I appreciate all the responses from people concerning my
recent arrest on warrants that are over 21 years old.
In Michigan,
the statute of limitations--- according to the law is:
The statute of limitations for a misdemeanor, as expressed
in the Michigan Code of Criminal Procedure section 767.24, is six years.
But, this didn't deter the Grand Rapids Police Department
from arresting me on twenty-one year old bogus misdemeanor warrants carrying a
maximum fine of $500.00/6 months in jail and turning me over to Newaygo County
authorities who then established an outrageous TEN THOUSAND DOLLAR bond who
then went so far as to place restrictions on this bond that I couldn't enter
anyplace serving alcoholic beverages--- meaning I can't meet with casino
workers in their places of employment--- and prohibits me from participating in
demonstrations.
This is obviously unconstitutional and criminal harassment
on the part of the Grand Rapids Police Department and the Newaygo County Sheriff,
Newaygo County Prosecutor and Newaygo County District Court Judge.
It is assumed that any police officer should have the basic
knowledge of the laws when it comes to such warrants and the common sense and
human decency to question the validity of a twenty-one year old warrant for
which he was so well informed he advised me of what the charges consisted of.
The arresting Grand Rapids Police officer "joked"
that "we finally got our man after over twenty years."
He directed his "jokes" to me and those he was
communicating with via his radio.
We have now learned that no less than 17 people, including
the judge and prosecutor and the Chief of Police in Grand Rapids, Michigan were
all aware of my arrest, the charges involved, and when the warrant was issued
over twenty-one years ago while I was still sitting handcuffed in the back of
the Grand Rapids police cruiser on the corner of Alpine and Leonard Streets---
they all made the “complex” and “complicated” decision to carry out this
arrest.
This is an outright abuse by public officials and police who
engaged in harassment for political persecution in carrying out this dirty deed
under "color of law."
The irony in all of this is that these very same public officials and police who knowingly arrested me knowing the warrants were bogus from the time they were issued and then executed these warrants knowing full well they well past the statute of limitations will now go marching into federal court with expensive, high-powered attorneys who will be charging tax-payers an arm-and-a-leg claiming their positions make provide them with immunity from civil actions.
The irony in all of this is that these very same public officials and police who knowingly arrested me knowing the warrants were bogus from the time they were issued and then executed these warrants knowing full well they well past the statute of limitations will now go marching into federal court with expensive, high-powered attorneys who will be charging tax-payers an arm-and-a-leg claiming their positions make provide them with immunity from civil actions.
And then they pass this entire repressive, rotten and
corrupt system off to the rest of the world as the United States being “the world’s
greatest bastion of democracy.”
Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell is even aware of these dirty deeds and has remained shamefully silent.
Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell is even aware of these dirty deeds and has remained shamefully silent.
