Justice for Victims of Police Misconduct

By: Tracie Burke | Motion to Quash LLC | November 18, 2020

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The seal of secrecy about sexual misconduct by police officers is a serious obstacle. It hinders the control of police sexual violence in Louisiana. This issue also affects achieving police accountability.

As more efforts to handle sexual abuse by law enforcement in Louisiana are revealed, victims are still seeking justice. They suffered police sexual violence, specifically in Jefferson Parish.

Motion to Quash LLC obtained evidence of police sexual misconduct across Louisiana. Sheriff Joe Lopinto and District Attorney Paul Connick improperly investigated reports of police sexual violence. This violence occurred and continues to occur by law enforcement and employees of Jefferson Parish. “Some high ranking members in law enforcement across Louisiana are using hidden cameras during intercourse without the person’s knowledge. They do this sometimes while on duty. Then the officers share the videos with others,” according to the disclosure obtained by Motion to Quash LLC.

“Survivors of police sexual violence are unique in their situation. They must report the assault to the same people who committed it. That’s the main reason they’re not reported,” one victim told Motion to Quash LLC.

The Sheriff and the DA are reluctant to take reports or complaints of police sexual violence. They often try to dissuade victims from making them. They even wrongly categorize reports of abuse to diminish their severity and impact.

If that fails, Sheriff Lopinto and District Attorney Paul Connick take further action. They have been known to actively pursue a victim’s silence. They achieve this through direct threats and intimidation.

One victim in Jefferson Parish told Motion to Quash LLC about her experience. She was “given the run around” by internal affairs officers. They intimidated and discouraged her from making the report. Instead, they gave her a battered women’s brochure. They told her to call the hot line on the brochure for support.

One of the perpetrators was recently convicted of second degree rape. He is in jail awaiting trial for first degree rape. These rapes would have been prevented if Jefferson Parish had honored victims requests for charges.

Motion to Quash LLC takes action against police sexual violence. They help victims in Jefferson Parish file lawsuits. But, there are no civil provisions yet for the Prison Rape Elimination Act. Urge congress this session to pass a bill that allows civil provisions under PREA. Now is the time for action. We urge Congress to pass an amendment that provides a civil remedy. This remedy is for victims of Police Sexual Violence in Louisiana. 

Here is a copy of the victim’s lawsuit for damages. Warning, this content is distressing for victims of sexual assault.

Plaintiff-V-Jefferson-Parish-Sheriff-Lopinto-DA-Paul-Connick-petition-for-damages
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“In October 2020, defendant [name redacted] was an employee of the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office. The defendant sexually harassed the plaintiff via text message. Without warning or provocation, the defendant transmitted unsolicited photos of his own genitalia to the plaintiff. This hostile act by the defendant caused the plaintiff extreme emotional distress,” the lawsuit alleges

PREA

The law says there is no consensual sex under the Prison Rape Elimination Act. This is due to the power imbalance. This situation clearly demands pressing and serious attention. We need to pass bills that promote civil provisions for victims of the Prison Rape Elimination Act.

YOUR VOICE BE HEARD:

Advocate for Civil Provisions for the Prison Rape Elimination Act. Send a message to your Congress members. Ask them to take concrete action to offer civil remedies for PREA victims in Louisiana. 

WAYS TO CONTACT YOUR HOUSE REPRESENTATIVE:

Click Directory of House of Representatives to contact your House Representatives. Send a message using the contact information and forms provided through this link.

EMAIL OR SAMPLE LETTER FOR CONTACTING YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS

Feel free to copy and paste the letter below into the message field of any contact form. You can also use it in the body of emails to your House Representatives. Enter the name of your representative at the start of the message. Sign your name at the end. Consider adding your own personal anecdote or observation to the messages you send. 

