Olma

[therising]

So, he rec'd a $25,000 settlement from the County, and, according to today's article, he's currently a County employee??

Anyone know what he's doing for the County? :confused




http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregio...ry/115017.html

Olma aims to restore his honor in court
Civil suit accuses officersof falsely arresting him
By Michael Beebe NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Updated: 07/08/07 6:47 AM

Gregory B. Olma says his political career ended on primary Election Night, Sept. 12, 2000. But it wasn’t because he lost an election.

That was the night Olma, a white Erie County legislator representing a largely African- American district on Buffalo’s East Side, committed political suicide. Or so it seemed at the time.

Olma was accused of making racial and sexual slurs to two black, female election inspectors.

He was handcuffed by Buffalo Police officers in front of his house while friends and family watched, taken to Police Headquarters and booked on four misdemeanor charges.

One hundred people picketed his house two days later amid calls to resign by black leaders and officials from his own Democratic Party. He hasn’t won an election since.

There was only one problem, Olma claims in a civil rights suit scheduled for trial Tuesday in U.S. District Court: The charges were not true.

“Absolutely not,” Olma, 47, said when asked if he ever uttered the slurs. “And that’s a fact that’s long been established. It never happened.”

The criminal charges were dropped after Olma was cleared by a grand jury. Erie County District Attorney Frank J. Clark said grand jurors did not believe the testimony of the two election inspectors.

Erie County agreed to a $25,000 out-of-court settlement in January to settle Olma’s suit against the election inspectors, Karen R. Gregory and Adrea M. Newbern.

And now Olma is going to trial, accusing four members of the Buffalo Police Department — Lts. Albert Liberatore and Mark Michalek and Officers Richard Lopez and Martin Forero — with falsely arresting him.

“This case solely deals with the police officers,” said Olma’s attorney James Ostrowski, “and it’s our contention they lacked probable cause to arrest, which is a violation of the Fourth Amendment.”

[Deerhunter]

I do know there was a call to the Police , they responded, heard what happened, and made an arrest. I don't know what he thought was going to happen. He seems to make a point of saying " I was handcuffed in front of my friends and family" uhhhh, yea. That is what happens when you are arrested. I think the guy had a meltdown, distressed about his loss in the race. All I hope now is the Cops win the case. Your guy, Ostrowski is representing him. He probably won't comment on the case till after its over. And if the voters wanted him in office, they would have voted for him. Marion Barry was elected after being convicted of a crime.

[speaker]

Olma considers it a false arrest and caused embarrassment to him and his family. And the damage to his political career would have been important.

If it was proven true that he didn't say these things the settlement would have been much more.

[JustRetired]

So the complaint was made to the police, who interviewed all those involved, at the time. An arrest was made based on the information at hand.

The case was "no billed" by the grand jury, because the complainants lied.

So the police did their job, if they wouldn't have acted on the information the race card would have come out so fast your head would spin.

Mr. Olma is cleared, receives compensation from the county and now sues the police! For doing their job.

Hey, sue the people that lied, oh that's right the city has deeper pockets.

It's about $$$$$$ not anyones reputation.

[therising]

So he sued his employer, the County. Does anyone know what position he holds in the County? And when was he hired, before the lawsuit of after?

You would think that most employers wouldn't hire someone who was in the process of suing them. But, I guess government is a little different.

Also, I agree in the JO shouldn't be expected to comment on this. Come to think of it, Mr. Olma probably wouldn't agree with his attorney's view, that the county government should be abolished. Cause that's apparently his bread and butter.

[WNYresident]

I do know there was a call to the Police , they responded, heard what happened, and made an arrest. I don't know what he thought was going to happen. He seems to make a point of saying " I was handcuffed in front of my friends and family" uhhhh, yea. That is what happens when you are arrested. I think the guy had a meltdown, distressed about his loss in the race. All I hope now is the Cops win the case. Your guy, Ostrowski is representing him. He probably won't comment on the case till after its over. And if the voters wanted him in office, they would have voted for him. Marion Barry was elected after being convicted of a crime.

I'm surprized anyone is wasting the officers time at all. I'm surprized any lawyer would take a case where the officers were just doing thier job in the first place.

Only ones liable in my opinion are the two election workers who lied if that is the case. Otherwise this is just a complete waste of time of the police department, courts and the tax payers money to defend this.

