Common Law Grand Juries: Myths and the Truth by Kathy Bolam

On Sept 6th, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune (SH-T) published an article on the front page titled:  “People’s jury idea gets some traction” by reporter Lee Williams.  On Tuesday, Sept 8th, Tom Lyons followed up with his comments and Wednesday Sept 9th the Opinion column was titled “Charter Review Board ‘jury’ idea is alarming”.  Each article was fraught with errors and unsubstantiated claims.

I sent the following letter to SH-T to point out the errors made by Mr. Williams and as of today they have not printed my letter or any letter written by other people.

Guest Columnist or Letter to the Editor

Re: Lee Williams 9/6 and Tom Lyons column 9/8 reporting on the People’s Grand Jury.

Both columnists omitted factual information.  Rather than use as much column space as they needed to discredit the people and Charter members as they did, I ask the people of Sarasota to listen to the actual presentation made to the Charter on May 13, 2015. On the computer, go to Sarasota County Government, at top right click on A – Z, arrow down to Charter Review Board, on the lower right select CRB links, and click Meeting Agendas, next screen click video on right for the May 12, 2015 meeting.  Arrow down to #8 on the left.  Listen to the actual presentation made at the Charter meeting.  If you have comments either pro or con, be sure to attend the next Charter Board Meeting on Wednesday, October 14th at 6PM in the County Building at 1669 Ringling Blvd.  Judge for yourself.

Correction:  The people presenting the People’s Grand Jury are not Sovereign Citizens and do not endorse the movement. Please name those people so we will know who they are.  Mr. Williams asked me about the Sovereign movement and I sent him information stating that We the People seeking an amendment to the Charter are not following that movement.  Mr. Williams ignored my information. I believe his source, the Anti-Defamation League sought to discredit us.

Omitted Information: The 5th Amendment of the Constitution allows the people to establish a Grand Jury that is not part of any government agency.  The leaders of People’s CLGJ have received appeals from local people who have had violations of the 5th, 7th and 8th Amendments of the US Constitution perpetrated against them.  Financially most are unable to hire an attorney to have their rights restored through the legal system.  Many of our current elected officials choose not to get involved in Constitutional issues, so where does a person go, who will listen.  Our taxes pay the attorneys that protect whatever government does, and then we have to pay our own attorney if we want justice.

Omitted Information: Supreme  Court Justice Antonin Scalia, writing the majority opinion in US v Williams in 1992 said “Because the Grand Jury is an institution separate from the courts, over whose functioning the courts do not preside, we think it is clear that, as a general matter at least, no such “supervisory’ Judicial Authority exists……….in fact the whole theory of its function is that it belongs to no branch of the institutional government, serving as a kind of buffer or referee between the Government and the People.”   Justice Scalia continued:  “The Grand Jury can investigate merely on the suspicion that the law is being violated, or even because it wants assurance that it is not.  Recognizing this tradition of independence, we have said that the Fifth Amendment’s constitutional guarantee presupposes an investigative body acting independently of either prosecuting attorney or judge.”

I applaud the 4 members of the Charter Review Board that voted to examine the People’s Common Law Grand Jury in a Special Committee for having an open mind. After you listen to the Video of the proceedings of May 13th, you will be able to make your own judgment of the columnists reporting and this information.

I ask of Mr. Williams

How do you explain the words: “creating fake quasi-governmental groups like common law grand juries” when the 5th Amendment of the Bill of Rights acknowledges the establishment of Grand Juries and our Constitution is based on Common Law and Supreme Court Justice Scalia makes reference to it and when the Florida Constitution, Statute title 1, Chapter 2, Section 2.01 states “common law and certain statutes declared in force.”

Please name the city, state, date and criminal where police officers and federal agents have been killed by advocates of common law grand juries (not sovereign citizens).

Identify Roger Dowdell’s ties to the sovereign citizen movement.

Did the county officials become concerned that the People’s CLGJ might be closely examining their actions?  Don’t all the people in the County have that right to government? Are they trying to hide something?

Mr. Williams, you have been used and manipulated in doing this article by the Sarasota Elite Power Brokers both elected and un-elected.   You have slanted the topic in a slandering fashion. Is that your style of reporting?

The group of citizens in the People’s CLGJ are not trying to go around elected officials, they are exercising their right as each person in the county can, to be sure the elected officials are true to their oath and job description.

Mark Pitcavage of the Anti-Defamation League should continue to fight anti-Semitism and intolerance.  He has shown his intolerance and is guilty of accusing people whom he does not know. Has he or you interviewed any of Mr. Dowdell’s or Kathy Bolam’s friends, neighbors, relatives?  No, but he sure is good at accusations. Maybe, I should characterize him as anti-American and anti-Constitution because all his comments reflect that view.

Abraham Lincoln said “The people are the masters of both Congress and Courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow men who pervert it.”      Maybe Sarasota officials have something to be concerned about and that’s why they are using the SHT to do their dirty work.

The Declaration of Independence (2nd paragraph) states: WE hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Right, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.  That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.  That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it and to institute new Government.”

The Charter Review Board is our local Constitution and We The People have the right to alter or abolish items from that document because all County elected officials are given their powers from US, THE GOVERNED.   Don’t allow anyone to tamper with the current Charter Review Board.  It’s our last bastion of Freedom.

ABOUT KATHY BOLAM

Kathy Bolam has lived in Venice, Florida for 30 years with her husband Ed. They are parents to 9 Children, 25 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.­

EDITORS NOTE: Interested readers may attend the next Charter Review Board meeting on Oct. 14th at 6:00 PM at the County building, 1660 Ringling Blvd, Sarasota, FL.

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