The Biden campaign knew it, telling reporters Trump would have to top 62% of the in-person voting in order to overcome the advantage. "It's a huge reason we got the vote that we did, when you're talking about the numbers of third party votes we had in '16," Dulio said. SAN FRANCISCO Three Bay Area men, including a justice activist who billed himself as a youth mentor just 11 days after . Theres a reason why I have boxes and flash drives full of evidence and no-one to whom to give them. Whether I received my answers from Nessel in the form of an official comment or not, the AG herself had ordered the meeting. It is one of the 80 key precincts identified by Tim Kiska, an associate professor at the University of Michigan-Dearborn who does election analysisfor the Free Press, as representative of the direction the state may take in a given election. In Macomb County, the recent names making headlines for alleged public corruption are former Macomb County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Smith, former Macomb County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Ben Liston and suspended Macomb County Assistant Prosecutor Derek Miller. Its my first and last OpEd so it calls for some trial anderror. The Alameda County Superior Court destroyed Valergas entire case file sometime after his probation ended. His case file remains in the archives of Los Angeless court system. The sentencing was supposed to have been held Tuesday. OAKLAND Former Oakland Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick filed a federal whistleblower lawsuit against the city on Wednesday, alleging she was fired in retaliation for exposing corruption and . the jury verdict. It would be a long shot. Its really hard toconfer a whistleblowing case when no one knew the whistle had been blown, Jackson said. Introduction. We left at 5 pm with no comment but quite a lot of answers. Bill Ballenger: The blue AMC Gremlin, child killer. SF corruption scandal widens: Two business leaders charged with bribing City Hall official. Wayne County, including Detroit, has the highest number of public corruption charges in the region, and the state, followed by Macomb County. But it was 56%-45%. During thirteen months in 1976 and 1977, four children were abducted, abused in captivity and then murdered, their bodies tossed by public roadsides. But he kept it up, and it worked to a great degree. Angela Ruggiero covers criminal justice and the Alameda County Superior Court. There are lessons within it, for me most of all, but I hope also for those journalists who choose to stay on the ship, maybe of what not to do, even as the last few chords of Nearer My God to Thee play out in New York and Washington DC. Site content may be used for any purpose without explicit permission unless otherwise specified. 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. Nov. 2, 2000. In fact, while Biden lost west Michigan as a region overall, he still was able to improve his percentage of support relative to Clinton's by 5 percentage points again, much of that coming from third party support from four years ago and get 119,000 more votes out of the region. An outspoken, genuine sort of bloke, he pushed back on the notion that nothing had been done about alleged probate corruption. They will take months to do anything. As for the morning being a "high level review of elder care issues," either Rossman-McKinney lied to my editor or he lied to me. For Shaw, that is 206 cases involving 256 defendants since February 2009, according to district attorney records obtained by The Times. Jeff Chiu/Associated Press. Since taking the bench in 2003, George had somehow survived numerous scandals and, like most Michigan probate court judges, knew on which side her bread was buttered. A 21-year-old man was arrested and charged with murder in connection with a Jan. 23 shooting in Oakland that killed one and injured six. "We know that a lot of that was baked in. 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. 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. They always left with no result. Clinton won the Democratic-leaning region 55.8%-39.9% for Trump four years ago. Harriette Cole: I don't want the neighbor's kids at my house, Dear Abby: My wife said she doesn't like it, but it's part of my life, Ask Amy: I feel guilty for not speaking up about my co-worker's activities, Ask Amy: I'm your cabin housekeeper, and you apparently have no idea what I do. The Oakland Police Commission, made up of seven appointed residents, was created to oversee the police departments policies and practices, and the Community Police Review Agency, which investigates police misconduct.. Posted in: Uncategorized Corruption cases have long riddled the Metro-Detroit region and in an upcoming post we will detail the ones that have been brought to the public eye since 2016. Leland admitted to accepting the cash when he pled guilty. On the morning of March 25, I paused to watch Nessels presser on Facebook. I immediately pulled the project from the Free Press and scrambled to find a self-publish website while continuing to gather research. Monitor the livestream broadcast if youre worried about integrity of the process, but this isnt worth the back and forth with AGs office.. Chapter 3: Law and Order - LBP. "I was just thinking that the Biden campaign nurtured the blue wall and cultivated it," said Wielhouwer. Mohammed Nuru, director of San Francisco Public Works, center, gestures as he leaves a federal . IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? In response to emailed questions from the Appeal about the destruction of the Riders files, a representative for the Superior