Gangsters in Blue

The government is not there to protect you. The only way to stop the corruption happening every day is to stop allowing others the power to control your life and your money.

Disgraced Pennsylvania judge Mark Ciavarella Jr has been sentenced to 28 years in prison for conspiring with private prisons to sentence juvenile offenders to maximum sentences for bribes and kickbacks which totaled millions of dollars. He was also ordered to pay $1.2 million in restitution.

In the private prison industry, the more time an inmate spends in a facility, the more of a profit is reaped from the state. Ciavearella was a figurehead in a conspiracy in the state of Pennsylvania which saw thousands of young men and women unjustly punished and penalized in the name of corporate profit.

According to allgov.com Ciavearella’s cases from 2003 – 2008 were reviewed by a special investigative panel and later by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and it was found that upwards of 5,000 young men and women were denied their constitutional rights, and therefore all of their convictions were dismissed and were summarily released.

During his sentencing Ciavarella was defiant, claiming he had broken no laws and claimed the money he received was a legitimate ‘finder’s fee.’ Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon Zubrod said comments such as these were typical of Ciavarella, according to the local reporting of citizensvoice.com:

I think that’s his way of doing things. Never retreat. Always go on the attack. Always blame somebody else. Always get them to back off. He tried it with the judge. It didn’t work.

Pennsylvania Judge Sentenced to 28 Years in Prison for Selling Teens to Prisons is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Happy Ides of March! To-day is Tyrannicide Day (observed); to-day is also the International Day of Action Against Police Brutality. I don’t know why anyone would be so paranoid or anti-government or anti-cop as to call for protests against police brutality. Everyone knows that cops are here to protect you.

• Unnamed 19-year-old single mother, Milwuakee, Wisconsin [t/w: sexual violence committed by a police officer]: a 19-year-old single mother, who has chosen to remain anonymous, had a brick thrown through her window, and someone trying to kick in her front door, so she called 911. When the police showed up to help, they took her brother outside and sent her boyfriend out of the house; then one of the cops, Police Officer Ladmarald Cates, rapist on patrol, took the opportunity to corner her while she was alone and repeatedly rape her. When she tried to get outside to tell other police about what happened to her, her rapist grabbed her, spun her around, and had her arrested for assaulting a police officer. She was held in jail for 12 hours while other police called her a liar until she was finally taken to a hospital to be tested with a rape kit. Then they sent her back to the county jail and imprisoned her for four days without any charges ever being filed against her. The police force eventually fired Cates for idling and loafing on duty [sic!] after they confronted him with DNA evidence of the rape, but the local DA declined to prosecute. The survivor was eventually able to find a lawyer who helped her take the case to the Feds for a civil-rights complaint; when they investigated, they found out that before he raped her, Police Officer Ladmarald Cates had already been investigated five times before for illegal behavior, including three previous allegations of sexual abuse. (The local DA had declined to prosecute in those cases, too.)

• Bassil Abdelal of Chicago, Illinois: Abdelal, the owner of B&B Beauty Supply on the West Side of Chicago, was robbed at gunpoint last year while trying to close up his store. Somebody who saw what was going down called the police from a CTA station, so the robbers ran out of the store. He stepped out to see where they were going to, and picked up a gun they had dropped to protect himself. Then, when the police showed up to help, Abdelal dropped the gun, but they shot him 11 times while he screamed Don’t shoot; I am the store owner. Then they handcuffed him in the ambulance and denied him medical treatment while they questioned him. Then they came by the hospital again in the middle of the night and handcuffed him to the bed, and harassed and interrogated him in repeated visits for over a week.

• Delma Towler of Altavista, Virginia: Towler, an 83-year-old woman, called 911 to report a burglary at her home. Then she went out into her own backyard, with her gun to protect herself; the police, showing up on the scene to help, gunned down Delma Towler — shooting her three times and killing her in her own backyard — for not responding to shouted orders that she could not hear without her hearing aid. According to the press report, The officer, who hasn’t been named, has been placed on administrative leave … . He is believed to be a veteran [sic] with more than 10 years’ experience in the force… . The Altavista Police Department chief Clay Hamilton said an internal investigation found the officer involved was not at fault as he followed department policy.

