Categories
Department of Education Gender Agenda Gender Identity Law Enforcement Office for Civil Rights Press Release Title IX

SAVE Condemns Recent Wave of Bomb Threats and Attacks by Transgender Activists

PRESS RELEASE

Rebecca Hain: 513-479-3335

Email: info@saveservices.org

SAVE Condemns Recent Wave of Bomb Threats and Attacks by Transgender Activists

June 13, 2023 – Over the weekend, transgender activists made bomb threats against Target stores in five states: Louisiana, Oklahoma, Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York. The threats represent the most recent escalation of unlawful actions by proponents of transgender rights.

SAVE has identified the following incidents that occurred in the past two weeks:

June 2, North Hollywood, CA: As a group of parents wearing “Leave Our Kids Alone” T-shirts were protesting an upcoming PRIDE Assembly at a local school, a group of LGBT activists rushed the parents, pushing and shoving them. One arrest was made (1).

June 3, Dallas, TX: During a “kid-friendly” drag show, a protester waved a sign saying, “Keep Kids Out Of Pride Month.” In response, trans activists repeatedly threatened, “Somebody is going to shoot you in the head.” (2)

June 6, Glendale, CA: Antifa member Erik Boyd was arrested for his involvement in a brawl with parents who were protesting Pride Month plans as they were being discussed at a school board meeting (3).

June 10, Lafayette, LA: Multiple Target stores were targeted with bomb threats by suspected LGBTQ activists for removing Pride merchandise (4).

June 10, Oklahoma City, OK: Several Target stores were evacuated after receiving bomb threats that warned, “We hid the bombs inside some product items. The bombs will detonate in several hours, guess which ones have the bombs. Time is ticking.” (5)

June 11, Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York: A spate of bomb threats led to the evacuation of numerous Target stores over the weekend after Target removed some of its Pride merchandise (6).

The wave of violence can be traced to a June 2022 Department of Education proposal that seeks to redefine sex to include “gender identity.” (7) That same month, the Trans Resistance Network began to issue inflammatory tweets that referred to transgender critics as “fascists” and made the claim that “Disarming trans people is a preparation for genocide.” (8)

These actions served to embolden and radicalize the transgender movement, presaging a surge of violent incidents around the country.

The attacks have come as members of the gay and lesbian community began to voice criticisms of the transgender movement (9). Gays Against Groomers recently deplored the fact that, “The radical alphabet activists have done more harm to our community than the biggest truly hateful bigot could ever hope to.” (10)

SAVE has identified 21 dangerous incidents committed by transgender activists since last October (11). SAVE condemns this campaign of violence as a deplorable example of domestic terrorism, and calls on authorities to take strong action.

Links:

  1. https://thepostmillennial.com/far-leftists-clash-with-parents-protesting-pride-assembly-at-los-angeles-elementary-school
  2. https://twitter.com/protecttxkids_/status/1665211169563353089
  3. https://thepostmillennial.com/revealed-childless-antifa-member-arrested-following-violent-clash-with-parents-outside-los-angeles-school-board-meeting
  4. https://dailycaller.com/2023/06/12/target-stores-hit-with-bomb-threat-claiming-company-betrayed-the-lgbtq-community/
  5. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12182881/Several-Target-stores-EVACUATED-bomb-threats-companies-LGBTQ-line.html
  6. https://dailycaller.com/2023/06/12/target-stores-hit-with-bomb-threat-claiming-company-betrayed-the-lgbtq-community/
  7. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/t9nprm.pdf
  8. https://transresistancenetwork.wordpress.com/
  9. https://www.saveservices.org/2023/06/dwindling-support-among-gay-community-for-transgender-agenda/
  10. https://www.facebook.com/gaysagainstgroomers
  11. https://www.saveservices.org/2022-policy/transgender-violence/
Categories
Campus Department of Education Free Speech Law Enforcement Office for Civil Rights Press Release Title IX Violence

