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Keith Weidner attended a seminar in Seattle, Washington on October 15, 2009. The seminar was hosted by the National Police Accountability Project (“NPAP”). Lawyers from across the nation met to discuss trial practices specific to police misconduct. The NPAP was founded in order to end police abuse of authority and is made up of lawyers who exclusively represent victims of police misconduct.
The National Day to Protest Police Brutality was initiated in 1996 by a coalition of organizations and individuals whose aim was to bring forward a powerful, visible, national protest against police brutality. In our local area, protesters will meet at 5 p.m. on the corner of Hayne and Cervantes Streets (near the Pensacola Police Department) and march to City Hall for the 7 p.m. City Council meeting. If you would like additional information about this event, please email to October22Pensacola@gmail.com.
This coming Saturday, a Silent March has been coordinated to honor Victor Steen and other victims of police brutality. Victor Steen was killed October 3, 2009 when he was struck by the car of Officer Jerald Ard of the Pensacola Police Department. Officer Ard reportedly fired his taser at 17 year old Victor Steen from his patrol car. Steen, who was on bicycle, fell in front of Officer Ard’s moving vehicle. Anyone interested in participating should meet at 9:30 a.m. at the site of the incident on Cervantes and “R” Streets. The march will begin at 10:00 a.m. and will proceed to the Greater Little Rock Church where Victor Steen’s funeral will be held.
The Pensacola Police Department (PPD) is reviewing its’ policies on the use of tasers after an officer discharged his taser from a moving vehicle. Officer Ard was in pursuit of a man fleeing by bicycle early Saturday morning when he fired his taser from his vehicle. The unidentified man fell from the bicycle and was fatally run over by the officer’s patrol car. An autopsy is set for today to determine if the taser struck the man. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) is investigating the incident and Officer Ard has been placed on paid administrative leave pending review.
http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200910050100/NEWS01/910050310
