----- Original Message -----
From: joe harcz Comcast
To: Eleanor Canter
Cc: Darma Canter ; terry Eagle ; Mark Eagle ; Egan, Paul ; Kelly Buckland NCIL
; Mark Kamar, Esq. ; Michael Steinberg ACLU ; jfroyal2000 . ; Mary Ann Robinson
NFB MI ; Jill Gerrie MI ARC ; Denise Heberle ; Mark Finnegan ; Sidhu,Mehgan ;
Mark A. Riccobono NFB Pres. ; terri Sullivan 71 ; Mark Whalen ; Laura Hall
ADAPT MDRC ; Norm DeLisle MDRC ; Leigh Campbell-Earl
Sent: Tuesday, August 23, 2016 10:15 AM
Subject: great letter from terry eagle to prosecuter
August 6, 2016
Ms. Gretchem Whitmer, Prosecutor
County of Ingham
303 W. Kalamazoo Ave,. 4R
Lansing MI 48933
Dear Ms. Whitmer,
I am writing as a concerned citizen and potential witness in an upcoming case
about three issues that further cast a dark cloud over the office of the Ingham
County Prosecutor’s Office. You have publicly pledged to restore integrity to
the office of the prosecuting attorney, and as my former state legislator, I
have confidence in your pledge and mission. I am concerned regarding the
following that clearly reflects negatively on the office of prosecuting
attorney.
First, the pending case approaching trial I am concerned about involves an
arrest and felony charge of a totally blind man (Paul [Joe] Harcz),who is in
his sixties, and who also cares for his elderly parents, who was arrested and
charged for simply expressing his Constitutionally guaranteed civil right to
petition our government, during the nearly one year ago, Septemver 17, 2015
State of Michigan ADA 25th anniversary Celebration at our state Capitol.
Mr [Joe] Harcz, approximately fifteen other persons with disabilities, and I
were exercising our First Amendment Freedom of Speech right to protest our
ongoing disgust with the State of Michigan’s failure to make our Capitol fully
accessible to blind and other persons with disabilities, along with our disgust
that the ADA Celebration event financial sponsors are engaged in and continue
to pay submimimum wages, although legal under current federal law, which amount
to slave labor wages to persons with disabilities. I believe we were
specifically targeted by the event organizers and state police to be excluded
from access to the free public event because we carried protest signs and
banners, and informational literature. Most disturbing and disgusting to me is
that despite Mr. [Joe] Harcz being a memver of the event organizing committee
representing the disability community, and he not only wasn’t permitted to
enter the event venue, but also was arrested and charged for attempting to
simply enter the event to fulfill his role as an event organizer.
Secondly, of equal concern to me, as a potential case witness, the courthouse
site in Mason, is not fully accessible to blind and other persons with
disabilities, as the courthouse, among other things, is not accessible by mode
of public transportation, and presents an undue burden on persons who cannot
drive and participate fully in the case as a potential witness. I strongly
urge you to have the trial moved to the Kalamazoo Street courthouse in Lansing,
to reasonably accommodate blind and other persons with other disabilities, so
we can have barriers removed to full access and participation in the judicial
process. The U.S. Supreme Court has clearly spoken that courts and proceedings
must be fully accessible to participation in the judicial process by persons
with disabilities, through reasonable accomodations or modifications.
Page 2 – Prosecutor Letter
Finally, I am seriously concerned and disgusted by the tactics employed by the
Michigan State Police. As if it was not bad enough the blind persons were
selectively and specifically targeted by the state police before we even
approached the Capitol, as we gathered at the corner of West Ottawa street and
North Capitol Avenue, simply because we held protest signs, and told we could
not enter the free public ADA 25th anniversary celebration. , equally
disgusting was the constant and repeated phone calls by more than one state
police detective, seeking over-the-phone oral statements from me and others as
a potential case witness. I believe these bully case supporting investigative
tactics are repulsive and inappropriate in a free democracy society.
In closing, I urge you to conduct a full review of Mr. Harcz case, including
court proceeding transcripts to date, and urge you to dismiss the case. Should
you see fit to not dismiss the case, I strongly urge you to alternatively have
the case moved for trial to the Kalamazoo street courthouse, so I and other
persons with disabilities may fully access and participate in the judicial
process, in full compliance with the ADA, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act, and U.S. Supreme Court rulings.
Thank you for your serious considerations of my concerns, and I anticipate
positive action to address and resolve my concerns, so justice may be best
served, and add to restoration of faith in the office of Ingham County
prosecutor.
Best regards,
Terry Eagle
