Robert Goodis, Author at The Goodis Center

Essay: Secure Communities, Priority Enforcement, and IDENT/IAFIS Interoperability: Recommendations for Effective Reform (2015)

June 11, 2015 By Robert Goodis Leave a Comment

Abstract:

This essay explores an immigration enforcement strategy known as IDENT/IAFIS Interoperability, comparing the strategy under its original Secure Communities structure, and under the recently-announced Priority Enforcement Program (PEP). In addition to Secure Communities and PEP, this paper discusses related enforcement programs, overall immigration enforcement goals, and the outcomes of recent enforcement efforts. The paper examines Constitutional challenges to the enforcement programs, and explores deeper issues related to the spectrum of state and local criminal laws, community trust in law enforcement, and dangers of the immigration detention system as it currently exists. Ultimately, this essay provides policy recommendations to address the challenges introduced by Secure Communities and the Priority Enforcement Program.

This essay was prepared by Robert Goodis to fulfill his Upper Level Writing Requirement at American University, Washington College of Law, in the spring of 2015. The paper appears here in the exact form submitted to WCL faculty. It is included in the archives of The Goodis Center because of the relevance of the subject-matter to our ongoing research. This essay may be called a working paper of The Goodis Center – we welcome feedback and discussion.

View the full essay here or browse our archive of full reports and essays.

Report: Contemporary Immigration Detention Practices in the United States (2010)

June 11, 2015 By Robert Goodis Leave a Comment

This report, prepared in 2010, documents the state of United States immigration detention practices, focusing on Northwest Detention Center – run by The GEO Group, Inc. – and on the T. Don Hutto Family Residential Facility – run by the Corrections Corporation of America.

The report was prepared by Robert Goodis as his Senior Project in fulfillment of the requirements for his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Human Rights at Bard College. The report concludes that further research is necessary to reach any viable sociology-based recommendations, and it is based on these findings that The Goodis Center has continued researching immigration detention as one of our primary areas of focus. While the report was unable to point to a sociological key to reforming immigration detention, it does unveil systemic problems in immigration detention across the United States and broadly offer the insight that alternatives to detention should be used whenever possible.

An excerpt from Chapter Three – Case Study: T. Don Hutto Family Residential Facility, Williamson County, TX, and the Corrections Corporation of America is included below. The full report is available for viewing and download here.

Excerpt from Chapter Three – Case Study: T. Don Hutto Family Residential Facility, Williamson County, TX, and the Corrections Corporation of America

T. Don Hutto Family Residential Facility, T. Don Hutto Residential Center, Immigration Detention, Detention Center

Read the rest of the report here.

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………….. 1
Focusing on Asylum-Seekers, Asylees, and Refugees………………………………………… 1
Chapter One………………………………………………………………………………………. 3
A Short Introduction to Refugee Policy and the Definitions of Refugee & Asylum-Seeker ……. 3
A Brief Historical Survey of the Role of Refugees and Asylum-Seekers in U.S. Legislation …… 14
A Survey and Summary of Select Laws, Doctrines, and Jurisprudence Affecting Refugee and
Asylum-Seeker Detention in the United States ……………………………………………………………… 17
The Response-Time of the United States in Changing Laws to Abide by International
Standards ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 34
Chapter Two – Case Study: Northwest Detention Center …………………………………………………… 36
The History and Purpose of the Northwest Detention Center and The GEO Group, Inc. …….. 36
Facility Design, Daily Living, and Detainee Demographics ……………………………………………. 38
Issues Facing Detainees at NWDC ………………………………………………………………………………. 41
Due process and grievances at NWDC ……………………………………………………………………… 41
Food, living conditions, medical care, and visitation at NWDC …………………………………… 48
Punishment and treatment by guards ………………………………………………………………………… 55
Administration and Oversight Issues at NWDC …………………………………………………………….. 59
Chapter Three – Case Study: T. Don Hutto Family Residential Facility, Williamson County, TX,
and the Corrections Corporation of America ………………………………………………………………….. 66
The History and Purpose of the T. Don Hutto Family Residential Facility and the Corrections
Corporation of America ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 66
Facility Design, Daily Living, and Detainee Demographics ……………………………………………. 71
Issues Facing Detainees at Hutto …………………………………………………………………………………. 78
Due process and grievances at Hutto ………………………………………………………………………… 78
Food, living conditions, visitation, medical care, and education at Hutto ………………………. 83
Punishment and treatment by guards ………………………………………………………………………… 93
Administration and Oversight Issues at Hutto ……………………………………………………………….. 97
Chapter Four – Analysis, Conclusions, and Recommendations …………………………………………. 102
The Human Rights, Social, and Legal Implications of Contemporary Detention Practices … 102
The Human Rights, Social, and Legal Implications of Contemporary Detention Practices as
Analyzed through a Sociological Approach ………………………………………………………………… 114
Bibliography ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 125
Acronyms and Abbreviations ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 151