Police Must Act Now to Stop Growing Wave of Violence by Transgender Activists  

PRESS RELEASE

Rebecca Hain: 513-479-3335

Email: info@saveservices.org

Police Must Act Now to Stop Growing Wave of Violence by Transgender Activists  

WASHINGTON / April 20, 2023 – Last June the Department of Education issued a proposal to expand the definition of “sex” to include “gender identity” (1), a move that served to strengthen and embolden the transgender rights movement. That same month, the Trans Resistance Network began to tweet a series of inflammatory messages, for example making the claim that “Disarming trans people is a preparation for genocide.” (2)

Not surprisingly, a growing number of incidents of harassment and free speech violations by transgender activists were seen during subsequent months. On March 9, for example, a group of activists at Stanford University repeatedly interrupted the comments of Judge Stuart Duncan, forcing him to curtail his presentation. Previously, Duncan had denied the request of Norman Varner, convicted of child exploitation, to change his sex and be referred to by a female name (3).

Some of these incidents escalated into credible threats of violence, or actual violence.

Best known is the shooting of three staff members and three students at Covenant School in Nashville on March 27. The shooter, Audrey Hale, self-identified as transgender (4).

The Nashville tragedy is one of numerous other violent incidents in the past six months. This number has escalated dramatically since early March:

  1. October 26, 2022, Tacoma, WA
  2. November 14, New York City
  3. February 28, 2023, Oklahoma City
  4. March 10, Sacramento
  5. March 29, Nashville
  6. March 29, Richmond, VA
  7. March 29, San Francisco
  8. March 31, Colorado Springs
  9. April 6, San Francisco State University

The most recent April 6 incident followed a talk by NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines, where she was chased down a hallway, repeatedly hit on the head, and forced to seek safety in a classroom for three hours (5).

In some cases, law enforcement took little action to halt the violence. SAVE calls on law enforcement and campus security personnel to act decisively to stop the wave of violence by transgender activists. SAVE also calls on lawmakers to support these efforts.

More information about these incidents is available on the SAVE website (6).

Links:

  1. https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-releases-proposed-changes-title-ix-regulations-invites-public-comment
  2. https://twitter.com/PicatinnyRailed/status/1641907904491167745
  3. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11878559/Stanford-law-students-protest-judge-denied-transgender-pedophile-right-change-name.html
  4. https://www.foxnews.com/us/nashville-killer-audrey-hale-slept-with-journals-on-school-shootings-under-bed-court-docs-reveal
  5. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11950063/RILEY-GAINES-hit-face-man-dressed-woman-speaking-against-trans-movement.html?fbclid=IwAR3sY7evWRjlay5z7v78AFDWbwEtzijeVfB6TlfnXUIFIsfJGp8vYDhslGY
  6. https://www.saveservices.org/2022-policy/transgender-violence/
Categories
Campus Department of Education Due Process Free Speech Law Enforcement Office for Civil Rights Sexual Assault Title IX

String of Transgender Incidents Reveal Threats of Biden Title IX Plan  

PRESS RELEASE

Rebecca Hain: 513-479-3335

Email: info@saveservices.org

String of Transgender Incidents Reveal Threats of Biden Title IX Plan  

WASHINGTON / April 11, 2023 – Three recent incidents reveal the growing lawlessness of the national transgender movement. The newfound prominence of transgenderism can be traced to the Title IX proposal released last June by the Biden Department of Education (1). Following are the three incidents:

  1. March 9, Stanford University: Judge Stuart Duncan was invited to give a talk to students at the Stanford Law School. But a group of students with signs that read, “Trans Lives Matter” repeatedly interrupted his comments, forcing him to cut short his presentation.
    The students were protesting the fact that in 2015, Duncan had denied the request of Norman Varner, previously convicted of child exploitation, to change his sex and be referred to by a female name (2). Stanford University later issued an apology (3).
  2. March 27, Nashville: Armed with a rifle, pistol, and handgun, Audrey Hale rushed into Covenant School and fired 152 shots, killing three staff members and three students. Hale had self-identified as transgender (4).
  3. April 6, San Francisco State University: Former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines gave a speech at the San Francisco State University to explain her opposition to the participation of biological males in women’s sports. In response, a group of activists began to frantically chant, “Trans rights are human rights.” The activists chased Riley down a hallway, assaulting her repeatedly and forcing her to seek safety in a room. To secure her release, the activists demanded that Riley pay each of them a $10 “ransom.” (5)

The recent surge of transgender activism can be traced back to June 23, 2022 when the Biden Department of Education released its proposed Title IX regulation, the federal law that was designed to curb sex discrimination in schools. The Biden regulation seeks to change the definition of “sex” to include “gender identity,” a change that would bolster the prominence of the transgender movement in America.

Recent developments reveal other serious defects with the Biden proposal (6):

  • Parental Rights: On March 24, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Parents Bill of Rights, which would help protect against secretive school policies and overly-sexualized instructional content (7).
  • Due Process: Last week, a judge ruled against The College of New Jersey, citing a myriad of procedural irregularities and allowing its adjudicators to be influenced by external pressures to convict a student accused of sexual misconduct (8).
  • Free Speech: An article in the Washington Examiner revealed that a majority of U.S. universities have instituted anonymous “snitching” protocols for statements perceived to be biased (9).

To date, 210 organizational members of the Title IX Network have announced their opposition to the Biden Title IX plan (10).  We urge the Department of Education to immediately abandon its plan to release a new Title IX regulation.

Links:

  1. https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-releases-proposed-changes-title-ix-regulations-invites-public-comment
  2. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11878559/Stanford-law-students-protest-judge-denied-transgender-pedophile-right-change-name.html
  3. https://law.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/letter-from-Stanford.pdf
  4. https://www.foxnews.com/us/nashville-killer-audrey-hale-slept-with-journals-on-school-shootings-under-bed-court-docs-reveal
  5. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11950063/RILEY-GAINES-hit-face-man-dressed-woman-speaking-against-trans-movement.html?fbclid=IwAR3sY7evWRjlay5z7v78AFDWbwEtzijeVfB6TlfnXUIFIsfJGp8vYDhslGY
  6. https://www.saveservices.org/2022-policy/network/
  7. https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3916114-house-republicans-pass-parents-bill-of-rights/
  8. https://twitter.com/kcjohnson9/status/1644081965530750976/photo/1
  9. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/education/majority-universities-snitching-protocols-bias-students
  10. https://www.saveservices.org/2022-Policy/
Categories
Domestic Violence Law Enforcement Murdered and Missing Sexual Assault Violence Against Women Act

PBS’ ‘Bring Her Home’ Betrays the Truth, Ignores Missing and Murdered Indian Men

PBS’ ‘Bring Her Home’ Betrays the Truth, Ignores Missing and Murdered Indian Men

Rebecca Stewart

March 17, 2022

Imagine Danokoo Hoaglen were your 16-year-old boy who went missing in Montana almost a year ago and you’ve heard nothing since. He’s just gone. Finding him, or any morsel of information on what happened, would be your most important mission.

Hoaglen is one of more than a thousand missing Native Americans, like Jonathan Kent of the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma, who disappeared in December at age 15; or Willis Derendoff, age 34, missing without a trace since November 2020. It’s a relative’s worst nightmare, not knowing what happened or where a loved one is.

Whether that person is a son or a daughter makes no difference in the level of strife and determination for finding help and bringing that person home. Whether that’s a son or a daughter should make no difference in the level of help that’s offered from the community.

FBI statistics on the plight of Murdered and Missing Indigenous People (MMIP) are detailed in a report from the National Crime and Information Center. In 2020 there were 918 missing indigenous men and boys and 578 missing women and girls. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control reports105 Indian men and 34 Indian women are murdered each year.

Knowing that 75% of murdered Indians are males, it is puzzling and frustrating to notice that most of the media coverage and political attention highlights only the struggle in the female indigenous population. In fact, a soon-to-be-released PBS documentary titled “Bring Her Home,” focuses only on the plight of women and girls, and provides zero mention of the statistical fact that men and boys make up the majority of missing and murdered indigenous people. Instead, men are spoken of as perpetrators with the comment that society must “reteach men how to be in a relationship with women.” This generalized misrepresentation damages the truth of the process and sadly, stagnates progress for the entirety of indigenous society.

PBS backed up its apparent feminist agenda with a discussion panel on March 15, previewing the “Bring Her Home” premiere. While the panelists were supporting a cause that deserves discussion, they only escalated the one-sided analysis that’s gained the exclusive hashtag #MMIW, in which W (for Women) replaces P (for People). Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women locks out any mention that males are victims of the same problem.

Panel members plead their case that we need to “build systems of justice that help us all;” “we are all responsible to each other;” “how do we not harm each other further;” and “we are all on the same team.” That hint at inclusivity, however, was destroyed with phrases like “holding men who are abusers accountable in our community,” and “we have to look at these men and what’s wrong with them.” No mention was made of the men and boys who are victims of the exact same problems, let alone to a greater extent.

Pushing the hot button of blaming men for a problem that actually affects males at a much higher rate runs contrary to finding solutions based on facts. Wouldn’t the process of solving this common problem work better by including every indigenous victim, rather than ignoring the existence of the majority of them? Native American women and girls deserve truth in this process, too. Every fact must be included to arrive at true solutions when it comes to Native Americans, as a whole, suffering from this murdered and missing epidemic.

Categories
Department of Justice Investigations Law & Justice Law Enforcement Sexual Assault Sexual Harassment Start By Believing Trauma Informed

EVAWI Announces End of DOJ Funding for ‘Start By Believing’

Registration Fee Now Required for Webinars:
All 2021 Virtual Conference Sessions Available
The pandemic brought challenges, and some surprising gifts, for many of us. Cancelling our 2020 conference was definitely one of the challenges. Because we had to cancel just a few weeks before the conference was scheduled to begin, we lost money already spent on the event, as well as the registration fees. These financial losses represent a substantial percentage of the annual income EVAWI needs to operate. We know that many of you are already aware of that.
What you may not know is that our last federal technical assistance (TA) grant ended in May 2021. These TA grants have been supporting the training and technical assistance programs many of you depend on. Unfortunately, the most recent round of 2021 solicitations did not include similar funding opportunities that we could apply for. [emphasis added]
Between these two developments, EVAWI is unable to continue providing all our online services free of charge, as we have done for so long. We hope this situation will change, as we emerge from the pandemic and new grant opportunities arise.
For the time being, however, we will be charging registration fees for all our live and archived webinars. That may be bad news for some of you. But the good news is that our 2021 virtual conference was extremely successful, with over 2,000 people registered to attend. Because all the sessions from this virtual conference were recorded, we can now – for the first time ever – allow people who couldn’t register for the entire conference to pay for one or more of the 68 recorded sessions. You can find the complete agenda here. Together, this means we now have a total of 120 webinars available in our archive.
Looking ahead, we are very excited about returning to an in-person conference in San Francisco in 2022, but of course also nervous as we continue to navigate new terrain and constant changes. At this time, we are doing everything we can to continue offering our OnLine Training Institute and Training Bulletins free of charge, and we will reevaluate our sustainability in early 2022 to determine if any additional changes need to be made.
We appreciate your support, as we move forward.

Source: https://myemail.constantcontact.com/All-Webinars-Now-Require-a-Fee.html?soid=1101938584617&aid=kkloAR7295I

Categories
Accountability Campus Civil Rights Department of Justice Discrimination Law Enforcement Office for Civil Rights Press Release Research Training Victims

PR: Expert Panel Calls on Lawmakers to Bring an End to Campus ‘Kangaroo Court’ Investigations

Contact: Gina Lauterio
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: glauterio@saveservices.org

Expert Panel Calls on Lawmakers to Bring an End to Campus ‘Kangaroo Court’ Investigations

WASHINGTON / October 11, 2016 – Warning “victim-centered” investigations are “inconsistent with basic notions of fairness and justice,” an Expert Panel has issued a report calling on lawmakers to end such approaches in campus sexual assault cases (1). The Expert Panel was convened in observance of Wrongful Conviction Day on October 4 and addressed the growing problem of “victim-centered” investigations at colleges and in the criminal justice system.

“Victim-centered” methods abandon traditional notions of impartiality and objectivity, and instead call on investigators to presume that “all sexual assault cases are valid unless established otherwise by investigative findings,” as one report enjoins (2). Such recommendations represent a negation of the long-held tenet of the presumption of innocence, and are likely to lead to wrongful determinations of guilt.

One of the expert panelists was Michael Conzachi, a former homicide detective and police academy instructor. Conzachi sharply criticized the University of Texas-Austin document Blueprint for Campus Police, saying its recommendations to remove inconsistent statements and exculpatory information from investigational reports represent a potential violation of laws that bar evidence concealment and tampering.

E. Everett Bartlett, president of the Center for Prosecutor Integrity, reported that many lawsuits by accused students against universities now include allegations of investigational impropriety. He identified nine categories of investigational biases claimed in campus lawsuits such as Overt bias/Predetermination of guilt and Inadequate investigator qualifications.

SAVE has developed a model bill titled the Campus Equality, Fairness, and Transparency Act (CEFTA). The bill mandates the use of “justice-centered” investigations that would require campus investigators to “discharge their duties with objectivity and impartiality” (3).

Categories
Bills Campus Civil Rights DED Sexual Assault Directive Innocence Law Enforcement Press Release Sexual Assault

Safety of Our Students: SAVE Calls on Congress to Fix Broken System of Campus Rape Panels

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: teristoddard@saveservices.org

Safety of Our Students: SAVE Calls on Congress to Fix Broken System of Campus Rape Panels

WASHINGTON / May 21, 2014 – Based on growing complaints by victims and accused students, Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) is calling on Congress to fix the current system of campus disciplinary committees. A 2011 federal policy mandated that these panels adjudicate claims of campus sexual assault. Over 350 editorials to date have sharply criticized the boards both for shortchanging victims and violating the rights of the accused: www.accusingu.org

SAVE is proposing enactment of a new law entitled “SOS: Safety of Our Students.” The law would require that all allegations of campus criminal sexual assault be referred to local criminal justice authorities for investigation and adjudication. The full text of the bill can be seen here: http://www.saveservices.org/camp/campus-rape-courts

In 2011 the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued a “Dear Colleague” letter that shifted responsibility for campus rape cases to the committees that handle cheating and plagiarism cases. These panels lack legal authority to subpoena witnesses, conduct in-depth investigations, or impose criminal sanctions.

On May 1, 2014 the Department of Education announced it was launching investigations of 55 universities for “possible violations of federal law over the handling of sexual violence and harassment complaints.” The probe underscores federal concerns over the turmoil and confusion that the current system is now experiencing.

Five days later a USA Today Editorial Board column charged the current approach is “failing” because the “strongest punishment schools can deliver is to expel a rapist from campus.” A May 13 editorial by the Los Angeles Times Board echoed similar concerns.

“Despite the best of intentions by its proponents, the current system represents second-class justice to victims and third-world justice for the accused,” charges SAVE spokesperson Sheryle Hutter. “We call on Congress to act promptly to respond to the growing crisis in handling campus rape cases.”

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments—SAVE—is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org

Categories
Civil Rights Discrimination Domestic Violence Innocence Law Enforcement Press Release Prosecutorial Misconduct Research Sexual Assault Special Report Wrongful Convictions

PR: Prosecutor Bias and Misconduct are Widespread, Says SAVE Report

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Prosecutor Bias and Misconduct are Widespread, Says SAVE Report

WASHINGTON / May 15 – A new report by Stop Abusive and Violent Environments highlights the problem of unethical conduct by prosecutors at the state and federal levels.  “Prosecutor Bias and Misconduct in Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Cases” concludes a number of prosecutors have pursued overly zealous practices in sexual assault and domestic violence cases. Such practices erode constitutional guarantees of due process of law and probable cause.

Prosecutors are ethically required to evaluate allegations and only pursue those backed by probable cause.  That’s because they wield the power of the state against the modest power of individuals who may be charged.  Over the past two decades, prosecutors have often abandoned that role in favor of “win at any cost,”  claims the new study.

That’s particularly true when the allegations involve sexual assault or domestic violence, according to the SAVE report.

Former sex-crimes prosecutor Rikki Klieman has noted, “Now people can be charged with virtually no evidence.”  In the case of the Central Park Five, for example, five minors were coerced by prosecutors and police into pleading guilty to a crime they had no part in.  The prosecutor obtained the confessions despite the absence of objective evidence connecting them to the crime.

The same is true in domestic violence cases.

Despite the fact that half of domestic violence is perpetrated by women, the vast majority of those arrested and charged are men.  That’s because “dominant perpetrator” laws encourage the arrest of the larger, stronger partner, i.e., the man.  Such gender-biased charging policies are unconstitutional, notes the SAVE report.

Prosecutor malfeasance has real-world consequences.  In Virginia, 15% of sexual assault convictions were shown to be false by DNA evidence.  In domestic violence cases, some 80 – 85% of allegations are ultimately recanted, but “no-drop” policies mean prosecutors often pursue them anyway.

“For the sake of our families and our system of justice, prosecutors must be held to long-established ethical standards,” says S.A.V.E. spokesperson Sheryle Hutter.  “Probable cause and due process of law cannot be sacrificed on the altar of political expediency.”

S.A.V.E.’s new special report can be viewed here: http://www.saveservices.org/downloads/Prosecutor-Bias-Misconduct-in-Domestic-Violence

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to partner violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org.

Categories
Domestic Violence False Allegations Innocence Law Enforcement Media Press Release Prosecutorial Misconduct Sexual Assault Wrongful Convictions

PR: How Well is the Media Covering the Kellett Prosecutor Scandal?, SAVE Asks

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

How Well is the Media Covering the Kellett Prosecutor Scandal?, SAVE Asks

WASHINGTON / May 14, 2013 – Three weeks ago a state ethics board issued a long-awaited report highly critical of Hancock Co. prosecutor Mary Kellett. Now a victim advocacy group is asking, Why have only two local media outlets covered the historic story?

Following a two-year investigation, the report is viewed as historic because the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar, charged with enforcing legal ethics codes, has never previously recommended the disbarment of a standing prosecutor.

On April 24, 2013 the ethics panel released a report showing assistant district attorney Mary N. Kellett ignored a court order, suppressed evidence, misled the jury, and engaged in “conduct unworthy of an attorney.”  The report petitions the Maine Supreme Judicial Board to impose “appropriate disciplinary sanction” on ADA Kellett (1).

But three weeks later, only two media outlets, WABI TV and the Bangor Daily News, have provided coverage of the milestone story (2, 3).

SAVE notes the Kellett investigation has garnered extensive national media attention. Following release of the April 24 ethics report, two lengthy editorials appeared in national venues: “Discipline Case Against Prosecutor Mary Kellett Heating Up” (4) and “Filler Case Nearing Conclusion, Perhaps” (5). Over 10,000 persons have viewed accounts of the story on social media pages, as well.

SAVE invites reporters, editors, producers, and other media representatives to review the timeline of events (6), which raises the worrisome question of whether ADA Kellett charged the wrong person with the crime.

“When a Hancock County man was charged with spousal assault, media outlets provided wall-to-wall coverage,” notes SAVE spokesman Howard Goldman. “But when an overly zealous prosecutor is found guilty on multiple counts of unethical conduct, local media outlets seem to dawdle.”

SAVE filed a 9-page ethics complaint in 2011 alleging numerous instances of prosecutor misconduct (7). Over 1,400 persons have signed a petition calling for the disbarment of the prosecutor (8).

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org

  1. http://www.saveservices.org/2013/05/pr-ethics-board-issues-rebuke-of-hancock-co-prosecutor-mary-kellett/
  2. http://www.wabi.tv/news/39920/state-ethics-boards-issues-report-on-hancock-county-prosecutor
  3. http://bangordailynews.com/2013/05/13/news/hancock/oversight-panel-files-complaint-against-hancock-county-prosecutor-with-state-supreme-court/
  4. http://www.fathersandfamilies.org/2013/05/09/discipline-case-against-prosecutor-mary-kellett-heating-up/
  5. http://www.avoiceformen.com/feminism/government-tyranny/filler-case-nearing-conclusion-perhaps/
  6. http://www.saveservices.org/camp/intolerable-injustice/
  7. http://www.saveservices.org/wp-content/uploads/COMPLA1.pdf
  8. http://www.change.org/petitions/disbar-asst-district-attorney-mary-kellett-for-prosecutorial-misconduct
Categories
CAMP False Allegations Innocence Law Enforcement Press Release Prosecutorial Misconduct Wrongful Convictions

PR: SAVE Cites Excessive Delays, Bias with Hancock County Prosecutors

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

SAVE Cites Excessive Delays, Bias with Hancock County Prosecutors

WASHINGTON / April 25, 2013 – A Hancock County prosecutor, found guilty in December on multiple counts of unethical conduct, has yet to be sanctioned for her misconduct. Assistant district attorney Mary Kellett’s unethical actions harm the credibility of real victims and represent a threat to innocent citizens, charges SAVE, a victim-advocacy group.

After a two-year investigation, a three-member panel of the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar ruled on December 5, 2012 that ADA Kellett engaged in multiple incidents of prosecutorial misconduct. The Bar Panel found Kellett did not act as a truth seeker, misled the jury, and engaged in conduct unworthy of an attorney (1).

The Panel cited Kellett’s failure to turn over “at least two key pieces of exculpatory evidence” which were critical to the defense of Vladek Filler, who had been charged with sexual assault. The seriousness of Kellett’s misconduct, the Panel emphasized, “cannot be overstated.”

More than four months later, the Maine Judicial Supreme Court has yet to decide on Kellett’s punishment. Despite the Bar Panel’s recommendation for suspension of her law license, Kellett has been allowed to continue her prosecutorial work.

Prosecutor bias has been documented in other domestic violence cases in Hancock County.

Cynthia Boucher had violated the bail conditions for a previous domestic incident against her husband Michael, an Ellsworth city councilman. He ended up in the hospital with facial lacerations.

Despite being a repeat offender, Mrs. Boucher was offered a plea deal that removed the domestic violence and bail violation charges, replacing them with a charge of simple assault. Boucher was ordered to spend only a weekend in jail and pay a $300 fine. Her victim was forced to flee the area with his daughter and resign his city council seat (2).

“This 4-month delay in sanctioning Mary Kellett is unconscionable and outrageous,” notes SAVE spokesman Howard Goldman. “Dozens of innocent men may risk similar prosecution without probable cause, while female repeat offenders are being given sweet-heart deals by Hancock County prosecutors.”

SAVE calls for DA Carletta Bassano to immediately remove Mary Kellett from her prosecutorial duties, and urges the Maine Supreme Court to act promptly on the Bar panel’s recommendation to restore integrity and credibility to Maine’s criminal justice system.

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org

(1)   http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=mebar_overseers_discipline&id=464815&v=article
(2)    http://bangordailynews.com/2012/12/20/news/hancock/wifes-violent-outbursts-prompt-ellsworth-city-councilor-to-resign-leave-town/