March & Vigil Against Domestic Violence (In Honor of Ka'Sandra Wade) This Friday!

WHAT: March & Vigil Against Domestic Violence (In Honor of Ka'Sandra Wade)
WHEN: Friday, February 14, 2014, 10:00 AM
WHERE: City-County Building, 414 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
RSVP: Please RSVP on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/events/573131796114198)

10:30 AM: Press Conference at the City-County Building (Led by Ka'Sandra's Family Members).  

11:00 AM: After the speeches, we will proceed down Grant to Forbes, cross Forbes, and enter the Courtyard at the Courthouse.  

11:10 AM: We will conduct the visual dramatization of 110 Murdered Women and Children in the Courtyard. 

11:15 AM: From there, we will exit the Courtyard on the Fifth Ave side, and take Fifth Ave Back to Grant. 

11:20 AM: The March will continue down Grant to the DoubleTree, where we will join One Billion Rising 

11:30 AM: Vigil for Victims of Domestic Violence

12:00 PM: One Billion Rising Program will Commence!(https://www.facebook.com/events/619090258127854/)

When Ka'Sandra Wade was murdered by her ex one year ago, there was more attention paid by the media than for most victims of domestic violence. Her story stayed in the news because it exposed problems within police policies on responding to 911 calls for "unknown trouble." Her family and advocates for women worked tirelessly to change those policies.

But since Ka'Sandra's death one year ago, 110 more women in Pennsylvania have died from domestic violence! We must all come together to stop the death of the next Ka'Sandra.

We need 110 women to help visualize the 110 women murdered in our state -- please be one of them and help us to bring attention to this issue and to bring an end to the violence!

You can also learn more about this tragedy at the http://zairebrowntrustfund.wordpress.com/ website. Donations for Ka'Sandra's young son can be sent to: The Ka’Sandra Wade for Zaire Brown Trust Fund, c/o PNC Bank, 5932 PENN CIRCLE SOUTH PITTSBURGH, PA 15206

ANEW Rising Women's Collective and New Voices Pittsburgh are co-sponsors of this event.

_______________________________________________________________________

Please spread the word about this event! Feel free to use any of the following graphics:

Statement from the President on the Senate Passage of the Violence Against Women Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 12, 2013

Statement from the President on the Senate Passage of the Violence Against Women Act

Today the Senate passed a strong bipartisan bill to reauthorize and strengthen the Violence Against Women Act. This important step shows what we can do when we come together across party lines to take up a just cause. The bill passed by the Senate will help reduce homicides that occur from domestic violence, improve the criminal justice response to rape and sexual assault, address the high rates of dating violence experienced by young women, and provide justice to the most vulnerable among us. I want to thank Senator Leahy and his colleagues from both sides of the aisle for the leadership they have shown on behalf of victims of abuse. It's now time for the House to follow suit and send this bill to my desk so that I can sign it into law.

UPDATE:

Statement by Vice President Biden on the Violence Against Women Act

Today, the Senate passed the Violence Against Women Act with overwhelming bipartisan support. This law has been incredibly effective and I hope the House will vote without delay to renew the law so that we can continue to assist victims of domestic violence and sexual assault and hold offenders accountable for their crimes.

Delay isn’t an option when three women are still killed by their husbands or boyfriends every day. Delay isn’t an option when countless women still live in fear of abuse, and when one in five have been victims of rape. This issue should be beyond debate – the House should follow the Senate’s lead and pass the Violence Against Women Act right away. This is not a Democratic or Republican issue – it’s an issue of justice and compassion. 

Join ONE BILLION RISING on V-Day!

TRIGGER WARNING: violence, abuse.

ONE IN THREE WOMEN ON THE PLANET WILL BE RAPED OR BEATEN IN HER LIFETIME.*

ONE BILLION WOMEN VIOLATED IS AN ATROCITY

ONE BILLION WOMEN DANCING IS A REVOLUTION

Pittburgh's event will also be in memory of Ka'Sandra Wade, the young, Pittsburgh woman who was killed by her ex-partner on New Year's Eve and whose death has raised a call for better procedures by the police.

