The Pennsylvania Supreme Court and the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP)

 

The recent (May 22^nd, 2017) Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision striking down the ‘residency requirement’ and allowing Pittsburgh police officers to live outside city of Pittsburgh limits is both disappointing and instructive.

It’s disappointing because it provides more opportunities and cover for racist and vindictive police officers to harass, intimidate, brutalize and terrorize city residents, especially those who live in predominantly Black and low-income neighborhoods. The Black community is already over-policed as it is, with Black people, especially males, routinely profiled, stopped and cited for the most trivial offenses in order to justify racially-motivated and hateful police interventions.

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police continues to be an overwhelmingly white-male police force with a deep and long history of abuse and transgression toward Black people. The recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision only reinforces their role as an occupational army within the Pittsburgh Black community, untouchable and unaccountable.

It’s instructive because it illustrates the importance of re-organizing political priorities within the Black/New Afrikan community. Courting and sucking-up to the mainstream politicians of the Democratic Party has garnered very little of collective benefit to Pittsburgh’s Black community.

Witness the scenario during the PA Supreme Court judicial forum of October 2015 when several candidates were campaigning in the Pittsburgh area and invited to attend. The judicial forum was held at the Carnegie Library of Homewood. There were no Black candidates among them. Not one.

Of those candidates in attendance, including Christine Donohue, David Wecht and Kevin Dougherty, most had formal endorsements from the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP).

They are now justices (judges) on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Also, in attendance at the Homewood forum were several liberal, progressive community activists who served as facilitators, ushers and ‘gophers’ between the people and the candidates.

Black people should NEVER support and/or vote for ANY CANDIDATE who is endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). The FOP has clearly demonstrated its murderous contempt and hatred for Black people and all people who demand and expect police accountability and oversight.

The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) have an established history of continuously supporting and endorsing the most heinous and outrageous cases of police brutality and terrorism even when confronted and presented with overwhelming evidence and documentation. They are truly the point-guards of American-style fascism.

The following judges voted in favor of the FOP and against the residency requirement for Pittsburgh police: Justices Sallie Updyke Mundy, Thomas G. Saylor, Max Baer, Christine Donohue, Kevin M. Dougherty and David N. Wecht.

We should not forget this and vote against these judges in any and all upcoming elections. We must learn to vote and support our own collective best interest: not the interest of corrupt political party bureaucrats or fake, phony, so-called liberals, progressives and/or Black ‘activists’. Wake up.

 

All Power to The People

Justice In Our Lifetime

Khalid Raheem, Convener

National Mobilization Against Police Brutality and the FOP

05-30-2017

Letter to PA State Attorney General Josh Shapiro

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The National Mobilization Against Police Brutality and the FOP has called upon Pennsylvania State Attorney General Josh Shapiro “in the strongest possible way” to “commit yourself and your office to investigate all questionable police killings in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania when it is clear that local authorities or local juries have dropped the ball.”  The call was made in response to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ stated intent to “pull back” on suing police departments, to review all existing and contemplated police consent decrees and in light of a Tweet in which Mr. Sessions declared:  “Stop handcuffing cops instead of criminals.”

The text of the letter to Mr. Shapiro is attached below.

CONTACT:

Khalid Raheem

412-606-0059

kraheem322@yahoo.com

Mr. Shapiro:

          The National Mobilization Against Police Brutality and the FOP is a grassroots organization the mission of which is to monitor aggressive and violent actions by police upon communities of color and other vulnerable populations as well as seeking to counteract undue political influence by the Fraternal Order of Police and similar associations.

          In 2015, our group staged a rally and march to protest the 100th anniversary convention of the FOP which was held in Pittsburgh and opened a year to the day after Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson, Missouri.  We are very much outraged at the frequent killings of unarmed blacks by police and by the tendency either of local district attorneys not to prosecute or of the almost automatic tendency of local juries to acquit police in those rare instances when the DAs do bring police malfeasance to trial.

          However, over the past eight years, when local authorities failed to do their duty, the US Department of Justice served as a “last resort” by investigating individual cases for civil rights violations and prosecuting when it believed that there was sufficient evidence to warrant it.  But with the election of Donald Trump as president and with his appointment of Jeff Sessions as US Attorney General, this “last resort” has come to an end.

          AG Session’s attitude toward curbing police misbehavior is clearly reflected in a recent Tweet which declares:  “Stop handcuffing cops instead of criminals”.  And his recent promise to review all existing and contemplated police consent decrees is surely not to determine if they can be made stronger. This mentality, along with the ubiquitous “dog-whistle” racism in Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, will certainly lead many rogue cops to believe that they can maim and even kill minority persons with impunity.

          That is why we urge you, Mr. Shapiro, in the strongest possible way to to commit yourself and your office to investigating all questionable police killings in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania when it is clear that local authorities or local juries have dropped the ball.  We believe that you have the power to do this under Section 1 of the Pennsylvania Constitution which states that “[a]ll men are born equally free and independent, and have certain inherent and indefeasible rights, among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty” and Section 26 which states that “[n]either the Commonwealth nor any political subdivision thereof should deny to any person the enjoyment of any civil rights.”  If officeholders at the federal level choose to look the other way, then it is incumbent upon state officeholders to pick up the slack.

          There are lives at stake here, Mr. Shapiro.  And the peace in our communities is also at stake, for injustice unaddressed  can so easily provoke civil strife.

          We would appreciate a response to our concerns.

Sincerely,

Khalid Raheem

Convener

National Mobilization Against Police Brutality/FOP.

Pittsburgh police officer fired by chief Heinz Field WPIAL arrest

A Pittsburgh police sergeant who was previously cleared of using excessive force during an arrest at Heinz field has been suspended pending termination, sources confirm to Target 11’s Rick Earle.

