The judicial branch of our government is coming more and more into the conversations focused on #JusticeReform. In Philadelphia i advocate with families who have been subjected to closed courtrooms abuse and recently was able to have Judge Lyris Younge removed from Philadelphia family court due to her abuse of power. Unfortunately Judge Younge is back to her unethical practices, now in common pleas court until the judicial review of her unethical conduct in family court is heard by the Pennsylvania Judicial Review Board. I'm really not feeling the fact that she is still on any judicial bench in Pennsylvania. There is an immediate need to remove judges like Younge before the next election cycle.
Professor of Law, Michelle Dauber spoke at a Philadelphia NOW event on #EndingRapeCulture in our society. Professor Dauber teaches at Stanford University where elite mentality ruled until #JudgePozzo gave rapist #BrockTurner a six months sentence instead of two years. That under verdict was the spark that set Prof. Dauber on fire. She said "That was not acceptable" and helped organize other women who had been through his court and dismissed.
Professor Dauber efforts to #EndRapeCulture has not stopped with the recall of Judge Del Pozzo. She started #EnoughIsEnoughVoterProject to bring information to voters about candidates running for office.Judge Del Pozzo states that based on his 30 years as a judge, Persky's 6 month sentence for #BrockTurner was "inconsistent with the jury verdict and what others got in similar cases #EnoughIsEnough @ambertamblyn @hodgman Please support @RecallPersky here https://t.co/8NjObiDHFe pic.twitter.com/T2JBv2kwzb— Michele Dauber (@mldauber) February 18, 2018
We're saying no abusers in public office -- and no enablers either. Women deserve better and we are going to get it -- at the ballot box. We won @RecallPersky together and together we will win this fight too. https://t.co/0U9upqTKWO @hodgman @ambertamblyn @SenGillibrand pic.twitter.com/FVhzYHSfrC— Michele Dauber (@mldauber) September 26, 2018
The organization, dubbed the Enough is Enough Voter Project, says on its website that it aims to "hold politicians accountable and ensure violence against women is part of the national conversation this November and in future elections." In a video promoting the project, Dauber said, "Aaron Persky isn't the only elected official who doesn't take violence against women seriously." She continued:
He's one of many. It's time for that to change. Enough is enough. We're mobilizing women and our allies all across the United States to investigate and to defeat candidates who have turned against women on issues of sexual harassment and violence against women... These people have no place in public life. We're saying enough is enough by standing up to bullies at the ballot box. We will vote them out. https://www.bustle.com/p/the-enough-is-enough-voter-project-is-targeting-politicians-accused-of-sexual-misconduct-misogyny-12115161
We are looking for ways to hold these judges accountable and transparent. Recall of a judge is rare but we now know that the recall is possible. #PennsylvaniansForModernCourts has also been working on court reform and would like to see #MeritSelection replace the current elections of judges. They partner with organizations and communities to raise awareness about the court systems in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvanians For Modern Courts will be hosting a Know Your Courts Workshop, October 23rd 6pm at the Lucien Blackwell Library.
Blackwell Regional Library Adult/ Teen Department
PMC Listens™ Helpline, reachable at (484) 463-7689 is a dedicated voice mail box, where callers can request information about court processes and procedures as well as report any barriers they may feel are impeding their participation. A guaranteed response will be delivered within 24 hours, providing personalized assistance by a team of trained volunteer law students, lawyers, and other interested community members. These volunteers will not provide legal advice and will refer callers to other resources, when necessary.
PMC Watches™
PMC Watches™ Citizen Court Monitoring is a community-oriented expansion of PMC’s traditional “court watchdog” role. PMC is enlisting a team of Citizen Court Monitors to observe, record and offer recommendations on court proceedings. Not only will this serve as a means of data collection and an opportunity for Philadelphia residents to gather firsthand insights into the formal and informal structures of justice in Philadelphia, it will further ensure a robustly accountable court system.
PMC Watches includes a watchdog program focused on civil courtrooms particularly Landlord-Tenant Court. There were 10,264 evictions in Philadelphia in 2016, amounting to 28.12 households evicted every day. These proceedings are of monumental importance to the people involved, whose homes are at stake, and through PMC Watches we are able to provide community members with the opportunity to learn firsthand about these proceedings, as well as to ensure a robustly accountable court system through their very presence in the courtroom.
Further, we are proud to announce the Philadelphia Bail Watch, a PMC Watches program developed in partnership with the Philadelphia Bail Fund that will shine a light on the current preliminary arraignment process, where money bail decisions are made and, ultimately, people’s access to freedom pretrial is determined. Did you know that defendants in Philadelphia do not get to meet with an attorney before their bail hearings (preliminary arraignments)? Or that bail hearings often last 90 seconds or less?
Philadelphia Bail Watch has three main goals:
- Invite the public and interested stakeholders to watch Philadelphia’s preliminary arraignment hearing process and learn about its implications for bail policy and pretrial detention;
- Monitor the current preliminary arraignment process and impact of the District Attorney’s recent bail reform efforts; and
- Collect and share people’s perceptions of Philadelphia’s preliminary arraignment process in order to use this information to advocate for improvements.
Through Philadelphia Bail Watch, court watch volunteers will gather data and share their impressions of bail hearings. The Philadelphia Bail Fund and Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts will then compile the information collected to issue a report to Judge Marsha H. Neifield, President Judge of the Philadelphia Municipal Court, and her colleagues on our collective findings. A findings report will be released in the summer of 2018.
All are welcome to participate in this program; no prior experience is necessary.
For information on the programs or to volunteer, please email PMC's Program Director, Thomas Pietryla, at tpietryla@pmconline.org.
https://www.pmconline.org/pmc-in-the-community.html
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