‘I have learned.’ — Judge Ellen Berz
Ellen Berz, it strikes the gray lab coats at the Werkes, is among the more lenient judges on Dane County’s excessively progressive bench. Champion of “social justice,” and “disproportionate impact” and other Woke nonsense. (We have not quantified that assessment; it’s seat of the pants.)
Judge Berz
Judge Berz may have picked up on the growing zeitgeist for public safety in the wake of the dead Dancing Grannies and marching kids — run down by a repeat offender free on low bail, speeding through the Waukesha Christmas parade.
Berz presided in a sentencing hearing of another heedless driver who stole his cars and drove them 100 — even 140 mph. Brazenly, this sociopath posted live video of his escapades.
This time, Judge Berz ignored the public defender’s plea for four years in prison. Even the prosecutor’s demand for 6 ½ years was insufficient. (It should embarrass the D.A. that he is asking for lessr punishment than the judge wants.) Berz gave one Treveon Deontae Thurman eight solid years in the slammer plus a stiff dose of supervision afterwards.
Not that she hadn’t already released Thurman, age 20, onto Madison streets with reduced bail: $300 each for a number of cases we weren’t able to quantify.
“Within hours of his release, Thurman had broken Berz’s order that he be confined to his residence and was committing new crimes involving stolen cars,” the WI State Journal reports. We find 60 — sixty! — entries on his rap sheet since his release from the Lincoln Hills juvenile lockup two years ago.
If Judge Berz is wising up, she is joining the mayor of San Francisco who is restocking her depleted cop shop. Berz is making common cause with Seattle voters who elected a Republic district attorney. She is heeding Minneapolis voters who turned down a referendum to defund the police and with New York City who elected a former police captain its new mayor. Not that the progressive war on cops is over, by a long shot.
Blaska’s Bottom Line: A workman managed to survive deployment in Afghanistan without injury but now walks with a metal rod inserted in a leg after Thurman mowed him down driving 55 mph on a city of Madison street. For that, Ellen Berz, the district attorney’s office, and the entire progressive “reimagine law enforcement” movement is as responsible as the defendant.
Education
Blaska Policy Werkes 
Don’t forget, Judher exceed ge Berz was also the judge who cut loose two budding gang bangers here in Madison, that ended up murdering a Chicago police officer who stopped them for an expired plate. She had a six month old daughter. One of them provided the gun and the other pulled the trigger. I don’t imagine she liked seeing her name in that case either. Note her comment that this was the first time ever that she was sentencing a first offender to prison, who was convicted of something other than child sexual assault or murder. So armed robbery, rape and assault don’t pose enough of a threat? She better start dropping the hammer on all of them. And I don’t trust that this is a true change of heart on her part. I need to see her do this a lot more before I’ll vote for her.
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Completely agree!
I think the Werkes gives her and other leftists way too much credit. Change of heart? No, more like pandering to public sentiment. From where I sit these are shameful people and I don’t trust them to do the right thing.
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Berz is HORRIBLE!!
Look at what it took for her to do what she should have been doing all along.
The “Duhhhhh” factor is off the charts with these people.
Did you see the 2 liberal anti-police politicians who got carjacked (one had multiple shots fired at her and her husband) in Chicago and Philadelphia within the last 24 hours??
Merry Restorative Justice and a Happy New Car to you!
Of course both anti-police dummies called and begged for help from…. the police.
No statements from either about unmet needs, systemic racism, overpolicing, “insurance will cover it, it’s just property” etc.
Reality doesn’t just bite, it also leaves skidmarks.
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Unfortunately, the loony left never learns, even–especially–from experience. It’s the nature of fanatical ideologues to cling to their ideology tighter than deplorables cling to their guns and religion. And nothing will persuade them to abandon the notion that the best way to decrease crime is to empty the prisons and hamstring the cops. All the social workers in Madison aren’t going to reform the Treveon Thurmons of the world. If the justice system worked as it should, he ought to have been conveyed directly from his stint in Lincoln Hills to an adult prison.
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Yes! They truly are morons. Either that, or spineless panderers. Certainly not people who have a right to be anywhere near a position of leadership.
“Did you see the 2 liberal anti-police politicians who got carjacked (one had multiple shots fired at her and her husband) in Chicago and Philadelphia within the last 24 hours??”
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Let’s face it, Judge Berz is a dick!
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too little, and much much too late.
Madison… Shithole, USA
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Yes.
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micro-schwanz like you can leave anytime you wish.
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macro-fanny as can anyone complaining about high housing prices and systemic racism
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One-eye, right on!
Melanie, by all means, if you want to live in a place where the police are demeaned, violent crimes have risen, riots are seen as acceptable, and city hall is more concerned with the well being of thugs, then feel free to stay. But people with good sense are leaving Madison and Dane County.
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Planning to leave as soon as I can. It can’t come soon enough but it will take time. When I do it, it will be on my schedule.