One Billion Rising Pittsburgh
When: Thursday, February 14, 2013 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM EST
Where: Market Square, 23 Market Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 (map)
Hosts: New Voices Pittsburgh: Women of Color for Reproductive Justice and Friends
Pittsburgh Website: Here
Facebook Event Page: Here
Sign up on the National Site for the Pittsburgh Event: Here

  *2003 UNIFEM report entitled "Not A Minute More: Ending Violence Against Women," or 2008, the UNITE To End Violence Against Women Campaign, initiated by UN Secretary-General's Office

They're coming to get you, Barbara!

  I don't know where some of these gun zealots live, but I suspect that they didn't get the memo from the CDC that we aren't actually facing a zombie apocalypse.

The way this women talks about needing to defend screaming babies at home from "three, four, five violent attackers," you'd think she was living in Zombie Central. And, not in the world of the shambling slow pokes of "Night of the Living Dead" either, but the manic speed demons of a "28 Days Later" for that matter.

Sadly, the fact is that if a woman is going to be killed in her home, it's most likely going to be by her intimate partner who, no doubt, knows where the gun is and is turning it against her. No outsiders -- zombie or otherwise -- needed!

 

Vs.

Vigils for Ka’Sandra Wade

 

Today, there will be vigils for Ka’Sandra (Sandy) Wade:

 

ACTION United Vigil for Ka'Sandra Wade
When: Saturday , Januray 12 2013, 4:00 PM
Where: 5907 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
What: Vigil Announcement: ACTION United and Pgh Women will hold a Vigil in Memory of Ka'Sandra Wade on Saturday, January 12, 2013. We will meet at 5907 Penn Avenue on the 3rd floor, at 4:00 PM, and hold a Solemn Procession to Eastminster Presbyterian Church. There will be a Potluck Repast, so please bring something to share if you can. A collection will be taken up for the trust fund we are setting up for her son. Womens Organizations should bring their banners or signs...There will be an opportunity to sign up for our Campaign for Ka'Sandra's Law Please RSVP and SHARE!
RSVP: Facebook (or just show up)

 

And a Cyber Vigil:

Her Name Was Ka’Sandra Wade. A Pittsburgh Cyber Vigil, Saturday January 12 To Remember Her Name.

Please help however you can!

 

 

 

Remembering Ka'Sandra Wade

A Pittsburgh woman was buried this week leaving behind an 11-year-old son. She was a victim of domestic abuse. She had finally, seemingly broken free of the terror of her ex-boyfriend. She had moved out and was about to start a new job in the new year at the place were she had been an intern for nine months. Before that could happen, she was murdered by her former partner. She was 33 years old.

Her name was Ka'Sandra Wade.

People often ask why woman stay with someone who abuses them. Well, Ka'Sandra's story illustrates one reason why: Leaving can be dangerous. According to a United States Department of Justice National Crime Victim Survey, the most dangerous time for a woman who is being abused is when she tries to leave.

Ka'Sandra had people trying to help her, including at her job. Tragically, when she reached out to police one last time, the system failed her.

She called 911 in the waning hours of last year. She requested that police come to her home, but then the 911 operator heard a commotion and the call went dead.

Two officers responded. They were denied entrance by a man (her ex) who spoke out of a window saying no police were needed. They spoke for some ten minutes to the man and then left the scene. They left without ever speaking to the woman who placed the call even though, "The officers ... knew the caller was female. They knew the woman was calm at first. They were told that there was some sort of commotion. And they knew the line had been disconnected."

When Ka'Sandra's mother called police the next day, concerned that she hadn't heard from her daughter, police went back to her home. They found her shot dead.

What followed next was a standoff at the ex-partner's apartment. Her murderer eventually killed himself -- but not before telling the police that they could have saved her the day previous. It is unknown whether or not she was killed before the police arrived the day before or shortly thereafter as it's impossible to pinpoint a time of death quite so precisely.

What is known is that the Pittsburgh Police 'do not have a specific policy on how officers should handle “unknown trouble” calls such as the one at the center of a murder-suicide investigation.'

Can we all agree that they should have policies in place? Can we all agree that there was a breakdown in the system that was supposed to protect her and all of us?

To make matters worse, when the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had emailed questions (the required format) to the police to break this story, they were not only met with resistance, something quite extraordinary happened:

Diane Richard, the department’s public information officer, tipped other news organizations off to the P-G’s investigation when she sent the release to about 200 journalists.  

Post-Gazette executive editor David Shribman tells Romenesko readers:  

“This is probably unprecedented and certainly unprofessional. It is a horrifying, disrespectful departure from every interchange I have had, or been witness to, with public-relations professionals in four decades in journalism.”  

