Archive for Justice System

| August 4, 2015
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Fairfax County Officials—So Transparent, You Can See Right Through Them

That Was Then

Barely a week seems to go by without a public statement being issued by officials in Fairfax County that includes some now-obligatory remark about transparency. They really seem to think that if they say the word enough, the public will actually be fooled into thinking that is the same as being transparent.  It’s a tactic that’s worked before, but residents have seen this particular dog and pony show too many times before.

Here’s the Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, trying to pull the wool over our eyes by saying this is a fairly new problem, going back only 2 years.

This is a deliberate, blatant lie. Fairfax County’s secrecy and cover up attempts are legendary, leading local reporters to dub the Fairfax County Police Department “the Secret Police.”

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Category: Activism, Corrupt Police, John Geer, Justice System, Police Abuse, Why We Protest | Tags: , ,
| July 19, 2015
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What Everyone Misses About That Viral Henrico Arrest Video

Which of these 4 items is illegal?

  1. Filming a government building
  2. Not responding to police officers’ questions
  3. Not presenting ID to police in Virginia
  4. Arresting a person for any of the above

If you picked number 4, you’re right. Yet on July 3rd, Kyle David Hammond was arrested in Henrico, Virginia after refusing to speak or show his ID to police officers who took issue with his filming outside an FBI building.

https://youtu.be/UcizZEqIErE

As usual, police apologists commenting online were quick to show their utter ignorance of and complete disdain for basic civil liberties in America and those who exercise them.  Virginia is not a “stop and identify” state; Outside of driving a vehicle, you are not required to identify yourself to law enforcement unless you are under arrest.

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Category: Justice System, Police Abuse, Police Abuse Power, videos | Tags: , , ,
| June 20, 2015
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VA State Trooper McKenney Sues VA Cop Block Founder Nathan Cox for $1.35 Million

Nathan Cox & Tom Roberts after the $10,000 VCU Settlement.

Nathan Cox & Tom Roberts after the $10,000 VCU Settlement.

Written by: Nathan Cox

In March of 2014, local Richmond media (along with Virginia Cop Block) reported that I was being sued by Virginia State Trooper Melanie McKenney as a result from a traffic stop that transpired on Memorial Day weekend 2012, nearly two years prior, in which I later wrote an article about. The initial suit was for “defamation” which was filed in small claims court and she was suing me for $5,000.

The initial “warrant in-debt” I received had no attached complaint or allegations and I had no idea what it was about. I later formed the opinion that McKenney was upset about something I perhaps wrote in the article about the stop. The article also included information I acquired by way of a Freedom of Information Act Request.  This information I received included electronic forms of communication, radio transmissions and her dashboard camera.

During this first go around, Read more

Category: Announcement, Assert Your Rights, Courts, Flex Your Rights, Justice System, Virginia State Police | Tags: , , , , ,
| May 5, 2015
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VIDEO: JUSTICE FOR WAYNE A. JONES RALLY A SUCCESS

Written by guest writer: Tony Soto

Had the pleasure to join with the people in City Of Martinsburg West Virginia today to Lead a Protest and Rally bringing attention back to Wayne A Jones an unarmed man who was murdered execution style by 5 Martinsburg Police Officers Known as MP5. As we gathered on the corners of 232 Queen Street we were quickly met with a heavy Police Presence. Yet that didn’t stop the individuals in attendance from gathering and demanding Justice on behalf of Mr.Jones and a transparent Police department that will equally apply justice not by ones skin color or job occupation , but by ones humanity.

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Category: Activism, Assert Your Rights, Corrupt Police, Dirty Police, Flex Your Rights, Justice System, Police Abuse, Police Caught Lying, Wayne A Jones | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
| February 16, 2015
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The Problem with VA Senator Bill “Police State” Carrico

State Senator Bill Carrico is a retired Virginia State Trooper. Unfortunately, it appears he has been more interested in representing his old buddies at the VSP in the Senate, than he is in representing his constituents and the citizens of the Commonwealth. 11008910_10101894148333908_718981517_n

The trouble all started in 2013 when Ben Cline’s anti-indefinite detention bill (HB2229) passed the House of Delegates 83-14 on its first attempt. This bill would prevent Virginia citizens from being tossed in a hole without trial, charge, or representation, and place power in the hands of the local sheriff to keep his citizens safe from violations of the 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendments. The bill then went to the senate and passed out of committee 14-1.