The fools left behind can continue to pretend their kids are getting a solid education in a safe school. They can continue to hopscotch over feces, urine, vomit and needles on sidewalks and in parks. They can continue to ignore carjackings and shootings while slamming public safety officers. They can continue to pay exorbitant housing cost to live in sh!tty neighborhoods. They can continue to pay ridiculously high taxes for poor services and institutional incompetence brought to you by woke activists who don’t want to do real work.
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Adam,
Agree with everything you said. We’re leaving, too. Have had enough.
I admire the Squires of the city who genuinely think things will change, but the writing is on the wall. Can’t see Madison being restored to its previous splendor.
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Melanie micro-schwanz says: *like* you can leave anytime you wish.
Try and be more understanding of her position people, as she lived in Chicago and Milwaukee prior to moving to Mayberry Madison. She measures a city’s livability score by the number of shots fired, burglaries, and car-jackings/thefts, per week.
See, relatively speaking, Madison really isn’t all that bad. It is all a matter of perspective.
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What does RICO stand for?
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Edward G. Robinson in the movie Little Caesar, a 1930s Warner Bros crime drama, as he is shot dead: “Is this the end of Rico?”
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One of the many joys of visiting this blog is the reliable stream of semi-obscure cultural allusions provided by our host. I admit I had to ponder a moment before recognizing the Rico reference.
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RICO stands for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, a federal law enacted in 1970 to fight organized crime.
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I wonder if the lawmakers intentionally made a nod to the character from the film when they came up with the title of this law. I hesitate to give them that much credit, but who knows ….
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Interesting thought, Gary.
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It’s what will put trump in jail.
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Don’t fall for it. Berz is a menace to society:
https://www.maciverinstitute.com/2021/09/dane-county-judge-inadvertently-reveals-a-troubling-culture-of-coddling-criminals/
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Berz is a criminal’s best friend.
Word on the street is that she receives many anonymous Christmas cards this time of year, all with a common theme of gratitude.
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This made me laugh way too much.
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She’s doing this NOW because it is politically expedient to do so. Once the spotlight is off of her she will revert to her normal behavior.
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After, oh, 2 – 3 – 4 violations >> can’t we lock em up for a few years? I just don’t see how Public Safety is improved by waiting until they have 2 dozen felonies — and then locking them up for an extended period.
If this person is capable of rehabilitation — 2 years in prison might be enough. Their future self might actually appreciate only being locked up for 2 years (rather than 8).
But maybe that’s just me wearing rose-colored glasses again.
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Feral animals need to be caged.
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I’ll take it as a positive sign of change.
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For uber Woke Berz to say “I have learned” is like saying she has just noticed gravity.
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“I had some moments of clarity – once in a while.”
Joe Walsh
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At the risk of sounding naive, where are the local media? They devote hours of airtime to covering marathons for obscure diseases and grand openings of micro-breweries, but have nothing to say about issues directly affecting public safety.
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Been thinking the same thing, Gary. Digging deeper, my foot.
This for instance. Only WKOW is covering it? What are they afraid of?
https://www.wkow.com/news/complaint-filed-against-madison-police-chief-barnes-over-alleged-sexually-inappropriate-comments/article_858b39b2-6370-11ec-935c-87c7f261b346.html
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They freeze in situations like this. A man with police power…. but-but-but he is “of colour”….
Ordinarily a young woman making such allegations against a a man in a powerful position would bring screaming headlines and hordes of protesters calling for the man’s head on a platter.
The silence is deafening, Madison feminists and “me too” activists!
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Exactly. Imagine is this had been a white chief!
The Metoo feminists are selective in what they choose to be outraged by. They’re sickening.
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And the complainant is a recent UW grad and prominent women’s hockey star.
Where is the University Chancellor’s scathing statement? Or does she only release such statements in regard to out-of- state injustices and undesired election outcomes?
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Adam,
It seems so. Remember last year’s riots? She was one of those who conveniently didn’t speak of it.
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Yet the same people who want to have a revolving door justice system are the same ones that want more and more gun control.
Gun control, really. With what do you propose to control guns with? The police you are trying to defund? Or how about those social workers you want to use to de-escalate bad situations?
I predict what you are going to get is the following.
Since we the people can no longer count on court officials or our elected officials to protect us, we will have no other options than to arm ourselves at all times.
Justice will become vigilante mob violence with the mob deciding to “string up” offenders with neck tie parties right on our streets.
Is that what you court officials and elected officials want?
I don’t!
But I predict that is what you are going to get if you don’t crack down on these thugs.
BTW- Judge Berz, in my humble opinion, Officer French’s blood is on your hands. You might not have been the one who pulled the trigger but you sure as hell are the one who made it possible.
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I would also like to add the following.
Here is a video from Oak Park ILL. rolling gun battle right in the middle of the night on a suburban neighborhood made up of houses that are easily worth 350-750,000.
This what is going to happen here.
You and I will see it happen!
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Run hillary run.
We need a good laugh about now.
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