Michael Knitner and Larry Hohol Rally the Robert Leone Supporters

The case of Robert Leone is making news due to a viral video uploaded to Youtube by Larry Hohol. Mr Hohlol was contacted by the parents of Robert Leone when their son was beaten by the law enforcement officials in Towanda Pennsylvania. This of course has divided our communities within the county but justice will prevail.

The video includes moderation by Larry this video shows a bit of the chase, the first of at least three beatings. It also contains audio that occurs after Robert Leone is placed in the back of the patrol car. This video is quite shocking visually as well as verbally. No matter what Leone did prior to the stop he did not deserve this.

Michael Knitner, of Waverly New York, formerly of Towanda, Pennsylvania took up the local charge after seeing the video. He rallied the people in support of Robert Leone by sharing the video. With the first hour a handful of people became enraged, they shared the group and the link to the video.

Knitner created a Facebook group called Freedom and Justice for Robert Leone, so the people could organize in their quest to correct the injustice. That group would quickly grow to over 7,000 people within the first week as word spread. Many citizens showed outrage at local officials for covering this up. There was also very deep support for what Knitner was doing as well as for Robert Leone.

A peaceful rally was held at the Bradford County Courthouse, on June 29 2012, where Robert Leone was tried two years prior. In attendance was Mr Knitner, Robert Leone's parents and over 300 supporters. Concerned residents held signs and brought awareness to the case.

As the word about the video spread, some citizens expressed disbelief in the video so Larry Holol uploaded the un-moderated version on Youtube. This version is much longer as it has the complete low-speed chase. This video after the car is stopped is not for children to see or hear.

Our community is divided because there is a massive cover up about the real issues. Many people are taking what the local newspapers are saying as the gospel. I personally encourage those people who do not support Robert Leone to watch the video.

No matter what Robert did prior to his run in with the cops that night he did not deserve what he got. The video says it all. Had a general member of the public hauled someone out of the car and did what those cops did, they would have been in trouble.

Press Release Robert Leone

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (7/5/2012)

Freedom and Justice for Robert Charles Leone

Description: Peace Rally for Victim of Police Brutality.

Towanda, Pennsylvania 7/6/2012 – Organizers have announced a second peace rally asking for justice for Robert Charles Leone who is the victim of police brutality. The rally will be held at the Towanda Courthouse, 301 Main Street Towanda, Pennsylvania July 6, 2012. This peaceful rally will be held from 7 am until 7 pm.

In early March of  2010 Robert Charles Leone became the victim of police brutality in Towanda, Pennsylvania. Concerned Americans led by Michael Kintner, began taking a local stand in unity for Mr. Leone after viewing the dashboard cam video released by Larry Hohol.. Michael Kintner vows, “The rallies will continue until justice is served and Robert is home”. Co-organizer Angela Marie Kraft, reported 341 people signed the petition at the group’s first peace rally on June 29, 2012.

Mr. Larry Hohol is the spokesman for the family of Robert Charles Leone. Mr. Hohol has been exposing corruption in Pennsylvania for decades and when the case of this man was brought to his attention by the parents of Robert Charles Leone, he took action. He released the dash cam video that showed how the Pennsylvania State Troopers used excessive force. That video can be viewed on the website below.

The concerned Americans who support Robert Charles Leone will continue to occupy the Bradford County Courthouse lawn until Justice has been served. Justice will be served when Robert is released and the law enforcement officials involved have been justly punished.

Contact Information:
Larry Hohol
Deland, Florida
http://www.worsethanrodneyking.com
###

Links

The Robert Leone Story

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5eOknaXgYU&feature=player_detailpage

Unedited Dashcam Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=A5oNp-OkTcA

Robert Leone Civil Suit

http://www.pressconnects.com/assets/pdf/CB191220626.PDF

Online Petition

http://www.change.org/petitions/pennsylvania-justice-system-an-investigation-of-the-police-brutality-committed-against-robert-leone

Facebook Group

http://www.facebook.com/groups/257718051001072/

Donation Site For Robert Leone

http://www.indiegogo.com/robertleone

Press release written by Amy Browne and submitted all over the Internet!

Police Brutality on the Rise

Police brutality is on the rise since 9/11 according to report on the USA Today website dated 12/18/2007.   Out of control policemen and women have been abusing people in custody for years, in fact the term police brutality was first coined in New York in 1893. Of course, cases of this type of abuse are rare, when compared with all the arrests made on any given year.

