Fellow Police Accountability supporters! After MUCH delay, we are finally releasing TWO designs for shirts/ hoodies.
This is a PRE-SALE only, similar to music artists who Pre-Sale albums. You MUST Pay for for gear upfront.
Pre-Sale Ordering begins today, June 27 and will END at the end of the day on July 15.
I’m told by the Shirt/Sign/ Decal business that products will be ready no more than 2 weeks after order is submitted to them – so you can potentially have your gear by the end of the month of July.
Shirts:
1 for $20 (+ $5.50 shipping)
Or 2 for $33 (+ $5.50 shipping)
Hoodies:
1 for $35 (+ $12 shipping)
2 for $60 (+ $12 shipping)
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.
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.
As published on March 20th, James “Jimmy” Higgins, a good buddy of mine and an outstanding activist and volunteer with Virginia Cop Block who was helping spearhead Colonial Heights Cop Block and Petersburg Cop Block lost his life along with three others in a tragic car accident.
This past Monday a vigil took place at White Bank Park in Colonial Heights that included the planting of a Dogwood Tree in memory of Jimmy that was donated by the Colonial Heights Home Depot.
Many folks wrote on the event wall and shared memories and pictures of Jimmy.
I wanted to share some of the pictures from the vigil and update everyone with the funeral arrangements for people who may be interested in going. You can also find videos of some of the various individuals that spoke and shared memories about Jimmy here.
As for the funeral, I’ve gotten word that it’s tentatively set for this coming Wednesday, April 1 at 11am at St Ann Catholic Church in Colonial Heights.
We are raising money to help the family of James “Jimmy” Higgins with any and all costs associated with his funeral and memorial services. This is an extreme hardship for the family and we really want to show them how much Jimmy was loved and appreciated by helping remove this financial worry during their time of mourning. We sincerely appreciate your generous donation.
Jimmy’s life was tragically ended on the morning of March 20th, 2015 along with 3 others when the vehicle he was in collided, head on, with a tractor trailer. Jimmy was a life long supporter of liberty and the second amendment and was at the time traveling to participate in a second amendment event. Jimmy was also very involved in the cause for police and judicial system accountability and transparency.
Over the last 3 years he has helped educate literally more than 9 thousand people including his local friends in Colonial Heights and was very involved and active in his community. Jimmy was a well loved and respected member of the liberty community and society as a whole. Jimmy will be missed.
Written by: Nathan Cox
I sit here typing this, still in disbelief, completely shocked and deeply saddened. Today at around 7am, Jimmy Higgins along with 3 other Richmond area men and activists were killed in a horrific car accident in Ohio, as they traveled to Michigan for some sort of event or demonstration. The three other men were Jason Spitzer III, Stephen Kim and David Armstrong, all of which had made local Richmond news multiple times last year for their peaceful open-carry demonstrations, which were to encourage people to utilize their 2nd Amendment Rights to effectively protect themselves and not rely on other people for their security.
I also had the pleasure of meeting and talking to Jason, Stephen and David at several events – solid, smart, caring and seemed very genuine, much like Jimmy.
Maybe you disagree with their politics, but putting that aside these 4 men were truly outstanding individuals and I can confidently say that because I personally knew Jimmy and I am witnessing what friends are saying about Jason, David and Stephen on their respective Facebook Pages and on the status I posted when I heard the news. Great men seem to be a commodity in the wind these days and these men will never be forgotten and always be remembered as great men who stood up for their rights and the rights of others.
As for Jimmy, If I recall correctly, I first met Jimmy back in 2012 and it may have been around the time of the Brandon Raub was wrongfully detained because he was at several of the demonstrations we organized in Petersburg during that time frame. He and I connected very well and Jimmy was eager to get educated and get involved. Jimmy was a tremendous help with Virginia Cop Block’s Liberty Empowerment Project, as we distributed 9,000+ informational “Know Your Rights” packets, door to door/ person to person in more than a dozen Richmond housing projects. It was during this time period when I really got to know Jimmy, this was later in the summer of 2012.
Jimmy was a bright, genuine, determined young man. He was the same age as my little brother, just 2 days from now, March 22nd Jimmy would’ve turned 25.
Jimmy leaves behind a mother, father, two brothers and two sisters. But He’d tell you he has 4 brothers and 4 sisters, because each of his siblings is married and he doesn’t refer to them as inlaws, but brothers and sisters. That’s the type of family oriented person he was.From what I know about Jimmy, he loved animals, loved nature, very family oriented person and loved to help people, which is why he got so involved with Virginia Cop Block.
