Read to end, Secret meeting in Philly with Eric Holder. Not sure it was before, during or right after our Pro-Blue rally. Delaware Valley Pro-Blue Rally Saturday, January 10, 2015, 1-2 PM Independence Mall 5th and Market Streets Old City, Philadelphia, PA January 16, 2015, 3 PM Dear Friends, We are so very grateful to everyone who made last Saturdays Delaware Valley Pro-Blue Rally a success--and who cursed the freezing temperatures by descending upon Independence Mall. How cold was it? It was sooo cold, that our professional Bugler had difficulty getting his instrument to hit the appropriate notes while playing Taps in honor of fallen NYPD Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu. Rally Wrap-Up There are four major components to most rallies and events: program, promotion, funding, and media coverage. A program consists, not only of content, but also setup and venue. In this, the Delaware Valley Pro-Blue Rally had it all--great speakers who became the message: Elected Democrats and Republicans; Activists and Veterans; Radio Personalities and Commentators--all coming together to honor our Men and Women in Blue. (Photos below courtesy of Joseph Kaczmarek/AP; Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice; Bill Lawarence/billlawrenceonline.) With Independence Hall as the symbolic backdrop, the message All Lives Matter and police are the first line of defense in protecting our rights to life, liberty, and property resonated and reverberated. Bill Green of TNTRentals did a fantastic job staging the event. The banner, funded by member Dave Sommers, looked terrific! Dom Giordano and WPHT 1210 AM, the office of Senator Pat Toomey, various bloggers, and other social media gurus, helped tremendously in spreading the word. (The official attendance of nearly 300, as determined by a Ranger from Independence National Historical Park, would have been double, or perhaps, triple, had the weather cooperated.) Due to the last minute nature of the event--and the difficulty of working around the holidays--we were very fortunate, indeed--but definitely underfunded. As for earned media, the Rally did exceptionally well. Due to coverage by the Associated Press reporter, Natalie Pompilio, our Pro-Blue story was picked up by major newspapers across the country---including the Washington Times, the Houston Chronicle, Dallas Morning News; UT San Diego. Yahoo News; Newsmax; Townhall; local ABC, NBC, CBS, and PBS affiliates; WHYY; KYW Newsradio; and various bloggers also featured the rally. Here are four different versions: leoaffairs/featured/hundreds-police-supporters-gather-bitter-cold-rally/ foxnews/us/2015/01/10/hundreds-brave-frigid-temperatures-to-show-support-for-police-in-philadelphia/ billlawrenceonline/delaware-valley-pro-blue-photo-page/ phillyvoice/pro-blue-rally-defends-philly-cops/ Earlier this week, Senator Pat Toomey, in a tribute to local law enforcement, read the pro-blue rally into the official US Senate Record: Senator Toomey Thanks Police Officers Senator Toomey Thanks Police Officers We Thank Our Speakers and Supporters The Independence Hall Foundation would like to send our sincerest appreciation to Dom Giordano, who not only spoke at the rally, but was a driving force behind its promotion. To that end, we also wish to thank Senator Pat Toomey. As well, we thank Philadelphia County Sheriff Jewell Williams, Chester County Sheriff Carolyn Bunny Welsh, Congressman Pat Meehan, Mayor Bob McMahon, PA Representatives Steve Barrar and Mike Vereb, Renee Amore, Gary Cobb, Tigre Hill, Armond James, Joe Eastman, Rich Davis, Matt Rooney, Rev. Todd Johnson, Bob Ballentine,and Bugler, Kevin Guenfeld. In addition, we thank WPHT producer, Bill Kornfield; Office of Senator Pat Toomey, especially James Fitzpatrick; Office of Mike Fitzpatrick; American Sheepdogs, especially Rich Davis; Delco Patriots, especially Cathy Kraddock and MaryEllen Jones; A Heros Welcome, especially Maria Hilands; Renee Amore and Staff; ZOA, especially Steve Feldman; DanCirucci.Blogspot; BillLawrenceonline; SaveJersey;Saturday Morning in America; Lin Decesare; Joe Eastman; DaveSommers; William Green IV; our terrific Volunteers, & You! Please Donate to the Ramos and Liu Families If you were unable to attend the rally, please consider contributing to the Ramos and Liu families via PayPal by making a payment to Daily News Charities, account number 9387-575-837, routing number 021-000-322 or by sending a check (payable to Daily News Charities, Inc.): Daily News Charities, Ramos and Liu families, New York Daily News, 4 New York Plaza New York, NY 10004. AG Holder Holds Secret Meeting in Philly to Discuss Policing Please read the following Press Release which addressed our concerns regarding Eric Holders visit (yesterday) to Philadelphia: Group Condemns AG Holders Secret Meeting on Community Policing Philadelphia, PA (January 15, 2015) -- The Independence Hall Foundation, the organization which sponsored the recent Delaware Valley Pro-Blue Rally, condemns the secret meeting taking place in Philadelphia, today, between US Attorney General Eric Holder and unnamed members of the local community. This morning, Newsworks and Philadelphia Magazine reported the story, and neither news organization named any participants other than Eric Holder. Heres a direct quote from Philadelphia Magazine: U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will visit Philly today to talk about policing issues, Newsworks reports but only to a select group of officials meeting behind closed doors. Rob Kane, who studies police authority and accountability at Drexel University, said the Obama administration is in the midst of a legitimacy crisis in American urban policing. It was sparked, he said, in part by grand juries failing to indict police officers in Ferguson and Staten Island. Kane said keeping the speech closed to the public helps maintain an orderly audience and creates a platform for delivering an uninterrupted message. If youre up on stage, and youre trying to convey a point and look as if you have control over a situation, then you dont want to be heckled, and you dont want it on camera that youre being heckled, or facing resistance, Kane said. Why all the secrecy behind the meeting? asks Foundation spokesperson, Teri Adams. Community Policing is a local matter--not a federal one. The Obama Administration has no business trying to direct local policing--especially from behind closed doors. While theres nothing wrong with having discussions about the way in which law enforcement conducts itself, there is something wrong with holding secret meetings at the behest of the top law enforcement agent in the country. # # # On Behalf of the Foundation Board, Teri Adams
Posted on: Sat, 17 Jan 2015 16:25:31 +0000
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