Current Ionad of the Parastin Yeagan Bascia has been released from police custody after spending the last few nights in jail. The highest ranking Parastin was arrested following an alleged altercation with an officer the Auxientian Police Department declined to identify.
The official incident report said the officer responded to an assault in progress in Weatherglass on Friday evening. Upon arriving at the scene, the officer discovered Bascia standing between two inebriated Irregular factory workers.
According to eyewitnesses, the officer demanded that Bascia stand down as he was operating outside of Parastin jurisdiction. Bascia ignored the officer and continued attempting to deescalate the situation.
The standoff devolved when the apparent aggressor accused the other party of skimming more than their fair share of smuggling profits. The police officer drew their weapon and attempted to make an arrest, but Bascia put himself between the Irregulars and the officer.
If the official incident report is to be believed, Bascia drew his sword at this time but none of the witnesses the Observer contacted corroborated this sequence of events.
Both of the suspects fled the scene as the officer argued with Bascia. After they escaped, Bascia was arrested on one count of threatening an officer and two counts of instigating escape. Bascia went into custody peacefully.
The charges against Bascia were dropped by the District Attorney’s Office when case against the Irregulars failed to materialize after 48 hours, as the only evidence of their smuggling was a hearsay confession. According to DA Matt Thomas, “in the eyes of the law, Yeagan stood between two people and a blaster. Without ironclad evidence they were criminals, he wasn’t committing a crime.”
This event speaks to the ongoing tension between the Parastin and the Police that became a matter of public record during the launch of Janeway’s Firefly. According to the Observer’s contacts at the DA’s office, the official investigation is still underway.
For some, these incidents call into question Bascia’s judgment and fitness to serve as the Parastin Ionad. One such critic of Bascia’s is assistant district attorney Francesca Blackstone. Blackstone is an established Sain of the Parastin Order as well as a prosecutor. She had the following to say about Friday’s events :
“This altercation, while based on a misunderstanding, was the result of unresolved animosity between the Parastin and the city police that arose from Mr. Bascia’s actions three months ago. This dynamic cannot be allowed to escalate to hostility which might endanger both participants and bystanders. Individuals from either party have no right to take extrajudicial action against another when we have legitimate channels of recourse for this very purpose. The District Attorney’s Office intends to utilize them to their fullest and ensure that any law enforcement officer, police or Parastin, who acts outside their jurisdiction or abuses their power is held accountable. “
(The opinions expressed above are Blackstone’s own and do not represent an official stance on the part of the Observer.)
When the Observer reached out to the Police for comment, they replied with a copy of Captain Malcolm Locke’s op-ed printed on police letterhead. They have declined further requests for clarification.
The Observer also reached out to Bascia himself about the incident. In the interest of journalistic integrity, we wish to assure our readers that Bascia’s words are reprinted below verbatim – he identified himself in the third person. (As with Ms. Blackstone, the opinions expressed are Bascia’s own and do not represent an official stance on the part of the Observer.)
“This arrest was clearly an attempt at payback for Yeagan’s outspoken cries for justice and reform. It shows how out of touch the Auxientian Police Department are that they believe one citizen attempting to calm an argument between two other citizens can be believed to be criminal behavior. This is not a matter of bad apples, this is a thoroughly spoiled bunch. As they have for the last fifty years, the APD prioritizes order, terror, and obedience over justice, compassion, and transformation. It’s no wonder they were such easy targets when the Silent Partners began their attempts to destroy the city. Now powerful forces, that go against everything this city stands for, have a group of thugs with cheap badges in their pockets. We couldn’t be bullied, beaten, or bought. We still can’t. We wish the city luck. We’re not going anywhere.”
The Observer will continue to report on the developing police-Parastin tensions. While the matter of the arrest has been settled, the differences between the enforcers of the law and faction of the Last Law have never been more apparent.
This altercation, while based on a misunderstanding, was the result of unresolved animosity between the Parastin and the city police that arose from Mr. Bascia’s actions three months ago. This dynamic cannot be allowed to escalate to hostility which might endanger both participants and bystanders. Individuals from either party have no right to take extrajudicial action against another when we have legitimate channels of recourse for this very purpose. The District Attorney’s Office intends to utilize them to their fullest and ensure that any law enforcement officer, police or Parastin, who acts outside their jurisdiction or abuses their power is held accountable.”
Francesca Blackstone, Auxientia Assistant D.A.
