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This sums my feelings up pretty well.

Yes, there's a lot of blame to go around but, in my opinion, a lot of failure lands at the feet of the coach, AD, City Attorney, and police as well.

Let's start with a hearty round of applause for City Attorney Susan Segal (Senator Amy Klobuchar's former deputy) for changing a young man's life because he, like millions of other students every year on every college campus around the country, entered another student's dorm room. You see, apparently Royce White is not guilty for what he's been punished for the past months. He didn't steal anyone's laptop. But he was room-hopping at the University of Minnesota and since he's a student-athlete of some prominence, Susan Segal and her publicity-seeking cronies have to charge White with something, even if it's a trumped up charge that if applied equally would mean half of the U's student body would be facing misdemeanor charges.

The overzealous prosecution being put forward by Susan Segal is a travesty. It's a joke. Your tax dollars are going to work to have a young man judged because he went room to room looking to see where the party was. Can't have that in a college dormitory!

But Segal isn't the only villain in this story. She's just the one that is currently using the high profile of White to make a name for herself.There's plenty of blame to go around.
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Here's the rest ..

http://www.thedailygopher.com/2010/2/2/1288716/plenty-of-blame-to-go-around-in
 

Good article

I'm leaning this way more and more .. but we still don't know 100% of what was said by all the players in this drama ... Just an aside: Since you gave some backround of city attorney Susan Segal, here's more: Besides being a deputy to County Attorney Amy Klobuchar, she has served as a faculty member at the U of M Law School & William Mitchell Law School. She was a partner at a large law firm before her public appointments and she graduated from the U of M (Michigan) Law School.
 

Good read. There's just something with this whole situation that doesn't sit very well with me.
 

Since you gave some backround of city attorney Susan Segal, here's more: Besides being a deputy to County Attorney Amy Klobuchar, she has served as a faculty member at the U of M Law School & William Mitchell Law School. She was a partner at a large law firm before her public appointments and she graduated from the U of M (Michigan) Law School.
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And NOW WE KNOW HER NAME which is what it's all about!

High Profile Case = Name Recognition.

The general public will side with the Defender of Justice versus the "thugs" on the University athletic teams without knowing anything about the circumstances. I have heard it already. "He broke the law!!", "He had 3 charges of trespassing", "We don't need his kind on out team representing our University" "blame everyone except Royce", "More Royce White as the Victim crap".

Yes this decision will play well with the general public and SUSAN SEGAL will reap the rewards.

Politics trumps Fairness again. She has set herself up for success.
 



I'm not sure what the city attorney is supposed to do here. The UMPD brought charges, and White did technically tresspass. Blame the police for this. Once it gets to the attorney's office they can't throw out charges if the suspect is reasonably guilty. And there is a political agena here, and belongs to thedailygopher
 

Agreed

From the Barn said:
I'm not sure what the city attorney is supposed to do here. The UMPD brought charges, and White did technically tresspass. Blame the police for this. Once it gets to the attorney's office they can't throw out charges if the suspect is reasonably guilty. And there is a political agena here, and belongs to thedailygopher
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We're really stretching here trying to politicize the situation. Do you really think she's looking to get her name out there and this is her best option? Not for being tough on a myriad of serious crimes but for going ahead with a trespassing case... really? This is the first time I've heard her name. Probably similar to a lot of people on this site. Nobody else is following this case nearly as closely as the people on this board. Do you think she's going after Vandalay's vote or what? Brutal take (and awful attempt to connect this whole thing to Klobuchar).
 

From the Barn said:
I'm not sure what the city attorney is supposed to do here. The UMPD brought charges, and White did technically tresspass. Blame the police for this. Once it gets to the attorney's office they can't throw out charges if the suspect is reasonably guilty. And there is a political agena here, and belongs to thedailygopher
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If I have a political agenda, please let me know what it is.

For clarification, the inclusion in the blog post of Segal's relationship to Klobuchar was included to demonstrate that Segal is a political creature. One doesn't climb the ladder to even the City Attorney level without politicking. And I do think politics is playing a role in this prosecution. Do we really think that Segal herself and not a lower-level person on her staff would be trying this case if it was some random student at the U? Doubtful.

And what planet are you from that the City Attorney has no authority to throw out a case or negotiate a plea? Susan Segal had every opportunity to get White to negotiate but apparently wants a trial for a misdemeanor trespassing case? You've got to be kidding me. Is that really the best resources of her office, to seek a conviction in a trespassing case that if applied equally would have half of the U's students in the court room using state resources to decide such a minor matter?
 

Royce said he won't plea. And he admitted to trespassing. They can't not charge him. The real issues is the UMPD should have dropped it long ago. Nice way to play the race card too though.
 



Did you even watch the video of Royce's presser yesterday? His lawyer clearly says they had discussions about negotiating but wasn't happy with what the prosecutor's wanted.

Here's the link: http://www.startribune.com/local/83...8cyaiUo8cyaiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr

And the police chief's comments read to me an attempt by UMPD to play political offense from a defensive position -- attack the accuser. I mean, how could anyone feel unsafe at the University? If Royce does indeed feel threatened or fear for himself at the U, UMPD bears responsibility for that. That can't stand from a UMPD perspective, so the Chief attacks Royce publicly. That's crap, and more politicking from our public servants. I don't care if it was race or politics that have encouraged UMPD's public relations tactics, either way it's despicable.
 

Simple question, if Royce had kept his mouth shut, not talked to the press, avoided the youtube nonsense, would he be playing right now?

His suspension has been and will continue to be about more than trespassing or laptops.
 

From the Barn said:
Simple question, if Royce had kept his mouth shut, not talked to the press, avoided the youtube nonsense, would he be playing right now?
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Yes.
 

Simple question, if Royce had kept his mouth shut, not talked to the press, avoided the youtube nonsense, would he be playing right now?
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No.
 



I think Blizzard and BarnBoy demonstrated that this isn't a question that can be answered with the information available to us.

I'd also submit that Royce was most likely acting without the guidance of the UofM staff when he has made his various public relations missteps. But to punish a kid because he hasn't adequately handled the spotlight seems egregious.
 


I don't get this take. I really don't.

Royce White has only himself to blame for this situation. If he doesn't steal from the Macy's at the Mall of America, then there isn't this kind of fallout from the laptop thing. If he doesn't act like enough of a fool in the dorms, then the radar of the U's residence life folks.

There are consequences to actions and they aren't always quick and easy to clean up. Just because Royce pled guilty to shoplifting and (I'm assuming) paid a fine, doesn't mean that everything is back to the way it was. Being cited for and then pleading guilty to shoplifting means that you have a criminal record (albeit not a major one). If Royce doesn't have a criminal record, then things likely play out very differently in this case.
 

DailyGopher???

So you found some random blog that agrees with you?
(The article was written by PJS, aka PagingJimShikenjanski).

And this blog article just continues the tradition of throwing the blame on anyone handy to avoid laying the real responsibility on the real instigator of the whole mess, Mr White himself. Throw enough sh*t at the wall ... and pretty soon you have a really messy wall.
 

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