• Kristen Walker and her boyfriend James, of Rochester, New York [t/w: traumatizing harassment, sexist language, physical violence against a rape survivor by police]: Walker (who is white) and her boyfriend (who is African-American) were harassed by a security guard while shopping in a convenience store late at night earlier this month; then after leaving the store found that they were being followed by police officers. It turns out they were being followed because the security guard — himself an off-duty RPD police officer — had called 911 to tell his buddies that he thought Walker and her boyfriend were suspicious because they were carrying a massive amount of cash on them (they had just gotten their tax return). So, hot on the scent of a possible drug seizure, two police cruisers pulled them over and multiple officers swarmed the car to demand ID and interrogate the two of them separately. When Kristen Walker asked why they pulled them over, the cop replied None of your fucking business, we don’t have to have a fucking reason to stop you. When she pointed out they need to have reasonable suspicion to justify a traffic stop, the police officer told her Yeah?, you smart ass little bitch, get the fuck out of the car. Then he grabbed her by the arm to pull her out of the car and wrenched it behind her back, marched her over to the police car and slammed her head on the trunk. Walker, a rape survivor, was alarmed and told the cops she suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from the sexual assault; they ignored her and had both male officers conduct a pat-down search. One police officer told Walker I should beat the fuck out of you, and threatened to pepper-spray her in the face while she was hand-cuffed in the back of the police-cruiser. When she asked for the name and badge number of the police officer, he told her Blow me you little whore, and shut the car door. While she was in tears, a female officer came by, looked inside, and said Aw, look at the little baby crying. When the police failed to find anything in her car, and another police officer told told her they were going to release her and her boyfriend, she again asked for their names and badge numbers, and the cop told her If you get their names and badge numbers you’re either going to jail for disorderly conduct or they’ll take you to the hospital for a mental health arrest. When she got home, she dialed 911 and asked for a supervisor to get the names and badge numbers of the police officers who had pulled them over, interrogated her, harassed her, humiliated her in the most vulgar and violent ways, searched her, beat her, threatened her repeatedly with even more extreme physical violence, re-traumatized her and violated her civil rights in every way over carrying too much cash which is, as you may know, not actually against any law. The officer on the phone explained why they had been singled out for being stopped and searched but also refused to give her the names or the badge numbers of the officers who did it. When a local journalist put up a story about it on the Internet and contacted the city government in Rochester, he was told that they will not be releasing the names of the officers pending an internal affairs investigation.

• All domestic violence victims, New York, New York: the New York Police Department recently issued an order to all police ordering them to run criminal checks on victims who call 911 to report domestic violence to the police. So now if your partner is beating you, and you call 911, when the police show up to help they will also be checking your name in all NYPD databases to determine whether they’ll be arresting you for anything including for minor offenses like unpaid tickets. According to the New York Post, A [police] source said that even if detectives wanted to take pity on someone who was battered by a spouse, they would feel pressure to make an arrest to avoid getting in trouble with superiors. We have every right to arrest that person at that moment, the source said.

• All K-12 students, Pennsylvania: Bristol Township School District allows them. Neshaminy and Pennridge schools do not. And Palisades is discussing whether to permit them. But most local school districts have no specific policy on strip-searches of students. Without a policy, there are no guidelines, meaning students can be forced to take off all clothing if suspected of carrying prohibited contraband or material that could pose a threat [for example, dangerous substances like ibuprofen —R.G.]. Statewide, more than 100 school districts have adopted a policy example provided by the Pennsylvania School Board Association in 2009, which sets out the circumstances in which it believes a strip-search would be reasonable and necessary. Palisades introduced its proposed strip-search policy during the school board’s Feb. 6 meeting, leading several parents to speak out against such searches. It defines when administrators could legally strip-search students: a reasonable suspicion that something was being concealed that would be a threat to the health, safety and welfare of the school population and could be recovered only by the removal or searching of a student’s clothes… . There are no possible suspicions that could possibly make it reasonable for school administrators or resource-cops to ever have the power to force a student to undergo a strip-search.

• Charlene Holly, six children, and the family dog, Samson, of Chicago, Illinois. Nine Chicago police officers, lead by Officer Patrick Kinney (the rest of the officers are not named in court documents), broke down the door and forced their way into Holly’s apartment, dressed in army fatigues and with guns drawn, screaming Get on the ground! and demanding at gunpoint that an 11 month old child show his hands. They killed the family dog by choke-dragging him up from the basement and then left him in the upstairs laundry room, where he died. When the police finally showed their warrant, the warrant said that it was for a man named Sedgwick M. Reavers and it was made out for the second-floor apartment at 10640 S. Prairie Street. The apartment that this paramilitary squad had broken into, with guns drawn, was the first floor apartment. When Samuel Holly, Charlene Holly’s husband, tried to make a complaint about the wrong-address storm-trooper raid, the warrantless search and the killing of their dog, the police would not take his complaint over the phone; when he showed up at the police station the next day, they refused to take the complaint, and told him that he should have made a complaint last night.

• Deborah Braillard, of Maricopa County, Arizona: Braillard, a diabetic, was arrested on minor drug charges and thrown into the Maricopa County jail. She died in jail because the sheriff’s office denied her medical care for three days, even after other inmates warned the jailers that she needed help. This was back in 2005; the story is in the news again because the Maricopa County sheriff’s office has just agreed to make Maricopa taxpayers pay $3,250,000 to Braillard’s family in order to settle the case, after a judge ruled that jurors could be told that key evidence in the case had been destroyed by the sheriff’s department. Of course the people who personally decided to imprison Deborah Braillard and to kill her by denying her access to needed medical care will never pay a cent out of their own pockets.

