School of Management, BBABS - College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
“As a resident of Massachusetts and as a student of the UMass system, I request that our tax payer’s money does not go toward pursuing the excessive charges against Jason Vassell. In a time when our tax budget is in crisis, we should not squander our resources to pursue these inflated charges against a student who is contributing to the wellbeing of our state.” Camilo Vivieros