Politics

Tulsa Judge Says Grand Jury Can Review Sheriff’s Operations

Published

9 years ago

July 1, 2015

Marq Lewis, of We the People, and attorney Laurie Phillips celebrate with a court ruling after a hearing about the petition seeking a grand jury investigation into Sheriff Stanley Glanz at the Tulsa County Courthouse, Tuesday, June 30, 2015, in Tulsa, Okla. (Mike Simons/Tulsa World via AP)

JUSTIN JUOZAPAVICIUS, Associated Press

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — A grand jury should review operations at an Oklahoma sheriff’s office that sent onto the streets a 73-year-old reserve deputy who shot and killed an unarmed and restrained suspect, a judge ruled Tuesday.

District Judge Rebecca Nightingale ordered a grand jury to convene on July 20 after denying a motion by attorneys for Tulsa County Sheriff Stanley Glanz to disqualify the petition because circulators didn’t attach a 33-page summary of specific allegations against the sheriff to the signature pages. Glanz, who was attending the National Sheriffs’ Association annual conference in Baltimore, said in a statement that he would explore his legal options when he returned to Tulsa.

The petition was signed by more than 6,600 voters who want a grand jury to investigate whether Glanz neglected his duties and whether reservists who gave gifts to the sheriff were given special treatment. Only 5,000 signatures were required.

Nightingale ruled from the bench after a daylong hearing that there was nothing in the law requiring that the court-approved grand jury petition and signature pages be attached to each other. She said that if she were to dismiss the petition filed by the civil rights group We The People Oklahoma it would be putting “form over substance.”

The petition drive began after ex-volunteer deputy Robert Bates shot and killed Eric Harris on April 2 after Harris ran from authorities during a gun-sales sting operation. Bates has said he confused his handgun and stun gun and has pleaded not guilty to second-degree manslaughter in Harris’ death.

Weeks after the shooting, a 2009 memo was leaked that raised concerns about the training for Bates, a friend of Glanz who has donated tens of thousands of dollars in equipment, vehicles and cash to the sheriff’s office.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is looking into the shooting and a Texas-based firm has been hired by the county to audit the agency. The reserve deputy program has also been temporarily shelved while the training records of all 126 reserves are reviewed.

Marq Lewis with We The People Oklahoma called Tuesday’s win “a milestone” and a victory for residents.

“It was good to see the citizens win for a change,” a jubilant Lewis said outside the courtroom. “Right now, we’re just going to celebrate.”

Glanz said in a statement that while he’s not afraid to face a grand jury, the process used by the petitioners didn’t follow what he said were “very clear and unambiguous laws governing grand jury proceedings.”

Glanz stated he has time to consider his options, citing a state law that prohibits the convening of a grand jury either 30 days before or 10 days after any election for state or county office. There is a special election July 14 to fill a position for a vacant state representative seat.

Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said he has asked the state attorney general to appoint another prosecutor to coordinate the grand jury investigation because the local prosecutor has traditionally provided legal counsel and advice to the sheriff’s office. “In keeping with my office’s duty and responsibility to protect the integrity of the investigative process, it is incumbent to avoid the appearance of any conflict,” Kunzweiler said in a statement.

Attorneys for Glanz seemed to spend much of Tuesday’s hearing arguing semantics. Attorney John Carwile said the signature pages contained only a brief summary that was misleading and too general.

But Lewis disputed that, testifying that attaching the 33-page petition to each signature sheet would be too costly for his group, which operates mainly with volunteer support. Lewis’ attorney estimated it would cost around $3,300 to generate some 16,800 copies.

“It’s almost the cost of a car,” Lewis testified.

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MAYOR BREED ANNOUNCES $53 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS PROGRAMS

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the city a $53.7 million grant to support efforts to renew and expand critical services and housing for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

Published

5 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Mayor London Breed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, mayorspressoffice@sfgov.org

***PRESS RELEASE***

MAYOR BREED ANNOUNCES $53 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS PROGRAMS

HUD’s Continuum of Care grant will support the City’s range of critical services and programs, including permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and improved access to housing for survivors of domestic violence

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the city a $53.7 million grant to support efforts to renew and expand critical services and housing for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) program is designed to support local programs with the goal of ending homelessness for individuals, families, and Transitional Age Youth.