The Board of Ethics and Professional Standards at the Public Relations Society of America is looking into the matter, PRSA’s Arthur Yann tells me.

Chris Potter of the Pittsburgh City Paper adds:

I've been in this business for more than 15 years, and have never seen anything quite like this. And if the idea was to somehow dissuade the P-G from working the story, well ... clearly it didn't work.

Clearly, we have not heard the last of this -- nor should we.

In the meantime, there are ways that you can help.

There will be a vigil for Ka'Sandra Wade tomorrow:

ACTION United Vigil for Ka'Sandra Wade
When: Saturday , Januray 12 2013, 4:00 PM
Where: 5907 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
What: Vigil Announcement: ACTION United and Pgh Women will hold a Vigil in Memory of Ka'Sandra Wade on Saturday, January 12, 2013. We will meet at 5907 Penn Avenue on the 3rd floor, at 4:00 PM, and hold a Solemn Procession to Eastminster Presbyterian Church. There will be a Potluck Repast, so please bring something to share if you can. A collection will be taken up for the trust fund we are setting up for her son. Womens Organizations should bring their banners or signs...There will be an opportunity to sign up for our Campaign for Ka'Sandra's Law Please RSVP and SHARE!
RSVP: Facebook (or just show up)

There will also be an online vigil tomorrow. Please click here for more information and to get a button for your blog/Facebook page/etc., like the one on the sidebar of our blog.

You can also find information and resources on domestic abuse from the Women's Center & Shelter of Pittsburgh and The Center for Victims.

Also from Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents (who initiated the cyber vigil):

Finally, we ask that you mention that a fund has been set up for Zaire, Ka’Sandra’s son – donations can be sent to made payable to Sharon Jordan to this address: Sharon Jordan, c/o ACTION United, 5907 Penn Ave, Suite 300, Pittsburgh, PA 15206. Sharon is Ka’Sandra’s mother and she is now raising Zaire. The family may have other needs – please contact ACTION United if you would like to help. The number is 412-567-7275.

Women's Walk for Peace with Free Concert by Arrested Development

Women's Walk for a Peaceful Community
When: Saturday, September 8, 2012, 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Where: 2801 North Charles Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15214 (map) to West Park near the National Aviary (map)
Register: Here (You must register before the event)
Website: http://www.womenswalk.org
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/events/444216558946333/

Must Read: Jeanne Clark's Open Letter to Mayor Ravenstahl on George Trosky's Promotion

The promotion by Pittsburgh Bureau of Police of Zone 2 Commander George Trosky to assistant chief of investigations has not been without controversy due to a history of violent episodes in his past.

Women's advocate Jeanne Clark pens an open letter to the the mayor of Pittsburgh about the promotion that starts with this:

Your public attack on me in the reception line at the Cookie Cruise – berating me for criticizing your promotion of George Trosky to assistant police chief, screaming that I was a "hypocrite," and threatening to "go public" with what you perceive to be my failure to support all domestic violence survivors – was bizarre, to say the least. Coming on the heels of the same threat made to me on your behalf by City Councilmember Theresa Kail-Smith the day before, it was clear you intended to silence me.

That's not going to happen. Three women are murdered by spouses or ex-spouses in this country every day, and it must be stopped. I believe that promoting Trosky will make the problem worse here. Not just for women, but also for other police officers, and for the city as a whole. But you insist on taking actions like this promotion – actions that harm our city – just because they serve your personal needs and desires.

I'm sure you'll want to read her entire letter here.

I'm beginning to think that they don't really like women

[Where "I'm beginning to think" means "I've always known."]

Rick Santorum blames his wife for anti-feminist statements in his book.

GOP to fight to let any employer deny birth control coverage to women.

Virginia to continue shackling pregnant inmates while giving birth.

Zero Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee vote to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act.

Fox News pundit says women in military should expect to be raped and that feminists have demanded too much money to fund programs for sexual abuse victims. (I wonder if Ron Paul would consider those to be "honest" rapes...)

A Sad Dispute Between Two Friends

Towards the beginning of a chapter in her book "Who Stole Feminism?", Christina Hoff Sommers wrote:

Battery and rape are crimes that shatter lives; those who suffer must be cared for, and those who cause their suffering must be rendered incapable of doing further harm. But in all we do to help, the most loyal ally is truth. Truth brought to public light recruits the best of us to work for change. On the other hand, even the best-intentioned "noble lie" ultimately discredits the finest of causes.