Abstract:

“Contemporary Immigration Detention Practices in the United States: A Study in Sociology and Human Rights” is a study on the detention and incarceration of immigrants, with particular focus on the effects and implications of detaining refugees and asylum-seekers, in the United States. The study reports on two specific detention facilities—the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, and the T. Don Hutto Family Residential Facility (a.k.a. T. Don Hutto Residential Center) in Taylor, Texas—as sociological case-studies, primarily presented as legal briefs, to explore how contemporary detention practices relate to the legal structure and ideals established by domestic and international law, including international human rights law. Through an analysis of how current practices satisfy or miss ideal standards set by laws, declarations, policies, and other such guidelines, this study determines that current detention practices constitute a clear and detrimental case of systemic human rights violations. While a brief sociological exploration of the trends and conditions in immigration detention offers various theories which may explain—and eventually go into forming an effective remedy for—these violations, this study can only determine that more research needs to be compiled in order to reach any valid sociological conclusions.

Read the full report, courtesy of the Bard College Digital Commons.

The report is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Browse our archive of full reports and essays.

Situation of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights in Guyana

March 24, 2015 By Robert Goodis

Vea este artículo en español aquí.

Situation of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights in Guyana
March 20, 2015
By Robert D. Goodis

Petitioners (left to right): Joel Simpson (SASOD), Sabine McIntosh (DAG), Colin Klauthy (GOIP), Imarah Radix (S4), and Schemel Patrick (SASOD)Photo by Robert Goodis — Petitioners (left to right): Joel Simpson (SASOD), Sabine McIntosh (DAG), Colin Klauthy (GOIP), Imarah Radix (S4), and Schemel Patrick (SASOD)
Photo by Robert Goodis

Commissioners: Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, Felipe González, James L. Cavallaro (IACHR Country Rapporteur for Guyana)

Petitioners: Guyana Equality Forum (GEF), Deaf Association of Guyana (DAG), Stella’s Sisterhood of Service and Support Foundation (S4 Foundation), Guyana Organization of Indigenous Peoples (GOIP), Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU), Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD)

State: Guyana (Represented by Hon. Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Ambassador Bayney Karran)

On March 20, 2015, Petitioners before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) asserted that the State of Guyana has failed to protect the economic, social, and cultural rights of woman and girls, indigenous peoples, deaf persons, and LGBT individuals. In response, the Government highlighted areas in which progress has been made and suggested that local culture and politics hindered further progress. Both the Petitioners and the Government expressed an interest in working together on these issues moving forward.

Ms. Schemel Patrick, Advocacy and Communications Officer at SASOD, introduced the Petitioners, a delegation of four organizations representing the Guyana Equality Forum—a network of civil society organizations working for equal rights and justice for all Guyanese. First, Ms. Imarah Radix, Executive Director of S4 Foundation, addressed gender equality and violence and its impact on the social and economic rights of women and girls.

Ms. Radix explained that women and girls in Guyana suffer from high rates of maternal mortality, domestic violence, teenage pregnancy, teen suicide, human trafficking, rape and murder, sexual harassment in the workplace, and discrimination due to HIV status or gender status in the workplace. Women do not know their rights and are unable to afford legal services, and the local authorities are unhelpful to victims of domestic violence and human trafficking.

