Remember the New Black Panthers stood outside a polling place in Philadelphia with billy clubs in 2008, during the Obama election and intimidated voters?
Led by Shabazz, the Black Panthers violated the section of the Voting Rights Act that prohibits intimidation, coercion or threats against any person for voting or attempting to vote, according to the complaint filed by the feds in 2009 in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia. The DOJ also pursued an injunction preventing any future deployment of or display of weapons by Black Panther members at the entrance of a polling location.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PRYJqfcEe0
Not surprisingly, a few months later the Obama DOJ quietly dropped the charges and it all disappeared like a bad dream. Judicial Watch investigated and after suing the DOJ, obtained explosive documents that show Obama political appointees were intimately involved in the decision to dismiss the voter intimidation case against the Black Panthers. The documents directly contradict sworn testimony by Obama’s Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, Thomas Perez, that no political leadership was involved in the decision.
Apparently, criminals who intimidate voters in Philadelphia, the city of “brotherly love” [and intimidation], only get a slap on the wrist for attempting to affect the outcome of an election.
In October 2017, four people were charged with election fraud in connection with a special election for the 197th District state House seat in North Philadelphia.
Fewer than 3,000 votes were cast in the special election but it has generated more legal action than most general elections. First, a challenge to the Democratic candidate got him thrown off the ballot for not living in the district. His replacement, Emilio Vazquez, had to run a write-in campaign, as did several others, including Green Party candidate Cheri Honkala.
The 43rd ward, 7th division got just 24 voters for the special election, but the charges allege that the officials interfered with at least five of them. Shapiro says it may not have been enough to turn the election but he hopes the charges send a message.
Shapiro says workers at the polling place in North Philadelphia became aggressive with a voter and also told another voter that a voting machine was broken, although investigators later found that it had been operational all day.
The four workers, Dolores Shaw, the Judge of Election at poll 43-7, Calvin Mattox, the minority inspector, Thurman George, the machine inspector, and Wallace Hill, a bilingual translator, were all charged with violating state laws that regulate elections, including frauds by election officers, interference with primaries and elections, prohibiting duress and intimidation of voters and interference with the free exercise of elective franchise, tampering with public records, conspiracy, and other offenses.
“The four individuals charged as a result of this joint investigation have betrayed the trust that the citizens of Philadelphia have given them to ensure a free, fair, and unencumbered Election Day,” said Hodge. – CBS Philly
Philadelphia CBS Local reports that one of those workers has plead guilty.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro says 59-year-old Thurman George, a machine inspector at Poll 43-7, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to frauds by election officers. George, along with three other election workers, was accused of harassment and intimidation against voters who wanted to vote for candidates of their choice, but not the candidate being pushed by the city’s Democratic Party machine.
George has been sentenced to five years probation and is prohibited from voting for four years.
Minority inspector Calvin Mattox previously pleaded guilty to not meeting the qualifications of election officers for living outside the district in which he was working, while Dolores Shaw, the judge of election at Poll 43-7, received an accelerated rehabilitative disposition for compromising the local election board. A pre-trial conference for Wallace Hill, a bilingual translator, has been scheduled for June 6.