• Ferdinand Hunt and Sidney Newman, of New Orleans, Louisiana. Hunt and Newman, two black teenagers, were hanging out on Conti Street after a Mardi Gras parade, waiting for Hunt’s mother to come back from getting some food. Nine plainclothes State Police officers and a NOPD cop then rushed them, surrounded them, and then — in spite of neither young man posing any physical threat at all — were caught on video throwing them across the sidewalk into a wall and beat them. The state troopers claimed that while they were patrolling the French Quarter, they noticed two individuals who appeared to be juveniles and decided to ID them; this is, apparently, how they go about finding out who’s who in New Orleans.

• Kimani Gray of East Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York: plainclothes cops swarmed Kimani Gray, a 16 year old boy, late at night, claiming that he adjusted his waistband and attempted to leave when he saw them. So instead of letting him leave peacefully, they pulled him aside and confronted him. Then they shot at him 11 times, killing him. They claim he was pointing a gun at them. Gray was hit with seven of the 11 shots fired; three shots hit him in the back. Less than a year before, plainclothes NYPD drug cops shot and killed an unarmed 23-year-old woman, Shantel Davis, only blocks away. After vigils and protests against police violence in Brooklyn in the wake of the most recent shooting, riot cops set up roadblocks on Church Avenue, grabbed Gray’s sister Mahnefah off the street, kettled protesters and arrested 46 people, mostly for disorderly conduct..

• Jabbar Campbell of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York [t/w: homophobic language, graphic photo of injuries inflicted by police against a gay man]: Jabbar Campbell, a gay African-American man living in Brooklyn, threw a gay-pride party at his apartment. Police got an excessive-noise complaint related to the party; but when a squad of police showed up at the apartment, they claim that he ignored their demands to discontinue a party and then pushed Sergeant Juan Morero, attempted to flee and flailed his arms at cops and behaved belligerently. Campbell denies that that’s true — but whether it is or not, what happened next is that a gang of nine cops forced their way into the building, deliberately turned off a surveillance camera in the building, and then proceeded to hold him down and beat him repeatedly, punching him in the face and striking him with clubs and flashlights until he lost consciousness, all the while screaming You fucking fag and homo. He was taken to Kings County Hospital with a black eye, a split lip and a bloodied mouth, needing 9 stitches and then taken to jail for 24 hours on charges of resisting arrest, attempted assault and marijuana possession. Police questioned party-goers about whether they were having gay orgies or screwing each other. When Campbell filed a lawsuit against the NYPD over the beating, more armed men, wearing police jackets, broke into his house without a warrant and with their badges hidden from view, refusing to give their names, demanding ID from the gusts at Campbell’s house and searching everyone there. According to Jabbar Campbell, the officers who attacked him are still on the job, although they are being investigated by IAB (internal affairs bureau) and the ADA.

• Stanley Gibson of Las Vegas, Nevada: Gibson, a 43-year-old US Army veteran suffering from severe anxiety and depression, had a series of run-ins with police over the course of two days and was acting increasingly erratic and disoriented. Police boxed in Gibson’s car on the road; when he refused to come out after an hour, the cops decided to force him out by breaking his windows with beanbag rounds and then filling the car with pepper-spray. Instead, Police Officer Jesus Arevalo fired seven live rounds from his rifle, killing Gibson, who was disoriented, completely unarmed, and had made no attempt either to come out of the car or to attack the police. Back in December, a government grand jury declined to indict Arevalo on murder charges after evidence was presented during hearings closed to the public and Gibson’s family. Now that the case has already been decided using secret evidence, Metro is using Gibson’s case as the first case for their new Police Fatality Public Factfinding Review, a public process created by Las Vegas Metro Police Department’s Sheriff Douglas Gillespie and the Las Vegas Police Protective Association’s Chris Collins to replace the previous Coroner’s Inquest system for police shootings with a new system intended to make the hearings less adversarial and promote the dissemination of information to the public. (To the public, natch; this only goes one way. In the new dissemination-system there is no opportunity for testimony from witnesses, no power to compel police to testify under oath, and no representation from the victim’s family or non-police witnesses.)

• Alex Landau of Denver, Colorado [t/w: reporting of racist language and extremely graphic photos of injuries from the beating]: Landau, a 19-year-old Community College of Denver student, was pulled over by police, allegedly for an illegal left turn. Cops escalated the traffic stop into a drug search; when they asked to search the trunk of his car, Landau refused, and asked whether they had a warrant — so a group of cops punched him in the face, then beat him for several minutes, after he fell to the ground, with fists, a radio, and a flashlight. They pressed a service revolver to his head and threatened his life. The cops claim they thought they saw a gun, but Landau was in fact completely unarmed. After they stopped beating him the cops laughed at him and said, Where’s that warrant now you fucking nigger? [sic] Then they dragged him across the grass and left him to bleed; they denied him medical treatment for so long, while getting photos taken for their paperwork, that he went into shock on the way to the hospital. He needed 45 stitches and suffered a broken nose, a concussion, and brain injuries from his severe beating at the hands of the police.

