#SouthBend #TheYoungTurks #PoliceTapes
Dave Wells of the SBPD is a plaintiff in the South Bend Police Tapes case. He, along with the other plaintiffs in the case have been fighting to keep the tapes from being released to the public under grounds that they may violate the Indiana Wiretapping Law.
The plaintiffs in the case have been accused of discussing illegal activity and using racist language on the tapes. We’ve never had context or specifics on what that means exactly. Also, no evidence has ever been presented publicly to prove those claims, just hearsay.
Recently, The Young Turks, an online liberal media outlet, purported to have documents with specific allegations of what former South Bend police communications director Karen DePaepe says she allegedly heard on those tapes. Those documents seemed to confirm some rumors about what was on the tapes dating back many years. However, the authenticity of the documents presented by The Young Turks has never been established.
The South Bend Common Council has recently considered calling Karen DePaepe in to confirm or deny if she heard what those documents allege.
In the middle of a segment where I was updating my audience on community activists demanding the tapes be released, Dave Wells called to offer his side of the story. He also said the documents presented by The Young Turks are not authentic and the statements in the documents are false.
This is the first time I’ve had one of the plaintiffs in the case on my show, for obvious legal reasons.
My desire to have the tapes released is well known in this community. However, I’ve always been careful to tell my audience I don’t know what’s on the tapes, neither does anyone else, and we need to not jump to conclusions about their content. Nor should we assume the officers on the tapes are guilty of anything. We don’t know if Karen DePaepe is telling the truth or not.
I’m a member of the media who wants transparency and I don’t think Mayor Buttigieg has been very forthcoming in this matter. I believe he’s mismanaged this case from the beginning. As a result, rumors have spread.
Though I might disagree with the plaintiffs on releasing the tapes, I do not want them falsely accused of anything. Especially if documents used against them aren’t authentic as David Wells says. They deserve a chance to defend themselves. I hope you’ll, at least, hear Dave Wells out before forming your opinion.
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