Mr. Colin Klauthy, Chief of GOIP, then presented on human trafficking and cultural genocide. He explained how GOIP is seriously concerned about the trafficking of indigenous girls and women. Mr. Klauthy then described the trend of cultural genocide in Guyana as related to the loss of traditional languages and he implored the Government to put systems in place to fight stereotyping and ethnic denigration of indigenous peoples in Guyana.

Ms. Sabine McIntosh, Director of DAG, discussed deaf persons’ rights to language and education. Noting that over 90% of deaf children are born into hearing families, Ms. McIntosh stated that Guyana currently lacks mechanisms to identify deaf children and provide them with critical developmental and educational support. Ms. McIntosh explained how the Government has failed to support deaf youth efforts to access vocational training and employment and expressed eagerness to partner with the Government to address these problems.

Mr. Joel Simpson, Managing Director of SASOD, stated that Guyana indisputably discriminates against LGBT people in law and policy. Mr. Simpson addressed arrests and prosecutions of LGBT Guyanese and described the pervasive problems of social stigma and criminalization. After noting that criminalization feeds homophobia and employment discrimination, Mr. Simpson asked the Government of Guyana to abolish the laws that criminalize homosexuality and cross-dressing, and to incorporate sexual orientation and gender identity into its equal protection laws.

Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett responded for the Government of Guyana, agreeing that Guyana must do more to protect the rights of women and girls. The Minister explained that the Government has made some progress in dealing with domestic violence and gender discrimination, but noted the need for more training and resources to address these problems.

The Minister then described the systems Guyana has in place to protect indigenous communities from human trafficking, and to investigate and prosecute traffickers. The Minister also addressed the claims of cultural genocide and discrimination, saying that the Government has been working to protect the nine indigenous Guyanese languages from extinction and to improve cultural education and sensitivity across Guyana. Addressing the issues of deaf individuals in Guyana, the Minister stated that she would like to begin working with DAG immediately to share resources and expertise.

On the issue of LGBT discrimination, Minister Rodrigues-Birkett stated that changing the laws would require an Act of Parliament. While the Minister expressed her personal belief that human rights should not be a political issue, she stated that the only path to legal reform requires the political will of Parliament. Throughout her presentation, the Minister responded to each of the Petitioners’ examples of abuse and discrimination, noting that the Government would be interested in investigating these cases and working more closely with civil society on such issues going forward.

The Commissioners thanked the Petitioners for raising these issues and the State for taking these matters so seriously. Commissioner Cavallaro expressed interest in returning to Guyana as Country Rapporteur to help address the issues raised in this hearing. Commissioner González noted that many Latin American countries have struggled with these issues and made significant progress. Commissioner Antoine noted that the Commission would request further documentation and would continue to monitor the situation in Guyana.

View the full hearing here, courtesy of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights:

Situación de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales en Guyana
20 de marzo del 2015
Por Robert D. Goodis
Traducido por Lillyana Daza Jaller

Comisionados: Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, Felipe González, James L. Cavallaro (Relator para el País de Guyana).

Peticionarios: Guyana Equality Forum (GEF), Deaf Association of Guyana (DAG), Stella’s Sisterhood of Service and Support Foundation (S4 Foundation), Guyana Organization of Indigenous Peoples (GOIP), Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU), Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD)

Estado: Guyana (representado por Ministra de Relaciones Exteriores Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett y Embajada de Guyana en EEUU Bayney Karran)

El 20 de marzo del 2015, los Peticionarios afirmaron, ante a la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH), que el Estado de Guyana no ha cumplido con proteger los derechos económicos, sociales y culturales de las mujeres y niñas, los indígenas, los sordos y los individuos LGBT. En respuesta a esto, el Gobierno resaltó las áreas en las que se han hecho adelantos y sugirió que la cultura local y la política impedían mayores avances. Tanto los Peticionarios como el Gobierno expresaron su interés en trabajar juntos para avanzar sobre estos asuntos.

La señora Schemel Patrick, Oficial de Comunicaciones y Defensa de la SASOD, presentó a los Peticionarios, una delegación de cuatro organizaciones que representan el Foro de Igualdad de Guyana – una red de organizaciones de sociedad civil que trabaja por los derechos de igualdad y justicia para todos los Guyaneses. Inicialmente, la señora Imarah Radix, Directora Ejecutiva de la Fundación S4, expuso el tema de la igualdad de género y la violencia y su impacto en los derechos sociales y económicos de mujeres y niñas.