Fernando Antonio Salguero recently experienced the “protection” afforded by those who act in an environment absent proper incentives.

His situation was thoroughly covered in the two pieces below, originally posted at infowars.com and philly.com.

Feel free to share your thoughts with the aggressors:

Camden Co. Sheriff’s Dept
(856) 225-5470

Note – in the past Fernando has submitted this post to CopBlock.org: Philly Love Police Member Records Police Encounter

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Pennsylvania Survivalist Arrested in New Jersey on Weapons Charge

by Adam Salazar, InfoWars.com
Feb. 20th, 2013

Efforts to demonize preppers are in full swing as one Philadelphia area survivalist can attest.

Fernando Antonio Salguero, 39, has forged a survivalist reputation for himself in and around the Philadelphia area, founding an 800-member strong Meetup group where people can discuss survivalism and preparedness items.

Salguero recently found himself on the wrong side of the law when he went into his neighboring state of New Jersey to contest a ticket.

He was approached by officers outside of the Somerdale, New Jersey municipal court last Tuesday originally because he was suspected of parking illegally, according to reports.

Police ran his license plate and found he had a previous weapons charge and an offense for driving with a revoked license, enough to evidently prompt them to employ a bomb-sniffing dog.

“A police dog indicated explosive materials in the car, but police found none,” the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote.

According to the Philadelphia Daily News, Salguero demanded police obtain a warrant prior to the search (destruction of his property?) – a right afforded him under the Fourth Amendment of the United States Consitution (The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated..) – but when police failed to produce one, they went ahead with a K9 that alerted, and a bomb squad robot that “blew open the trunk of Salguero’s 2005 Ford Crown Victoria.”

“I offered them a key, but they just blew it open with their robot to justify them having their toys,” he said.

What dangerous items did they find in his trunk? Items you would normally find in any prepared person’s trunk: flares, an extendable baton and pepper-spray, which police labeled as “tear gas.”

When pressed to explain why he would have such dangerous items in his trunk, Salguero expressed to the Daily News that ideally he would like to be prepared for various scenarios and that New Jersey’s over-paranoia has led them to nearly become a complete “slave state”:

“If there’s a car accident and something’s on fire and there’s leaking fuel, I want to be able to affect a rescue of that person. A baton is there to break the windows. There’s no problem [with having a baton] here in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, but in the state of New Jersey the people are much closer to the slave state. Slaves are not allowed to be armed . . . at all.”

He was charged with weapons violations and possession of destructive devices and held on a $35,000 bail.

“Salguero, 39, is the founder of Survive and Thrive, an 800-member group that meets regularly to discuss such topics as ‘stealth and subterfuge,’ ‘repelling home invasions’ and ‘flexing the U.S. Constitution,’” according to the Philadelphia Daily News.

He supports Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth, Copblock.org, jury nullification, and pledges to the Constitution. He also refuses to fly because of invasive TSA airport procedures and is a staunch supporter of Ron Paul. Does this sound like someone you know?

Next month, he hopes to have the charges against him dismissed.

This is just one of the latest cases illustrating a concerted effort to single out “preppers” as thought criminals and potential terrorists.

Last year, a “prepper” from the National Geographic show Doomsday Preppers visited his doctor complaining of chest pains. When the doctor recommended he have tubes inserted to assist his breathing, survivalist David Sarti refused and was deemed suicidal, after which police were sent to his house to forcibly haul him to the emergency room. Later when he attempted to purchase a Glock 21 firearm, he found he had been flagged by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System and was denied the purchase.

Last year, we also learned the FBI was monitoring vistors to “prepper” website SurvivalBlog.com by means of a cookie that tracked their web activity.

In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook school tragedy, reports that suspected gunman Adam Lanza’s mother Marsha Lanza was a “prepper” began circulating, further adding fuel to the fire of prepper demonization.

Perhaps most disturbing, last October a National Guard member known as “Soldier X” spoke via phone with Infowars Nightly News Producer Rob Dew regarding a recent briefing his unit underwent on actions the military would take in the event that an Obama election loss sparked rioting in America’s streets.

He stated that soldiers had been told that if riots would have occurred, “Doomsday preppers will be treated as terrorists.”

“Citing not only recent widespread threats to riot if Mitt Romney were to become the next U.S. president, but threats to actually assassinate him should he win, Soldier X’s superiors dispensed plans of how the National Guard would be responsible for “taking over” and quelling such unrest,” reported Infowars’ Melissa Melton.

“’They have a list compiled of all these doomsday preppers that have gone public and they plan to go after them first,’ Soldier X said. He claimed those in charge are acting under the belief that preppers will be ‘the worst part’ of any potential civil unrest.”

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Survivalist/conspiracy theorist says his views have made him a target

by Jason Nark, Philly.com
Feb. 20th, 2013

SOMEDAY, the sun will die, the Earth will ice over and civilization will disintegrate in the darkness.

