MARA VERHEYDEN-HILLIARD, via Sarah Sloan, ss at justiceonline.org
Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, (click here) executive director of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, is quoted in this piece by Steven Rosenfeld for AlterNet: “Abusive Cop Picked to Head Police Reform Commission,” which states: “Philadelphia Police Chief Charles Ramsey, one of two co-chairs apppointed by President Obama to head a commission on ways to demilitarize local police, is known for leading repeated bloody and abusive crackdowns on protesters when he was Washington, D.C.’s chief a decade ago, according to a civil rights attorney who won millions in damages for hundreds of citizens attacked by D.C. police.
Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, (click here) executive director of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, is quoted in this piece by Steven Rosenfeld for AlterNet: “Abusive Cop Picked to Head Police Reform Commission,” which states: “Philadelphia Police Chief Charles Ramsey, one of two co-chairs apppointed by President Obama to head a commission on ways to demilitarize local police, is known for leading repeated bloody and abusive crackdowns on protesters when he was Washington, D.C.’s chief a decade ago, according to a civil rights attorney who won millions in damages for hundreds of citizens attacked by D.C. police.
“‘If the president’s idea of reforming policing practices includes mass false arrests, brutality, and the eviscerating of civil rights, then Ramsey’s his man. That’s Charles Ramsey’s legacy in D.C.,’ said Mara Verheyden-Hilliard … speaking of the ex-D.C. chief and current Philadelphia Police Commissioner. ‘Obama should immediately rescind his appointment of Commissioner Ramsey, who is a mass violator of civil rights and civil liberties.’...
I commend Ms. Verheyden - Hilliard for coming forward with this information. I believe it to be important and she as well as her spouse should submit this information along with any other pertinent information to the commission.
March 23, 2010
By Theola Labbe' DeBose
When Carl Messineo and Mara Verheyden-Hilliard (click here) sued the District on behalf of hundreds of protesters arrested by D.C. police, their strategy all along was to do more than win a large settlement for the demonstrators.
They wanted to teach the city a lesson....
The husband and wife team are incredibly dedicated and I congratulate them on every case they won.
The husband and wife team are incredibly dedicated and I congratulate them on every case they won.
Below is an article regarding Chief Ramsey.
September 8, 2001
...D.C. Police Chief Charles Ramsey, (click here) talks about security issues and this weekend's anti-war protests on Friday, Sept. 28 at Noon EDT.
Several thousand protesters will take to District streets this weekend as anti-globalization protests have taken a new form as anti-war rallies. Working with other law enforcement groups, the D.C. police will help maintain order among protesters and anti-protesters this weekend.
What I liked about this article in realizing the character of Chief Ramsey is that he was willing to talk to people. He didn't mind explaining things to folks. That is a good thing, but, it is no longer post 911. It is thirteen years out from those attacks and the USA is different. The people are reflecting on privacy problems with the NSA and new type of communication devices. No matter how much the political right wing wants to keep the terror alive it isn't actually a chronic problem. There are some startle problems like decapitated Americans in Syria and the new Ebola outbreak, but, after the startle goes away Americans can see their folly in over reacting.
The fact that Chief Ramsey came down hard on protesters in 2002 and 2004 doesn't surprise me. There was a lot of stuff going on at the time. Police were investing things like "Peace Fesno," a group in California. There were also sharp shooters on roofs whenever peace protesters were marching. In a method to counter balance the fear of sharp shooters and keep a safe margin in check, there were helicopters flying above and recording the pictures of the march. The years of Bush were nothing but oppressive. In addition to sharpshooters there was the occasional National Guard tank responding to a peace demonstration. It definitely was a time Americans began to be aware of what privacy and freedom was all about as they gave it up willingly, including body scans in airline terminals.
To believe there is some liberal police chief that didn't participate in any of the oppressive measures in play at that time would mean looking through unemployment rolls to find them there.
I am grateful for the commission President Obama has begun. It is vitally important to do this work for the country. Chief Ramsey's memory and service as a police officer didn't start in 2002. He has been involved in policing for a long time and remembers days in this country when it was far different. He also witnessed the program under Bush that militarized the country's police.
I am sure there are going to many people involved in submitting information to this commission including the public. The commission hasn't begun to address this issue yet and is still in their early days of organizing. I am confident with so many involved both from the public's participation to those that will be assembled for the commission work itself there will be a thorough report complied and provided to President Obama. I am sure the commission will assemble all kinds of numbers of pre and post 911 up to current to valid facts that coordinate with the tragedies we are witnessing as a country.
Most of all there are Americans like Carl Messineo and Mara Verheyden-Hilliard so will scrutinize every fact and word of the final report. We are counting on you to help the country get it right. I am not worried. Sincerely not worried. We need to begin, because, the commission will be in process for only 90 days only.
