ACTION ALERT: Over the past few weeks I’ve been asking people to call District Attorney Adam Levy’s office to request that he drop the spurious charges leveled against Carmel resident Lori Kemp and I am very pleased to say that several of you have. The DA’s office requests that instead of calls, that you write, so that your comments are on the record and can become part of the case file. Here’s a sample based on a letter written by Ann Marwick that I have sent this morning. Feel free to cut and paste or even better, rewrite in your own words based on your own, personal, experiences and expectations of justice:
Adam Levy, Esquire
Putnam County District Attorney
Putnam County Offices
40 Gleneida Avenue
Carmel, NY 10512Reference: Ms. Lori Kemp
Dear District Attorney Levy,
I am writing to ask that you dismiss the case of Harassment in the Second Degree that has been brought against Lori Kemp, a resident of the Town of Carmel. Ms. Kemp, as I am sure you are aware, lives on a property which adjoins the senior housing project owned by Pulte Homes and that is being built by Brennan Construction. Over three years time this project has reduced a mountain to a level plain via blasting, often within yards of her home, has turned her life into a living hell, has caused structural damage to her home and has inflicted upon her extreme emotional duress.
At her last court appearance in March the charges you have filed against her were lowered from Assault in the Second Degree to Harassment in the Second Degree as it was determined that no medical injuries had resulted from Ms. Kemp’s alleged – and legal – attempt to force a man off her property – a man who was there illegally. What is worse, is that a Carmel police officer on site at the time refused Ms Kemp’s request to ask the man to leave. Observing this altercation were witnesses who have written notarized letters to Ms. Kemp’s attorney and who, had this gone to a jury trial, would have acted as witnesses for her defense.
I would also like to point out that as far as justice is concerned Ms. Kemp has received very little at the hands of local government. The Town of Carmel has allowed blasting to continue for more than three years without all the requisite permits in place even though town code requires them. Yet, town officials seem quite oblivious to these activities even though many have tried to bring it to their attention. They have simply turned their backs on her and refused to talk about the situation or to rectify it. This is very troubling.
If Carmel Town officials do not care about their own Town Code and permit requirements, then we could all receive the kind of treatment that Ms. Kemp did and I am sure that most of us would have run out of patience well before three years of daily blasting and other illegal activities had elapsed.
Not only has the Town ignored Ms. Kemp’s plight but they have acted maliciously towards her culminating in this legal case that has no actual grounds in fact and I ask that your office immediately drop the charges against her and let her be.
Most Sincerely,
Keep in mind that the outcome of this matter concerns each and every one of us. While most, if not all of our towns have code in place to cover these issues you know as well as I do that without proper enforcement the codes mean nothing. And, that if you are affected and attempt redress what has happened to Ms. Kemp can very well happen to you. If you do nothing, if you don’t write, like I said earlier in the week, karma has a strange way of coming around and biting you in the ass. Write today.
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