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Delaware Public Housing: Disarmed by Decree

Read the NRA demand letter to the Wilmington Housing Authority
Read the NRA demand letter to the Newark Housing Authority
Read the NRA demand letter to the Delaware State Housing Authority
Read the NRA demand letter to the Dover Housing Authority
Newark Housing Authority withdraws gun ban A residents' handbook containing rules and regulations for everyone living in property operated by the Newark Housing Authority was "misleading," according to Rob Detwiler, who chairs the authority's Board of Commissioners. A section in the handbook requiring that tenants must "not possess explosives, firearms or flammable material on NHA's property," will be removed, Detwiler told the Caesar Rodney Institute Wednesday morning.
NRA warns public housing officials gun bans are unconstitutional and should be promptly rescinded to avoid litigation. In four strongly-worded letters, the National Rifle Association has put the state's public housing authorities on notice: they should voluntarily remove their prohibitions against individual firearms ownership to avoid a lawsuit. NRA General Counsel Robert Dowlut sent the letters via e-mail Monday to the executive directors of the four housing authorities that operate their own low-income housing in Delaware.
Read the demand letter the NRA sent to the housing authorities Robert Dowlut, General Counsel to the National Rifle Association, sent demand letters to all four Delaware housing authorities that ban their residents from owning firearms for self-defense. The text of Dowlut's letter follows:
Disarmed by Decree WILMINGTON - Thousands of Delaware's most vulnerable residents, forced by their socio-economic status to live in some of the state's most dangerous neighborhoods, are prohibited from possessing the means to defend themselves from the drug dealers and thugs who infest their communities. A five-month investigation by the Caesar Rodney Institute has revealed that all four of the state's public housing authorities ban their residents from owning firearms - despite clear protections in the Delaware Constitution, the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Supreme Court decisions and recent rulings by lower courts that have found similar bans to be unconstitutional.


Dredging

Dredging: Political grandstanding, 'hoax" lawsuits and more The Army Corps of Engineers has been dredging the Delaware River since the 1800s, when the river was 18-feet deep. The current 40-foot depth has been maintained regularly since World War II. If parts of the 103-mile shipping channel are dredged to 45 feet, many believe the increase in traffic will create more jobs throughout the region, in addition to safeguarding the jobs already here.
DNREC v. Corps of Engineers, District Court complaint Read the complaint filed Oct. 30 by the Attorney General's Office against the Corps of Engineers.
Judge: Delaware sat on its hands regarding Corps of Engineers dredging proposal The State of Delaware asked District Court Judge Sue Robinson Tuesday for an injunction that would halt the Army Corps of Engineers' controversial plan to deepen the Delaware River from 40 to 45 feet.


Rogue Force

Retaliation begins against 42 inmate whistleblowers at SCI After 42 inmates at the Sussex Correctional Institution in Georgetown came forward telling state officials they witnessed an unprovoked assault by three guards on one inmate - an attack which they say was started by the guards - retaliation has begun against the whistleblowers.
More than 40 inmates document unprovoked attack on inmate by guards at SCI Witnesses ask Attorney General Beau Biden, Correction Commissioner Carl Danberg, ACLU, NAACP to protect them from abuse and retaliation.
Attorney General Beau Biden's Office trying to silence prison critic As Attorney General Beau Biden was being welcomed home Wednesday from a one-year tour in Iraq at a ceremony in Dover, his office was busy working damage control, trying to contain the ever-widening prison scandal and silence its critics.
Abuse of Power Continues in Delaware's Prison System Gianfranco Carta suffers intense pain, nightmares and crippling anxiety attacks from the treatment he received Sept. 29 during an overnight stay at the Sussex Correctional Institution.
AG's Office calls off its second attempt to curb Free Speech Attorney General Beau Biden's Office balked, the second time in as many weeks, in its latest attempt to restrict the First Amendment rights of a well-respected Department of Correction critic.
Monitoring Agreement between Joshua Martin and the State of Delaware.
Letter to the U.S. Department of Justice As revealed by the previous U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ) investigation that led to the 2006 Memorandum of Agreement, Delaware officials have a disappointing record of effectively investigating prison system abuses. For the many reasons delineated in this letter, we respectfully ask that the U.S. Department of Justice reopen its investigation of Delaware's efforts to provide adequate healthcare to its prison population, including the reported neglect that led to the loss of Mr. Sudler's legs and Mr. Kern's life. We further urge the USDOJ to launch an additional probe into the charges of abuse at SCI.
Joint hearings shows how Sen. Bruce Ennis, D-Smyrna, who chairs the Senate's Adult and Juvenile Corrections Committee, proposed to hold joint hearings with the House Corrections Committee, to investigate allegations of inmate abuse and shoddy medical care revealed in CRI's special report "Rogue Force."
Lawmakers appeal for federal investigation of state's prison system Six state legislators have asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate shoddy inmate medical care and criminal allegations of abuse and neglect in Delaware's prison system. The lawmakers based their two-pronged request on a series of reports the Caesar Rodney Institute launched seven weeks ago, which revealed allegations of abuse by corrections officers at the Sussex Correctional Institution (SCI) and medical neglect throughout the system.
Letter To All Public Officials , Sen. Bonini, R-Dover South, calls for a special prosecutor, the empaneling of an investigative grand jury, new legislation and investigations into the problems revealed in "Rogue Force."
"Always and forever your son, Daniel" examines the Sept. 15 death of Daniel Kern, who died from an illness that should have been easy to diagnose and treat. Kern had complained of severe abdominal pain for months, but the Department of Correction did little more than watch him die. Kern's family says he was denied care by the Department of Correction because he was gay.
Circling the Wagons reveals how the state is not addressing issues of abuse and poor medical care in the prison system.
Prison monitor says state not in compliance The Delaware Department of Correction will not meet its deadline to improve inmate health care before the Memorandum of Agreement with the US Department of Justice expires at the end of the year.
Rogue Force reveals how guards at the Sussex Correctional Institution (SCI) in Georgetown are physically abusing inmates in their care. This story shows how the Department of Correction often fails to investigate or even track excessive force by prison guards, and how Delaware taxpayers ultimately bear the brunt of this misconduct.
Beaten and Released tells the story of Laurel small businessman David Sully, who claims guards at SCI nearly beat him to death in June.
Violating the Agreement reveals how the state is breaking its promise with the U.S. Justice Department to improve inmate medical care, after federal prison regulators determined that this poor quality medical care was violating the civil rights of state inmates. The state is not providing training required in the settlement agreement.
Lawmaker calls for hearings, criminal probe of CMS One lawmaker is proposing changes to the system to insure Kern's death is not repeated. He also wants someone held accountable for the death. Sen. Colin Bonini, R-Dover South, has already sent letters to state officials calling for a special prosecutor, the empanelling of an investigative grand jury, investigations, audits and new legislation as a result of the findings presented in "Rogue Force."
The Man with No Legs tells the story of Benjamin Sudler, whose legs were amputated because his diabetes was neither treated nor monitored by the prison's medical staff.
Solutions offers one nationally-known prison expert's suggestions on how the state can fix its prison system, along with recommendations from the Caesar Rodney Institute.
Monitoring the Monitor shows how the state is concealing the costs of its prison monitor, and questions the efficacy of the system.
An Open Letter To Carl Danberg poses 32 questions it had hoped the Correction Commissioner would answer. Danberg refused to comment for this series.
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