La señora Radix explicó que las mujeres y niñas en Guyana sufren altas tasas de mortalidad materna, violencia doméstica, embarazos en adolescencia, suicidios de adolescentes, trata de seres humanos, violación y asesinato, acoso sexual en el lugar de trabajo, y discriminación en el lugar de trabajo debido al estado serológico o al género. Las mujeres no conocen sus derechos y no pueden pagar los servicios legales, y las autoridades locales no ayudan a las víctimas de violencia doméstica o de la trata de seres humanos.

El señor Colin Klauthy, Jefe del GOIP, informó después sobre la trata de seres humanos y el genocidio cultural. El explicó como el GOIP está seriamente preocupado por la trata de niñas y mujeres indígenas. Luego, El señor Klauthy describió como la tendencia al genocidio cultural en Guyana tiene relación con la perdida de idiomas tradicionales e imploro al Gobierno que implementara un sistema para luchar contra los estereotipos y la denigración étnica contra los indígenas de Guyana.

La señora Sabine McIntosh, Directora de DAG, hablo sobre los derechos lingüísticos y de educación de los sordos. Destacando que el 90% de los niños sordos nacen en familias con capacidad auditiva, la señora McIntosh afirmo que Guyana actualmente no cuenta con mecanismos para identificar a los niños sordos ni para proveerles apoyo educativo y un desarrollo crítico. La señora McIntosh explicó cómo el Gobierno no ha respaldado los esfuerzos de los jóvenes sordos para tener acceso a entrenamiento vocacional y a empleo, y expresó estar ansiosa en asociarse con el Gobierno para solucionar estos problemas.

El señor Joel Simpson, Director Gerencial de SASOD, afirmo que Guyana ciertamente discrimina legal y políticamente a las personas LGBT. El señor Simpson abordo el tema de los arrestos y juicios contra Guyaneses LGBT y describió los problemas generalizados de estigmatización social y de criminalización. Después de señalar que la criminalización alimenta la homofobia y la discriminación laboral, el señor Simpson pidió al Gobierno de Guyana que aboliera las leyes que condenan la homosexualidad y el travestismo, y que incorporara la orientación sexual y la identidad de género a sus leyes de igualdad de protección.

La Ministra Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett respondió de parte del Gobierno de Guyana, concediendo que Guyana debe hacer más por proteger los derechos de mujeres y niñas. La Ministra explicó que el Gobierno ha hecho algunos avances respecto al manejo de la violencia doméstica y a la discriminación sexual, pero reconoció la necesidad de tener más recursos y entrenamiento para manejar estos problemas.

La Ministra luego describió los sistemas que Guyana tiene actualmente para proteger las comunidades indígenas de la trata de seres humanos y para investigar y enjuiciar a los traficantes. La Ministra se refirió también a los reclamos de genocidio cultural y discriminación, diciendo que el Gobierno ha venido trabajando para proteger las nueve lenguas indígenas Guyaneses de la extinción y para mejorar la educación y la sensibilidad cultural en toda Guyana. Con respecto al tema de los sordos en Guayana, la Ministra manifestó que le gustaría comenzar a trabajar con DAG de forma inmediata para compartir recursos y conocimientos.

Sobre el tema de la discriminación LGBT, la Ministra Rodrigues-Birkett manifestó que para cambiar las leyes se necesitaría una Ley de Parlamento. Mientras que la Ministra expresó su punto de vista personal de que los derechos humanos no deberían ser un asunto político, esta afirmo que la única vía para lograr reformas legales era mediante la voluntad política del Parlamento. Durante su presentación, la Ministra respondió a todos y cada uno de los ejemplos sobre abuso y discriminación expuestos por los Peticionarios, destacando que al Gobierno le interesaría investigar estos casos y trabajar más de cerca con la sociedad civil sobre estos asuntos en el futuro.

