How a Florida city targets unwanted residents using police and code enforcement

[DonCoquixote]

https://www.cltampa.com/news/how-a-florida-city-targets-unwanted-residents-using-police-and-code-enforcement-15301834

a preview of what will happen in Florida

Hebert and Wojciechowski are just two examples of disturbing behavior from local enforcement which have been exposed in recent years by CL’s reporting on the city.

Over the past four years, NPRPD has been caught in a laundry list of scandalous behavior, including praying with Proud Boys during a BLM march in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. One officer was caught sharing department intel with an armed right-wing vigilante who was threatening BLM protesters online. Another was caught posing in front of a confederate flag on a boat.

The department also tried to pin a false felony charge on Marlowe Jones—a BLM activist who faced five years in prison after being charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, with zero evidence. He was found not guilty by a jury of his peers, and Jones is now also in the process of suing the city.

In January, Kim Bogart, the city’s former police chief who also oversaw code enforcement, retired suddenly shortly after publicly defending the slew of bigoted incidents from his officers.

Erik Jay, the city’s current code enforcement manager, who supervised Morgan as he spied on and harassed Wojciechowski, moved to his position after he retired from Bogart’s troubled police force.

Wojciechowski is a staunch BLM supporter, and had signs in her yard during the 2020 protests in New Port Richey. She also received now-dropped violations for practicing her First Amendment right to display those signs on her property.