Fernando Antonio Salguero will be long gone by then – we all will be – but the Montgomery County resident says there’s nothing wrong with preparing today for the possibility of future catastrophes.

Salguero, 39, is the founder of Survive and Thrive, an 800-member group that meets regularly to discuss such topics as “stealth and subterfuge,” “repelling home invasions” and “flexing the U.S. Constitution.”

“All that I am is a kid who grew up in a very, very rough way who wants to leave the world in a better condition than I found it for my children,” he said Monday, a Colt .45 on his hip, during an interview at his home in Bridgeport.

Being prepared to survive in an emergency is just common sense, akin to carrying a spare tire in the trunk of your car, Salguero said.

But he has a lot of other survival “tools,” beliefs and theories deep in the trunk that he thinks have made him a target.

Last week, police in Camden County blew open the trunk of Salguero’s 2005 Ford Crown Victoria because, he says, he wouldn’t let them open it without a warrant.

“I offered them a key, but they just blew it open with their robot to justify them having their toys,” he said.

Police said they blew the trunk open after a Camden County Sheriff’s Department K-9 detected explosive materials in the car.

Salguero is also involved with groups that aim to inform juries that they can “nullify” laws, that pledge to defend the U.S. Constitution “against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” and that refuse to fly because of airport security screenings.

“It’s a big deal, and we trade it [our personal liberties] away so we can go to Disneyland or go see our grandmother,” he said.

Salguero also supports Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth and believes that it took more than two airplanes piloted by suicidal terrorists to bring down the Twin Towers in 2001.

“It is a taboo subject and it is very sensitive to a lot of people,” he said of 9/11. “It deserves a new and unbiased investigation. There’s a tremendous amount of detail and cover-up, and that’s an uncomfortable pill.”

One former Survive and Thrive member told the Daily News that he left the group a few years ago when it began mixing political beliefs with practical survival methods.

“The first couple of meetings were rather interesting, if not a little bizarre,” said Andrew Greene of Philadelphia. “There was too much concentrated crazy there.”

Salguero said, however, that Greene had been kicked out of the group “for spreading lies.” “We keep things apolitical,” Salguero said.

Salguero, who earns a living installing water-filtration systems, said he was in Somerdale, Camden County, on Feb. 12 to deal with an old traffic violation. He thinks authorities knew he was coming.

Police said his car was parked illegally in front of the Somerdale municipal court. Police asked to search his car, and Salguero said no.

“I have zero criminal record, and I come from Kensington,” he said, slapping his hands with a laugh. “How do you come out of Kensington with no criminal record?”

After blowing open the trunk, police discovered what they called “rocket-propelled flares, an extendable baton and tear-gas canisters.” They charged Salguero with weapons violations and possession of destructive devices, and took him to the Camden County Jail on $35,000 bail.

The flares, he said, are commonly used as distress signals, and the “tear-gas canisters” were merely larger pepper-spray cans. Salguero said he forgot the baton was in the car, but claimed that it serves the same practical purpose as rope or a pry-bar.

“If there’s a car accident and something’s on fire and there’s leaking fuel, I want to be able to affect a rescue of that person. A baton is there to break the windows,” he said. “There’s no problem [with having a baton] here in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, but in the state of New Jersey the people are much closer to the slave state. Slaves are not allowed to be armed . . . at all.”

Salguero said the incident in Somerdale was about “control,” noting that he’s also a member of an organization called CopBlock.org, a website that aims to “highlight the double standard that some grant to those with badges by pointing to and supporting those harmed.”

“I’m not anti-cop; I’m anti-tyranny,” he said.

Somerdale police did not return phone calls for comment. Once Salguero was detained there, though, numerous “liberty-minded” individuals with whom he associates began calling Somerdale police and the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, he said.

“This seems like a manhunt, being pulled over for being suspicious and having his car searched,” a man named “DerrickJ” posted on a YouTube video of his calling several Camden County law-enforcement agencies after Salguero’s arrest.

Salguero said he’s hoping to get the charges against him dropped next month. His friend Michael Salvi, who runs the group Truth, Freedom, Prosperity, said he and others in Salguero’s circle will be there if he needs them.

Salguero, who says he grew up poor with an abusive mother in Kensington, said he doesn’t plan to go away quietly. “I’m not just doing defense here,” he said. “I’m doing offense, as well.”

Criminals Wearing “Camden Co Sheriff’s Dept” Badges Destroy Property & Threaten Peaceful Man is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

So, here’s the full story……..