Dear Member of Congress [Name]:

As your constituent, I am writing today to ask for your support of Civil Provisions for Victims of PREA.  I am sure that every day you have a multitude of bills crossing your desk. Still, I ask you to pay specific attention to those related to law enforcement. These bills promote civil provisions for PREA victims in Louisiana. There have been efforts to give remedies for victims of police sexual violence in criminal court. Yet, there are no provisions for victims of police sexual violence in civil court. Clearly, this situation demands pressing and serious attention, including passing bills promoting civil provisions for the Prison Rape Elimination Act. Now is the time for action. I urge you to get an amendment passed. This amendment should offer a civil remedy for victims of Police Sexual Violence in Louisiana. 

I support Motion to Quash LLC, a non-partisan online publication. It is dedicated to advocating for civil remedies under PREA and raising awareness of the Prison Rape Elimination Act. I urge you to protect the integrity of PREA by supporting legislation on its behalf this session.

I am eager to hear from you. Please share the positive steps you are taking to advance civil remedies for victims of police sexual violence. This is crucial for both the immediate and long-term future. 

Sincerely,

[Insert Your Name]

[District or State]

[Contact Information] (if you wish/want a reply)


Recognized by the National Whistleblower Center (NWC), Tracie Burke is Louisiana author of motiontoquash.org. She can be reached at tracie@motiontoquash.org. Motion to Quash LLC successfully promoted legislation. This legislation supports the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020. It also includes amendments to the Whistleblower Protection Act. Please Support journalism in the public interest by contributing today. Click here to donate Motion to Quash ISSN 2644-1594 is the copyrighted property of Motion to Quash LLC 2019.  NWC’s mission is to support whistleblowers. They help in their efforts to expose and help prosecute corruption. They also aid in addressing other wrongdoing around the world. 

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2020 Candidate Integrity SCORECARD- Justice of the Peace & Constable- Jefferson Parish

Tracie Burke | Motion to Quash LLC | October 23, 2020

Integrity is a top issue facing Jefferson Parish voters. Discover how Justice of the Peace and Constable candidates in Jefferson Parish score on integrity. Review their financial disclosures and campaign finance reports. Then ask the candidates to pledge to Join the Campaign for Judicial Integrity in Louisiana.          

We based the integrity scores on these three principles: 

1. Campaign Contributions Issued

2. Campaign Contributions Received

3. Financial Disclosure Statements. 

Click below to view the SCORECARDS. You can download the complimentary spreadsheet. Candidate review folders are available upon request to: info@motiontoquash.org.

METHODOLOGY

Candidates are graded based on the number of critical issues for anti-corruption. These issues are listed in the candidate scorecard and divided into three overarching principles. We believe all of these issues are crucial to unrigging our broken system. 

We assigned a total possible score of 5 for each principle. For the sake of consistency, we treat individual issues equally. Calculating fewer of these critical issues gets candidates a higher score. Only when they score 15 for the whole package do they get 100 percent.

We compiled candidate information from their campaign websites, in interviews, or from public and private resources. 

Campaigns are dynamic. We welcome your feedback—if you see a candidate’s position has changed, send us an email at info@motiontoquash.org  with the new information.

Recognized by the National Whistleblower Center (NWC), Tracie Burke is Louisiana author of motiontoquash.org. She can be reached at tracie@motiontoquash.org. Motion to Quash LLC successfully promoted legislation that supports the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020. They also supported amendments to the Whistleblower Protection Act. Please Support journalism in the public interest by contributing today. Click here to donate Motion to Quash ISSN 2644-1594 is the copyrighted property of Motion to Quash LLC 2019.  NWC’s mission is to support whistleblowers. They also help prosecute other wrongdoing around the world. 

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Advertise with Motion to Quash LLC

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Digital media provides measurable results. $500 can get you two banners in front of your target audience for an entire month. An effective advertising campaign will include placing ads across the Motion to Quash website using both branding and call-to-action messages. Click here to buy ads or use the QR code.

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Join the Campaign for Judicial Integrity in Louisiana

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Have you ever been affected by a Judge’s decision in Louisiana? Did the decision affect you in such a way that you lost money? Were you left at risk of ongoing abuse? Or were you denied to see your children? Chances are that you have. Did you feel the court was corrupt? If so, Motion to Quash LLC has the solution. Join the Campaign for Judicial Integrity in Louisiana.