The chapter then proceeds to debunk the claim that "more women are victims of domestic abuse on Super Bowl Sunday than any other day of the year." While it's true that Professor Sommers is now a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, she's still right about truth and the "noble lie".

Writing as someone who routinely works to undermine wingnut advocacy by unearthing the misinformation being used to support its positions, it was sad to see a local dispute erupt between a pair of bloggers both of whom I admire and respect.

For those who don't know, Women and Girls Foundation of Southwest Pennsylvania CEO Heather Arnet recently had a letter in the P-G in which she applauded Pitt's decision to fire Michael Haywood, Pitt's newly hired football coach, after his arrest in Indiana on domestic abuse charges. In the letter (it's the beginning of the second paragraph, by the way) she wrote:

Domestic abuse is the number two killer of women in this country.

Setting aside the worthwhile discussion of the wisdom of Haywood's firing - on the one hand Haywood's only been accused, not convicted, of any crime but on the other had Pitt not fired him, the PR nightmares would have continued at least until he was either convicted or fired - it's Arnet's claim above that triggered the local blogger dispute.

First, my friend Chad Hermann responded with a fact-check and found that Arnet's claim was simply wrong.

Turns out that according to the FBI, there are about 1,200 deaths of women per year due to domestic violence and (extrapolating from the CDC's numbers) there's 264,000 or so deaths of women per year from Cancer (their #2 cause). With about 314,000 Heart Disease was the CDC's #1 cause of deaths of women per year. Chad recapped:

Cancer – 264,000
Domestic Violence – 1,200

The numbers are so close, you can see how Ms. Arnet might have gotten them confused. I mean, what’s a little factor of 220 among friends and advocates and peddlers of inveterate poppycock?

In response to one friend's fact-check, another friend, Ms Mon at Ms Mon's Salon, responded. While admitting that Arnet's facts are "soft" and that many of Chad's points are "valid" she, quickly and unfortunately, departs from the argument at hand:

But his determined discrediting of the statistics are so palpable, they seem more like his own desperate attempts to prove that women are full of hokum, instead of, say, offering illumination as to why women are a tad sensitive about the subject. I guess when you have to make up for so many thousands of years of privileged, white, male subjugation, you can't be bothered with those kinds of details.

Looking at his blog post, I am not sure I see the same things Ms. Mon sees (that he's attempting to prove that women are full of hokum) - but that's OK. There's no reason in the world why my reading of his blog post should take precedence over anyone else's.

However, she effectively changed the subject from the one Chad was making, which was that Arnet's assertion that domestic violence was the number two cause of death among women in this country was simply wrong.

And he was right. One can argue with the tone of his blog post but one can't argue with the facts he's presented there. She was simply wrong about the cause of death among women and I'd have to agree with Chad that the error was so wrong that it undermines the credibility of the letter as a whole and, unfortunately, the letter writer.

Domestic violence is very very bad. It is a serious problem that always requires serious attention. Its victims need to be cared for and treated respectfully and its perpetrators need to be punished to the fullest extent of the law. A truly civilized society should demand no less.

However...

No matter how well intentioned, in the end a noble lie only discredits the cause it's being used to support.

What We Missed

With all the HCR posting, here's some things we missed:

Rally Today to Support Grocery Workers Fighting For Contract for More Than a Year
When: Today, Mar 22, 1:30 p.m.
Where: Kuhn's Market, 700 Beulah Rd., Wilkins Twp. PA 15145
Who: United Food and Commercial Workers local 23 and community groups

It's that time of the month...
On the Spot is asking you to donate a box of supplies for girls in and around Pittsburgh who don’t have access. http://pghonthespot.wordpress.com/events

Help Prevent Teen Dating Violence: PA House Bill 2026, “Demi Brae Cuccia Law”
Via my PA Representative, Harry Readshaw: "If it becomes law, teen dating violence education would be integrated into middle and high school curriculums. School districts would have to develop an anti-dating violence policy. Age-appropriate education would inform students about the danger of teen dating violence and how they can recognize its warning signs and protect themselves from becoming a victim...You can directly help by signing an online petition on the web site of the bill's prime sponsor, Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Centre County"

Labor Board Rules In Favor of Workers United SEIU In Aramark Mellon Arena Worker Case
Now Aramark has no excuse for not negotiating.
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All Charges Dismissed Against Jordan Miles But More Needs to be Done

Via the P-G:

A judge today dismissed all charges against Pittsburgh high school student Jordan Miles, who claims he was badly beaten by three police officers during his arrest in Homewood.

