Hi
nothing surprise me,
today is everything possible,
even if they are keeled them I would not bee surprise.
-----Original Message-----
From: S. Kashdan
Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2015 12:44 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: FW: what ada?
Hi Miriam and all,
I can't guess why Joe was the only person arrested. But, I do know that the
police generally charge demonstrators with assaulting them when they arrest
them, although, in the vast majority of cases, the demonstrators have not
done anything of the sort. And, they do so even in the face of video
evidence that shows the opposite.
For justice and peace,
Sylvie
----- Original Message -----
From: "Miriam Vieni" <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: "'Penny Reeder'" <penny.reeder@xxxxxxxxx>; <JoeHarcz@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2015 5:41 PM
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: FW: what ada?
Sounds like Joe was arrested for being blind. If you're blind and at a
demonstration, and the police put up barriers, you could easily bump into
one or even knock one over inadvertently. You could try to move between
people, not knowing that they were cops. You could even inadvertently push
one. Or you might do all of these things purposefully as part of your
demonstration. But why, I wonder, was Joe the only individual to be
arrested?
Miriam
________________________________
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Charles Crawford
Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2015 4:09 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: Penny Reeder; JoeHarcz@xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] FW: what ada?
Hi Blind Democracy folks, Penny, and Joe,
Here is a post from Joe Harcz that lets us know of his arrest and activities
associated with the recent ADA anniversary. These are perilous times where
our hard won rights under the ADA continue to be assailed.
The day will come when the dreams of us all will come true and we will no
longer have to continue the seemingly never ending struggle for equality.
Charlie Crawford.
From: joe harcz Comcast [mailto:joeharcz@xxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: 29 September 2015 08:07
To: Penny Reeder
Cc: Charles Crawford; Carl Jarvis
Subject: what ada?
Blind activist arrested at Capitol disability event
Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press Lansing Bureau 5:21 a.m. EDT September 29,
2015
Blind disability rights activist Joe Harcz is to be arraigned in district
court in Lansing on Friday, charged with resisting and assaulting officers.
635790532943748547-capitolsummerBuy Photo
Michigan Capitol(Photo: Kathleen Gray/Detroit Free Press)Buy Photo
LANSING - A blind activist for disability rights is to be arraigned in
district court in Lansing on Friday after he was arrested at an Americans
with Disabilities
Act rally and demonstration in front of the Capitol on Sept. 17.
The Michigan State Police say a man disobeyed orders to stay behind a
barrier at the event on the Capitol lawn and pushed two State Police Capitol
security
officers. They haven't named the man, pending his arraignment, but court
records show it is Paul Joseph (Joe) Harcz, 62, of Mt. Morris.
Harcz, who faces a felony charge of resisting and obstructing a peace
officer, said he didn't do anything illegal and that his rights were
violated when
he was handcuffed and dragged away.
"I resisted an unlawful order to violate my First Amendment rights and my
rights as a person with a disability under the ADA," Harcz told the Free
Press
on Monday. He said he went limp in a civil disobedience posture when
officers grabbed and handcuffed him, and "I did not resist arrest."
The event at the Capitol was to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the ADA,
landmark federal legislation that prohibits discrimination based on
disability,
imposes accessibility requirements on public facilities and requires covered
employers to reasonably accommodate employees with disabilities. But
a demonstration was planned
to coincide with the celebration, protesting the payment of sub-minimum
wages to people with disabilities by some of the event organizers and
highlighting
the fact the Capitol itself is not fully ADA-compliant.
Harcz, an outspoken critic of state disability policies who uses a white
cane, said he was there for both reasons - to celebrate the accomplishments
of
the ADA and demonstrate against its shortfalls. He pointed to a March e-mail
from the ADA Celebration's main organizer, Disability Network/Michigan CEO
Sara Grivetti, recommending that he be named to the accommodations committee
planning the ADA celebration.
"I was denied access and bogusly arrested for attempting to attend it, and I
was nominally one of the event 'planners!'" Harcz said in an e-mail.
Grivetti confirmed Monday that Harcz was invited to join the accommodations
committee "because of his specific expertise regarding accessibility as it
relates
to blindness."
"Any questions regarding the security, protest and subsequent arrest would
need to be directed to the Michigan State Police and the Facilities Manager
for
the Capitol," Grivetti said in an e-mail.
The State Police said in a news release that it had safety concerns related
to the ADA celebration and demonstration and that "barricades were utilized
to keep opposing groups separated, while allowing all in attendance to
safely express their views."
Harcz "was warned numerous times to not interfere with police officers," the
release said. "The suspect was arrested after he purposely crossed a
barricade
and shoved two MSP state properties security officers."
Video posted on YouTube shows Harcz and other demonstrators shouting "Shame
on you!" and "Let us in!" and Harcz trying to get between a line of State
Police
Capitol officers prior to the arrest.
Harcz denies intentionally shoving anyone. "I'm 150 pounds, and I'm blind,"
he said. "If I touched somebody, I touched them. There was all kinds of
chaos
going on."
Harcz, the only person arrested, said he and a few others were arbitrarily
singled out for exclusion from the event, and other protesters were able to
cross
or go around barricades to enter the ADA celebration.
Michael J. Steinberg, legal director of the ACLU of Michigan, said "it's
disturbing and ironic that the state police would set up a barrier to
prevent individuals
with disabilities from attending a celebration of a law designed to tear
down barriers for people with disabilities."
Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660, pegan@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, @paulegan4
Source:
http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/09/28/blind-activist-arr
ested-capitol-disability-event/72982496/
