Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Some DA's have a "do not call" list of bad cops

 

https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/3454842/?utm_source=showcase&utm_campaign=visualisation/3454842

 Berkshire County District Attorney Andrea Harrington earlier this week became the latest Massachusetts DA to publicly release a list of police officers her office tracks whose past conduct may raise questions about their credibility in court.

Harrington sent her office's newly compiled list to staff in a memo Friday evening, and provided it to WBUR in response to a public records request.

The list contained the names of eight officers, from four different departments.

Three other state district attorneys' offices keep similar lists. Also known as “Brady,” “disclosure” or “do-not-call” lists, the documents name officers flagged by prosecutors as either having engaged in — or been accused of — misconduct that the DA's office might legally need to disclose to the defense under the landmark 1963 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Brady v. Maryland.

As WBUR previously reported, five DA offices said they do not keep any such officer disclosure lists. They are Bristol, Essex, Plymouth, Worcester and the Cape and Islands.

As of August, Middlesex DA Marian Ryan had 124 officers from 37 different departments on her Brady list, and Norfolk DA Michael Morrissey maintained a disclosure list of 38 officers.

 Framingham has 6 total on the list, 5 are gone, one is still employed at FPD and he happens to be the DEA liaison and one of the biggest trouble makers on the force. He has sued the Town and lost. 

Ballot question 3 CPA Forum

Join the LWV Framingham on Sunday, October 4 at 3:30 p.m. to hear from both sides of the CPA discussion. Joining us will be Patrick Dunne for the supporters of the CPA, and Bill Lynch for the opposition to the CPA. This may be your only opportunity to hear both sides of this question in an unbiased setting.

Email LWVFram@gmail.com for a link to join this event. Please send your questions in advance to LWVFram@gmail.com

This ballot question impacts every resident of Framingham.  Your vote will matter and determine the outcome of the ballot question right here in your home community.  We encourage you to join us and take advantage of the opportunity to learn more about the CPA and its impact.

 

 

 

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

some clarification on Q1, Right to Repair

 

For those voters concerned with the safety aspect of Q1, (Right to Repair) we found a major inaccuracy in your red 2020 Ballot Questions publication mailed to every voter in the State. On page 5, Jane Doe, the Mass Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, was quoted as saying, “Access to vehicle data, practically call logs and GPS location, enables persons who perpetrate abuse to possess the tools necessary to track and monitor their victim”.

Steph asked Jane Doe directly about the statement made in the voter guide and their response is below.

Question 1 on the Massachusetts ballot this year concerns access to mechanical data in a vehicle's on-board diagnostics or telematics system’, and is commonly known as the “Right to Repair Law’. We'd like to share with you our thoughts and analysis on this issue and the ensuing campaign.

This past week, many of you received a 2020 Voters Guide in the mail. In that guide, JDI is quoted and portrayed as opposing Question 1. We would like to be clear that JDI was not consulted about our inclusion in this guide. While JDI is not taking a public stand on this ballot question, at this time, we do not believe that a YES vote on 1 would uniquely compromise survivor safety in the manner portrayed by opponents.

Please read below for more on our perspective.

 You can also download, read and share JDI's statement:

https://janedoe.org/ballot-question-1-right-to-repair/

 

 

 

Monday, September 21, 2020

A resolution from the Democratic Committee about Eurie Stamps

 

From the Source:

FRAMINGHAM – The Framingham Democratic Committee is calling for the Framingham police officer who killed Eurie Stamps Sr. in 2011 to be fired from the City of Framingham’s police department and for police officers in the schools to be removed.

In a resolution approved Sunday,Septemebr 13, the Framingham Democratic Committee, called for an independent review board to be created to review complaints about police actions and make recommendations to city officials.

The resolution called the killing of Mr. Stamps, 68, in a raid by Framingham Police in 2011, “an example of unacceptable police violence that remains without consequences to the officer who shot him.” Mr. Stamps was not a suspect in any crime, and was following police orders, laying on his stomach on the floor of his home, when officer Paul Duncan shot him in the head. The Middlesex DA later ruled the shooting an accident. #JusticeForEurie have demanded a new investigation into the shooting.