Source: Pittsburgh police officer fired by chief Heinz Field WPIAL arrest

Revealed: Contracts between cities and police unions guarantee complaints against cops will be kept secret

Source: Revealed: Contracts between cities and police unions guarantee complaints against cops will be kept secret

Letter to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch

NATIONAL MOBILIZATION AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY & THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE (FOP)
P.O. BOX 99666, Pittsburgh, PA 15233

August 20th, 2015
Loretta Lynch, Attorney General of the United States
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, D.C. 20530-0001

To: The Honorable Loretta Lynch, Attorney General of the United States

The following is in response to your recent visit to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 10, 2015 as part of your tour in promoting the National initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice.

As I ‘m sure you know, August 9th, 2015 was not only the opening day for the centennial conference of the Fraternal Order of Police, it was also the one year anniversary of the murder of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri at the hands of police officer Darrin Wilson.

The death of Mike Brown, the police-involved deaths of Eric Gardner, Freddie Gray, 12 year old Tamir Rice, Rekia Boyd, Sandra Bland and 7 year old Aiyana Jones highlight the conflict between the rhetoric of ‘protect and serve’ versus the social reality of countless community residents throughout the United States.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania residents have fared no better: the police beating of unarmed student Jordan Miles: the shooting and paralysis of unarmed teenager Leon Ford, Jr.: numerous instances of police brutality and misconduct in which officers are routinely never charged with commission of a crime, let alone convicted of one.

A common denominator in many of these police-involved deaths is race. A disproportionate number of those beaten, maimed and killed by police have been Black/New Afrikan.

Against this historic and contemporary backdrop we propose ‘Community-Control of the Police’ as a long-term and structural remedy to this situation. Under this proposal, police would come from the neighborhoods and communities they serve and be drawn from its demographic.

The community would have an active and decisive role in issues such as use of excessive force, data-collection, data-analysis and officer discipline.

As we pursue the ideal goal of ‘Community-Control of the Police’, the National Mobilization Against Police Brutality & the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) also propose the following interim reforms:

• Mandatory cultural sensitivity training for all new and veteran police officers.
• Intense psychological evaluations for all officers, especially those returning from military service.
• Legislation creating a National Civilian-Police Review Board.
• Universal drug-testing for any police officer who discharges his/her weapon while in the performance of duty.
• Mandatory reporting for all stop, frisk, arrest and/or civilian confrontations.
• Mandatory body-cameras for all police officers.
• Mandatory dash-board cameras for all police vehicles, including transport vans.

In your capacity as the Attorney General of the United States, we call upon you to enforce the laws and safeguard the life and liberties of all U.S. citizens and residents from police brutality, excessive force and murder.

No one, not even police officers and/or members of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) should be exempt from accountability and prosecution regarding criminal misconduct.

Sincerely,
National Mobilization Against Police Brutality and the FOP
Khalid Raheem, Convener

Cc: David Hickton, U.S. Attorney for Western Pennsylvania: Rich Fitzgerald, Chief Executive, Allegheny County; Mayor Bill Peduto, Chief of Pittsburgh Police Cameron McLay; National and Pittsburgh FOP Presidents;

https://fopwatch.wordpress.com
(412) 606-0059

Join the growing List of Endorsers, Participants and Supporters!!!

National Mobilization Against Police Brutality & Fraternal Order of Police (F.O.P.)

Date: August 9th, 2015
Time: 12:00 Noon
Location: Freedom Corner@ Centre & Crawford (Pittsburgh, Pa. 15219)

Partial listing of participating groups and organizations:

• Big Idea/Food-not-Bombs
• Black and White Reunion
• Fight-For-Fifteen
• Fight For Lifers West, Inc.
• Human Rights Coalition (HRC)
• Jewish Voice for Peace-Pittsburgh
• Labor Council for Latin-American Advancement
• National Council for Urban Peace and Justice
• Nation of Islam-Mosque #22
• New Afrikan Independence Party
• Party for Socialism and Liberation
• Thomas Merton Center/AWC
• Sierra Club-Allegheny Group
• We Change Pittsburgh
• What’s Up Pittsburgh
• Women & Transgender Defense Committee
• Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom/Pittsburgh

For more information:

contact Khalid Raheem (412) 606-0059

https://fopwatch.wordpress.com

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!

We Need Volunteers!!!

The National Mobilization Against Police Brutality & the FOP needs volunteers to work in the following subcommittees:

• Fundraising =identifying and securing funds needed to make the event happen.

• Security =providing coordinated safety and security for all rally and march participants and attendees.

• Program =developing, scheduling and coordinating the rally and march activities such as speakers, performers & processions.

• Legal =providing legal oversight and representation connected to the rally and march.

• Logistics =acquiring and coordinating equipment and supplies necessary for the event such as sound-systems, microphones, megaphones, tents, podiums, tables, chairs, etc.

• Refreshments =solicitation and coordination of all food and beverages made available during rally and march, including any food vendors.

• Transportation =responsible for making sure that any out-of-town speakers and/or performers have adequate transportation to and from the event (if needed).

• Outreach =specifically, contacting individuals, groups and organizations outside of the Pittsburgh area who may be interested in supporting and/or participating in the rally and march.

• Media =identifying and scheduling media appearances and presentations including radio, television, print, social, digital.

• Community Organizing =getting the word out and engaging individuals, communities, groups and organizations within the Pittsburgh area, (especially those most impacted by police brutality) as event participants and supporters.

Yes! I would like to volunteer for the following sub-committees:(required)

Fundraising

Security

Program

Legal

Logistics

Refreshments

Transportation

Outreach

Media

Community Organizing

Your Name(required)

Your Group or Organization(required)

Email Address(required)

Telephone number

ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

END POLICE BRUTALITY AND TERROR!