One must ask themselves the question, is it getting worse or are we hearing about it more because of social media?  Social media makes the whole world a lot smaller and word spreads much quicker. Social media can be likened to the old party lines that Ma Bell used to employ. Perhaps there was only two people actively talking but someone was always listening in silently.

Thank goodness police who abuse their power are the minority and not the majority.  Usually it is the bigger cities in which we hear about police brutalizing citizens but it also happens in small towns around the United States.

Everyone who is older than twenty will recognize the name of Rodney King.   Mr. King was the man that four LA cops beat back in 1991. The cops were acquitted in 1992 and it sparked the LA Riots of that year.

In 2011, Kelly Thomas a homeless man in California died five days later from injuries he sustained at the hands of the Fullerton Police Department.  Four of the officers were suspended and two were arrested for manslaughter and second degree murder.

Those are two of the notable cases of police brutality that became widely known.  The King case sparked a riot which made it huge news, while the Thomas case enraged the nation because he was a mentally ill homeless man.  Trust me; there are several other cases that are notable in different ways.

When one looks at the list of cases of police brutality on the Wikipedia page, they will become enraged. I normally do not use a wiki page as a resource but this is the only place I found complete information.  Concerned residents will read about cases from 30 different states, and most of these have occurred within the past ten years on that page.  

That page tells the stories of a few hundred people who were victims of police brutality.   Some were innocent bystanders walking down the road,   some were criminals who were beaten when they were caught but some like Tony Arambula of Arizona were common citizens calling for help.  On September 17, 2008 police were called to his home, because he called them for an intruder in his house.  The officers came saw him with a gun and opened fire, he was shot six times.  

After reading that Wiki page, I personally do see a rise in the cases of police brutality.  This makes our world a lot scarier indeed. However we all must understand that the cops who do use brute force are the minority and not the majority.

Viral Video of Robert Leone victim of Police Brutality

The case of Robert Leone is making news due to a viral video uploaded to Youtube by Larry Hohol. Mr Hohlol was contacted by the parents of Robert Leone when their son was beaten by the law enforcement officials in Towanda Pennsylvania. This of course has divided our communities within the county but justice will prevail.

The video includes moderation by Larry this video shows a bit of the chase, the first of at least three beatings. It also contains audio that occurs after Robert Leone is placed in the back of the patrol car. This video is quite shocking visually as well as verbally. No matter what Leone did prior to the stop he did not deserve this.

Michael Knitner, of Waverly New York, formerly of Towanda, Pennsylvania took up the local charge after seeing the video. He rallied the people in support of Robert Leone by sharing the video. With the first hour a handful of people became enraged, they shared the group and the link to the video.

Knitner created a Facebook group called Freedom and Justice for Robert Leone, so the people could organize in their quest to correct the injustice. That group would quickly grow to over 7,000 people within the first week as word spread. Many citizens showed outrage at local officials for covering this up. There was also very deep support for what Knitner was doing as well as for Robert Leone.

A peaceful rally was held at the Bradford County Courthouse, on June 29 2012, where Robert Leone was tried two years prior. In attendance was Mr Knitner, Robert Leone's parents and over 300 supporters. Concerned residents held signs and brought awareness to the case.

As the word about the video spread, some citizens expressed disbelief in the video so Larry Holol uploaded the un-moderated version on Youtube. This version is much longer as it has the complete low-speed chase. This video after the car is stopped is not for children to see or hear.

Our community is divided because there is a massive cover up about the real issues. Many people are taking what the local newspapers are saying as the gospel. I personally encourage those people who do not support Robert Leone to watch the video.

No matter what Robert did prior to his run in with the cops that night he did not deserve what he got. The video says it all. Had a general member of the public hauled someone out of the car and did what those cops did, they would have been in trouble.

3 Pennsylvania Police Brutality Cases

Pennsylvania’s 3 cases of Police Brutality may not be as widely known as the Rodney King case, but one is just as shocking.  Two of the cases occurred in Pittsburgh while the third case occurred in the small town of Towanda, Pennsylvania.

The first victim was Johnny Gammage, a black man who was driving his cousin’s car in Brentwood which is a suburb of Pittsburgh in October of 1995. He is using his brake lights often and this is why the police officer first noticed him. The officer followed him into the city limits and decided to pull him over.  An officer from the Whitehall department shows up and is followed by more cops from the Brentwood and Baldwin departments.