Jimmy had his own first and second hand encounters with police that apparently were questionable/ concerning enough to self-educate about his rights and ended up finding Virginia Cop Block and aspired to help make a difference – and that is exactly what he did. Jimmy was in the habit of sacrificing his time and even money some times to people in need and would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. Jimmy was a hard-working employee at Food Lion and would do anything to help his friends &/or family.
Jimmy Higgins and the things Jimmy cared about…
Jimmy Higgins and the things Jimmy cared about…
Jimmy Higgins and the things Jimmy cared about…
Jimmy Higgins and the things Jimmy cared about…
Jimmy Higgins and the things Jimmy cared about…
Jimmy Higgins and the things Jimmy cared about…
Jimmy Higgins and the things Jimmy cared about…
Jimmy Higgins and the things Jimmy cared about…
Jimmy Higgins and the things Jimmy cared about…
Jimmy Higgins and the things Jimmy cared about…
Jimmy Higgins and the things Jimmy cared about…
Jimmy Higgins and the things Jimmy cared about…
Jimmy Higgins and the things Jimmy cared about…
My heart is breaking as I sit here in disbelief. After Jimmy was a tremendous help with the Liberty Empowerment Project he continued to stay involved. Jimmy was PIVOTAL in 2014 and even thus far in 2015. In 2014 a Petersburg teenager was brutally assaulted by a police officer for simply recording a traffic stop from a safe distance on private property. Jimmy played a huge roll in helping that young man Devin Thomas. He was the co-organizer for the demonstration we organized and offered any help/ assistance he could to Mr. Thomas during his legal matters.
I know he’s played a pivotal roll also in educating the circle of friends he has in his Colonial Heights/ Peterburg area, educating them about non-violence & their individual rights.
Just recently Jimmy played a KEY role in helping out a New Hampshire business owner and also activist who just happened to be passing through traveling to Georgia to briefly reunite with his family, when he was pulled over by Hopewell Sheriff’s Department and ended up being placed under arrest. Jimmy played a pivotal roll in coordinating with that man’s friends and helping him Bond out of Jail the following day of the arrest.
Jimmy had recently received his Private Investigating certificate and was eager to generate some business and also help some people out.
This is only a mere glimpse of who Jimmy is and what he was about. I encourage any friends or family to share your thoughts about Jimmy in the comment section below.
Jimmy reminded me of my self. He was very down to earth. Very genuine, caring and selfless. Only a minority of people are willing to stand up and fight for a cause and he was apart of that minority. I hope the example that Jimmy set for his peers will resonate within them and replicate the great qualities and characteristics of Jimmy.
I am organizing a vigil for Jimmy that will take place one day after his birthday, This coming Monday March 23rd at 5pm at White Bank Park in Colonial Heights which is a park Jimmy frequently took his dogs to.
We are raising money to help the family of James “Jimmy” Higgins with any and all costs associated with his funeral and memorial services. This is an extreme hardship for the family and we really want to show them how much Jimmy was loved and appreciated by helping remove this financial worry during their time of mourning. We sincerely appreciate your generous donation.
Jimmy’s life was tragically ended on the morning of March 20th, 2015 along with 3 others when the vehicle he was in collided, head on, with a tractor trailer. Jimmy was a life long supporter of liberty and the second amendment and was at the time traveling to participate in a second amendment event. Jimmy was also very involved in the cause for police and judicial system accountability and transparency. Over the last 3 years he has helped educate literally more than 9 thousand people including his local friends in Colonial Heights and was very involved and active in his community. Jimmy was a well loved and respected member of the liberty community and society as a whole. Jimmy will be missed.
Here are 2 videos that Jimmy recorded while interacting with the police.
This was taken at Food Lion when Jimmy witnessed what appeared to be an autistic young man pacing back and forth, he grew concerned and had a feeling the police would show up, which they did and he started recording. He did so because too many mentally disabled individuals have been shot and killed by the police – and as Jimmy says in the video, he’s recording for “everyone’s protection.”