Los Comisionados agradecieron a los Peticionarios por presentar estos asuntos y al Estado por tomar tan seriamente estos temas. El Comisionado Cavallaro expreso su interés en regresar a Guyana como Relator para el país para ayudar a manejar los temas expuestos en esta audiencia. El Comisionado González señaló que muchos países Latinoamericanos han tenido problemas con estos asuntos y han logrado avances significativos. La Comisionada Antoine mencionó que la Comisión pediría más documentación y continuaría monitoreando la situación en Guyana.

Original content available at: Human Rights Brief

GITMO to Chicago: Washington Must Take Action on Detention Practices

February 28, 2015 By Robert Goodis Leave a Comment

Photo of Chicago Police barricades by Seth Anderson on Flickr, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

An exclusive story run by The Guardian this week details an off-the-books site used by the Chicago Police Department to interrogate and detain individuals in secret. News of the Homan Square facility has left many of us wondering how long the Chicago PD has been resorting to these so-called Gestapo tactics, how these tactics could go on so long without public knowledge, whom will be held accountable, and where else is this happening. It also has many drawing comparisons to CIA black sites and the Guantánamo Bay detention camp commonly called GITMO.

According to The Guardian,

Alleged police practices at Homan Square, according to those familiar with the facility who spoke out to the Guardian after its investigation into Chicago police abuse, include:

Keeping arrestees out of official booking databases.

Beating by police, resulting in head wounds.

Shackling for prolonged periods.

Denying attorneys access to the “secure” facility.

Holding people without legal counsel for between 12 and 24 hours, including people as young as 15.

At least one man was found unresponsive in a Homan Square “interview room” and later pronounced dead.

Some news outlets, like Chicago’s WBEZ 91.5 – Chicago Public Radio, have pointed out that the Homan Square facility was not actually secret or off-the-books, and that local reporters had been to the site many times for interviews and even press conferences. A reporter from The Chicago Sun-Times told WBEZ that the site houses significant parts of Chicago PD’s organized crime and drug enforcement activities, and that many undercover officers—whose identities need to be protected—frequent the site.

The Chicago Police Department says advertising the location would put their lives at risk. A spokesman says gang members have been known to stake out the place to catch glimpses of undercover cops, a reason why some people might be denied access. But the building also has a public entrance where people can pick up stolen property and items inventoried in crimes.

MSNBC reported similar claims from the Chicago Police Department.

While the nature of the site is debated, the abuses highlighted by The Guardian‘s investigation remain troublesome. The U.S. Constitution does not allow due process exceptions for people in police custody simply because the police choose to detain them at a sensitive location. Al Jazeera America ran a piece on the Homan Square controversy, including an interview with Tracy Siska, a criminologist and the executive director of The Chicago Justice Project.

Siska argues that anyone taken to Homan Square is, effectively, under arrest and therefore entitled to a constitutional right to counsel.

“There is one definition of arrest in the United States of America and that is the moment your individual liberty is restricted,” Siska said. “The moment they slap cuffs on you, the clock starts running on the suspect’s ability to access a phone, lawyer, and when they have to be arraigned. Any police interference with that is unconstitutional.”

Other reports have explained some of why the Homan Square allegations may have failed to get attention until now. One such report by The Atlantic also featured an interview with Siska, who explained why Homan Square was relatively unknown for so long:

I think it’s because under the law, people have a right to get counsel when arrested or when held but you’re not provided free counsel like a public defender. Mostly who they take to Homan Square are black and brown and poor kids who can’t afford to hire private counsel while they’re in custody. That’s a little nuance in the law that few know about.

Some of the functions of the Homan Square facility may be legitimate, but those functions do not justify the volume and variety of alleged violations of Chicagoans’ human rights. In fact, some lawyers have come out and said that the alleged violations at Homan Square are not specific to that site, but run throughout the system in Chicago. Practices like these merit federal investigation, with an eye towards civil rights prosecutions, and highlight the failure of the system to police itself.

State and federal policymakers must not let the Chicago Police Department’s explanations and excuses distract them from the seriousness of this problem. Just as the leadership in Washington needs to take firm—and long overdue—action on GITMO, the American public needs to call on all levels of leadership to bring an end to these practices at home and abroad.

