HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-05-2002 ArticlesKellie Tut'tie
From: Sandy Bauer
Sent: Monday, December 31, 2001 11:59 AM
To: Kellie Turtle
Subject: FW: ACLU files lawsuit over publisher's arrest
..... Original Message .....
From: Steven Lecklitner [mailto:legalise_freedom@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, December 28, 2001 10:25 PM
To: Police Advisory Commission, Claremont CA; Police Citizens? Review
Board - Iowa City, IA; Police Oversight - Cincinnati, OH; Police
Oversight - Omaha, NE; Police Review and Advisory Board - Cambridge MA;
Public Safety Review Commission - Denver CC); Rosa; Marci Rose; Roy; Dan
Sar[in; Shea; Corneilius Shiver; St. Paul, Minn.; Su; Syracuse NY -
Citizen Review Board; Victoria
Subject: ACLU files lawsuit over publisher's arrest
Key West Civilian Review Board Advocates - Public
Forum
1) Announcement: New list server created for Key West
civilian review board advocates.
2) Press Release: ACLU files lawsuit over publisher's
arrest
3) Grassroots Info: What YOU can do to support the
growing movement to establish a civilian review board
for Key West.
1) Announcement: New list server created for Key West
civilian review board advocates.
A new list server called "Key West Civilian Review
Board Forum" has been created to support your requests
for information and updates on the growing grassroots
movement to establish a civilian review board for the
City of Key West.
To subscribe simply send an e-mail this address:
KeyWestCRB_Forum-subscribe@topica.com
Key West City Commissioners have decided to examine
the pro's and con's of a Civilian Review Board (CRB).
Citing numerous e-mails from local citizens. Due to
your tremendous response and due to the number of
people requesting information our ability to manage
this service has been overwhelmed. Many of you have
received unwanted multiple messages.
In order to serve you better and to assist in
informing the public, the new list server will
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eliminate multiple mailings, assure anonymity, and:
1) Post news articles covering civilian review and
related topics. All articles will be archived to
allow new users access to the beginnings of this
thread of discussion.
2) Post other articles and information provided by
national organizations committed to assisting
municipalities in establishing civilian review. These
articles will continue to educate both the public and
City officials and help to define what benefits
civilian review will bring to this community, and to
illuminate other citys' past mistakes to be avoided.
3) Publish URL links to these groups to assist in
ongoing research efforts necessary to obtain a clear
and concise vision of the process of establishing
civilian review.
4) ACTION ALERTS will be posted as necessary when
your direct action can assist this process, such as
upcoming City Commission meetings. Prior to your
e-mail campaign to establish a dialog for civilian
review, there simply was no public forum available to
address this issue. YOUR direct action gets results!
5) Grass-Roots announcements for those who wish to
become active and volunteer time and/or resources to
facilitate this peoples movement for civilian review.
6) This e-list is national in scope. Every posting
is sent out to national media and to national civil
rights organizations for press release. This is to
ensure that isolated local media and local politics
cannot stifle our efforts to bring civilian review to
a law enforcement system proven to be corrupt and
incompetent.
When asking for a feasibility report on civilian
review, the Mayor called for input from other
communities who have already done this. National
organizations have been offering to assist this
effort.
People from many communities across the nation are
watching what we do. Key West was the laughing stock
of America when the Police Chief arrested a local
publisher for reporting on corruption and incompetence
in his department. But we atso have something in our
favor. This community is small enough and close knit
enough to pull together and present a real solution.
If we do so, the nation will see that as well, and
that's no joke...
In the recently published City of Key West Annual
Report 2001, the official vision for our community was
described as:
Key West, a tropical paradise, envisions itself to be
a role model city known for the respect of our diverse
people and our environment. We will strive to be a
role model city, establishing an atmosphere of trust
and confidence by providing quality services. We are
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a city that cares.
City Manager, Julio Avael, goes on to state that one
of the core values for Key West is that, "We will be
accountable for our actions."
By putting this process under a national microscope,
we will indeed have an unprecedented opportunity to be
the role model city our City Council envisions us to
be.
*** HERE IS WHAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SAYING: ***
"Thank you for caring this much about our city. There
is a lot of corruption here, which is why the majority
of "locals" have left. Perhaps we can't have it as it
used to be, but with people like you it might get
better!" -- LesLie [7 generations of Conchs]
"I'd be glad to help establish the Citizen review
board. I know from friends who were on the police
force (and have retired) that there are, in no
uncertain terms, some really bad cops out there who
operate with impunity." -- Richard
"Thanks for the article. My hat is off to the good
folks in Key West." -- Don [Sacramento, CA]
"Thanks for forwarding this useful editorial. Please
add NACOLE (the National Association for Civilian
Oversight of Law Enforcement) to the list of
organizations that will assist jurisdictions in
getting oversight up and running." -- Sue Quinn
[NACOLE President]
"1 would like to sign on to the e-list." -- Sharon
HOW YOU TOO CAN SiGN ON TO THE KEY WEST CIVILIAN
REVIEW BOARD FORUM ADVOCATES E- LIST:
If you would like to receive future mailings and
updates it's simple; just send an e-mail to:
KeyWestCRB_Foru m-subscribe@topica.com
Perhaps all of these actions taken together would
assist with the transformation of a corrupt and
incompetent group hiding behind the color of law, into
a professional policing agency deserving the respect
and admiration of our community. And that is, after
all, what we all want, right?!
if we all do a little, we can do a lot...