Miles was originally charged with walking while black aggravated assault and resisting arrest.

While it is of course great news that the charges have been dropped, more can and should be done while the Office of Municipal Investigations and the FBI investigate this case:

Training

Pittsburgh City Police have enrolled in the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Program but still haven't attained accredited status. Why?

And, speaking of training (and violence), back in 2007 when the Police Dept. was facing heat for promoting three offices with histories of domestic violence, the department was offered free (foundation-paid) training on domestic violence from David Thomas an expert on the subject at Johns Hopkins. I do not believe that they have ever availed themselves of this training.

Citizen Police Review Board

For all the great work they do, they seem to have no teeth.

Charles Hanlon, Fraternal Order of Police vice president, recently said of the board that they were biased by nature." With that sort of negative attitude, it shouldn't be surprising that their recommendations and queries are often ignored.

For example, when Sgt. Eugene Hlavac was accused of recklessly endangering a group of bicyclists and having anger management issues, the Brass rejected the CPRB's call that Hlavac "be suspended for seven days, undergo retraining and anger management, and possibly face prosecution by the district attorney." Hlavac was later fired after he dislocated his ex-girlfriend's jaw. He was also one of the three officers mentioned in the above promotion controversy.

One of the reasons the police cited in not following the CPRB's recommendations was that they came so late after the original incident. The CPRB complained at the time that, "It would be incumbent upon the city to facilitate an expedited release of documents from the Office of Municipal Investigations."

We see this foot-dragging behavior again with the CPRB being compelled to go to court to seek police records from the Group of 20 summit where charges of improper police conduct have been made.


It's hopefully clear to anyone reading this that there are systemic and global problems that go far beyond the Jordan Miles case.
.

Sgt. Eugene Hlavac Fired From Pittsburgh Police Dept.

UPDATE: via Sue:

________________________________________________________


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Update on Pgh Police Domestic Violence (Hlavac) Story

The Good News:

An order of protection has been approved against Sgt. Eugene Hlavac. Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Kathryn Hens-Greco signed the order which includes instructions for Hlavac to "give up all his firearms, including his duty weapon." (P-G)


The Bad News:

Lil Mayor Luke punks out on the calls for him to reassure Pittsburgh women that the Pittsburgh Police take domestic violence seriously. (Trib)
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ACTION ALERT: Pgh Police & Domestic Violence

Like me, I'm know that many of you are very busy right now with the holidays, but please, please, please take a moment to make a call or send an email:

As you may have read in the papers recently [or on this blog], a member of the Police Department, who had a past record of violence against women, has recently had charges brought against him once again, this time for dislocating his ex-girlfriend’s jaw. Because the officer in question was wearing his uniform at the time of the incident, and because we as a community worked together to secure pledges from the Mayor’s office two years ago to develop a zero tolerance policy and culture regarding domestic violence on the force for the city of Pittsburgh, we need your help!

The holidays can be a very wonderful, but also very stressful time. With this recent incident in the papers we feel it is crucial that women hear from the Mayor and Director of Public Safety of the City of Pittsburgh Michael Huss that Domestic Violence is a crime that the Mayor and Pittsburgh Police take very seriously so that no woman will hesitate to call the Police if she needs help.

Please take a minute today and email or call Mayor Luke Ravenstahl’s office (email: luke.ravenstahl@city.pittsburgh.pa.us , phone: 412-255-2626) with the suggested following message [or of course, write your own!]:

Subject line: Mayor Ravenstahl Your Leadership is Needed

Dear Mayor Ravenstahl,

As a member of the Pittsburgh, community, and coalition to end domestic violence, I ask that you take immediate action to hold a televised press conference, with Director Huss, to make a public statement that Domestic Violence is a crime that the Mayor and Pittsburgh Police take very seriously. This statement should reassure everyone – especially women - that victims of domestic violence can and should always feel comfortable reaching out to the city of Pittsburgh Police for help, and that every Domestic Violence call will be responded to promptly, and with the respect and seriousness it deserves. Your comments should reaffirm that victims will be connected with immediate help and services and that violent perpetrators who commit Domestic Violence will be removed from the scene of the crime and brought to justice.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME HERE

Please email or call Mayor Luke Ravenstahl’s office and let him know that you, as a member of the Pittsburgh, community, ask that he and Director Huss hold a televised press conference to make a public statement to this effect to ensure that women of Pittsburgh can feel safe.