This funding supports the city’s ongoing efforts that have helped more than 15,000 people exit homelessness since 2018 through City programs including direct housing placements and relocation assistance. During that time San Francisco has also increased housing slots by 50%. San Francisco has the most permanent supportive housing of any county in the Bay Area, and the second most slots per capita than any city in the country.

“In San Francisco, we have worked aggressively to increase housing, shelter, and services for people experiencing homelessness, and we are building on these efforts every day,” said Mayor London Breed. “Every day our encampment outreach workers are going out to bring people indoors and our City workers are connecting people to housing and shelter. This support from the federal government is critical and will allow us to serve people in need and address encampments in our neighborhoods.”

The funding towards supporting the renewal projects in San Francisco include financial support for a mix of permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and transitional housing projects. In addition, the CoC award will support Coordinated Entry projects to centralize the City’s various efforts to address homelessness. This includes $2.1 million in funding for the Coordinated Entry system to improve access to housing for youth and survivors of domestic violence.

“This is a good day for San Francisco,” said Shireen McSpadden, executive director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. “HUD’s Continuum of Care funding provides vital resources to a diversity of programs and projects that have helped people to stabilize in our community. This funding is a testament to our work and the work of our nonprofit partners.”

The 2024 Continuum of Care Renewal Awards Include:

$42.2 million for 29 renewal PSH projects that serve chronically homeless, veterans, and youth
$318,000 for one new PSH project, which will provide 98 affordable homes for low-income seniors in the Richmond District
$445,00 for one Transitional Housing (TH) project serving youth
$6.4 million dedicated to four Rapid Rehousing (RRH) projects that serve families, youth, and survivors of domestic violence
$750,00 for two Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) projects
$2.1 million for three Coordinated Entry projects that serve families, youth, chronically homeless, and survivors of domestic violence

In addition, the 2023 CoC Planning Grant, now increased to $1,500,000 from $1,250,000, was also approved. Planning grants are submitted non-competitively and may be used to carry out the duties of operating a CoC, such as system evaluation and planning, monitoring, project and system performance improvement, providing trainings, partner collaborations, and conducting the PIT Count.

“We are very appreciative of HUD’s support in fulfilling our funding request for these critically important projects for San Francisco that help so many people trying to exit homelessness,” said Del Seymour, co-chair of the Local Homeless Coordinating Board. “This funding will make a real difference to people seeking services and support in their journey out of homelessness.”

In comparison to last year’s competition, this represents a $770,000 increase in funding, due to a new PSH project that was funded, an increase in some unit type Fair Market Rents (FMRs) and the larger CoC Planning Grant. In a year where more projects had to compete nationally against other communities, this represents a significant increase.

Nationally, HUD awarded nearly $3.16 billion for over 7,000 local homeless housing and service programs including new projects and renewals across the United States.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

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6 days ago

April 19, 2024

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Barbara Lee

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Issues Statement on Deaths of Humanitarian Aid Volunteers in Gaza 

On April 2, a day after an Israeli airstrike erroneously killed seven employees of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a humanitarian organization delivering aid in the Gaza Strip, a statement was release by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12). “This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

Published

1 week ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Barbara Lee

By California Black Media

“This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

The same day, it was confirmed by the organization that the humanitarian aid volunteers were killed in a strike carried out by Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Prior to the incident, members of the team had been travelling in two armored vehicles marked with the WCF logo and they had been coordinating their movements with the IDF. The group had successfully delivered 10 tons of humanitarian food in a deconflicted zone when its convoy was struck.

“This is not only an attack against WCK. This is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the direst situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,” said Erin Gore, chief executive officer of World Central Kitchen.

The seven victims included a U.S. citizen as well as others from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Palestine.

Lee has been a vocal advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza and has supported actions by President Joe Biden to airdrop humanitarian aid in the area.

“Far too many civilians have lost their lives as a result of Benjamin Netanyahu’s reprehensible military offensive. The U.S. must join with our allies and demand an immediate, permanent ceasefire – it’s long overdue,” Lee said.