We want the public to get precise and understandable information. We aim to show what you can do to rid Louisiana of Judicial corruption. Join the Campaign for Judicial Integrity in Louisiana to tackle and solve those problems. Help make justice right. Work towards removing bad and corrupt judges from the Louisiana judiciary.

Harmful Effect of Money in Louisiana Government

Motion to Quash LLC takes action against government corruption and retribution in Louisiana. No one can get a fair trial before judges who get illegal payments from attorneys. Judges also obtain retroactive immunity from criminal prosecution.

A significant number of judges in Louisiana get illegal payments from attorneys in the form of campaign contributions. Motion to Quash LLC is working to pass legislation. The goal is to make sure that any judge who gets contributions from attorneys can’t stay on the seat. This applies to the district where the attorneys practice. What You Can Do to Rid the Louisiana Judiciary of Bad and Corrupt Judges

There is continuing fraud before the courts in Louisiana and the Louisiana judicial system is in a crisis. This is the underlying story. Judges get illegal contributions and payments. These acts are done to increase their own interests. This conduct has corrupted the Louisiana judicial system.

The Louisiana Supreme Court and Court of Appeal Justices have always known this issue. Many Louisiana judges sit on cases where they should not. The judges are disqualified under the law. This disqualification arises because the attorney gave them a criminal payment. The attorney: (1) appears before them as a party; (2) appears as a witness; or (3) has an interest.

The mission of the Campaign for Judicial Integrity in Louisiana is to disqualify judges who receive money from attorneys. It aims to end corruption and take back our judicial system.

How to Disqualify Your Judge

Responsibility falls on citizens to reclaim our justice system. The method is for the people to file LA Code Crim Pro 987 based on fraud upon the court. The Motion to Set Aside Conviction and Dismiss Prosecution forms are to be used. Use the Rule to Show Cause forms as well. Order of Dismissal forms should be included. Here is a link to the forms provided by LSAC http://www.lasc.org/rules/City_Parish/Uniform_Forms_for_City_Parish_Courts.pdf

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Federal laws provide an opportunity to reverse the judge’s ruling. They allow moving forward with working the case to its logical conclusion. The Supremacy Clause of the Constitution of the United States (Article VI, Clause 2) establishes the primacy of certain laws. This includes the Constitution, federal laws made pursuant to it, and treaties made under its authority. They are the “supreme Law of the Land”. These laws take precedence. They have priority over any conflicting state laws.

Section 1346 of Title 18United States Code provides an intangible right to honest services.  Federal prosecutors have applied the statute in cases of public corruption. They have also used it in cases where private individuals breached a fiduciary duty to another.

Exercise Your Rights & Contact Your Legislators

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Motion to Quash LLC is drafting legislation. They are sending it to every legislator. The goal is to stop any judge from receiving payments. These payments come from attorneys who may appear before them. The next step for you, the voters, is to exercise your rights. Contact your legislators, who are your representatives. They work for you. Urge them to get the amendment passed. Remember, these payments have affected every aspect of the court system, so now is the time for action.

If a judicial decision or a corrupt judge has hurt you, take action. This is the only thing that you can do. “Protesting in the street is not going to get you anywhere. Making music or noise is not going to get you anywhere. Exercising your right will get you somewhere.” – Dr. Richard Fine, Founder, Vote for Justice, Campaign for Judicial Integrity.

Recognized by the National Whistleblower Center (NWC), Tracie Burke is Louisiana author of motiontoquash.org. She can be reached at tracie@motiontoquash.org. Motion to Quash LLC successfully promoted legislation. This legislation supports the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020. It also includes amendments to the Whistleblower Protection Act. Please Support journalism in the public interest by contributing today. Click here to donate Motion to Quash ISSN 2644-1594 is the copyrighted property of Motion to Quash LLC 2019.  NWC’s mission is to support whistleblowers. They help in their efforts to expose and help prosecute corruption. This includes other wrongdoing around the world. 

