Discussion with Mr. Hugh Calderwood

At Howard Empowered People, a lively discussion has been going on with Hugh Calderwood, husband of Alachua's mayor, regarding Charlie's predicament. Since the discussion has become rather extensive, moving it here from HEP seems advisable. To review the discussion so far, visit these links:

HEP comments for Saturday, Jan. 10 (starting near the bottom)
HEP comments for Sunday, Jan. 11
HEP comments for Monday, Jan. 12

Please continue the discussion in the comments for this post, and let me know when a new post is needed.

Thank you.

Charlie on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLvKq2t43tE

Grapski Defense just put up the first 10 minutes of that documentary on Charlie. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLvKq2t43tE.

You have to watch it. I tried downloading the one the other night but had trouble. This one is not the best size or resolution but it gives you access to it to begin to see what it is about.

They are trying to get DVD copies made and distributed around.

Alachuan

Latest News

I apologize for the tardiness of this post. My computer has been on the blink today.

Both Michael and Charlie himself checked in at Howard Empowered this afternoon. Their comments are below.

http://www.grapski.org/downloads/Citizen_Grapski.mov

A Gainesville videographer named Tom Miller created this video in 3-4 days about Charlie Grapski's trials and tribulations in Alachua. There's much more to tell but this gives you a glimpse of what we're up against here.

Charlie was handcuffed and dragged from a city commission meeting on February 12 (see video), in a totally staged assault on his rights as a citizen. Despite having more bogus criminal charges brought against him (including felony resisting arrest with violence), he is running for Alachua City Commission.

The election is April 10th (search www.highspringsherald.com for news articles, keywords: alachua grapski election).

City officials canceled the election by disqualifying the challengers (including Charlie) but they relented and allowed them to qualify after being challenged in court. Now the election is on, but with no way to make up the lost time.

Please pass on the video (Quicktime 200Mb, DVD available from Charlie) and pass the word that Charlie Grapski is still under fire here in Alachua.

Contributions can be made to the defense fund (www.grapskidefense.org) or to his campaign (Call for info: 866-466-0087 or 352-871-1991) Keep checking http://freealachua.org for updates (Charlie will get to it eventually)...

Michael

Hey all,

Thanks Mike for putting that up there. Its a video I think you guys really need to see. It gives a glimpse into the last year in my life in Alachua.

You can download it from that link. Its a quicktime file. (But its a bit large). I am hoping that you guys can help get the video up and around and spread about for people to watch. We have a DVD quality version - and the guy who made the film (Tom Miller) has given me permission to spread it around in any way we can. So we are trying to get DVD copies made to distribute around.

Please take a look at the video and help spread it around.

I have been given a total of two weeks to run an entire campaign after they cancelled the election when I qualified. So I am out on the streets and just trying to get the word out.

Charlie

Judge throws out Alachua election hopefuls' petition

AMY REININK
Sun staff writer

A circuit judge on Monday dismissed a petition that would have allowed Alachua City Commission candidate Charlie Grapski to run against Mayor Jean Calderwood rather than Commissioner Bonnie Burgess in the city's April 10 election.

Attorneys Gary Edinger and Joe Little had filed the petition on behalf of Grapski and Michael Perkins, also a commission candidate, on Friday. It asked that a judge order the city to allow Grapski to run against Calderwood rather than Burgess.

The city last month disqualified Grapski and Perkins, who had filed to run against Burgess, and Lowell T. "Bud" Byrd, who filed to run against Calderwood, from competing in the election, claiming their paperwork was improperly filed.

The three candidates filed a legal challenge to that decision March 6. The next day, the city called an emergency meeting to extend its qualifying period to allow the three to "correct deficiencies" in their paperwork.

...

At the Monday afternoon hearing, Roundtree addressed a trespass order the city had issued Grapski on Feb. 12 after city officials said he was disruptive when seeking public records at City Hall.

Grapski had filed an injunction to overturn the trespass order, which prohibited Grapski from returning to City Hall. But the city filed a response to the injunction that said the warning prohibited Grapski from coming back to City Hall only the day it was issued. Edinger said he wasn't sure that's what the city originally intended, but said he planned to dismiss the injunction anyway.

"I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth," Edinger said.

Attorney Robert Rush, who represented the city, said the trespass order was clearly worded to apply only to the day it was issued.

Click the title to go to the original article.

Thanks to Denise at Howard Empowered for the link.

MONDAY MARCH 19 - COURT HEARING ON ALACHUA LAWSUITS

JUDGE ROUNDTREE WILL CONVENE HEARING AT 1:30 PM
Civil Court | 201 East University Ave. | Third Floor
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND!

Judge Robert Roundtree will be taking action tomorrow (Monday March 19) on a number of cases involving legal disputes between citizens and Alachua city officials. The public is welcome to attend this hearing.

The Alachua cases currently before the Circuit Court include the following:

1. a lawsuit challenging an unconstitutional trespass order against Charlie Grapski;


2. a lawsuit filed by Charlie Grapski and Michael Canney claiming violations of open records laws by Alachua officials, involving abuse of the consent agenda and public records violations;


3. a lawsuit filed by Charlie Grapski claiming that Clovis Watson's employment as City Manager and Police Commissioner violates Florida's constitutional prohibition of dual office holding;


4. a false arrest civil suit filed by Charlie Grapski against Watson and the City of Alachua for a wrongful felony arrest in City Hall on May 1, 2006.

A lawsuit by Eileen McCoy and other Alachua voters claiming election fraud and misconduct in Alachua's 2006 city commission election is on appeal after being dismissed by Judge Roundtree on a technicality.

Grapski trespass order
Judge Roundtree will hold a non-evidentiary hearing on the City of Alachua's trespass order against Charlie Grapski, issued on February 12 by APD Chief Robert Jernigan and APD officer Jimmy Smith on orders from Clovis Watson. Grapski, who had gone to City Hall to request public records, was told he would be arrested if he returned to the City Hall property for a period of one year. He and attorney Gary Edinger filed a challenge to the trespass order, claiming it is an illegal infringement of Grapski's constitutional rights, and should be nullified by the Court.

Case status conference
Judge Roundtree has asked that the cases involving the City of Alachua be conjoined, and a case status conference will be held tomorrow to determine what the next step will be in the lawsuits. A new mandamus petition was filed on Friday March 16 by Alachua city commission candidates Mike Perkins and Charlie Grapski, replacing an earlier writ that was filed following the city's disqualification of three candidates. It is not clear whether Judge Roundtree will take any action on the mandamus writ on Monday.

For more information search these websites:

http://www.highspringsherald.com
http://freealachua.org/

- Renee*in*Ohio