Email: luke.ravenstahl@city.pittsburgh.pa.us Phone: 412-255-2626

Thank you,
The Coalition to End Domestic Violence in SWPA
(Member organizations of this coalition include, but are not limited to: National Organization for Women, National Council of Jewish Women, Women and Girls Foundation, FISA Foundation, Regional Equity Monitoring Project, Agh County Commission for Women, Women’s Center and Shelter, Center for Victims of Violent Crime and Executive Women’s Council of Greater Pittsburgh.)

***********************************************************************

NOTE: And, if you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence -- in addition to reporting this to the police -- you can receive assistance from The Women's Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh. They provide a 24-hour crisis hotline, temporary shelter, counseling and support groups, advocacy and support services for women victims of domestic violence and their children. You can call their 24-hour Hotline at 412-687-8005 or toll free at 877-338-TALK (8255) for help or more information.
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Here We Go Again -- Pittsburgh Police and Domestic Violence

Pittsburgh Police Sgt. Eugene Hlavac

"He will enjoy a wonderful Christmas dinner. She's going to drink hers through a straw..."
...... - Jeanne Clarke, National Organization for Women, after Sgt. Eugene Hlavac's preliminary hearing in downtown Municipal Court.

If Hlavac's name sounds familiar it's because many of you may recall the controversy which erupted back in June 2007 when three Pittsburgh City Police Officers (Cmdr. George T. Trosky, Lt. Charles Rodriguez, and Sgt. Eugene F. Hlavac) who had a history of domestic abuse run-ins were promoted by Police Chief Nate Harper with the approval of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl. The uproar from the promotions (mostly by advocates for women) led to Pittsburgh City Council passing legislation on domestic violence by police officers.

When Hlavac was originally promoted in 2007 he had had police called to his home for reports of loud arguments with the mother of his child, Lauren Noel Maughan. On Saturday he was charged with aggravated assault against Maughan:

According to the complaint, Ms. Maughan was late to pick up their son at Sgt. Hlavac's house in Greenfield Friday after her car broke down. When she arrived, she said she and Sgt. Hlavac, who was in uniform and preparing to leave for work, began arguing in front of his house, the complaint states. She said they scuffled briefly after he slapped her and she grabbed him, the complaint states.

Ms. Maughan said she was in pain and threatened to call the police, the complaint said. She said he took her cell phone and told her, "You're not doing this. You're not ruining my life," according to the complaint.

She said she left to go to the hospital after telling Sgt. Hlavac she would say she hurt her face in a fall.

According to the complaint, Sgt. Hlavac met her at Forbes Regional Hospital in Monroeville and told a doctor, "She's always getting hurt, she fell down her steps and tripped and may have hit her wall." The doctor determined that Ms. Maughan had partially dislocated her jaw, according to the complaint.

According to WTAE:

An emergency room doctor didn't believe the story, and eventually, the woman told police her injury was caused by Hlavac.

As of yesterday, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported:

Pittsburgh police officials have not determined whether to change a sergeant's work status following his weekend arrest for hitting his ex-girlfriend.

Apparently Hlavac is on vacation until January and "If there is discipline, he would be disciplined when he returned to work..."

Nice!

This does not seem to jib with Pennsylvania's Confidence in Law Enforcement Act which states:

23 Except in the case of a member of the Pennsylvania State
24 Police, a law enforcement officer charged with an offense that
25 would prohibit employment under section 3 shall be immediately
26 suspended from employment in law enforcement AS A LAW
27 ENFORCEMENT OFFICER until final disposition of the charge or
28 upon acceptance into a program of Accelerated Rehabilitative
29 Disposition, whichever occurs first.

What would constitute prohibition from employment? According to the City of Pittsburgh:

CRIMINAL HISTORY:
Conviction of a felony or serious misdemeanor is disqualifying unless applicant has been pardoned. Other behavior, which is incompatible with the duties and responsibilities of the position of Police Officer, may also be disqualifying.

