RACINE — A Racine man is expected to file a petition to recall Racine County District Attorney Patricia Hanson after she decided not to file charges against Mount Pleasant Police Sgt. Eric Giese in the fatal shooting of Ty'Rese West on Wednesday.
Michael Burmeister drafted the following petition on his Facebook page, but it has not been submitted yet:
"We, the people of the Campaign for Confident Justice, do this day issue this Declaration to Racine County District Attorney Patricia Hanson, and to the entire populace of the City of Racine, to clarify the Purposes and Goals of said Campaign.We recognize that to ensure the protection of the innocent and the punishment of the guilty, the Justice Department of counties appoint a District Attorney (and those of states and nations an Attorney General). As said DA represents “The People” when prosecuting criminal cases, we hold that their powers are derived from the consent of said People, as all who govern in a free society derive their powers from the consent of the governed. Therefore, should a DA ever fail to live up to their duties and go on to become a force against the rights of the people, it is the unalienable right of the people to use whatever legitimate and peaceful means are necessary to remove that DA from office.We believe that the current District Attorney of Racine County, Tricia Hanson, has failed to live up to her duties, becoming a force against the rights of the people for which she was sworn in to fight, and therefore, it is our unalienable right to use whatever legitimate and peaceful means are necessary to remove her from office.We do not take this course of action lightly, as elected officials should not be removed from office before the end of their term for mild or impermanent reasons. However, when said elected official has displayed a history of apathy, bias and corruption, demonstrating a blatant disregard for the God-given freedoms of the people they represent, it is right, just and our duty to remove said official from the office to which they were elected as soon as possible, by the means afforded to us by our State Government.The history of the present District Attorney of Racine County is of repeated injuries and injustice upon the residents of said County, benefiting few people besides you, Ms. District Attorney, and those you hold in favor.
- You have, along with various other elected officials, covered up for the financial irregularities and gross dishonesty of Machinery Row, refusing to even consider investigating any misdeeds in its planning.
- You have dismissed thirteen criminal charges against a convicted child abuser solely because he was a troublesome inmate at the County Jail, refused to even consider prosecuting your predecessor Rich Chaipete for his drunk driving, and have allowed numerous other defendants to avoid justice because of mismanagement on your part.
- You have saved said hawkish prosecution tactics for those expressing their anger over your previous decisions (although exercising very poor judgement by possible ambigiuous threats) on Facebook.
- Worst of all, in the two highest-profile cases regarding young black men being shot and killed by police in Racine history (those involving Donte Shannon and Tyrese West), you have refused the release of body camera footage, protracted the investigations as long as you possibly could, and then ultimately declined to file any charges whatsoever against the officers who killed them, in spite of plentiful evidence in both cases pointing to their misconduct.
We, the Campaign for Confident Justice, do therefore, in the name and by the authority of the people of Racine County, solemnly publish and declare our intentions to begin this procedure to recall you from office, to gather the 21,960 signatures necessary before 5:00 PM on Monday, November 18, 2019, to back your opponents in the ensuing campaigns (both primary and general election), and to vote on Election Day to have you removed from office and replaced by a District Attorney who is fit for the job and will be earnest and diligent in protecting the rights of the People of Racine County.
To these goals we pledge our lives, our property, and our honor.
-Michael Burmeister, City of Racine
Other signatores to follow."
Giese reportedly will rejoin the Mount Pleasant Police Department, but a date has not been set.
Check back throughout the day for updates to this developing story.
