People are still asking me whether the first federal trial of former Kansas City, Kansas, police detective Roger Golubski, scheduled to begin in Topeka on Dec. 2, is really going to happen. And I always say yes. Barring an act of God, or any of the more mundane sniffles and piffles that can delay a judicial proceeding, yes.
After all that the Black community in KCK has been through with 71-year-old Golubski and all of those who protected him, this is a perfectly rational question, though. The man spent 35 years on the force, is charged with routinely abusing his authority by repeatedly raping and violating the civil rights of Black women, and yet is still defended by a number of his former superiors.
Even now, some still worry that he’ll kill himself to avoid trial. I never believed that would happen, and don’t know why it would now, when Golubski, who has denied all allegations, has excellent legal representation and a chance of walking away. Defense attorneys smear victims because doing so often works , and it could here, too. As always, the burden is on prosecutors to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.