I walk into McDonalds, after a night out, and there’s a harmless drunk (possibly homeless) man sleeping at a booth completely minding his own business. I told the management I would help the guy outside but they decided to call the cops instead. When said police finally arrived I was the closest person to the door so naturally I engaged the cop in conversation as he walked by. I simply said “sir this guy isn’t hurting anyone he’s just passed out”, I didn’t want the guy getting arrested for taking a nap, you know? So the cop starts talking the the poor fellow and I sit down and wait for my cousin to bring me our food. For whatever reason this cop says I’m “impeding his investigation” by sitting down and waiting for my food, so he tells me to move. I comply with the officer and sit down to enjoy my meal as he tells me “that’s what I thought, now mind your own business.” As he walked away from me to keep questioning the sleeping guy, as a citizen with the rights to freedoms, like freedom of speech and to be a patron of a establishment unmolested by our so called “PROTECTORS”, I simply requested he “please mind your own business too, sir.” So he turned around and arrested me for requesting he mind his own business.

 

After handcuffing me and shoving me in a corner and accusing me of “resisting arrest” (my cousin and surveillance videos will prove i wasnt) he took me to his patrol car and charged me with public drunkenness. Video surveillance will also show I was not causing disorder towards anyone in McDonald’s. I asked the cop to give me a breathalizer test because the legal limit for drunk driving is .08% in Pennsylvania. He refused to administer the test and replied that “there is no limit when it comes to public drunkenness.” So i requested a breathalizer anyway so there was record of what my BAL was for when I fight this in court. Again the officer replied “I don’t have to do that.” So when I fight this, and subpoena the videos from McDonald’s, and explain to the judge that I was within my rights and compliant with the officer, I dont think I should have a problem beating this. I didn’t get the officers name, but I do have his badge number and station number. IF ANYONE HAS ANY INFO TO HELP ME, PLEASE SPEAK UP! I’m glad we can count on our nations finest to serve and protect.

This post was written and submitted by Lucas Babb. Everyone is encouraged and welcomed to share their thoughts, beliefs and interactions with police via CopBlock.org’s submission tab. Simply click here to get started. 

 

Public Drunkenness at McDonald’s in Wilkes-Barre, Pa is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

This week, a few stories that should cause anyone critically thinking to see that those wearing badges aren’t always operating with the best intentions.

Story #1
17 Charges Filed Against IMPD Officer Accused of Hitting Wife, Pulling Gun on Fellow Officer
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/local-news/17-charges-filed-against-impd-officer-accused-of-hitting-wife-pulling-gun-on-fellow-officer

Seventeen felony and misdemeanor charges have been filed against an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer, John Haggard, who was arrested after a December 23rd domestic violence incident involving his wife and their neighbors.
Officer John Haggard faces charges including criminal confinement, intimidation, battery and criminal recklessness.
According to court documents, Haggard, his wife and their 4-month-old son were driving home when Haggard and his wife got into an argument about his driving.
Haggard’s wife, Mary Haggard, said her husband had been drinking and the roads were icy, so she had asked him to be careful.
When they got home, John Haggard told Mary Haggard to get out of the car without her infant son, and when she refused, John Haggard punched her multiple times.
Apparently, once the couple was inside their home, John Haggard tried to make his wife leave, and he hit her again when she refused.
Mary Haggard sent text messages to her neighbor, who is also married to an IMPD officer, asking her to come over to the Haggards’ home. Mary Haggard, her son and the neighbor then went to the neighbor’s home across the street.
According to the probable cause affidavit, John Haggard then forced his way into the neighbor’s home, pulled a gun and said he was going to get his son.
The neighbors’ 7- and 10-year-old children witnessed John Haggard’s intrusion.
He eventually left, and police were called.
John Haggard has been suspended without pay.
Would you voluntarily employ this violent man?

Story #2
Whitaker Police Officer Held for Trial on Official Oppression, False Statement Charges
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-south/whitaker-officer-held-for-trial-on-official-opporession-false-statement-charges-664989/
William Davis, a suspended Whitaker, PA police officer, will stand trial January 24th on charges that he used his gun to break a driver’s window during a traffic stop and threatened charges unless she paid to fix his damaged gun.
Officer Davis told investigators he stopped 28-year-old Danielle Stillwell Newlon of Jefferson Hills because she did not use a turn signal and had tinted windows on her BMW, which had West Virginia plates.
Officer Davis also told authorities he had been looking for a sedan allegedly involved in drug activity that resembled her vehicle.
Ms. Newlon testified that she drove away, fearful that Officer Davis, dressed in street clothes and driving an unmarked car with a police siren, was not an officer.
Her attorney, Jonathan Fodi, said, “She did what I hope any young female — or male, for that matter — would do.”
Officer Davis maintains he was wearing his badge, which supposedly gives him the right to needlessly impede the travel of other vehicles.
At a second stop, Officer Davis broke out Ms. Newlon’s driver’s side front window after she rolled down the back window by mistake.
Ms. Newlon said Officer Davis gave her two choices: accept charges for fleeing and eluding, or sign a statement accepting responsibility and agree to pay for damage to his firearm.
Officer Davis’ attorney, said it was “pure speculation that [Officer Davis] was acting in bad faith.” Smashing a firearm through a woman’s window because she failed to use her blinker MUST be based on good intentions, right?
Ms. Newlon said phone calls and text messages from Officer Davis received after the accident about the damaged gun made her uncomfortable. Officer Davis filed charges against Ms. Newlon when she alerted him that she had contacted the district attorney’s office about the incident.

