Midwest Center for Constitutional Rights: Welcome to the United States Department of Justice

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Welcome to the United States Department of Justice

Welcome to the United States Department of Justice

Justice Dept announces formally....the Special Litigation Section
finds "Warren Ohio engaged in a pattern and practice of civil rights
violations of its citizens..."....eight years after the investigation was begun in Dec of 2004...and as they reference, "after a series of lawsuits alleging the same were filed in 2004..."...

Those lawsuits were filed by mainly this blog's and the Midwest Center's Executive Director...allegedy use of excessive force and
that the city had in fact, condoned a policy of such a pattern violation of civil rights violations among its citizens...at the administrative level of its operations including its Police Chief
and its Mayor

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Chronology: Attorney Olivito's Work on Steubenville's 1997 Historic Consent Decree Items

1992- At Request of Mother of a Young Black Client, Local Police Abuse and Suggested Remedies Noted Inside Private Letter to Local NAACP by Atty Olivito Which is later Released to Public Causing Uproar Over Olivito's Statements
1992-4-Public Controversy Continues On In High Profile Manner locally; Death Threats Begin Against Olivito and Wife
1993-4- Numerous Citizens Come Privately to Atty Olivito and Begin to Dislcose History of Local Beatings by Police in Steubenville
Summer 95' --Olivito's Law Office Is Compromised and Infiltrated; Confidential Client Sensitive Civil Rights Case Files End up in Defense Lawyers' Possesion as Per Admission of One Major Defense Law Firm's Partner Who Reveals Improper Conduct; This Firm Settles Their City Officer Side of Case W Atty Olivito and Quits Representation of City
Dec 94 Grand Jury Concludes at Local Prosecutor's direction that there is "no evidence of police abuse in Steubenville's Police Dept"
Late 94- Local Prosecutor Stephen Stern Threatens to Indict Atty Olivito for "making false statements about the police", oversee's arrests of various grand jury witnesses who are brought to the grand jury by same county prosecutor
Jan 95- Serious Attempt Made on Atty Olivito and Wife's life at their home in rural locale just outside of City of Steubenville; County Deputies help Save His and Wife's lives
Summer 1995- Special Litigation Unit Invites Attorney Olivito to Meet Confidentially in DC
Late Fall of 1995 Civil Rights Division Informs Atty Olivito The Division Will Begin Probable Cause Investigation Under New Law Granting Authority over Local Police Depts
Spring of 1996 Actual First In Person DOJ Lawyers On Site Meetings In Attorney Olivito's Law Office In Steubenville Oh
Spring 1996 Probable Cause Investigation Begins: Special Considerations Taken By Special Litigation Unit Lawyers In Steubenville
Immediate Call for Back Up by Special Litigaiton Unit Lawyers
Investigation Lingers Thru Fall of 1996
Late Summer 1997 Investigation Results Telephoned To Atty Olivito by Special Litigation Unit DC Warnings Given
Findings of Civil Rights Division Special Litigation Unit Investigation Publicly Announced Late August 1997
Consent Decree Entered Into Between United States of America and City of Steubenville and City Police Dept Sept 1997
Atty Olivito Gives Public Comments Before Steubenville City Council Meeting Sept 97
Sept 97 Atty Olivito Discusses Results w/ Local NAACP Branch in Detail
Atty Olivito Leaves Local Practice and w. Wife Moves From Area for Undisclosed Destination Late Sept 1997 Remains Away from Ohio for Three Years
Summer 1999 --Atty Olivito Invited to Freedom Song Civil Rights Era Film Set --Meets 64 Summer of Love's Robert Moses and SNCC's Charles McDoo Danny Glover et. al.
Fall 1999- CNN's Wolf Blitzer Does Short News Documentary on Steubenville's Civil Rights Consent Decree
Jan Feb 2000 Amnesty's Annual Human Rights Abuse Report Ref Steubenville Consent Decree
Sept 2000- Atty Olivito Provides Comments Before House Judiciary Committee Early On Consent Decree Status and Background Issues: Public Statements Distributed Nationally on C Span
Atty Olivito Discusses Consent Decree Issues W National Black Police and Sheriff's Association President Dec 97, 98 & In DC Sept 2000
Atty Olivito Moves Back to 0hio -- Late Fall 2000
2001- University of Buffalo Law Review Article: Overview of Original Police Consent Decrees -Steubenville Ohio
2002 American Academy of Policing Studies: Reports on DOJ Consent Decrees Ref Steubenville's
Summer 2003 Attorney Olivito Meets w/ DOJ Civil Rights Division Officials in DC Re: Warren Ohio's Policing Patterns
July 2003- Attorney Olivito On Visit to DC Meets Chief Counsel to John Conyers , US House of Reps Chair of House Judiciary Committe Private Recognition Given for Work on Steubenville's DOJ Pattern and Practice Decree
December 2004- Outgoing U.S. Attorney General John Aschcroft Officially Announces 14141 Pattern and Practice Investigation into Warren, Ohio Police Dept
2006- Dept of Justice's Civil Rights Published Preliminary Findings in 36 Page Letter Re: Warren, Ohio's Police Policies
Spring 2007 --Meetings w/ House Judiciary Staff