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
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)
(Correction: Virginia Cop Block originally published on July 21st that Petersburg does not have an active chapter of the NAACP. This information was published due to inaccurate information that was given to us by two members of Chesterfield County’s NAACP, one member being L.J McCoy, the President of that chapter. McCoy did say the Petersburg NAACP chapter had not been active for 6 or more years. However we learned today, July 23rd, that Alenza Mayfield did in fact re-institute the chapter back around the March time-frame of this year. My personal apologies to Mayfield for the error. – Nathan Cox)
On Friday July 18th, Petersburg Police Chief, John Dixon and NAACP’s Alzena Mayfield, President of the Petersburg chapter held an impromptu press conference at the Petersburg Police Department. The Petersburg community has been waiting for well over one month now to see if Officer Vance Richards will be held accountable for assaulting Devin Thomas for simply recording a traffic stop. Various individuals from the Petersburg community, as well as neighboring counties, are concerned about what has been happening and have reached out to express their desire to have a town hall style gathering with Chief Dixon, to no avail thus far. A number of individuals as well as members of the media like Brent Solomon, a reporter for NBC 12, are concerned about this matter and are eager and patiently waiting to hear the results of this “internal investigation”.
The police do not like transparency and accountability and it doesn’t matter if this accountability is coming from your “average citizen” or the local media; they don’t like you questioning them (or their “authority”). They will either refuse to respond to emails, phone calls or deliberately dodge and dance around answering a question like Florida Governor Rick Scott, who recently dodged answering questions to the Press about the Police in Florida.
Jimmy Higgins, an active individual with Virginia Cop Block, activist and independent journalist, has called up to the department on multiple occasions inquiring about the investigation. Mr. Higgins has specifically tried to find out if the investigation has been concluded. Each time, Jimmy has been told either “No Comment” or that “the department is not giving out the results of the investigation.” Brent Solomon told me on July 9th that he called the department that day to inquire about the investigation. Solomon relayed what they said and he told me,“The investigation continues and that they will make a comment after the court proceedings are over.”
I find that interesting for two reasons. The first reason is the P.P.D realizes that if the investigation results show that officer Vance Richards did in fact unjustly assault Devin Thomas (in the head) with a baton, thenthe two false charges against Thomas would have to be dropped. Thanks to investigative journalist A.J Lagoe, who formally worked with Richmond’s WRIC – 8, we already know that the P.P.D is willing to do what it takes to get a conviction. On a quick side note, it’s very troubling and concerning that these investigations are “internal”. Is that not a conflict of interest? Shouldn’t investigations be independent? Do you think internal investigations are overall effective and productive? What about fair? Here is just one internal investigation that clearly shows the investigator is partial, since they are on the same team.
The second reason I find the P.P.D’s response to Brent Solomon interesting is because of what was said by the Chief Dixon at the News Conference. Ashley Monfort who covers this story mentions that this is the first time Chief Dixon has spoke out about this Thomas incident – which occurred more than a month ago! In the video below Dixon states, “We have not concluded this investigation partly because they have not sat down and talked with us about the investigation so we can’t bring it to a conclusion.” Does it sound like he’s redirecting responsibility?
I was due in Hanover Court on Monday June 23rd at 9:30 in regards to a Civil Lawsuit where Virginia State Trooper Melanie McKenney was/ is trying to sue me for “Defamation”. The small claims court room was in the basement of the General District Court. Virginia State Police Employee, Melanie McKenney failed to show up. My case was the first called, we told the Judge we would wait around for 15 minutes. After waiting with no appearance by McKenney, the Judge dismissed the case.
Now Today, June 26th, 2015 I receive mail from McKenney, that was a copy of a letter she sent to the Judge the day after our Court Date, apologizing for her absence and requesting/ submitting a motion to reopen the case. See pictures below. Read more
As the Police State continues to spiral out of control (nationwide of course but specifically here in Virginia), with little accountability, the rising militarization of the police along with continued police brutality towards individuals who simply utilize their First Amendment right to record the police, NEW, local, Virginia Cop Block Chapters are rising up! The demand for Public Servant accountability isn’t just within Law Enforcement Agencies, it’s public-sector wide, but most especially and concernedly in the “Justice System”. If you haven’t realized there is something wrong with our “Justice System” yet, you’re probably watching to much American Idol.
Whether it’s corrupt Judges (list goes on), corrupt cops (list goes on), or corrupt Prosecuting Attorneys (list goes on and on) the corruption is clearly rampant in the American “Legal”/ “Justice System”. With little accountability, due to farce “internal investigations” and “immunity”, the double standards and severe lack of accountability are rampant individuals nation-wide are seeing the genuine need for true accountability within the Law Enforcement and Justice System realm. Welcome the brand new Virginia Cop Block local chapters! Read more