Are these really the type of actions you want to continue paying for?

Until next week, stay safe and remember that badges don’t grant extra rights.

Police Accountability Report: Episode 77 – LRN.fm is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Larken Rose, author of CopBlock.org’s most popular with LEO’s post “When Should You Shoot a Cop?“, recently found out that the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department, where Larken resides with his family, had less than favorable views of him, claiming Larken’s a “dangerous, trigger-happy psycho.”  You might come to that conclusion if you just read the title, “When Should You Shoot a Cop?” or if you watch Larken’s newest video “Guns: Say What You Mean” on mute. Which is Larken’s point in his response to the Sheriff’s Department in the video below, “Am I Dangerous?”

Do you think someone from the Sheriff’s Department should sit down with Larken and discuss the issue(s)? If so, consider calling the Montgomery County, PA Sheriff’s office at (610) 278-3331 or email at sheriffoffice@montcopa.org.

Related Information:

Larken Rose has also authored several books like, “How to be a Successful Tyrant” and my favorite, “The Most Dangerous Superstition.”

The video below was edited by Pete Eyre, CopBlock.org co-founder, to Larken’s question of “When Should You Shoot a Cop?”

Larken Rose Offers Public Debate to Montgomery Co. Sheriff’s Office is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

This week, a few stories that should cause anyone critically thinking to see that those wearing badges aren’t always operating with the best intentions.

Story #1
Former Moulton Police Officer Charged with Child Abuse
http://blog.al.com/wire/2012/12/former_moulton_police_officer.html

A former Moulton, Alabama police officer has been indicted for allegedly beating two 8-year-old girls.
Moulton police officer Mitchell Breland was charged by a Lawrence County grand jury. Authorities had arrested the 27-year-old in September after an investigation by the Alabama Bureau of Investigation.
The case originated from complaints by hospital personnel who treated one of the alleged victims for injuries consistent with abuse. Police employees said the indictment alleges that Breland repeatedly whipped two girls.
The charges are Class C felonies punishable by a minimum one year and maximum 10 years in prison.
Breland is free on $5,000 bail.

Story #2
Former NYC cops convicted of misconduct in encounter with woman start their jail sentences
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/b463426da91248e5a8e3159d9decd488/NY–Off-Duty-Officer-Rape

Two former New York City police officers convicted of official misconduct over their interactions with a drunken woman they had helped get home have started their jail sentences.
Franklin Mata and Kenneth Moreno appeared separately in state Supreme Court in Manhattan in late December and were taken into custody.
The men were accused of rape but acquitted. They were convicted of misconduct in May 2011 for repeatedly returning to the accuser’s apartment while telling dispatchers they were elsewhere.
Moreno was sentenced to a year. He had said there was no sex, that he had cuddled with the woman in her bed.
Mata was sentenced to 60 days. He had said he merely napped on her sofa.

Story #3
SCI Pittsburgh Officer Kelly Guilty on Four Counts
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/region/former-state-prison-guard-guilty-on-four-counts-667316/

A judge found former Pennsylvania State Correction Officer Tory Kelly guilty on four criminal counts related to inmate abuse, and not guilty on 10, following a week-long non-jury trial. Kelly had been a guard at the State Prison in Pittsburgh.
Kelly now faces sentencing March 20 for the 4 crimes of simple assault, official oppression, terroristic threats and intimidation of a witness. The intimidation charge is a felony, the others misdemeanors.
All relate to interactions two years ago with a single inmate, Randy Jones, who was housed in the prison’s F Block for a few days. F Block is the scene for what investigators said was systematic abuse of inmates viewed as pedophiles, or the genesis for what defense attorneys suggest is a massive conspiracy to smear guards.
All of the accusers were convicted of sex crimes with minors. All had credibility problems, from shifting stories, to motives including the hopes of big civil lawsuit recoveries and potential parole consideration. Judge Cashman didn’t find that their accounts proved Mr. Kelly’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Kelly’s attorney said, “The types of inconsistencies and outright falsehoods that have been brought into this courtroom are enough to create reasonable doubt.” He characterized the accusers as “the kind of person who would manipulate a child into having sexual contact with them,” and were now trying to manipulate a system in an effort to advance lawsuits and get paroled.
Assistant District Attorney Jon Pittman countered by saying, “I would say the evidence is overwhelming,” and noted that four victims unequivocally identified Mr. Kelly as their assailant and offered similar accounts.
Randy Jones has requested protective custody; Pittman says he did so “because he’s afraid of the guards.”
Mr. Kelly was stunned by the verdict.
He also faces a likely March trial on five counts stemming from an August 2011 encounter with another former officer, Curtis Hoffman. Hoffman has told investigators that Kelly tried to egg him into a fight, in an alleged effort to intimidate him out of talking with investigators and testified that Kelly bragged about beating up inmates. He said he didn’t see any of the encounters alleged by Kelly’s four accusers.

