Ralph Cipraino: Free Columbus, Fire Kenney: In Court, Christopher Columbus Triumphs Over 'Tyrant' Kenney

Ralph Cipriano at Bigtrial.net offers a piece on the legal battle to free the statue of Columbus in South Philadelphia, where I grew up and still live. 

Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Paula Patrick has just reversed a city order to evict the 20-foot-high marble statue of Christopher Columbus from South Philadelphia's Marconi Plaza. 

In the process, the judge blasted the Kenney administration for lawless behavior. In a seven-page order, the judge pointed out seven errors of law committed by city officials. At the time, the servants of the woke Mayor Kenney were trying to give the more than 100 year-old statue the bum's rush for political reasons, without engaging in any due process for removing a historical monument, as mandated under the City Charter. 

But yesterday afternoon, Judge Patrick called Kenney and crew on it.  

"It is baffling to this court how the city of Philadelphia wants to remove the statue without any legal basis," Judge Patrick wrote in an order issued this afternoon. "The city's entire argument and case is devoid of any legal foundation." 

Under the leadership of Mayor Kenney, who was pandering to social justice protesters, the city tried to justify its unlawful eviction of Columbus by saying the statue posed an imminent threat to public health and safety. The imminent threat?  Alleged "civil unrest" associated with last year's George Floyd protests. 

But Judge Patrick found that the city was basing its witch hunt against Columbus on a few "transient and isolated incidents." In the city's legal arguments, the judge found that "no evidence of a history of civil unrest surrounding, and with respect to the statute existed, nor has any been present since June 23, 2020."  

George Bochetto, the lawyer who won the appeal of the city's decision to evict Columbus, had a message for Mayor Kenney last night.  

"I think the mayor needs to take a deep breath and start realizing he was elected mayor of an elaborate city government structured through the city charter, and he was not elected tyrant," Bochetto said. 

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

In Court, Christopher Columbus Triumphs Over 'Tyrant' Kenney | Big Trial | Philadelphia Trial Blog 

Philly Cop's Widow Blames D.A. For Husband's Murder: 'I Will Try To Make Our District Attorney's Life Miserable'

Ralph Cipriano (seen in the bottom photo) offers a piece at BigTrial.net on the widow of a Philly cop (seen in the above photo) who was murdered by a criminal released by Philly’s progressive D.A.

Terri O'Connor has a message for District Attorney Larry Krasner.

She's speaking out for the first time since her husband, Corporal James O'Connor (seen in the below photo with his police officer son), was murdered on March 13th. At the time, Corporal O'Connor and his fellow SWAT team members were serving an arrest warrant on an armed and dangerous drug dealer who should have been in jail, if it wasn't for Krasner's permissive policies. 

The officer's widow, a former police dispatcher, gave her speech on  Thursday night at an emotional "Back the Blue" rally held at the FOP lodge, where the guests included Vice President Mike Pence.

During the four long months since her husband was murdered, "I kept my mouth shut and I kept my opinions to myself," Terri O'Connor said. "But I can say for now, I will be the name, the face, the loud voice, whatever it takes. I will try to make our district attorney's life miserable," she said to a standing ovation.

"Someone needs to make him [District Attorney Larry Krasner] pay for the pain he has not only caused my family but is now continuing to do to our extended police family," she said. "I will not go down without a fight."

Terri O'Connor was remarkably composed when she came to the podium. At her side was her son, James Jr., a police officer in the Sixth District, and FOP President John McNesby.

"Hello everyone, for those of you that don't know me, my name is Terri O'Connor," she began before giving a powerful four-minute speech that left an audience in tears. 

"I lost my husband Jim four months ago in the line of duty. He was a member of the Philadelphia Police for 23 years and he served as a corporal in the SWAT unit for the last 15 years. Seventeen weeks ago tonight at around this same time Jim and I were out celebrating my birthday. We had just come back from a fabulous vacation four days prior."

"Life was great," she said. "As empty nesters. we were already preparing for our next vacation a short six weeks later, our 25th wedding anniversary."

"Roughly 12 hours later," she said, breaking into tears, "Jim was gone. He was pronounced dead at 6:09 a.m. Jim was just doing his job. While just doing a job he loved, his life was unfairly taken from him by a criminal who should have never been out on the streets."

"Our world fell apart," she said. "With him being gone nothing seemed right any longer."

Terri O'Connor is right when she says that Hassan Elliott, her husband's accused murderer, should have been in jail.

On Jan. 24, 2018 in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court, Elliott pleaded guilty to a negotiated plea of carrying firearms without a license. The judge sentenced Elliott to 9 to 23 months in prison and three years probation. But on Jan. 24, 2018, Elliott walked out of court a free man because the judge accepted as his prison term the amount of jail time previously served. 

While he was on probation, Elliott was brought before the judge three times for alleged parole violations. But rather than put Elliott in jail for any lengthy time period, where he belonged, the district attorney's office repeatedly gave Elliott one break after another.

… If you wonder why the murder rate this year in "Killadelphia" is on a record pace for 400 homicides, look no further than the permissive policies of D.A. Larry Krasner, the alleged criminal justice "reformer" who is directly responsible for the death of Corporal O'Connor. And many more tragedies.

… Then, Terri O'Connor took a public swipe at Mayor Kenney, known for his public pandering to protesters, rioters, and looters, and empty rhetoric and outright disrespect when it comes to the cops.

This is the same mayor who just gave 756 protesters arrested by the cops during the George Floyd riots a free pass, by announcing that he was dropping all the charges against them.

"It's pretty pathetic that the mayor from the small town of North Wildwood where we spend about six weeks in summer has given our hero more recognition than our own mayor," Terri O'Connor said, to wild applause. 

… "Please stay safe," Terri O'Connor told her extended cop family at the FOP. "Please never forget Jim . . . a true hero who gave his life for the city." 

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

https://www.bigtrial.net/2020/07/police-widow-i-will-try-to-make-our.html#more