Before the bill could be voted on for final passage, it was passed by for the day 5 times. Here’s a hint, that doesn’t happen without somebody pulling some strings. When it finally was given a vote, “Police State Bill” amended it, and it passed the Senate 31-9. His amendments, they ripped the teeth out of the bill and took the sunlight provisions out that would’ve disclosed all of the Memorandums of Understanding between the Commonwealth and the feds. Why would he have done that? The math is pretty simple: the feds didn’t want the bill to pass – even though the bill would’ve done nothing unless the feds violated it, so they went to the VSP to ask them to carry water for them. The VSP went to their good buddy “Police State Bill,” and he decided to emasculate the bill to please the VSP and thus the feds.

Remember, this is Read more

Category: Activism, Announcement, Corrupt Police, Courts, Flex Your Rights, Justice System, Police Abuse | Tags: ,
| February 2, 2015
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Officer Barnes Questions/ Criticizes Officer Torres Shooting John Geer

Recently released information has provided some valuable insight on what happened the day John Geer was shot and killed on his front porch by Adam Torres. One piece of information that has been long awaited was, Who shot and killed Geer. Last week we learned it was PFC Adam Torres who shot unarmed John Geer who has his hands up according to witnesses that include the police.

Last month in January Virginians united together at the Fairfax Police Headquarters to raise some awareness and raise some hell concerning the lack of transparency, accountability and intentional stonewalling of the investigation, which we also heard from the Fairfax Prosecutors office. As a result of the incompetence from the Fairfax Police Chief and Fairfax Board of Supervisors the Police/ government accountability movement is growing in Northern Virginia.

You can find the recently released information here.
You won’t won’t to miss Tom Jackman’s latest article with the Washington Post!

Check out this internal investigation testimony from Officer Rodney Barnes who was the third officer on the scene and who held continuous dialogue with Geer the entire time.

Trimmed/ Edited interview highlighting points of interest:

COMPLETE Rodney Barnes interview

Category: Activism, Announcement, Civil Suit, Corrupt Police, John Geer, Justice System, Police Abuse, Police Caught Lying | Tags: , , ,
| February 1, 2015
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The Police Accountability Movement Grows in Fairfax County

  • August 29, 2013 John Geer, an unarmed Springfield resident, was shot and killed by a Fairfax County Police Officer, as he stood with his empty hands held up above his head in the doorway of his own home
  • February 6, 2014 The Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney refers the case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office after the FCPD refused to provide access to documents required for the investigation
  • September 2, 2014 Geer’s longtime partner, Maura Harrington, files a civil lawsuit asking for $12 million in damages for Geer’s two teenage daughters, and access to documents related to investigation
  • November 13 & December 16, 2014 Senator Charles Grassley sends letters to FCPD Chief Ed Roessler, Jr., The U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney seeking basic answers about the case that the county had been stonewalling on for more than a year
  • December 22, 2014 The Judge presiding over the civil lawsuit orders Fairfax County to release documents pertaining to the investigation within 30 days
  • January 8, 2015 The Justice for John Geer Group and Northern Virginia Cop Block hold a protest in front of FCPD Headquarters
  • January 30, 2015 After waiting until the 30th day to release investigation documents to John Geer’s family, Fairfax County posts 11,000 documents to its website for public review

Members of the Justice for John Geer Group and Northern Virginia Cop Block attended Mount Vernon District Supervisor Gerry Hyland’s Annual Town Hall Meeting on Saturday morning to get information on Fairfax County’s plans for 2015 regarding the John Geer case and police accountability. This meeting was an excellent opportunity to publicly pressure key government officials since Hyland chairs the Public Safety Committee and because the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Sharon Bulova, and County Executive Edward Long, Jr. would also be attending and giving remarks.

Here are some of the things we learned from today’s action at Mount Vernon:

1. This is not going away

babadook

Two residents made substantive comments pushing for independent review, and taking the supervisors to task for their inaction, obfuscation, and failure to take responsibility. Both comments were met with enthusiastic applause from the audience and were widely covered by local media. In addition, multiple other members inquired about the case and how they could get involved in the effort to make police accountability a reality in Fairfax County. It’s clear that this case has galvanized the community to such a great extent that it is now impossible for the Board of Supervisors to wait until it just “blows over.” If they don’t take decisive and responsive action, the thing that blows over just might be their political careers.

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Category: Activism, Corrupt Police, John Geer, Justice System, Police Abuse | Tags: , , , ,
| January 31, 2015
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Richmond Police to Hold Farce Public Forum

20150131_231254-1 Written By: Nathan Cox

Richmond’s NBC12 recently published

A date is now set for Richmond police to have a public forum with local protesters. The community meeting, planned for February 10th, comes after more than two months of rallies across the city concerning police conduct, and a slew of other issues.

Protests sprung up nationally since the officer-involved shooting death of teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Protesters say they want to ask Richmond police about officer conduct and protocol.

No topic is off the table, according to demonstrators. They say they’ll be asking questions like “If an officer asks me to take my hands out of my pockets, do I have to?”