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Advertise with Motion to Quash LLC

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Digital media provides measurable results. $500 can get you two banners in front of your target audience for an entire month. An effective advertising campaign will include placing ads across the Motion to Quash website using both branding and call-to-action messages. Click here to buy ads or use the QR code.

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New Tools for Legal Developers and Organizations

Free Law Project has been working on some big upgrades to its systems and when they build tools, they share them with the community. They have three big new tools for legal developers and organizations:

Database of Courts

 Ever wish there was a list of hundreds of courts with identifiers and aliases for all of them? Their new “Court DB” has over 17,000 lines of code describing over 700 courts. Learn More: https://free.law/2020/03/10/announcing-a-new-open-database-of-court-information-ids-and-parsers/

Pictures of Judges

They now have more than 1,000 portraits of judges ready for you to put in your projects. Learn More: https://free.law/2020/01/16/weve-added-nearly-1000-images-to-our-open-collection-of-judge-portraits/

PACER APIs

Don’t make another scraper for PACER. They now have a growing collection of APIs for that. Learn More: https://free.law/2019/11/05/announcing-our-new-pacer-fetch-apis/

Until today, if you wanted to add something to the RECAP Archive on CourtListener, you had only one option: Use the RECAP Extensions to purchase the item from PACER, and let the extensions do the upload on your behalf.

Starting today, they have a new free API released in Beta that anybody can use to get dockets and PDFs from PACER and add them to our website, APIs, and replication systems.

Tracie Burke is Louisiana Author of Motion to Quash. Her work focuses on providing education, information, and justice for women survivors of domestic violence in Louisiana. She can be reached at tracie@motiontoquash.org

Please Support journalism in the public interest by contributing today. Motion to Quash ISSN 2644-1594 is the copyrighted properrty of Motion to Quash LLC 2019. Click here to donate.

Supporting Journalism in the Public Interest

by Tracie Burke | Motion to Quash, LLC | September 20, 2019

Dear Readers,

We are filing a lawsuit to remove a gag order. This will allow us to publish information about issues concerning Judicial reviews. It also involves corruption in Jefferson Parish. Please share our donation link and, if you can, donate. Our representation is pro bono and your donation helps cover the filing fee. Thank you for your support.

paypal.me/MotiontoQuashLLC

Update: We just received a $50 donation from Rusty Autry, who is a candidate for Louisiana State Rep. The balance is $350. Thank you, Rusty!

A huge thank you to Daryl Lamouranne for your continued support.

Without people like you, Motion to Quash LLC would not be able to continue its mission to provide information and justice for women in Louisiana.to the many subscribers and

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Digital media provides measurable results. $500 can get you two banners in front of your target audience for an entire month. An effective advertising campaign will include placing ads across the Motion to Quash website using both branding and call-to-action messages. Click here to buy ads or use the QR code.

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In the Matter of Marion Edwards

By Tracie Burke | Motion to Quash LLC | August 14, 2019 

The purpose of the Motion to Quash LLC Blacklist is to analyze the Jefferson Parish elected officials and candidates. The focus is on reports of unfair business practices, discrimination, and corruption. It also emphasizes key issues that can inform campaign contribution policy and guide further campaign laws. In particular, this report focuses on problems and issues in the matter of candidate for Jefferson Parish council, Marion Edwards. 

Methodology

Motion to Quash LLC conducted a procedure that utilized observations of program operations. These operations were conducted by the OJP Court Clearinghouse and pertained to technical assistance project assignment number 154. This work was for the 24th Judicial Court. It included the organization of the treatment module and the provision of critical services by the drug court program. Motion to Quash also obtained information by querying the Louisiana Secretary of State Commercial Division. They accessed the Louisiana Ethics Board campaign finance portal and PACER. Additionally, they conducted a telephone interview with the Louisiana Ethics Board Executive Secretary.