New Videos Emerge in #PascoShooting Case

February 15, 2015 By Robert Goodis Leave a Comment

Major news outlets and independent media around the world have begun following the February 10th police shooting in Pasco, Washington, in which three officers shot and killed 35-year-old Antonio Zambrano-Montes. Police were called to the intersection after Zambrano-Montes had reportedly been throwing rocks at nearby traffic.

Photo of Pasco police cruiser on Flickr by Richard Bauer, licensed under CC BY 2.0 — Photo of Pasco police cruiser via Flickr user Richard Bauer, licensed under CC BY 2.0

A few videos of the incident have surfaced, showing Zambrano-Montes throwing an object at the officers and then running away. The videos appear to show officers firing multiple shots at the man as he ran away. When Zambrano-Montes turned around and appeared to begin raising his hands, the officers opened fire again from only feet away, killing him.

The Consulate of Mexico in Seattle and the President of Mexico have condemned the shooting, and hundreds of protesters have gathered in Pasco to demand justice.

For more on the shooting, and a brief discussion on police use of force, check out our prior post describing the Pasco shooting, the assault of Sureshbhai Patel by police in Madison, Alabama, and the recent track-record of the police department in Richmond, California.

NBC news recently aired this coverage:

NBC coverage of the protests.

KEPR CBS 19 of Pasco, Washington, aired this video shortly after the shooting:

Local CBS coverage of the shooting.

Uncensored cell phone video from a witness (warning – graphic content):

Witness video from YouTube

A Tale of Two Cities: Police Use of Force in Richmond, CA, and Pasco, WA

February 15, 2015 By Robert Goodis Leave a Comment

Pasco Washington Police SUV — Photo of Pasco, WA, police vehicle by Flickr user Richard Bauer, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

On Tuesday, February 10th, three police officers in Pasco, Washington, fatally shot a man who had been throwing rocks. The case has sparked local protests and talk of an investigation in Pasco, a city of about 68,000 people located some 215 miles southeast of Seattle. The victim, Antonio Zambrano-Montes, was a citizen of Mexico and the fourth person to be killed by Pasco police in 7 months (that’s more fatal police shootings than happen in some entire countries in a year, or longer).

While the victim’s family has filed a lawsuit claiming that the police murdered Mr. Zambrano-Montes “execution style,” the Pasco police chief exchanged letters with Eduardo Baca, Consul of Mexico. The Consulate of Mexico in Seattle expressed “deep concern over the unwarranted use of lethal force against an unarmed Mexican national by police officers.”

This exchange mirrors some of what is happening with police in Madison, Alabama, after Madison Police Officer Eric Parker turned himself in to face charges of assault in the third degree. Officer Parker threw a 57-year-old Indian citizen to the ground during a “brief encounter” that left Sureshbhai Patel partially paralyzed. A spokesman for the Indian government said this weekend

“What we will communicate is that we are extremely disturbed. This is a matter of concern for us, and India and the U.S. as open pluralist societies need to address these issues and find ways in a mature manner so that these are aberrations and are not the norm.”

While law enforcement, media outlets, and statisticians debate whether police shootings are on the rise in the United States, occurrences like these may bring the debate to a new level. These links are just a brief sampling: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Given recent events, it isn’t a far stretch to say that events like these could easily turn into international incidents, jeopardizing diplomatic relations between the U.S. and our allies, and even resulting in travel warnings and travel bans for tourists coming to the States. It is clear that U.S. law enforcement in general has been under worldwide public scrutiny in the aftermath of the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner.

ferguson protest nyc — Photo of Ferguson protests in NYC by Flickr user Christian Matts, licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

A discussion for another day will have to focus on why it is unfair—and both misinformed and unhelpful—to lump all U.S. law enforcement into one group. For now, consider the case of police in Richmond, California. Richmond is a city of 106,000 people near San Francisco, and an example of how leadership and accountability can prevent fatal police incidents.

…in Richmond, historically one of the most violent cities in the Bay Area, the Police Department has averaged fewer than one officer-involved shooting per year since 2008, and no one has been killed by a cop since 2007.

That track record stands in sharp contrast to many other law enforcement agencies in the region, according to a review of data compiled from individual departments.

