Young People Vilified by Fort Lauderdale Police

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Fort Lauderdale law enforcement agencies are teaming up and cracking down on local criminal activity and while their efforts appear to be rooted in good faith, their statements could be perceived as vilification. In Fort Lauderdale criminal cases, there are two elements that must be proven in order for a defendant to be found guilty of a crime under Florida law. The first element that must be proven is intent. Intent, from a legal standpoint, is defined as an exercise of intelligent will when commissioning a crime. It implies that the accused commissioned a criminal act being fully aware of the malicious nature of the act as well as the many possible consequences associated with the act. One of the main jobs of a Fort Lauderdale criminal lawyer is disproving criminal intent, but if the suspects are portrayed in the media from a slanted or bias prospective, undoing the damage can be quite a daunting task. Below you will find examples of young people being depicted as villains by law enforcement as arresting officials are quoted making statements about their intentions.

Examples 1 & 2: Memorial Day Intentions

Within the vicinity of popular beach territory, police allegedly arrested dozens of Florida youths who were swept up in the mayhem of disorderly crowd violence. The two incidents were separate but blanket statements made it appear as if the young people involved in either incident were not only in cahoots with each other but also that they  had ventured out on Memorial Day weekend specifically to “cause trouble” when that might not have been the case. During the holiday chaos, eyewitnesses report that property was vandalized, bridges were closed, public transit was temporarily halted and beach goers were sprayed with mace as law enforcement scoured the sandy shores in riot gear. The fact that the only known injury that fell under investigation was the stabbing of a fellow youth was heavily downplayed. The emphasis by law enforcement relied strongly on intent with one arresting official firmly stating that, “they were coming to Fort Lauderdale Beach Park to cause a problem”. Other officials were quoted as saying “they came to the beach to fight”.

The Danger in Allegations Related to Intent

It is common in DUI cases for arresting officials to claim that field test subjects appeared to be under the influence of intoxicants. Statements such as this imply an action, not an intention. They also hint at the idea that the allegation could be incorrect, since someone who is jetlagged, exhausted or legally medicated could also appear to be under the influence of intoxicants. On the other hand, when allegations related to intent are made, the end result could be much more dangerous because intentions are difficult to prove and/or disprove. It is very possible that there were young people in those crowds who went to the beach with the intention of enjoying a beach holiday and the riot that ensued was something they happened upon. Their actions could have been made in self defense or influenced by the presence of drugs and alcohol. Their actions could have simply been the result of a crowd mentality.

Imagine the confusion of a beach going youth who accidentally gets swept up in a riot and is subsequently sprayed with mace and arrested on the spot. Their right to build the best possible criminal defense could be hindered by slanderous comments that determine their intentions for them. The outcomes of juvenile criminal cases can have permanent affects on future freedoms. As such, these youngsters should be painted in the most unbiased light possible until the evidence has been presented and all sides of the story have been heard.

About The Author :
Michael D. Leader is a criminal lawyer with Fort Lauderdale law firm Leader & Leader P.A. specializing in all forms of criminal law, Leader and partner George Leader offer years of legal experience and commitment to ethics.