Section A. Issues and Problems Implementing the Drug Court Program

1. Unrealistic Program Design

  • Lacking too many critical areas needed for the for the delivery of sound services
  • Unrealistic program design needed to be simplified to a more reasonable treatment design
  • No grievance procedure

 2.  Discrimination

  • The ethnic gender diversity program of staff was not reflective of the community population 
  • More minorities and women needed to be recruited as clinicians to work this program
  • Staff needed Cultural Competence training

3. Confidentiality Laws

  • Staff needed comprehensive training in federal confidentiality regulations, 42 CFR.

The review of the treatment program of the 24th Judicial District  intense program probation drug court Jefferson Parish Louisiana was prepared by the OJP Drug Court Clearinghouse and Technical Assistance Project at American University, Washington, D.C. 

Section B. Conflict of Interest- Director of Responsibility House Inc. 

Responsibility House Incorporated RH is a private non-profit organization for substance abuse treatment.

  1. Marion Edwards was appointed Director of Responsibility House Inc.- a conflict of interest because clients were referred from the court/judicial system.
  2. No annual report for Responsibility House Inc. filed with the Louisiana Secretary of State 

Section C.- Over 20 businesses not in good standing, revoked by the Louisiana Secretary of State

1. – This signifies a willful attempt to evade or defeat any tax imposed by Tax Titles and shall be guilty of a felony, an attempt to reduce tax liability by deceit subterfuge, or concealing information.

Section D- Bribes through Campaign Contributions

       A. Several consultant groups, engineers, and construction companies do business with the Parish. Special interest groups are also involved. They have issued campaign contributions totaling $103,8000.

Section V- Excessive Civil Rights Complaints

Exceeding 20 complaints against Marion Edwards for Injunctive Relief and Damages brought under 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1983 in connection with but not limited to the following violations:

  • 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1981 Equal Rights
  • 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1985 Conspiracy to Interfere With Human Rights
  • 42 U.S.C Sec. 1986 Action for Neglect to Prevent Conspiracy

Conclusion

Marion Edwards’ long standing financial ties to Jefferson Parish has unbalanced the scales of justice. After reviewing Marion Edwards’ practices, several problems and issues have been outlined. Motion to Quash LLC’s consideration is to ask that the Ethics Adjudicatory Board conduct a hearing on the foregoing charges. They should decide that Marion Edwards violated La. R.S. 42:111A(1)(a), La. R.S. 42:1111C(1)(a), and La. R.S. 42:111C(2)(b). The board should assess appropriate penalties. This assessment should follow the recommendation of the Louisiana Board of Ethics, which will be submitted at a hearing. 

Recognized by the National Whistleblower Center (NWC), Tracie Burke is Louisiana author of motiontoquash.org. She can be reached at tracie@motiontoquash.org. Motion to Quash LLC successfully promoted legislation that supports the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020. They also supported amendments to the Whistleblower Protection Act. Please Support journalism in the public interest by contributing today. Click here to donate Motion to Quash ISSN 2644-1594 is the copyrighted property of Motion to Quash LLC 2019.  NWC’s mission is to support whistleblowers. They also help prosecute other wrongdoing around the world. 

External link

Advertise with Motion to Quash LLC

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Digital media provides measurable results. $500 can get you two banners in front of your target audience for an entire month. An effective advertising campaign will include placing ads across the Motion to Quash website using both branding and call-to-action messages. Click here to buy ads or use the QR code.

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MOTION TO QUASH BY TRACIE BURKE (not yet published)

From Gretna, Louisiana, author Tracie Burke, comes a riveting case of domestic violence, false allegations and corruption in Louisiana. It is her response of a lifetime, a domestic violence survivor caught between the politics of Jefferson Parish and the corruption of the Gretna Police Department and Jefferson Parish District Attorney. In a drunken rage, Tracie Burke’s ex-husband Harold “Andy” LaCour ran her down with his truck, breaking her femur in half. She lost half her blood. He nearly killed her and he was never held accountable for her injuries. Little did she know, the biggest injustice was yet to come.