Many observers and police officials attribute Richmond’s relatively low rate of deadly force to reforms initiated under Chief Chris Magnus, who took over a troubled department in this city of 106,000 in 2006. Magnus implemented a variety of programs to reduce the use of lethal force, including special training courses, improved staffing deployments to crisis situations, thorough reviews of all uses of force and equipping officers with nonlethal weapons such as Tasers and pepper spray.

The American public needs to take lessons like this to heart, and to call on our leaders for real change. If you’re not convinced, read this Op-Ed on The Washington Post from December 2014, entitled “What America’s police departments don’t want you to know.”

These issues reach the heart of our mission at The Goodis Center. While we are working to expand our research on law enforcement, and to develop educational and training materials for law enforcement in the U.S., the time for a national discussion—and for meaningful reform—is now. Let Richmond be an example of what can be accomplished with the right leadership, training, and mentality, and start calling on your local police to respect human rights and uphold their sworn duty to protect and serve.

Follow the discussion on Twitter:
#PascoShooting Tweets

New Details in Alabama Excessive Force Case

February 13, 2015 By Robert Goodis Leave a Comment

New details are emerging in the case of an apparent use of excessive force by police in Madison, Alabama. We shared some details of the incident earlier, which resulted in 57-year-old Sureshbhai Patel hospitalized and temporarily paralyzed after an encounter with police. The officer involved has reportedly turned himself in to face charges of assault in the third degree.

Sureshbhai Patel Police Excessive Force Brutality — Photo by Chirag Patel showing his father’s injuries after a brief encounter with the Madison, Alabama police

Madison police have released dashboard video of the incident:

Madison Police Department released dashboard camera footage of a police officer throwing a 57-year-old man to the ground in Alabama. The officer, Eric Parker, turned himself in on charges of assault in the third degree.
(City of Madison Police Department)

According to The Washington Post,

Sureshbhai Patel said he tried to tell the officers that he doesn’t speak English by saying “No English. Indian. Walking,” according to the lawsuit. He says he repeated his son’s house number and pointed toward the residence.

In the police video, an officer then tells Patel, “Do not jerk away from me again. If you do, I’m gonna put you on the ground.” The officer asks, “Do you understand?” and tells Patel to “relax.”

That’s when an officer twisted his arm behind his back, Patel said, and forced him to the ground, face-first. His face was bloodied, but worse, he also injured his neck and was left paralyzed in his arms and legs, the lawsuit alleges.

Reports are also now saying that Mr. Patel is partially paralyzed, and are no longer claiming that the paralysis is “temporary.”

See additional coverage in The Daily Mail and Yahoo! News.

Grandfather hospitalized, temporarily paralyzed, after encounter with Alabama police

February 12, 2015 By Robert Goodis 1 Comment

Sureshbhai Patel, 57, flew from India to the suburbs of Madison, Alabama about two weeks ago to visit his son, Chirag, and his son’s wife and 17-month-old son. Sureshbhai planned to stay and help his daughter-in-law care for his grandson while Chirag was pursuing a master’s degree at University of Alabama in Huntsville.

Last Friday, Sureshbhai went for a walk around his son’s neighborhood, and never came home. Reports indicate that a neighbor called the police to report a suspicious person walking through the neighborhood. Police arrived and confronted Sureshbhai, quickly escalating the situation after what they said may have been a “communication barrier” (Sureshbhai speaks Hindi).

AL.com coverage states:

“He was just walking on the sidewalk as he does all the time,” said his son, Chirag Patel, this morning. “They put him to the ground.”

No crime had been committed. Madison Police on Monday issued a statement saying the department had suspended the officer and were investigating the use of force in this case. The police statement wished the man a “speedy recovery.”

Sureshbhai Patel is still hospitalized with serious injuries and temporary paralysis.

This story only highlights the great need for language access, cultural communication, and extensive use of force training among U.S. police agencies.

View further coverage on NBC, AL.com, and Times of India.

The Goodis Center Now a Bronze Participant in GuideStar Exchange

February 4, 2015 By Robert Goodis Leave a Comment

For Immediate Release

The Goodis Center Has Reached the GuideStar Exchange Bronze Participation Level as a
Demonstration of Its Commitment to Transparency

February 4, 2015
SILVER SPRING, MD – The Goodis Center for Research and Reform, Inc., today received the GuideStar Exchange Bronze participation level, a leading symbol of transparency and accountability provided by GuideStar USA, Inc., the premier source of nonprofit information. This level demonstrates The Goodis Center’s deep commitment to nonprofit transparency and accountability.