SOURCE

“The death of Eurie Stamps has not been adequately addressed by the City of Framingham and the officer responsible for the death of Mr. Stamps remains on active duty as a member of the Framingham Police Department,” the resolution states.  It calls for the city to “acknowledge that the tragic death of Eurie Stamps is indicative of bias and general lack of empathy toward Black and Brown communities; that excessive use of force is too often reserved for such communities and must end; and that Paul Duncan, the Police Officer who fired the fatal shot and was allowed to remain on the Framingham Police Dept., be dismissed from said Department.”

The resolution recognized the work of the Framingham High School Black Student Union, which has complained that students find the presence of police officers in school intimidating. It calls for money spent on school resource officers be reallocated toward “qualified community and psychological health workers for deployment into the schools to address psycho/social and substance-related issues in our student population.”

 The resolution will be delivered to Mayor Yvonne Spicer, 11-member City Council, 9-member School Committee, state legislators, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan.

 Resolution Pertaining to Racial Equity and Social Justice Framingham Democratic Committee September 13, 2020


WHEREAS, race-based violence by police officers against Black and Brown people throughout our country continue to create terror in communities of Color with little or no consequences to the police officers; and

WHEREAS, the killing of Eurie Stamps on January 5, 2011 by a Framingham Police Officer is an example of unacceptable police violence that remains without consequences to the officer who shot him; and

WHEREAS, the untimely and tragic death of Eurie Stamps was the result of the militarization of the Framingham Police Department, who dispatched a SWAT team to arrest an individual alleged to have committed a non-violent drug offense; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Stamps was not a suspect. He was shot and killed while lying on the floor in his home, unarmed, non-threatening, and in full compliance with officers who knew him and that he was innocent; and


WHEREAS, the death of Eurie Stamps has not been adequately addressed by the City of Framingham and the officer responsible for the death of Mr. Stamps remains on active duty as a member of the Framingham Police Department; and WHEREAS, the Framingham High School Black Student Union (BSU) has indicated that the presence of School Resource [Police] Officers in our public schools is intimidating to the students; and


WHEREAS, the BSU believes social justice programs and services to Black and Brown students should reflect an investment in their wellbeing, without the perception of criminality; and

WHEREAS, the Black Lives Matter movement continues to advocate for non-violent protest against police brutality and significantly elevates awareness of the shameful institutional and systemic racism found in our country and community.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED:

The Framingham Democratic Committee calls for immediate action to be taken by the appropriate authorities, including:

  1. That the Legislature establish a state-wide independent review board similar to the one described in H2068 to review complaints emanating from police actions or procedures and to take appropriate actions based on its findings;
  2. That until a state-wide independent review board is established, the City of Framingham establish its own independent board to review complaints and evidence emanating from actions and procedures of Framingham Police Officers and, based on its findings, to make appropriate recommendations to the Chief of Police, the Mayor, and City Council;
  1. That the City of Framingham formalize its commitment to diversity and inclusion in its Police Department so that it more accurately reflects the city’s diverse population;
  2. That the City of Framingham formalize its policy of requiring the widespread use of body cameras for police;
  3. That the Legislature reform the judicial doctrine of “qualified immunity” by denying its use unless a Police Officer can show that his or her conduct was reasonable under the circumstances, even in novel cases where the law is not clearly established;
  4. That police officers and assistant district attorneys be prohibited from applying for a “no knock” warrant without first obtaining approval by the District Attorney;
  5. That the City of Framingham acknowledge that the tragic death of Eurie Stamps is indicative of bias and general lack of empathy toward Black and Brown communities; that excessive use of force is too often reserved for such communities and must end; and that Paul Duncan, the Police Officer who fired the fatal shot and was allowed to remain on the Framingham Police Dept., be dismissed from said Department; and
  6. That funding now applied to the School Resource Officers be reallocated and used in the hiring and retention of qualified community and psychological health workers for deployment into the schools to address psycho/social and substance-related issues inour student population.