Are these really the type of actions you want to continue paying for?
That’s this week’s Police Accountability Report brought to you by CopBlock.org.
Until next week, stay safe and remember that badges don’t grant extra rights.

Police Accountability Report: Episode 76 – LRN.fm is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

The following was written by Robert Hope.

On April 14th 2012, I went out to do what I usually did every week to make a little more money for my prospective college tuition. I was going out to pick trash. I’ve made a surprisingly good return with going through other people’s garbage. I was still in my work clothing, a uniform with a very well known local politicians last name across the left of my chest; that was the name of his retail business. My uniform was all black.

As I approached the curb that I made over $200 the week prior picking, I was pleased to see that this wasteful person has yet again thrown out so many useful items that I could either resale or even end up donating to The Purple Heart. As I went through his trash, with gloves on because it smelled like cat piss, a short male approached me from the driveway of the house I was seeking treasures at.

“May I help you?” I saw that this man was in uniform and I assumed he was an Upper Darby Police Officer, for he identified himself as a “Police Officer.” “Nope, just picking trash,” I responded. “Get lost,” he said. I started to go on about how I was on a public sidewalk, and did not need to get his permission to pick trash at curbside. “Well, it’s MY trash”, he responded. “Oh, you live here?” I asked “Yes.” Embarrassed, I said sorry and started to walk in the direction of my house. He called after me, “Next time I catch you picking my trash, I will shoot you.” I turned and responded, “Excuse me!?” He reiterated, “Next time you are on or about my property and I am in fear of my life, I will shoot you.” I responded with something along the lines of, “Yeah, okay.”

I didn’t want this Napoleon of a man to follow me home, so I started to walk in the general direction of my house. Sure enough, he pulled up beside me in his personal vehicle and ordered me to stop. I stopped. He got out of his car and was on his cellphone. I thought that was weird. Then that’s when I saw his uniform in the light. He was an Amtrak cop and was out of his jurisdiction! I thought that once the police arrived it would all just go away. Nope. I called the guy an asshole and called 911 myself, stating that an Amtrak Officer is trying to detain me, and that he threatened to shoot me. Seven of my Township’s cop cruisers showed up, and two from the adjacent township showed up as well.

The first two officers were very polite, I asked them if they wanted me to put down my flashlight and gloves if it would make them feel more comfortable. “No, it’s fine, what’s going on tonight?” One of the two officers asked. In the midst our conversation an Officer by the name of Jeffery Thrash approached and things took a turn for the worse. He asked, “What are you doing?” etc., with a tone in his voice that sounded violent. This was the town’s bad apple cop right here. I’ve read and heard about him before. He ordered one of his officers to Terry Frisk me against the car. The officer was putting his hands in my pockets and came across a utility, blunt tipped knife that would later be referred to as a “Dagger styled blade.” To make the story shorter, I went on to cite case law and laws about how the Terry frisk was unlawful, the man whose trash I was picking didn’t tell the officers of any crime I was committing! I told the searching officer that I did not consent. Twice. He shoved me the second time, “Shut up!” later asking me if I knew that he “had to search me.”

Of course he didn’t have to search me, and he knew it. Officer Jeff Thrash threw my ID into one of my neighbor’s lawns and told me to get lost. He denied me a property receipt. He said in court that I was told that I could pick it up the following morning. False. He said that I wasn’t getting my knife back. He displayed it in the front of his utility belt as he went on to try to convince me that I was in the wrong. (It was a $45 Gerber knife with a kydex sheath.)

My court date was set back twice. The second time they noticed they failed to subpoena the Amtrak Officer, twice. Today I was found guilty of disorderly conduct. The fine is about $300, but shoots up to about $600 for “fees.” For what!? Questioning the officers actions and basic knowledge of the law?

The Amtrak Officer Ted Tsinarglov and Jeffery Thrash both lied in court about my demeanor during the incident. Claiming I was “irate and swearing” which an officer who was not sworn into my case interjected to the Judge that breaking a city ordinance and being “irate” subjects me to a Terry Frisk. The 4th amendment is dead in Drexel Hill, Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania, which is right outside of Philadelphia.

 

Robert Hope

A Story of Unlawful Search And Seizure, With A Side Of False Disorderly Conduct Charges is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Philadelphia Police Department
Jonathan Josey – aggressor
http://www.phillypolice.com
(215) 685-5010 ext. 5056, 5057 or 5058

Jonathan Josey Assualts Woman, Is Protected by Fellow Gang Members From Those Seeking Transparency is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

We have mentioned this story in the past. I am happy to see that it is generating momentum and that the story didn’t just loose steam and die.

I found this story the other night and it need smore attention. There is a growing movement to help this young man who was beaten nearly to death by Pennsylvania St Troopers and falsely imprisoned – please watch this documentation of Robert Leone. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5eOknaXgYU

 

Pennsylvania St Troopers brutally beat man is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights