They wanted his license. v. City of Oakland (or the Riders Case or Riders Scandal) was a civil rights lawsuit in Federal District Court regarding police misconduct in Oakland, California which has resulted in ongoing Federal oversight. When my stories resulted in positive changes, to even a single life, then my salary and the resulting can of Spaghettios was earned. Investigative and Forensic Services Division - Captain Joseph Quisenberry: 248-858-5087. But Biden got 40% to Clinton's 36%. Chapter 4: The Investigating Prosecutor. At the time, the chief told the lead investigator she was concerned about retaliation, according to the document. In Livingston County, for instance, Trump won by 23 points but that was 7 points worse than he had done against Clinton. Kirkpatrick publicly stated she would file suit in March, shortly after she was fired. And, given the hands-off approach of Michigan officials (with the exception of Wayne County, MI) and the Detroit bureau of the FBI, there's a very good chance we will never fully understand the lengths public officials and police went to in Oakland County, Michigan, to put economics and reputation ahead of child welfare. Chapter 2: The Obituary. 2 days ago Armored truck driver shoots at attempted robbers outside Southfield McDonald's An. So, I continued my work with the security that its results, pending rigorous fact-checking, had a home. Itis those votes, which under state law clerks and elections officials couldn't begin counting until Election Day, that Trump has especially called corrupt, as Democratic state officials encouraged people to vote by mail as Trump does in order to avoid potentially crowded polling places and ward against the spread of the virus. After the city rejects a claim, a lawsuit can be filed. Bill Ballenger: The blue AMC Gremlin, child killer. Its my first and last OpEd so it calls for some trial anderror. Oakland County Courts are known for their corruption and their extortion. My concerns about a possible catch and kill situation didnt come out of nowhere. Support a worker-led Appeal. Barry and Marion King's 11-year-old son, Tim King, was the last victim of the Oakland County Child Killer. In November 2005, Valerga pleaded guilty to the charges, all misdemeanors. The Oakland police fired Valerga after he was criminally charged. Behind the scenes of the Michigan Elder Abuse Task Force, Nessels firings of four Public Administrators on Friday, the Detroit not so Free Press, Listening Tours, Kojak, Strip Searches and corruption at the highest levels. In Wayne County's Canton Precinct 2, for instance, the in-person vote broke 58%-42% for Biden, up from the52%-43% Clinton had in 2016. The department remains under a federal judges authority and bound by a settlement agreement that details numerous reforms. (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication. If you want to know exactly what Yun, Carney, and Fraser did to earn their brief,moment in the sun Friday, then you are quite welcome to click the links below: These stories goto the heart of both Gretchen Whitmer and Dana Nessels 2018 campaigns for Michigan Governor and Attorney General. by Nicole Audrey Spector Sure, the president of the United States wields immense power, as does the average member of the Senate and House of Representative, but when it comes to unchecked lawlessness, abuse of authority and corruption, they've got nothing over the county sheriff. In 2016, more than 75,000 people in the state cast ballots but didn't vote for any presidential candidate. Since 2016 there have been 10 public officials from Macomb County, either the County organization itself or a municipality within its boundaries, who have been charged with alleged public corruption crimes. He is a man to whom I will be indebted for the rest of my life. An Oakland County man faces two years in prison after he admitted in federal court Tuesday that he was part of a scheme involving trash-hauler Chuck Rizzo Jr. to steal hundreds of thousands of doll Since Ayers, Benson and their chief of staffs have not been charged with any crimes they were not included in the total number of regional corruption cases since 2016. Her work has won or been nominated for four successive Chicago Press Club awards, been recognized by the National Association of Lesbian and Gay Journalists (NLGJA), and covered topics such as. To help, we passed around photographs that we had taken during our visits to them. And then of course in the mid-'70s, '76, '77, with the four children in Oakland County who were kidnapped and killed. My opinion was, and still is, is that Valerga should have gone to prison, Rullamas said during the deposition. Pressures to Raise Wages in Michigan Continue, Michigans Substance Use Vulnerability Index Highlights Wayne County as one of States Most Vulnerable, Rate of Alcohol-Induced Deaths Increasing in Southeast Michigan; White Males Have Highest Rates, Metro-Detroit Economic Indicators: Home Prices Dropping, Personal Debt Increasing, Climate Change in MichiganNow and in the Future. The pollsters were all wrong," saidSusy Heintz Avery, a former Michigan Republican Party chairwoman and co-director of the Michigan Political Leadership Program at Michigan State University. Theres a reason why I have boxes and flash drives full of evidence and no-one to whom to give them. You cant give that stuff to them. A survey of some 3,400 voters in Michigan done by the Associated Press as part of its election coverage found whites without college degrees made up some 54% of the electorate, and they overwhelmingly supported Trump 58%-41%. They will take months to do anything. Just as he did in 2016, President Donald Trump this year mounted a late-breakingsurge in Michigan, using anaggressive campaign to bolster turnout, disproving myriad polls that showed his support lagging and drawing even greater backingfrom voters across wide swaths of the state than he did four years ago. But even as Trump added some365,000 voters to his totals in Michigan from four years ago in Tuesday's general election, his opponent, Democratic nominee Joe Biden, didfar better, running up surging vote totals in urban and suburban areas and narrowing Trump'sedge in key counties, including Macomb,Kent and Livingston. I patiently reiterated that the wards had been placed in these homes by public administrators and was about to say the name Moody again when Teter lost his temper and told me I was twisting his words. The Riders case is significant for police accountability in Oakland. Driving Biden's success wasn't only the fact that he did better percentage-wise than Clinton did in 2016 across metro Detroit, however. Her work has won or been nominated for four successive Chicago Press Club awards, been recognized by the National Association of Lesbian and Gay Journalists (NLGJA), and covered topics such as criminal justice,abuse atICE detention facilities, andalleged discriminationon the part of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services leading to the unnecessary separation of children from their parents. Just like Caring Hearts, ADDMS was founded by attorneys who had donated to Georges 2003 campaign. On July 3, 2000, Batt resigned and blew the whistle on the misconduct he witnessed. Biden was also able to flip Kent and Leelanau, though, two more traditionally Republican counties (though both also voted for Gov. Rather than address the serious issues Chief Kirkpatrick raised, the city of Oakland, through Mayor Libby Schaaf and the members ofpolice commission, fired the most progressive police chief in the citys history for blowing the whistle on the commissions misconduct, said her attorney R. James Slaughter of the law firm of Keker Van Nest & Peters, in a statement. An example of that varying support can be found in Clinton Township Precinct 38, located along Romeo Plank at Hall Road. Site content may be used for any purpose without explicit permission unless otherwise specified. And his percentage of the overall vote actually declined slightly. Far from the Michigan election being stolen from Trumpas he claims, the president did a remarkable job of energizing support, especially, but not only, in older industrial and rural parts of the state. With the help of Democrat activist and State Court Administrator Milton Mack, Jr., she decided to stick around the Macomb County bench, if only when she felt like it. Gretchen Whitmer two years ago). The Kirks were donors to Macomb County Probate Judge Kathryn Georges re-election campaign. The paper that would never bow to a public official. Only the Detroit News was at all interested. As if I didnt already know, he reminded me that public administrators who took roles as guardians and conservators were acting outside of their job descriptions and as private attorneys. A high-level review of elder care issues? Most recently, investigations involve Detroit City Councilmembers Andre Spivey, Janee Ayers and Scott Benson. Two leaders of an Oakland construction management firm pleaded guilty Thursday to felony charges in the far-reaching San Francisco City Hall corruption scandal centered . Either way, guardianship is a life sentence which hardly anyone in this country knows or about which anyone has cared to educate themselves. In 2003, the first trial ended in a hung jury. And that's in a county, like Kent, where Trump held a rally on the last day of the campaign, making his case to voters. As for Smith, he pled guilty to a federal obstruction of justice charge for covering up theft from his campaign fund. Rather than sticking to the letter of Michigan statute or Michigan Court Rules, the Oakland County Judges make up their own rules as they go along. The second trials of Mabanag and Siapno also ended in hung juries. The Sheriff's Office continues to be active in communities throughout Oakland County by offering several programs to assist those in need. But not this time, evenwith Trump winning Macomb for a second time. The Oakland police fired Valerga after he was criminally charged. The playing field changed when Tim was abducted, right after Patterson described Busch's arrest in yet another child rape case in northern Oakland County. "I was just thinking that the Biden campaign nurtured the blue wall and cultivated it," said Wielhouwer. Republican voters, though, as well as Democratic ones, are clearly not monolithic. All of them showed shocking financial malfeasance. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Flowingdata.com Indeed, outside Catallo and myself, no one ever wanted to talk to these families. Ninety minutes later, I published a five-part, freelance series detailing an alleged massive abuse and exploitation ring operating out of a Detroit-area probate court. Just what in the blue fuck was that supposed to mean? Its really hard toconfer a whistleblowing case when no one knew the whistle had been blown, Jackson said. The Biden campaign knew it, telling reporters Trump would have to top 62% of the in-person voting in order to overcome the advantage. The day after my team met with Teter. In my national background research, I spoke to families in Washington and Oklahoma who said that reporters who had been committed to investigating guardianship issues, in those states, were suddenly told by their editors to stop. Four years ago, he rode a level of support in rural and older industrial areas, especially those with large swaths of white voters, unlike that seen since Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, decrying trade deals and blustering that he'd force Mexico to pay for a wall along the southern border. Because it isnt worth it., I dont imagine any appeals to your conscience or journalist integrity are worth it, I added. It was even apparent looking at the statewide vote for university trustees, which have often been seen as a barometer for partisanship since voters don't give them nearly as much attention as the top of the ticket and may merely have followed their party inclination. A complete list of individual units is below. But as Biden was winning a close race at the top of the ticket, Republicans won a trustee seatat Michigan State University and a Board of Governor's seat at Wayne State University (the latter going for former Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land). All rights reserved. We can do something right now. The chief of staffs for Ayers and Benson are also included in this investigation but have not been charged. Plaintiffs alleged mistreatment at the hands of four veteran officers, known as the "Riders", who were alleged to have kidnapped, planted evidence, and beaten . But Biden was able to show some surprising levels of support in Republican areas relative to Trump. OCSO in the Community. where an initial count raised questions and led to a re-tabulation. The Oakland city attorneys office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In 2015, the Superior Court in Alameda County, California, quietly destroyed the criminal case files for three former Oakland police officers, known as the Riders, who stood trial for beating, falsely arresting, and framing dozens of African American men in the late 1990s and early 2000s, The Appeal has learned. Almost immediately, they are forced from their homes and into long-term care facilities or unlicensed group facilities with subhuman living conditions. On Sept. 26, 2002, narcotics unit officers Richholt and Neely were arrested at a beauty salon after offering $160 to several women in exchange for oral sex. But the Riders wasnt the only criminal case file involving Oakland police corruption destroyed by the Alameda County Superior Court. 2. Much of his bluster was false rhetoric. In Oakland County, the state's second largest county, turnout was nearly 75%, higher than the 72% seen in 2008; in Detroit which is getting smaller and the rest of Wayne County, turnout . The sentencing was supposed to have been held Tuesday. As to why that should be the case, Porn said, "I think it's unique to the character of Donald Trump and how he is perceived. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? At least two other cases identified by The Appealone involving officers Eric Richholt and Mark Neely Jr., the other involving Richard Valergahave also been destroyed. By the morning of Friday March 22, I was getting nervous. Besides, there were Attorney General appointees allegedly engaged in unimaginable elder abuse and that wasn't high level enough? The Free Press: Thats what it says on the cereal box. That morning, Nevin told a reporter who did get up the gumption to ask about the probate courts, "we have no specific instances of wrongdoing.". So, I never took for granted the honor of telling someones story and elevating a voice; especially if they had suffered from injustice or been discarded by society. In addition, former Detroit Councilman Gabe Leland pled guilty to misconduct in office in May of 2021, and he resigned from City Council following the plea. Ayers and Benson have not been charged with any crimes, however their homes have been raided in connection with this broad FBI investigation, according to news reports. True to form, it was a downright bizarre four hours during which our summary of findings was received with moments which ran the gamut between receptive and defensive. With more likely in the works, it is important to note that strong local journalism, citizen involvement in local government and an understanding of who is being elected can help reduce corruption cases. That piece concluded that history indicated that anytime a Democratic presidential or gubernatorial candidate won betterthan 56% in metro Detroit defined as Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties he or she would win the state. Evidence Room: 248-858-5062. I did so immediately with no response. in Oakland County at their at the Red Fox in I think it was Bloomfield. But it was 56%-45%. Gretchen Rachel Hammond is an award-winning freelance investigative journalist based out of Chicago. But he kept it up, and it worked to a great degree. The reforms that Nessel, alongside Michigan Supreme Court Justices Richard Bernstein and Megan Cavanaugh, proposed that morning all stemmed from issues I had brought up in the meeting with Teter as well as Catallos reporting and ones which were clearly laid out in an updated 2019 federal Qui Tam lawsuit brought by Ann Arbor attorney Bradley Geller. Miller recently asked for the misconduct in office and conspiracy to commit a legal in an illegal manner charges against him to be dropped. I called my editor at the Free Press. Would dismantling Interstate 980 repair damage to Black neighborhoods? Smiths felony charges from the Michigan Attorney Generals Office are all in relation to alleged misuse of forfeiture funds. Here's a look at how the state split the vote of 2020 and how Biden was able to beat Trump and put Michigan back into the Democrats' "blue wall" of states: A few weeks ago, the Free Press took a deep dive into the state's regions, their voting trends and their importance in electing statewide candidates. In Oakland County, in Novi Precinct 21, Clinton eked out a 49.8%-46.9% among the 1,157 votes. California law also includes a provision that allowed the Riders case files to be destroyed after just three years. Mar 02, 2022. Not all branches of Californias courts are as aggressive as Alameda County in destroying police corruption files. "We know that a lot of that was baked in. As part of his plea deal, Perez turned states evidence and accused dozens of other LAPD officers of misconduct. Never had I heard of a news organization siding with a public official over a journalist, freelance or not. Daily Kos readers dont tend towards the troll, yet never couch brutal honesty in niceties. Nov. 2, 2000. Friend of the Court - 248-466-2728. Recent headlines have been focused on several public officials, including four from the Detroit City Council, three from the Detroit Police Department and three from Macomb County. | The journalists in attendance were, justifiably, appalled and, in the end, Burgio ended up getting far more ink than Nessel. For instance, it dropped by 8 percentage points in Emmet County, 9 in Ottawa in west Michigan, nearly 10 in Grand Traverse. But I will tell you this: I am going to publish. Record turnout of 5.5 million, larger than that seen in the election of 2008,drove his victory. I didn't quote him at the time but there were more than a few moments I wanted to blurt out "Well let me tell you, with a trespass on credulity that excels your best, that we do have the evidence. On August 23, 2019, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that she hadfired three Oakland County Public Administrators, John Yun, Jennifer Carney and Thomas Brennan Fraser and one Macomb County Public Administrator Robert Kirk. Lucido seemed equally surprised because, he said, there was supposed to be a press conference about it on March 25. Sgt. Kirkpatrick was also recently criticized in her handling of the police fatal shooting of a homeless man, Joshua Pawlik, who was found armed and sleeping in 2018. Charges against Vazquez are still active because he is considered a fugitive. March 13, he continued. Under the Brady rule, prosecutors must disclose material that might help the defense, including information that undermines the credibility of state witnesses. In 2000, Ortiz, Liddy, and Buchanan were convicted by a Los Angeles County jury of framing gang members and planting evidence. 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