ONE YEAR AGO JUNE 3

(http://family-of-hal-turner.blogspot.com) One year ago on June 3, 2009, radio host and blogger Hal Turner published a news story with editorial commentary on his web site. The story resulted in him being arrested by the Connecticut State Capitol Police.

It began on June 2 when Turner read a story about two Connecticut State Legislators who had introduced a Bill to prohibit Catholic Priests from being involved with church finances. The Bill would have required that only lay people in the Church handle church money.

The Bill had been introduced by two homosexual lawmakers who were angry with the Church’s opposition to their efforts at enacting “gay marriage.” Rather than simply accept the fact that “marriage” is a sacrament that can only be bestowed by a church, and rather than accept the fact that the general public does not regard sodomites as being able to be “married,” these two militant gays attempted to force their perversion on the entire state with a gay marriage Bill.

When it turned out that the Catholic Church was the single most effective point of opposition to the effort at sodomite marriage, the homosexual legislators retaliated against the church. They introduced their Bill which would have directly interfered with the free exercise of religion. The Bill was a blatant and direct violation of the separation of Church and state established via the First Amendment.

Upon seeing such a blatant assault upon the church and upon US Constitution, Hal Turner penned commentary on his web site. The commentary said the people of Connecticut should “take up arms” against the government. It went on to identify the sodomite legislators by name and announced that Turner would reveal their home addresses on his radio show the following day.

Around 3:30 in the afternoon, Turner got a call at his New Jersey home from the Connecticut State Capitol Police asking if he intended to come to Connecticut. Turner said “no.”

About two hours later, Turner got another call, this time from Lt. Frank Canelli of the North Bergen, NJ police in Turner’s home town. Lt. Canelli told Turner that the North Bergen Police had received a credible threat against Turner and asked if he would come to Police Headquarters to discuss it. Turner agreed. This was not the first time such a situation had arisen and Turner, being a controversial public figure who was routinely threatened, worked closely with police.

When Turner arrived at North Bergen Police Headquarters, he was arrested on a ‘FUGITIVE FROM JUSTICE WARRANT” issued by Connecticut. The charge: “Harassing communications.”

Even though Turner had not spoken to anyone in Connecticut, had never been arrested in that state and had never fled from justice, he was jailed on the spot – without bail!

North Bergen Police said that there would be no bail because Connecticut had issued a “FUGITIVE FROM JUSTICE” warrant, meaning Turner had skipped-out on bail. This was a lie, but off to jail Hal went.

Turner contacted his lawyer who filed a Motion for a Hearing about the incarceration. The Motion told the court that Turner was not – and had never been – a fugitive, and as such, Turner was entitled to Bail.

The legal system works slowly. Five days later, a hearing was held before Judge Callahan in the Superior Court of New Jersey in Jersey City. At that Hearing, the Connecticut State Capitol Police produced reports to Judge Callahan who read them and said “there’s something wrong here; this man is not a fugitive and is entitled to bail.” In fact, the paperwork from Connecticut listed a Bail of $25,000 which Turner could have posted on the spot at North Bergen Police Headquarters.

The paperwork brought to New Jersey by the Connecticut State Capitol Police said nothing about “harassing communications” but instead now charged “Inciting harm to persons or property.”

Judge Callahan ORDERED Turner released on $25,000 Bail with instructions that Turner appear in Connecticut within 3 days. Turner was released from Jail about 12 hours later.

It turns out that Connecticut never issued any Fugitive from Justice Warrant. Apparently, North Bergen Police Lieutenant Frank Canelli lied, twice. First, he lied about there being a threat to Turner so as to lure him to the police station. If that wasn’t scummy enough, Canelli then instructed a Detective that the Connecticut Warrant was to be handled as a “Fugitive from Justice” situation. It was this instruction by Canelli that resulted in Turner being held in jail for five days.

How a lying, cheating, scumbag like Frank Canelli gets to be a police Lieutenant is a wonder, but that he would deliberately misuse his authority to jail Turner without bail - when the paperwork from Connecticut showed Bail of $25,000 - was a crime!
Lt. Frank Canelli deprived Hal Turner of his Civil Rights under color of law. This was a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sub-Section 242, which is a federal felony. The North Bergen Detective who actually effected the arrest, executed a False Instrument, – a New Jersey fugitive warrant. Executing a false instrument is also a crime.

Neither officer has been held to account for their actions but that day is coming. A Tort Notice was filed with the Township of North Bergen claiming Three Million Dollars ($3,000,000.) in damages and Civil Rights violations. No suit has yet been filed, but if one is filed, it is expected to name the Township, both Officers in their official capacity as well as both officers personally for Civil Rights violations.

The case in Connecticut is still pending, but is expected to be dismissed on First Amendment grounds. According to the US Supreme Court in the landmark free speech case “Brandenburg v. Ohio” , advocating violence is legal as long as it takes place in a context that does not lend itself to “imminent lawlessness.”

Turner saying people in Connecticut should “take up arms” was legally meaningless because he didn’t say it in front of an angry mob standing near the homosexual legislators. Absent an angry mob, ready to attack, Turner’s words were protected free speech.