Letter to the Editor
Hartman case
Published Tuesday, July 15, 2008
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To the editor:
The John Hartman murder trials depict the huge injustices done to Native people. I have always known the racism toward Native people, and have borne the brunt of it. Many people make reference to all indigenous Alaskans being drunks and some have even been so bold as to say it to my face.
Growing up, I was surrounded by many Native people who led successful lives. I know the Native people of Alaska are a diverse group which include people who have chosen to take many different life paths and that we should not be grouped into the category “all Natives are drunks,” and therefore are inherently bad.
Knowing the details surrounding the case involving my cousin, who was convicted of taking part in the murder of John Hartman, I know that this racial divide will continue to exist. Native people who are taken in for questioning will continue to be scared because they know that they can be easily accused and convicted of a crime without valid hard evidence of involvement.
Even I, a successfully educated wife and mother of three, will continue to be wary of law enforcement. As a person of mixed ethnicity — both Native and Caucasian — I am constantly aware of this racial divide and am perplexed by the simplistic attempt to put labels on different groups of people.
I think about those five boys who lost their lives 10 years ago: John, George, Marvin, Kevin and Eugene. I can’t say I believe justice has been done for any of them. There are many unanswered questions and families grieving over young men who are still alive but unfairly gone from us forever. It pains me to know how easily these young men were found guilty even with all the shaky “evidence” involved.
Alaska, you let me and the Alaska Native people down by not treating this case like you would any other … fairly and justly.
Today, I’m sad to be Alaskan.
Community Discussion
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Misty -
You have made a slight mistake in your letter above. Although those five convicted in a court of their peers have been locked away for a stretch of time - they did not lose their life...
From what information I can gather they are still breathing, eating and living - just not in the capacity to which they would like
The person who lost his life, John, no longer has this ability.
Again I ask - where were all the parental, family, and friend involvement when these young men were drinking/drugging and cruising around underage? An accident waiting to happen...
It is easy to claim racism and be 'sad to be Alaskan' but maybe this is, instead, a time for your community to take a good look in the mirror and become stronger.
As I drive down Cushman last weekend night I noticed that the problem still exists just as it did 10 years ago - and tragedy will happen again without your action
lay down the race card...it is worn out and just doesn't work anymore
The letter started out good and made excellent points but then she went to the my cousin would never do this...if we let ever person out of jail/prison who had a family member, loved one, neighbor, or friend who said that "I know them, they would never or are incapable of doing such a thing" the jails would be empty
Sorry, but 3 separate juries hearing the same facts convicted those three. Enough is enough. Thirty-six people from Anchorage, who knew nothing of these men, convicted them based upon the evidence presented - and presented in accordance with the Alaska Rules of Evidence. A judge and defense attorney were both present while the State put on its case. If there was a racial injustice going on, two other officials besides the prosecutor were there to put a stop to it.
I think "facts" is a loose term in this case.
a well presented letter, but missing one thing. condolences for john hartman.
First of all those boys were convicted by juries of their peers without ANY PHYSICAL EVIDENCE CONNECTING THEM TO THE SCENE OR THE VICTIM so if you think justice was served than you need to review the facts they were coerced into false statements by a then and still very much now racists police dept. I feel bad for the Hartman family they may never have justice because the killer or killers are still out there and the justice system will always be flawed.
Whether they were rightfully convicted or not, and I think they were, but even if they weren't, none of those boys were the angels that Misty thinks they were. They were stealing, using drugs, selling drugs to other kids, beating people that didn't deserve it, and just plain being a menace to society. They are in jail where they belong. Whether it's for this murder, or for all the other illegal stuff they got away with before they were arrested, they are where they belong. So quit screaming racism when it's obvious that these people were common criminals regardless of their race. Due to the obvious lack of guidance/parenting they were all going to end up in jail anyway. Justice served.
These guys made a bad choice 10 years ago, as stated they were all tried convicted and have had repeated appeals over the last 10 years. Our court system may not be perfect, but it is the most fair in the world to day, I believe. It has worked in this case well.
No one in prison is guilty: just any of them, they will tell you that!!
Misty,
There is no use in trying to reason with idiots with their heads in the sand. They will never admit to the truth and will continue to spout their venom.
Well put Hybrid
OK, let's remove the race card then akguy. If you were in these young men's shoes, questioned as they were, charged, and convicted for a crime that was based on the "evidence" and what FPD defines as a "confession", wouldn't you want the support of the community? I am still open minded waiting for someone to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that these boys committed this crime.
WtWlly, not all mischeif teenagers turn out to be career criminals. I look at our former and current local politicians and I see even their mischief teenagers maturing into productive adults. I hope you never have to deal with FPD or the District Attorney's office. Or better yet, maybe that's exactly what you need to do is to have an encounter with either of them.
HybridAlaskan, I'm surprised your comment hasn't been removed.
Inupiaq, I have dealt with the FPD and I wasn't impressed...
That being said, the fact is that those boys were all on the path to self-destruction.
The reference you make to our politicians, and/or their teenage children doesn't even come close to the actions of what these boys were doing. Apples and oranges...
I'm guessing that you also must be related to one of them.
I think some of you should go back and re-read the articles. Over and over again it discussed the fact that Marvin Roberts and his friends that he was hanging with were sober. That he had just got back from a hunting trip with his father. That he successfully finished highschool. You are lumping them together. This case had too many holes. God rest the soul of John Hartman and my prayers to all involved and for this community.