Both demonstrators and police say they want an open dialogue. The public forum will be held at the Police Training Academy on February 10th, from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.. Citizens will write in questions, which will be read by local radio personality Clovia Lawrence, who is acting as the moderator. Organizers are using the social media hashtag #PeepsAndPolice.

The goal is to create understanding and transparency among police and the people they serve, according to demonstrators. It’s something that local protesters say is lacking. Add to that a more serious, national concern of police profiling, harassment or brutality….

My problems, questions and concerns with this are: Read more

Category: Activism, Announcement, Justice System | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
| January 30, 2015
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(VIDEO) Justice for John Geer Demonstration A Success

Organizers and Activists self-affiliated with Northern Virginia Cop Block are on a mission to find Justice for John Geer, a father of 2 who was shot and killed Fairfax Police Employee Adam Torres on August 29th 2013 and only since recently has the general public been getting more insight and questions answered by the police about who killed him, still no reasoning as to why. It was reported that Geer had his hands up for 50 minutes per the request of the police while he stood outside on his front porch talking to the police. As you can only imagine his arms naturally got fatigued. According to an eye witness named Jeff Stewart a neighbor who is a witness in the civil suit, the palms of his hands were still up yet lowered to around his face when he was shot, unarmed.

Geer standing in his doorway with hands up (photo taken by Michael Lieberman)

Geer standing in his doorway with hands up (photo taken by Michael Lieberman)

Mike Curtis a Fairfax resident who affiliates himself with Northern Virginia Cop Block took the lead on organizing the demonstration on which was located outside the Fairfax Police which is adjacent to several court house buildings and he had a had the support of a small team of help! Throughout the demonstration a few individuals were handing out civil rights informational packets referred to as “Liberty Empowerment Packets” and the rest were being as visible as possible even separating into two groups with the other standing on the sidewalk along the main road in front of the courthouse complex.

Tom Jackman a journalist with the Washington Post has been following the John Geer story since the death of Geer. I highly recommend reading his latest article about the recently released information that has been long-awaited concerning the death of Geer, that confirmed Geer’s hands were still in fact raised when shot – and died as the result of single shot and no rendered medical aid.

Below are some pictures video and links to all the press that came out that day and their stories on the demonstration.

To get involved and stay up to date with the John Geer case to to help hold these public officials accountable get involved with the Justice for John Geer Group. Maybe you’re in Virginia, but not northern Virginia and want to get involved, check out the various Virginia Cop Block Chapters.

Post by Jr Roberts.

PRESS with interviews from some of the organizers and participants:
NBC Washington Coverage
MyFox DC Coverage
WJLA Coverage
WUSA9 Coverage
WUSA9 Coverage (2)
Hola Ciudad
Tom Jackman Washington Post
Connection Newspaper Coverage

Category: Activism, Announcement, Civil Suit, Corrupt Police, Courts, Dirty Police, Justice System | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
| December 25, 2014
2 comments

Northern Virginia Cop Block Presses for Accountability & Changes in Shooting Death of John Geer

By: Lorelei McFly

Christmas came a few days early for the many people seeking answers in the death of 46-year-old John Geer. On Monday, the Fairfax County Police Department was ordered to release information about why the unarmed man was shot and killed by one of its officers on August 29, 2013.

What is already known is that police officers were dispatched to Geer’s townhouse in Springfield, Virginia, after his partner, Maura Harrington, called 911 reporting that he was throwing her belongings out of their residence. After 24 years and two daughters, Harrington was moving out, and Geer was understandably upset at the prospect. Harrington says, “He needed help. He didn’t need the situation worse by having guns pointed at him.” She also denies reports that he had been drinking that day.

After the police arrived, Geer stood behind the storm door of his house, speaking with the officers for 50 minutes. Geer’s father and best friend, Jeff Stewart, were both on the scene during the incident. According to Stewart, Geer spoke calmly with the officers, saying ‘I’m not coming out, you’re not coming in.’ Harrington added, “He told them he didn’t have to come out. He has every right to stay in his own house, and they’re not welcome to come in.”

What is not known is why four police officers continued to keep their guns drawn and trained on an unarmed man who was alone in his house and had no history of violence, for the entire 50 minutes that they chatted with him, and why one of them shot him without provocation. Stewart recounts what he saw happen that day, “He’s got his hands on the top of the storm door, and it’s open about six inches. All of a sudden he starts lowering his hands. His hands move down the door, level with his face, and the cops shot him once in the chest.”

Geer standing in his doorway (photo taken by Michael Lieberman)

Geer standing in his doorway (photo taken by Michael Lieberman)

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Category: Activism, Announcement, Corrupt Police, Courts, Dirty Police, Justice System, Police Abuse | Tags: , , , , , , ,
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