Court in Alameda County wrote that the files were eligible for destruction and provided a link to the state government code permitting their disposal. I emailed my editor again with no response. We have it and it is clear and incontrovertible.". The Sheriff's Office continues to be active in communities throughout Oakland County by offering several programs to assist those in need. Oakland County Sheriff's deputies are searching for a driver who hit a road sign and left the scene. Reporting suspects and suspicious events seems to go nowhere. Since 2016 there has been two public corruption cases in Oakland County and one in St. Clair County; no other county in the region has had any cases come to light. Both Moody and his wife Lauras tenures with the AGs office pre-dated Nessel. Staff writer David DeBolt contributed to this report. Detroitography.com 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. And then of course in the mid-'70s, '76, '77, with the four children in Oakland County who were kidnapped and killed. Because it isnt worth it., I dont imagine any appeals to your conscience or journalist integrity are worth it, I added. There were moments when, for example, I tried to raise the subject of Moody and Teter immediately shut me down. (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication. If you prefer to do so anonymously, you can call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit tips online at tips.fbi.gov. Whether Moody had jurisdiction over them or not, even after public administrators like Munger had been fired by him in 2017, Munger still took and was taking deceased estate as well as guardianship and conservatorship cases at the Oakland County Probate Court. The series covers the 1995 abduction of 6-year-old Morgan Nick from a little league game in Alma, Arkansas, as well as the resolution of the 1989 abduction and murder of 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling in St. Joseph, Minnesota. The Oakland Public Ethics Commission has broadened the scope of its investigations into allegations of corruption by building code enforcement officers. 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. Biden won in Genesee, Ingham, Kalamazoo, Kent, Leelanau, Marquette, Muskegon, Oakland, Saginaw, Washtenaw and Wayne counties. In Antrim County, where an initial count raised questions and led to a re-tabulation, Trump's margin of victory fell 15%. But police commission Chair Regina Jackson said in an interview Wednesday that she wasnt aware of any whistleblowing at the time they fired the chief. Subscribe to our newsletters for regular updates, analysis and context straight to your email. After all, they were out of state, But I never thought it would be. Can you supply one?. Ali Winston, He left a few staff members behind to hear them, but the families were devastated. But he won three more counties than Clinton did and did better in those he didn't win than Clinton did in a state known to be more Democratic-leaning than Republican in presidential elections. Metricmaps.org. California law also includes a provision that allowed the Riders case files to be destroyed after just three years. Lelands guilty plea stemmed from him being indicted on federal bribery charges and a felony misconduct in office charge for accepting $15,000 in cash and free car repairs in exchange for his vote on a land deal, according to the FBI. Under Kirkpatrick, five previously achieved tasks were brought out of compliance. Under the guardianship of Macomb County Public Administrator Robert Kirk and his wife Cathy, they were literally fenced inside their own home. My advice is to contact the Macomb County Bar Association, the Michigan State Police or the FBI." First time I can remember I've tried to report a crime and no one has . His margin of support among white men without college degrees was even higher, 64%-34%. Record turnout of 5.5 million, larger than that seen in the election of 2008,drove his victory, predicted the statewide winner for governor or president in the last sevenelections and 17 of the last 20, And that's in a county, like Kent, where Trump held a rally on the last day of the campaign, the former accounting for 6% and the latter 5% in the Free Press' last poll of the campaign, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Peter Wielhouwer, associate professor of political science and director of the Institute for Government and Politics at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, said the fact of early voting blunted Trump's aggressive campaigning in the last few weeks in Michigan. Nessel, Bernstein and Cavanaugh attended Listening Sessions across Michigan during which seniors and their families could tell their stories, within three-minute reason. However, they never faced criminal charges. 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. Mar 02, 2022. The women turned out to be undercover Alameda County sheriffs deputies running a sting operation. In Brighton's Precinct 4, at the Brighton Education Community Center on Church Street, Trump won 55%-40% four years ago, getting 507 votes to Clinton's 370. These charges have surfaced over the last year or so, and have only driven the total number of public corruption cases that can be accounted for in the last four years. Additional Emergency Contact Numbers: PPO - 248-303-1534. Daily Kos moves in solidarity with the Black community. Last week, Andre Spivey pled guilty to federal bribery charges and admitted he and an aide received almost $36,000 in bribes. Pay-to-play was all too common in state politics, then-Free Press associate editor Ron Dzwonkowski wrote in 2010. Thatdifference was even more stark