HybridAlaskan and WetWily will get their own one day: your blindness will carry you as far as you wish to go. For that, I'm sorry. What's even more sad is that you live here, that we may be in the same room or at the same store where I would share a smile or a laugh or be kind to you when truly, you don't deserve it. Your ways will lead you exactly down the path you deserve.
John was a really good friend of mine and he dated my best friend in junior high. So I was devastated when I heard about what happened. But everyone on here is saying either racism or NO EVIDENCE at all put them in jail, well I agree with Gopking "3 separate juries hearing the same facts convicted those three. Enough is enough. Thirty-six people from Anchorage, who knew nothing of these men, convicted them based upon the evidence presented - and presented in accordance with the Alaska Rules of Evidence." I am sad if those boys spent one second in cell paying for a crime they did not commit, but our legal system is now and always has been flawed. There are more than just these boys being punished cruelly for crimes they didn't do.
Well put Interior girl. They make John H. look like an angel and natives are the bad people. They should look into John's friend who watched him get killed.Then maybe start accusing the native kids
Crazy, I'm not native and I don't think all of the people convicted were part of the crime.
Maybe the cops were racially motivated, but don't tell me all of Alaska's white people are against natives!
Yes, natives do get a lot of flak for being drunks, reason being 9.5 times out of 10, when you see a drunk person walking through the streets - they are usually native. That has nothing to do with this case anyhow. White people drink too. Unfortunatly there are alot of ignorant people or ALL races, and usually the few doing the bad things are the ones that speak for the whole race.
I have had many good native friends over my life, I can say that most of them should NOT drink - it is not well tolerated by them at all.
WtWlly. Are you saying that just because their history involved some criminal activity that they deserve to be in jail convicted of murder? Your comments do not make sense. Try again.
From what I'm reading, if a Native Alaskan commits a crime they shouldn't be punished.....anyone who thinks these punk kids should be let go due to their ethnicity, get a hobby!
InteriorGirl, " your blindness will carry you as far as you wish to go."
That's a two-way street that you're also apparently traveling.
I'm not sure why you think I'm so blind unless you have some sort of insight to this case that the world hasn't seen. Or maybe you know something personally about it that you're not sharing.
What do you know for fact about this case that makes you more knowledgeable than me or anyone else?
NEWSFLASH:
The D.A. used the "Spartacus" race card in one his closing statements.
Remember?
I pray to GOD they don't try this trash court stuff on one of my brothers; Hell would be unleashed. Thank GOD and pass the ammunition.
CAD, I'm just saying that they were on a path that was going to lead them to jail anyway. You can twist it in your mind anyway you want...
ok and what does it matter that they were going down a path that would lead them to jail? Does it mean that they got what they deserved? Does it mean that since they are criminals they deserve to be in jail convicted of murder? Again, I fail to see your point.
I am not saying they didn't do it. I am saying that comments like yours do not belong here. You cant just say "they were criminals anyway".
I share something in common with the writer.
I am half caucasian and half native american, not Alaskan native, but native. I have witnessed racial slurs and insults from both native and non-native people who knew or didn't know that I was a half-breed.
Injustices have been done and will continue to be done in this country, not only to the native american people, but also to african-americans, irish-americans, italian-americans, jewish people, christians, atheists, asians, caucasions,... I could go on.
Our legal system may not get it right everytime, but it is ours, for all of us to embrace, as is this great country. It is yours, it is mine, it is ours together. It is a shame that the race issue is still being used to vindicate these men.
A young man lost his life, ...correction, a young man's life was taken away by those that did not have the right.
Our justice system levied convictions on the young men found responsible, on 3 separate occassions. Justice has been served, case closed.
What is so great about this country is, even if you do not believe the real culprits were caught, you have the freedom to investigate for yourself. You have that right, and further, I say you have the moral obligation to pursue your own investigation. A simple "Letter to the Editor" isn't enough and rings only of sour grapes.
CAD, Thank you for determining what I should or shouldn't say here, I really need your approval!
You said, "You cant just say "they were criminals anyway".
In case you haven't read anything about the case, let me inform you ... they were criminals!
This is not a racist issue, it is simply a criminal issue
Do the crime, do the time
You guys continue to make the 4 sound like they were missionaries home for the weekend when the bad cops tore them out of Bible study to fabricate charges against them. Truth be told, all but one of them had a decent criminal record, all of them have substance abuse issues. They are not innocent
It's tough for me as a white person to deal accusations of racism. I always have to watch over my shoulder to see if the reasonable decisions I've made are gonna be called racist or bigoted, simply because I am white. I hope one day I can break through these chains that keep me down and I can live in peace and not have to worry about being stereotyped a racist, simply because I'm white......
hckywtchr-AMEN
Skagdog- good luck with that
I'd trust a Fairbaks cop like i'd trust a rattle snake. Did you nay-sayers read the decade of doubt series? What was your conclusion after reading that? Oh yeah, usually the racist are too ignorant and lazy to read that much.
WtWlly, all Alaska Natives aren't related. I am Inupiaq, hence my username.
Skagdog, the community wants a fair and just trial. Even if we took the 'racial card' out of asking for a retrial, those young men were not convicted based on real evidence. Only a poorly investigated police report and FPD's definition of confessions.
If they didn't do it; lets find the people that did!