Notice again, that suspension only requires being CHARGED and that the Confidence in Law Enforcement Act defines "serious misdemeanor" as being "A criminal offense for which more than one year in prison can be imposed as a punishment."

While Hlavac's charges were reduced today from aggravated assault (a felony) to simple assault (a misdemeanor), in PA a misdemeanor assault can still result in up to 2 years in prison.

So, I have to ask:

Why has Hlavac not been suspended?

Moreover, the legislation passed by Pittsburgh City Council states the following under "Supervisor Responsibilities":

(a) Supervisors shall be cognizant of and document any pattern of abusive behavior potentially indicative of domestic violence including, but not limited to the following:

i. Aggressiveness

a. Excessive and/or increased use of force on the job.
b. Stalking and inappropriate surveillance activities.
c. Unusually high incidences of physical altercations and verbal disputes.
d. Citizen and fellow officer complaints of unwarranted aggression and verbal abuse.
e. Inappropriate treatment of animals.
f. On-or off-duty officer injuries.

So between his promotion and his recent charges, has Hlavac had any, say, PROBLEMS like those listed above?

The answer is a big fat YES. From the Pittsburgh City Paper:

Hlavac has previously been faulted for his performance on the job as well: specifically, a series of arrests stemming from a 2006 bicyclist demonstration. When the city's police review board tried to question him about the matter, Hlavac tuned out the proceeding by playing an iPod loudly enough that others could hear it. The review board upheld complaints against Hlavac, but these were dismissed by police brass, who said they'd already disciplined him.

So there you have it -- a Pittsburgh police sergeant who has had the police called to his own home for loud arguments on multiple occasions; who has had the Citizen Police Review Board "recommended that [he] be suspended for seven days, undergo retraining and anger management, and possibly face prosecution by the district attorney" in 2006 (which never was followed through on); and who now stands accused of dislocating a women's jaw and charged with assault.

And, he's STILL not suspended.

What the hell?

Back in 2007 when Hlavac was promoted, the Pittsburgh Police asked us to trust their judgment:

Pittsburgh police on Thursday asked that city residents give three recently promoted officers a chance.

"I'm particularly asking women to look at what we've done in the past," Deputy Chief Paul Donaldson said at a late afternoon news conference. "We've worked for years with women and women's groups to protect women. You've trusted us before. We're asking you to trust us again."

[snip]

James Malloy, president of Fraternal Order of Police Fort Pitt Lodge No. 1, asked that people treat the officers fairly.

"It isn't like they're mashers, beating somebody's brains in," he said. "They're conscientious. They have good records. We have no issue whatsoever with this. They're not going to be brain surgeons.

No brains beaten in -- just a dislocated jaw.

[sigh]

The brass needs to listen to the Citizen Police Review Board this time:

"We want them to suspend him -- all of his police powers -- until such time as this is resolved," said Elizabeth Pittinger, executive director of the Citizen Police Review Board. "That is required under state law so they better do that. We expect that they will."

Damn Straight!


******************************************************************************

Related:

Jeanne Clark's tweets on todays' hearing here

"Women's group urges mayor to 'take action' against city officer" (P-G)

"[PA] Is the domestic abuse of Pittsburgh Police Sgt. Hvalac violent enough yet to be taken seriously?" (Behind the Blue Wall)

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Limbaugh pissed that insurers will have to cover "women’s issues"

What a fucking douchebag!

Text:

LIMBAUGH: About the premiums going up, and my brilliant dissertation on why prices will go up in the private sector, even if the public option is not there, and even if the Medicare buy-in is not there. It’s not just preconditions that are mandated to be covered in the health care bills in either the House or the Senate.

There was a recent amendment that was mandating private insurers to provide mammogram and other women’s issues coverage, including spousal abuse! Insurance for spousal abuse! And mammograms! Even though the mammogram age has been raised to the age of 50. You think of all the mandates that will be added onto private insurance, and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

The "Insurance for spousal abuse!" refers to the fact that some health insurance companies say that victims of domestic violence have a "pre-existing condition" and deny them coverage because of that.

As Think Progress noted, poor widdle Rushy can't figure out why only 37% of women view him favorably.

