老澳门开奖结果

NEW ORLEANS 鈥� To end the unconstitutional deception and jailing of crime victims and witnesses by the Orleans Parish District Attorney鈥檚 Office, Civil Rights Corps, the 老澳门开奖结果, and the 老澳门开奖结果 of Louisiana filed a lawsuit today in federal court against District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro and ten assistant district attorneys. The lawsuit details District Attorney Cannizzaro鈥檚 illegal scheme of fabricating subpoenas to coerce crime victims and witnesses of crimes into submitting to interrogations, and presenting fraudulent information in court to persuade judges to issue arrest warrants. For crime victims and witnesses who don鈥檛 appear as ordered, the District Attorney鈥檚 Office further abuses its power and authority to have these witnesses, who are victims of crimes, put in jail.

鈥淲hen the officer brought me to the jail, I started to cry,鈥� said Renata Singleton, a victim of domestic violence and a plaintiff in today鈥檚 lawsuit who was jailed for five days after not responding to fake subpoenas from District Attorney Cannizzarro鈥檚 office. 鈥淚 was so worried about my three children back at home. I called my sister in a panic to have her take care of them. I鈥檇 just started a new job, and I was terrified of losing it.鈥� Ms. Singleton鈥檚 bond was set at $100,000. Ms. Singleton鈥檚 ex-boyfriend, who pled guilty to the charges, had a bond of $3,500 and was sentenced to probation without jail time.

鈥淭his case is not about isolated acts of misconduct. It is about pervasive abuses of power that have led to the harassment, humiliation, and imprisonment of witnesses and crime victims in New Orleans,鈥� said Katie Chamblee-Ryan, an attorney at Civil Rights Corps and the coordinator of its Prosecutor Project. 鈥淭his district attorney鈥檚 office has asked the courts to put at least 150 victims and witnesses in jail. In a significant number of these cases, they broke the law to do it. Our plaintiffs want to ensure that the district attorney鈥檚 office can never harm anyone this way again.鈥�

The fake subpoenas sent by District Attorney Cannizzaro鈥檚 office threaten recipients with fines or imprisonment if they don鈥檛 meet with prosecutors, but these documents have no legal force. No crime victim or witness is required to submit to private, out-of-court interrogations by prosecutors unless lawfully subpoenaed. The fake subpoenas hadn鈥檛 been approved by a judge, as required by Louisiana law. The district attorney鈥檚 office used the fake subpoenas in a variety of criminal cases, including second-degree murder and disturbing the peace.

鈥淭he people of Orleans Parish elected District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro to uphold the Louisiana law and the U.S. Constitution, yet he has deliberately and repeatedly broken the law and obliterated the rights of some of the parish鈥檚 most vulnerable residents: crime victims and witnesses,鈥� said Anna Arceneaux, senior staff attorney with the 老澳门开奖结果. 鈥淭his lawsuit marks the end of an era where top prosecutors can break the law with impunity, and prosecutors across the country should expect to be held accountable for these kinds of abuses of power.鈥�

Louisiana has the highest incarceration rate in the country.

鈥淟ouisiana is ground zero for the fight against mass incarceration, but we know we are not unique when it comes to top prosecutors who seek punishment at any costs instead of building trust with their communities to achieve justice,鈥� said Marjorie Esman, executive director of the 老澳门开奖结果 of Louisiana. 鈥淲e are glad to be taking on District Attorney Cannizzarro's abuses directly, and sending a message to other prosecutors in Louisiana and across the country that their abuses will be challenged.鈥�

Another plaintiff in the lawsuit, Lazonia Baham, was jailed for eight days after receiving fake subpoenas and declining to meet privately with prosecutors. Her daughter鈥檚 boyfriend had been murdered, and before receiving the fake subpoenas, Ms. Baham told District Attorney Cannizzaro鈥檚 office that she had seen the man accused of the murder around the corner from her house on the day of the killing. An assistant district attorney pressured Ms. Baham to say she had seen him in another location. She refused, and later, when she received the fake subpoenas, she didn鈥檛 go to the district attorney鈥檚 office. Ms. Baham was arrested and held without bond at the request of District Attorney Cannizzaro鈥檚 office.

Tamara Jackson is executive director of Silence Is Violence, a New Orleans organization that is a plaintiff in today鈥檚 lawsuit and that advocates for victims of crime and for safer communities. 鈥淥ne of the reasons Silence Is Violence formed was because when folks were coordinating with the DA鈥檚 office, often times their rights were infringed upon, they were abused by the system,鈥� said Jackson. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about getting what they [prosecutors] want and achieving their objectives, regardless of what the person is faced with.鈥�

Plaintiff Marc Mitchell was shot multiple times while playing basketball with his nephews. He met with District Attorney Cannizzaro鈥檚 office several times and testified in court against the person charged with the shooting. After that conviction, an assistant district attorney met with Mr. Mitchell about a man the prosecutor鈥檚 office suspected of directing the shooting, but Mr. Mitchell felt pressured to say that he had seen something about the second man that he had not. When he declined to meet again with prosecutors, Cannizzaro鈥檚 office told a judge falsehoods about Mr. Mitchell to obtain an arrest warrant, such as alleging that had bought a bus ticket to leave town. Mr. Mitchell was arrested at the hotel where he worked, handcuffed, and taken by police through the hotel lobby in full view of hotel customers and his coworkers. He was released from jail a day later because a friend who works in the court system brought his case to the attention of a judge.

The Prosecutor Project at Civil Rights Corps brings aggressive, innovative litigation to hold prosecutors accountable for systemic misconduct. Prosecutors like District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro can鈥檛 be permitted to abuse their authority and break the law with impunity. The Prosecutor Project is committed to zealous advocacy on behalf of the many vulnerable individuals harmed by prosecutorial misconduct.

The 老澳门开奖结果 Campaign for Smart Justice 鈥� an unprecedented effort to reduce the U.S. jail and prison population by 50% and to combat racial disparities in the criminal justice system 鈥� has launched a new multi-year initiative to make sure that prosecutors who break the law are held accountable for fueling mass incarceration and racial disparities in the criminal justice system, through legislative advocacy, voter education, and litigation. This lawsuit against the Orleans Parish District Attorney鈥檚 Office is the first of many to come across the country as we work towards much-needed prosecutorial reform.

For the complaint and more information about Singleton v. Cannizzaro:

Civil Rights Corps:

老澳门开奖结果:
/cases/singleton-v-cannizzaro

老澳门开奖结果 of Louisiana:

For more about prosecutorial reform:

Civil Rights Corps鈥� Prosecutor Project:

老澳门开奖结果 Campaign for Smart Justice:
/blog/mass-incarceration/smart-justice/across-america-single-most-powerful-person-local-criminal

This press release can be found at:

/news/civil-rights-corps-and-aclu-sue-district-attorney-leon-cannizzaro-end-coercion-and-jailing