RAPE CONVICTION THROWN OUT!

[Long Beach, California; Thursday, May 24, 2012]

As with so many people, especially black males, the criminal justice system failed for Brian Banks.

A lying and malicious so-called "rape victim", criminally ineffective assistance of defense counsel, an uncaring prosecutor, and a general failure by the California judicial system caused irreversible and unpardonable harm to the young life of Mr. Banks, who was only 16 years old at the time of his fraudulent conviction.

Mr. Banks, now 26, was a superstar football player at Long Beach Polytechnic High School whose dreams of a professional football career were destroyed ten years ago (2002) when a fifteen-year old woman, Wanetta Gibson, falsely charged that he raped her on their high school campus.  He was also convicted of kidnapping.

To make matters worse, young Banks' incompetent defense attorney at the time convinced the 16-year old to plead "no contest", after which he was made to serve over 5 years in California's horrendous prison system.

Branded a sex offender, Banks has been required to wear an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet since his release from jail.

Further, it gets even worse.  The lying alleged victim, now 25, Wanetta Gibson, was paid a whopping $1.5 million from a civil lawsuit brought by her thieving mother against the Long Beach school system.

Fortunately, with Ms. Gibson's current admission that she lied on Mr. Banks, assistance from Professor Justin Brooks and his California Innocence Project at California Western School of Law in San Diego, as well as cooperation of the prosecutors, this tragedy was finally ended with a dismissal of the conviction by California Superior Court judge Mark C. Kim.

CJW Comments:  Though Wanetta Gibson's actions against Brian Banks were legally and morally wrong, it is appreciated that she at least came forward and confessed to her extreme wrongdoing and finally cooperated in clearing Banks' record.  One can only imagine the thousands of cases each year in which lies are told in court and innocent lives are ruined as a result --- with no subsequent correction.  I believe there must be some consequences imposed on Ms. Gibson in this case, however.

What do you think?

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