Again, what a fucking douchebag!
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PA Rep. Daryl Metcalfe and domestic violence as a family value

First, PA Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler) killed a simple resolution proclaiming October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month because he said, "it has a homosexual agenda.” You can read the full resolution here. Can anyone else find anything remotely like a "homosexual agenda" within it?

Later that same day he opposed a measure to increase marriage license fees from $3 to $28 with the extra $25 to be allotted to a fund for victims of domestic abuse because he claimed that it was "a slap in the face to family values":

Rep. Darryl Metcalfe, R-Butler, expressed opposition by noting that the extra money would not flow to the state court system, but instead help the Department of Public Welfare assist victims of domestic violence.

"Asking people to pay a 700 percent increase on their marriage license fee so that domestic violence organizations across the state can access more money from the state ... is a slap in the face to family values and to individuals who actually want to enter into the institution of marriage," said Metcalfe said, according to Capitolwire.com.

Again, the mind boggles.

This is not Metcalfe's first controversy. Last year, he raised the ire of many when before a vote on a resolution to recognize the 60th annual convention of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community he said on the House floor, "The Muslims do not recognize Jesus Christ as God, and I will be voting negative."

This is also not the first time that Metcalfe has appeared in a post at 2pj. Back in 2005, Metcalfe was demanding that all voters present a photo ID at the polls.

But my favorite moment for this "God, Guns & Gays" Republican occurred on PCNC's Night Talk program. Metcalfe said on the show that he "chose heterosexuality." (If only the host had asked him what he was before he chose to be heterosexual...)

If you believe that there should be a vote on the resolution recognizing Domestic Violence Awareness Month and that Metcalfe should apologize for his insensitive remarks, you can take action at Keystone Progress.
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Three things you can do in the next two days

TODAY:

1. Call your PA state senator today about Sen. Eichelberger's outrageous statement that "We’re allowing them [gays] to exist."

Here's a link to find your senator. More details on this story here.

(Your calls and emails are working! We've got hits today on our original post from: Commonwealth of PA, PA Senate, and US Senate Sergeant at Arms. Please keep the pressure on!)

TOMORROW:

1. Attend The Citizens Police Review Board meeting (and the press conference) tomorrow.

There are some very real issues being raised about how police respond to incidents of domestic violence spurred by the Donna Williams case. Details on this case here and here.

Citizen Police Review Board Meeting
June 23, 2009, 6:00 PM (Please attend the press conference at 5:30 PM before the meeting)
Freedom Unlimited Building
2201 Wylie Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

2. Attend the Pittsburgh Peace Vigil for Iran tomorrow.

Date: Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Time: 8:00-9:30 PM (dark)
Location: Market Square, downtown Pittsburgh, PA

This will be a quiet/silent show of support for the historic democratic movement now underway in Iran, and for those who have given their lives in the name of their cause. Please bring a flashlight.

More details here.
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Follow-up to "Domestic Violence In Pittsburgh" Donna Williams Post

If you haven't already, you can read the details of this case in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article.

In my original post on this subject, I wrote the following:

What's needed now is to find out if policies were violated/if new policies need to be put in place.

Here are the three main issues:

1. In the first reported incident of domestic violence why was there a 23-day delay between the time that Ms. Williams filed her complaint (Dec. 13, 2008) and the time that the police issued a warrant and filed a criminal complaint (January 5, 2009). What took so long?

2. In April when Ms. Williams reported another more serious incident where she said she was held against her will, threatened with death, was chocked and bitten (and actually had photographs of her cheek with visible tooth marks on it) why did the police merely tell her to seek a PFA? Why did they not issue an arrest warrant for her assailant when the police have a Mandatory Arrest policy already in place?

3. Police have two options when an alleged perpetrator is in the hospital: either rely on hospital security or assign police officers to 24-hour guard duty. Why did they choose to leave this in the hospital's hands? Was it a case of not wanting to spend the money on officers' overtime? There is currently no Police Department policy specifically for cases of domestic violence (when it could certainly be argued that the hospitalized perpetrator presents a danger to the community).

Hopefully, these questions will be addressed at the next Citizen Police Review Board meeting.

Again, you can attend this meeting and are urged to do so:

Citizen Police Review Board Meeting
June 23, 2009, 6:00 PM UPDATE: press conference at 5:30 PM
Freedom Unlimited Building
2201 Wylie Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
412-434-0922
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