in Kent County in west Michigan, where Trump lost,getting 165,318 votes to Biden's 186,753. Kirkpatrick notified city officials, and the request was included in an investigation of Harris that had been initiated by then-City Administrator Sabrina Landreth. If your case does not appear in the MiFIle efiling system please email efiling@oakgov.com to have it added. Almost immediately, they are forced from their homes and into long-term care facilities or unlicensed group facilities with subhuman living conditions. For instance, look at East Bay Township Precinct 1 in Grand Traverse County. Ways to get involved in the 2022 Election. Not all branches of Californias courts are as aggressive as Alameda County in destroying police corruption files. The destruction of his court records means that there is no longer any public documentation of the criminal investigation against him, excluding media reports and a brief summary in the courts online database. Since Moody was good friends with a select few of the public administrators he appointed, he alerted them to the complaining families who then suffered staggering retaliation in a probate court. Oct 30, 2019. Miller recently asked for the misconduct in office and conspiracy to commit a legal in an illegal manner charges against him to be dropped. | 2. After all, Rossman-McKinney hadnt risen to her position without the usual, required Machiavellian dexterity. The Attorney General has created an Elder Abuse Task Force, he told me. 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. Kirkpatrick pointed to a 2018 internal city document made public that said police Commissioner Ginale Harris demanded the department and the chief pay her back for towing fees Harris owed the city. I told Lucido that I had heard no mention of a Task Force at all. OAKLAND Former Oakland Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick filed a federal whistleblower lawsuit against the city on Wednesday, alleging she was fired in retaliation for exposing corruption and abuse of power in the police commission. 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 Friend of the Court workers are not accurate in their reporting of the facts and they are defrauding children and their parents of justice. 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 . Required fields are marked *. 2023 www.freep.com. Apr 20, 2022, M. Forrest Behne, Craig Waleed, Meghan Peterson, and Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein Plaintiffs alleged mistreatment at the hands of four veteran officers, known as the "Riders", who were alleged to have kidnapped, planted evidence, and beaten . Harris denied ever asking for police to cover any fees, her attorney said in an interview in February. 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. They asked you to jump and, instead of backing me, you did.. From the outset, Nessel ran with the often used talking point that the majority of the abuse of Americas seniors occurs at the hands of family members or friends. 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. Far from it, at Listening Tours, she told the audience that if she found a public administrator was up to no good, she would have no compunction in firing that person.Of course not. Chapter 4: The Investigating Prosecutor. Meanwhile, a small contingent of family members set out for Lansing to stand outside her offices and plead their case to any passing journalists. The Oakland police fired Valerga after he was criminally charged. Teresa James, assistant division director for the Alameda County Superior Courts traffic and criminal division, confirmed that the Valerga, Richholt, and Neely files were destroyed in accordance with state law that allows the court to dispose of misdemeanor criminal files after five years. The Section's public corruption work involves the investigation and prosecution of bribery, extortion, fraud, and embezzlement committed by elected and appointed officials, government employees, and those doing business with city, state, and federal government. It would, therefore, not serve our goals for publication at all to provide you with the requested documents at this time, I concluded. However, some legal experts, including Cordell and Stanford University law professor Robert Weisberg, believe that records of police prosecutions should be maintained longer because they also constitute official histories of institutional corruption. 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. "My inclination was that the blue wall states were going to do what they normally do and vote Democrat.". In 2008, Oakland paid $2 million to settle a civil rights lawsuit brought by 16 womenall of whom were Asian Americanwho said they were victims of Valerga. Theres a reason for why this story is on my personal blog and not a mainstream outlet. Its the easiest job in the world for Nessel; like telling Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York that she cant be a Duchess because all those weight watchers commercials were a bridge too far. Besides, when you are investigating alleged public corruption, you lose your belief in the coincidental. The families got the same response from Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper, the Michigan Attorney Grievance and Judicial Tenure Commissions, state and local police and the Detroit office of the FBI. Gretchen Whitmer two years ago). Dear Abby: Why do they imply my husband is a freak? An example of that varying support can be found in Clinton Township Precinct 38, located along Romeo Plank at Hall Road. 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. 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