Together the five officers subdued him and after the man was handcuffed, the 2 officers from the Whitehall department restrained him. Within the next seven minutes Gammage dies, the coroner’s report listed the cause of death as asphyxiation because of pressure applied to his neck and chest.  

The second victim was a high school student who was out walking on the night of January 12, 2010. Three plain clothed officers went up to Jordan Miles and demanded drugs and money. When the student ran away the cops chases him, beat him up, and then arrested him. In the police report, the cops said it appeared that the victim had a gun in high pocket at first glance. After they searched him they found it to be a bottle of soda.

The third case and perhaps the most shocking of all occurred on a night just two months later in a small town of a few thousand people.  Robert Leone a 31 year old male was spotted driving his car down a dark road on March 8, 2010. State troopers were out looking for a dark car involved in a hit and run, one trooper mistook Leone’s car to be the one being sought and gave pursuit.

Robert Leone was not driving fast, nor did he try to elude the trooper. He simply did not stop his car, as he did nothing wrong. He assumed the officer was off to some other emergency and would pass him. The trooper radioed for back up and more officers got involved with the low speed pursuit.  

The troopers used a manoeuvre to stop the slow moving car.  One patrol car blocked the driver’s side door, while another one was parked in front of the car. The back of the car was in a ditch so it was immobilized. The dashboard cam of one patrol car facing the passenger’s side door showed what happened to Robert Leone over the next several minutes. 

Officers use stun guns on Robert Leone several times during and after he was removed from the car.  The dash cam view shows the officers as they physically assault the victim, one officer is seen shaking his own hand after he broke it by punching the victim in the head. The audio transmission records the verbal assault by officers, lots of cussing as well as the pleas from Leone.

Te victim was taken to the local hospital, and when he told hospital personnel he was being beaten by the cops, the hospital workers were told to leave. When the troopers were done with subduing Leone he had been beaten further, he would also suffer more at their hands while in custody at the Towanda Barracks of the Pennsylvania State Troopers.

Mr. Leone who failed to stop for officers had been in jail since that time.  It was realized after the troopers stopped him that he was not the driver they were looking for. 

Robert Leone, Peaceful Protest Organized to Show Support

Robert Leone and Rodney King had encounters with the police that are equally horrifying. While one story made national headlines in 1992, during the infamous riots of LA, the other has yet to gain that attention. It is the goal of a group of concerned residents of Bradford County Pennsylvania, led by Michael Knitner and Larry Hohol to draw national attention to the case of Robert Leone.

The group of concerned residents of Bradford County will meet on the lawn of the county's courthouse to show their support for Mr. Leone, on Friday June 29, 2012. This will be a peaceful gathering and hundreds of people are expected to join the stand in unity during the day.

Any concerned residents can gather in unity with us at 301 Main Street Towanda Pennsylvania for the daylong event. This peaceful demonstration will begin at 7am and last until around 9pm. The courthouse will hold usual business hours during the demonstration. The public is urged to not interfere with the courthouse business.

Robert Leone a resident from Vestal, New York was legally driving down a country road in rural Bradford County one evening in March of 2010. Pennsylvania State Troopers were on the lookout for a car involved in a hit and run during this time. One trooper spotted the Leone car and gave pursuit. When Leone, who was driving the speed limit and innocent, would not pull over other troopers joined in pursuit.

Over the next few hours, the innocent man was the victim of police brutality that Bradford County, Pennsylvania has never seen.

The video, which was recorded by the dash cam in one of the state trooper's car, shows the slow speed pursuit along with the troopers on the scene. The video, which is linked here, is very graphic. Mr. Hohol, a retired PA officer, narrates the video.

Hospital records show Robert Leone was treated at Memorial Hospital in Towanda shortly afterwards. The report clearly states he was awake and oriented at the time of admission. The victim was overheard telling the nurse what was happening and troopers ordered medical personnel out of the room. Subsequently, the patient left the hospital in worse shape than when he was admitted.

Mr. Leone returned to the hospital for further treatment a few hours after he was being arraigned at the barracks. Robert Leone is currently in jail and has been since 2010.

Perhaps the story of Robert Leone will get as much attention as the Rodney King story did. Here is how you can help. Please pass this story, along with others that share the truth about the case, to everyone you know.