Once again, Thank You So Much for all your help!
2) Press Release: ACLU files lawsuit over publisher's
arrest
The following article is reprinted in its entirety. It
was published on December 22, 2001 by the Florida Keys
only daily newspaper, "The Key West Citizen" and was
written by Tom Walker ( twalker@keysnews.com ):
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ACLU files lawsuit over publisher's arrest
Key West Police Chief Gordon "Buz" Dillon was given an
unwelcome Christmas gift Friday, when a federal
lawsuit was filed in connection with the controversial
arrest of a local newspaper publisher.
The American Civil Liberties Union claims Dillon's
June arrest of Dennis Reeves Cooper, publisher of Key
West the Newspaper -- on a state charge of leaking
information about internal investigations -- was done
"maliciously and in retaliation for [Cooper's]
exercise of his First Amendment right."
Naming Dillon "individually and in his official
capacity as Chief of Police of Key West," the suit is
asking for unspecified compensatory and punitive
damages. No other defendants are named.
"All of the information I published -- that a police
officer had lied in court and that an internal affairs
investigator had covered it up -- was obtained from
the public record or independent sources," Cooper said
Friday. "In fact, there was no internal affairs
investigation until after my series of articles and
until I appealed personally to the Florida Department
of Law Enforcement to launch an investigation."
Dillon could not be reached for comment.
On June 22, Dillon obtained an arrest warrant, signed
by Judge Wayne Miller, after a commentary appeared
that day in Cooper's no-holds-barred weekly paper
critical of the department for cover-ups in
investigating an officer who allegedly committed
perjury.
"This has gone on for years. And when they're
confronted about it, their standard comment is a testy
'no comment.' The Blue Wall of Silence goes up and
they climb into their
'how-dare-you-sully-the-good-name-of-the-department-posture,'"
Cooper wrote, in part.
On hearing about the warrant, Cooper turned himself in
to police and was released on his own recognizance
from the Monroe County Detention Center after about
three hours.
Two weeks later, State Attorney Mark Kohl declined to
follow through with prosecution, saying the statute
Dillon used to obtain his warrant had been struck down
on an unreported appeal.
"Since this case was not a reported trial and was not
appealed in the federal system neither [Dillon or
Miller] would have any reason to know of its
existence," Kohl said.
The suit alleges Dillon failed to notify Cooper of the
impending arrest after assuring the Judge he would do
so. Cooper said his publication never received a
departmental release saying he was wanted by police
and that he was told by a friend who heard it on the
radio.
"Judge Miller later told me that he had asked Dillon
to call and tell me about the warrant. He did not call
me," Cooper said.
Dillon was quoted in another paper saying he had in
fact asked Cooper to turn himself in. Cooper
disagreed: "Either he's fibbing or The Miami Herald is
fibbing. He never did that."
The ACLU suit is asking for a jury to hear the
allegations.
To contact the Key West Citizen for confirmation:
Editor Sally J. Mahan
3420 Northside Drive
Key West, Florida, 33040
(305) 292-7777
e-mail: info@keysnews.com
To contact Key West The Newspaper for confirmation:
Editor/Publisher: Dennis Reeves Cooper, Ph.D.
422 Fleming Street
P.O. Box 567
Key West, Florida, 33041
(305) 292-2108
e-mail: office@kwtn.com
3) Grassroots Info: Whet YOU can do to support the
growing movement to establish a civilian review board
for Key West.
There are a few things everyone can do:
1) Sign on to the e-list to get current information.
2) Talk to your family, friends, and associates, and
let them know that the City is considering a Civilian
Review Board. Word of mouth is the best way to spread
the message!
3) Attend the City Council meetings and show your
support. E-mail is great - but it is so hard for
elected officials to ignore your bright, shiny,
smiling faces! Your presence is worth 1000 e-mails.
3) Volunteer some time and/or resources:
At this stage, the group is focused primarily on
getting information out to the public, working with
City Hall, and building local support. We have a
specific need for volunteers in the following areas:
1) Local spokesperson(s) to let locals without e-mail
know that they can get involved as well.
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2) Local spokesperson(s) to act as a liaison with
City Hall, as needed.
3) A people oriented organizer with time on your
hands to assist and direct volunteer activities.
4) Computer savvy individual(s) to help manage the
list server.
5) Access to a copy machine to produce hard copy
documents and information that can be distributed to
those without e-mail.
Thanks so much for you tremendous response!
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed
citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only
thing that ever has. - Margaret Mead
To contact Attorneys for Steven Lecklitner for more
information and confirmation into events leading to
the Florida State Attorney investigation into Key West
Police Department excessive use of force and abuse of
powers complaint:
Law Offices of Cornelius Shiver
3337 Thomas Ave.,
Miami, Florida, 33133
(305) 441-8202
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