Gunpowder Chronicle posted on July 2, 2007 10:11 PM | Rating:
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Just when I was ready for a good old fashioned West Side Story Rumble between Jihad Joe and the Salisbury Jaycees, in jumps Chief Barbrady filing suit on Jihad Joe in Wicomico County Circuit Court.
According to the Daily Slime, Chief Barbrady has filed a defamation suit against Jihad Joe for postings on Jihad Joe's blog. There are a couple of things wrong with this.
First, as a public official, Chief Barbrady is not subject to the same protections against defamation that you or I are. For him to think this worthwhile-- and for the paltry sum of $9999.00 -- is a little questionable. I mean, what could Jihad Joe have said that cause damage to Chief Barbrady that is worth one dollar less than $10000? What lawyer in their right mind would take this case? Oh yeah-- the same firm used by Mayor Barrie Parsons "I'm not a man, damnit!" Tilghman.
Second, it's hard to prove someone defamed your character when you have none to begin with. And I think that should be a central issue in this case. He is without a doubt, one of the worst police chiefs in this history of Salisbury. Some would say (and have said) that he doesn't hold a candle to the late Colbourn Dykes-- under whose leadership the Salisbury City Police won national accreditation. Under Chief Barbrady's exemplary leadership -- <cough> <cough> -- Salisbury has become the 11th most dangerous city in America, the city is besieged by gangs, graffitti is the new urban art, and property crime has skyrocketed as well. Oh, there is that matter of one of his officers raping a woman while on duty.
Third, the use of lawsuits and threats of lawsuits to silence dissent -- no matter how ugly it gets -- is just goddamed wrong. I don't like Jihad Joe any more than any of those mayoral sycophants in the GOB, but he has a right to run his mouth just like any other citizen. It is even worse when an officer of the court uses that court to silence dissent. This alone shows a severe lack of character in Chief Barbrady that is appalling given his responsibilities to protect the citizens of Salisbury and their property.
Finally, the Chief of Police for the City of Salisbury has much bigger frish to fry than Jihad Joe. He has officers that are woefully underpaid compared to neighboring jurisdictions, he has serious command leadership issues (which I have blogged about before), and he has a growing crime problem that will soon rival Leonard Hamm's little clusterfuck in Baltimore City if he isn't careful.
My hope is that Judge Kate Beckstead gets this case, so she can give Chief Barbrady a reality check at the door. Judge Kate -- aside from being a hot judge -- doesn't stand for cow flop, and this case is built of it from the ground up.