“We have worked hard to showcase our progress toward our mission, and our long-held belief in being transparent about our work, to our constituents,” said Robert Goodis, The Goodis Center’s Executive Director. “As a GuideStar Exchange participant, we use their platform to share a wealth of up-to-date information about our work to our supporters and GuideStar’s immense online audience of nonprofits, grantmakers, individual donors, and the media.”

In order to be awarded the GuideStar Exchange logo, The Goodis Center had to fill out every required field of our nonprofit report page on www.guidestar.org for the Bronze level of participation.

“I encourage you to check out our profile on GuideStar to see what we’re all about,” added Robert. “We are engaged in a number of initiatives, and we are thrilled to have another platform for communicating our advancement and progress.”

In his capacity as the executive director, Robert Goodis said he also planned to pursue a higher participation level with the GuideStar Exchange initiative in the future:

“We are preparing to enter a new stage with our programs. We’re working on expanding and rejuvenating some of our ongoing projects, and also preparing to launch some new programs that we’ve had in development for some time now. This is an exciting time for The Goodis Center, and our expansion will make it easier to share our impact with GuideStar and our supporters.”

The Bronze Participant badge now appears on The Goodis Center’s official website, which is in the middle of a major overhaul.

About the GuideStar Exchange

The GuideStar Exchange is an initiative designed to connect nonprofits with current and potential supporters. With millions of people coming to GuideStar to learn more about nonprofit organizations, the GuideStar Exchange allows nonprofits to share a wealth of up-to-date information with GuideStar’s many audiences. Becoming a GuideStar Exchange participant is free of charge. To join, organizations need to update their report pages, completing all required fields for participation. The GuideStar Exchange level logos, acknowledged as symbols of transparency in the nonprofit sector, are displayed on all Exchange participants’ nonprofit reports.

The Goodis Center for Research and Reform, Inc.

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News Contact: Robert Goodis

HPRP summer law clerk Robert Goodis: “A truly exceptional experience”

August 8, 2014 By Robert Goodis Leave a Comment

As a rising third-year law student at American University’s Washington College of Law, I pursued a summer internship with HPRP to gain practical public interest experience in a fast-paced environment. My immersion as a public benefits law clerk has given me a chance to work on a number of projects, and to learn a lot about programs like Supplemental Security Income, food stamps, Medical Assistance, and Temporary Cash Assistance in the process.

Shortly after starting my internship, I joined staff attorney Michelle Salomon and other HPRP attorneys to do outreach at local homeless shelters, where we met with families who had questions or needed help with public benefits. As the summer comes near an end, I am now seeing closure for many of these families. Read more…

NOTE: This blog post is reblogged from the Homeless Persons Representation Project. I have shared this excerpt and a link to the original article so that our supporters can read about some of the work I’ve been up to outside of my regular projects with The Goodis Center. In addition to working on public benefits issues with HPRP this summer, I have also been involved in coordinating law student volunteers to assist with intakes for their expungement program in Silver Spring, MD.

-Robert Goodis

Essay: Secure Communities, Priority Enforcement, and IDENT/IAFIS Interoperability: Recommendations for Effective Reform (2015)

Report: Contemporary Immigration Detention Practices in the United States (2010)

Excerpt from Chapter Three – Case Study: T. Don Hutto Family Residential Facility, Williamson County, TX, and the Corrections Corporation of America

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract:

Read the full report, courtesy of the Bard College Digital Commons.

Situation of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights in Guyana

GITMO to Chicago: Washington Must Take Action on Detention Practices

New Videos Emerge in #PascoShooting Case

A Tale of Two Cities: Police Use of Force in Richmond, CA, and Pasco, WA

New Details in Alabama Excessive Force Case

Grandfather hospitalized, temporarily paralyzed, after encounter with Alabama police

The Goodis Center Now a Bronze Participant in GuideStar Exchange

HPRP summer law clerk Robert Goodis: “A truly exceptional experience”

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