Posts Tagged ‘Judge Kathleen Pantle’
Sergeant Anthony C. Salemi
Sgt. Anthony C. Salemi is a member of the Cook County Correctional staff. He is a sergeant assigned to Cermak – the infirmary at Cook County Department of Corrections (CCDOC). He attacked me on May 16, 2005. I was incarcerated on a fraudulent finding of contempt by corrupt Judge Kathleen Pantle – who later was removed as a criminal court judge and is facing a lawsuit from me. The contempt charge is presently under review by the federal court, who I have asked to overturn this petty offense conviction.
I had been in jail 6 days, had been denied the usual free phone call to family and attorney (guaranteed by law) and was frantic about who would care for my father, an elderly man who was recovering from a major illness and developed an exacerbation of his chronic disease. I had been illegally denied medication prescribed by my doctors at the U. of I. for serious lung and heart disorders, without which I become very dizzy, weak, and faint easily – frequently going into brief cardiac arrests. I was representing myself in court and the corrupt staff at the jail illegally denied me my constitutional right to access the courts (have a pen, paper, and a way to mail the documents to the court). I suffer from a partial right hemiparesis and extremely poor balance due to congenital spinal injury and progressive spinal problems. I usually had walked with a cane, but on the second day as I became more ill from lack of proper medication and diet (I require a special diet that was denied to me). I nearly passed out in the shower and then was given a wheelchair that was broken.
It is a class A misdemeanor for a jailer to deny medication, access to the courts, and free initial phone calls (although brief). The Cook County State’s Attorney Devine and now Alvarez are refusing to prosecute these offenses against inmates. I even met with Alvarez’s assistant a month ago and they still have done nothing.
The broken wheelchair was difficult to move well. It was extra wide so that I had to spread my arms wide – with congenital injury to the nerves to arms, hands, and shoulders, I am normally fairly weak and can’t even open a mild carton with my hands. Pushing a wheelchair is a strain, especially if weak from lack of meds and diet. The wheelchair had almost no tread on right wheel making the bare metal spin on the floor and not grip well, the right wheel and hand wheel were cockeyed due to a missing spacer and bent screw that kept sticking out and jamming the wheel.
No one would listen to me, so I protested the only legal way possible. I constantly banged on the door as much as I physically could tolerate day and night asking for a higher ranking officer and grievance forms. I eventually was given a grievance form and then days later a small broken crayon with which it was very difficult to write. They NEVER responded to the grievance so I presume it was circular filed.
Then I also went on a dry hunger strike – no food or water, although I did keep myself alive by drinking a few ounces every 3-4 days. After 2 1/2 weeks the judge finally stayed the sentence and ordered me to be hospitalized. Obviously within a few days I was extremely weak and unable to stand for more than a few moments. It took a while to recover. I lost about 20 lbs over that two weeks. The medical records confirm I was severely dehydrated. Hunger strikes are a time honored method of political protest used by Mohandas Gandhi, as well as the Belfast Ten and many others through the ages. It is a respectable method of protesting illegal conditions in jails/prisons, or in making political protests.
What the sadist, Sgt. Salemi did was open the cell door a foot or so and because he wanted to retaliate against me for being annoying said: “I’m going to make a case so you don’t get out.” Then he quickly lunged at me grabbing my neck with his right hand. The wheel chair rolled backwards under the force, which surprised him. He stumbled and scraped his shins along the footrests as he fell half-way. He kept his hand on my neck and got very angry from falling. He then grabbed the wheelchair with his right hand and my left arm with his left hand (he is very strong with tree-trunk like arms and strong hands) simultaneously flipping me off the wheelchair while he pulled it out from under me.
I hit against the bed and landed on my hands and right knee. My right foot got caught in the footrests and a toe was severely contused and swollen like a grape for days. I had a bruise on my right knee and bruises on my left arm corresponding to his fingers. The wheelchair was missing arm rails and the double metal posts in the middle of the sides of the seat stuck up a little so that when he pulled the chair from under me they raked against my thighs causing a 3″ X 6″ contusion on the rights thigh (inner and posterior) and a 2′ X 4″ contusion on the left thigh (inner and posterior).
I had been abused in 2002 at Advocate Christ Medical Center by incompetent and overly aggressive staff, given the wrong medication, despite my protests, that caused me to go into respiratory arrest and restrained during the process by an officer at Advocate Christ Hospital (Ofc. Lauri Sullivan and Dr. Daniel Girzadas Jr.) leading to post-traumatic-stress disorder where I go into an altered state of consciousness, am unaware or only partially aware of my environment, cower, cry, and tell people stay away and don’t hit me. During the malpractice by Dr. Girzadas and Ofc. Sullivan, I though I was dying, lost consciousness, but by the grace of God woke up. Such traumatic episodes with near death experiences frequently lead to PTSD.
As the attack by Salemi ended, I went into a flashback as described above and was in terror, crying and cowering and yelling “stay away from me.” It is kind of like the response of a rape victim. Therefore, I wouldn’t let a nurse or anyone touch me or examine me for at least 8 hours, after which they refused to examine me for two days. They also refused to take pictures of my injuries, although they made sure to take pictures of Salemi’s scraped shins.
Salemi falsified his records, said I attacked him, and I was arrested for this. I was wrongfully convicted of this class three felony and sentenced to two years in prison. This case is on appeal in the federal court at the present time, who ruled that I could go to the federal court because the Illinois Appellate Court was impeding my appeal (See fed. case No. 09 C 105). Judge Coar later changed his opinion and dismissed my habeas petition saying I didn’t exhaust state remedies – this is a violation of the U.S. Supreme Court Ruling in Woods v. Nierstheimer, 328 U.S. 211 (1946) where the court held that in IL since there is no appeal of a habeas petition allowed, when it is filed and denied in a local county court, this becomes the “highest court” in the state and an appeal of the denial of habeas petition must go directly to the U.S. Supreme Court. This is also the ruling of the IL Supreme Court in People v. Loftus, 400 Ill. 432 (1948). I am pursuing all legal avenues of appeal.
Other officers (at least two), along with Sgt. Hernandez told me that they hoped I got that S*** as he “only attacks women” and is nasty and brutal.
Sgt. Salemi is a dangerous sociopath, with low self esteem who feels it necessary to boost his self esteem by attacking women. I complained to Sheriff Sheahan and Dick Divine and they did nothing. I have complained to Sheriff Dart and he has done nothing. I have filed a complaint with the FBI. As soon as my conviction is overturned, I will sue Salemi and those who covered-up his falsification of records including Inv. Sofus.
It is unconscionable and outrageous that his creep still works at CCDOC and is not behind bars. He is guilty of aggravated battery of a handicapped person, official misconduct, theft of honest services, conspiracy to violate civil rights under color of law and violation of civil rights under color of law. It makes me puke to hear his name and I am dismayed that his fellow officers condone his misconduct and brutality. Some day he’ll get what’s coming to him. I just wish it was sooner rather than later.
The abuse continues at the jail daily against inmates. Sgt. Mollivetti even confirmed this to me at one point a year or so ago stating: “We got you on one made charge and we can get you on anything we want by writing whatever we want in our logs.”
Strong federal intervention is needed to stop this abuse including dozens of indictments and federal oversight at CCDOC. I will continue to fight for this in every way possible. Please join me!
