3-Strike Stories: Joe Garcia

I am a 3 strike victim of our society. My name is Mr. Joe Garcia. I thank all the readers for their time, and patience to hear us out.!! I am just one of many thousands who will be facing a life sentence for Old Priors, and a current charge I didn't even do. I was arrested for possession of stolen property a felony that can be reduced to a misdemeanor, under the 3 strike Law, to a 2 strike case, under the Romero decision. Since the laws and statues have changed, I was convicted of first degree burglar. The law reads now, if someone is caught with recent stolen property, that person can be charged and convicted of burglary because it was in his, or her possession. This is what they call circumstantial evidence! Therefore, a person doesn't have to do the burglary, just be in possession of stolen property, and you can be charged, and convicted of a burglary, he or she didn't do. This my friend is what you call entrapment. Another way to convict you of the serious felony, under the 3 strike law, so that they have their say in taking you off the streets for ever. Where has our justice gone too? Why are we letting the law makers, and our own government get away with this bribery, and their own scheme for their plan. They tell our society, they will fix the world, or make it a safer place to live in. Why? Because guns , drugs, and alcohol will always be sold on the street corners. They say lets put repeat-offenders away for life, because it's another way to manipulate the people to vote for them on election day! Therefore, that's bribery, manipulating the minds of our people. Besides who has the right to take away some's life without Murder? The person, or person's who designed the 3 strikes and your out law did it through fate, or prejudice, and it violates everyone's constitutional rights. For reasons of mental cruelty, cruel and unusual punishment. I myself do not only suffer, but my family, and daughters as well suffer, all because I am a repeat offender with a drug addiction, and priors that I did my time for. For example my priors are so old they even lost or destroyed the preliminary transcripts, these priors are in 1975-1976-1982 each of the 2nd degree burglary: when the statues of 2nd degree burglarys were not serious, but now they say they can make them a serious felony by curtailing around them, and they make them retroactive. In other words break the law, so they can get to you. My pervious conviction was 1992, false imprisonment with personal use of a deadly, or dangerous weapon. This was a case, where I was a victim to be robed of drugs, and defended myself with the suspects weapon. I was charged with that weapon along with holding a suspect hostage until the police arrived. I was charged and convicted for saving my own life, and served 4 2 yrs of my life for it, and this is a prior that the District Attorney are now using on me under the 3 strikes, and your out law, so what do we have three old 2nd degree burglaries dating back 1975, 1976 and 1982. One violent felony, where no one got hurt, except to save my life, and another's. I have never ever in my whole life owned a gun or let alone carried a gun. I have never robbed, hurt, beat up or murdered anybody, and they want to take my life away for what? Because I am an ex-drug addict, an ex-repeat offender for small time crimes. I don't think so, therefore I ask for your help, to help us, for your help to support, and to amend SB2048. To live our lives with our family's and not for the benefit of the system, and their prison industries. I sincerely thank you for your time, and understanding.


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Date last modified: 6/19/98.