[JustRetired]

I'm surprized anyone is wasting the officers time at all. I'm surprized any lawyer would take a case where the officers were just doing thier job in the first place.

Only ones liable in my opinion are the two election workers who lied if that is the case. Otherwise this is just a complete waste of time of the police department, courts and the tax payers money to defend this.

BINGO!!!!!

[Northshore]

I'm surprized anyone is wasting the officers time at all. I'm surprized any lawyer would take a case where the officers were just doing thier job in the first place.

Only ones liable in my opinion are the two election workers who lied if that is the case. Otherwise this is just a complete waste of time of the police department, courts and the tax payers money to defend this.

Exactly!!!

And yes, it make me suspect a lot of JOs political ramblings.

[DelawareDistrict]

Exactly!!!

And yes, it make me suspect a lot of JOs political ramblings.

Representing a client has nothing to do with political views. It is a lawyer's job to represent the client to the best of his ability, nothing more and nothing less.

[Eat My Gun]

So the complaint was made to the police, who interviewed all those involved, at the time. An arrest was made based on the information at hand.

The case was "no billed" by the grand jury, because the complainants lied.

So the police did their job, if they wouldn't have acted on the information the race card would have come out so fast your head would spin.

Mr. Olma is cleared, receives compensation from the county and now sues the police! For doing their job.

Hey, sue the people that lied, oh that's right the city has deeper pockets.

It's about $$$$$$ not anyones reputation.

Whether or not the police should be sued all depends on what Olma was arrested for. The article doesn't say.

The sad fact is that the police often times arbitrarily take someone's word on things without any indepent corroberation, mainly in the interest of expediency. This is particularly true in domestic incidents. That system is ripe for abuse. I can think of dozens of cases where a self-serving allegation was taken completely on its face resulting in criminal charges. It's really the ultimate form of harrassment.

I'm in no way implying that that is the case here, and will reserve my judgement until I know more about the charges and circumstances. I just think the police have a duty to verify things before taking someone's word and too often they don't.

Also, Grand juries are notorious for rubber stamping just about everything the prosecutor puts in front of them with an indictment. When a grand jury no bills a case, its got to be incredibly weak.

There seems to be an almost blind acceptance that the actions of the police are always right. History has shown us that's not always the case and I prefer to have all the facts before I rush to judgement.

[kernwatch]

As a longtime City Hall "watchdog", I have had my run-ins with Greg Olma. But I also have respect for his taking on tough issues nobody else would touch on the East Side.

As perhaps the most arrested / prosecuted activist (by DA Clark) in Bflo history, I know there is much more to the story about Olma's trumped up "arrest".

I hope the trial will provide opportunity to expose how DA Frank J. Clark III too often abuses his power for political reasons. And, hopefully the roles of Steve Pigeon, Joe Illuzzi & infamous housing-flipper Frank Parlato Jr in the incredible Olma "racist -arrest" saga will also be exposed in the trial.

In this case Olma is providing an important public service.

Dick Kern (in exile in Mpls)

[therising]

....so No One knows what, exactly, he does for the County?

And how long has he been employed there?

[Northshore]

Representing a client has nothing to do with political views. It is a lawyer's job to represent the client to the best of his ability, nothing more and nothing less.

There is no law that says an attorney must take any civil case that is offered to him or her.

[therising]

There is no law that says an attorney must take any civil case that is offered to him or her.

I suppose it's important to separate the "libertarian activist "anti-politician", Jim Ostrowski, from the Jim Ostrowski who earns a living by being an attorney, while occasionally representing politicians.

[speaker]

As a longtime City Hall "watchdog", I have had my run-ins with Greg Olma. But I also have respect for his taking on tough issues nobody else would touch on the East Side.

As perhaps the most arrested / prosecuted activist (by DA Clark) in Bflo history, I know there is much more to the story about Olma's trumped up "arrest".

I hope the trial will provide opportunity to expose how DA Frank J. Clark III too often abuses his power for political reasons. And, hopefully the roles of Steve Pigeon, Joe Illuzzi & infamous housing-flipper Frank Parlato Jr in the incredible Olma "racist -arrest" saga will also be exposed in the trial.

In this case Olma is providing an important public service.

Dick Kern (in exile in Mpls)

What a bunch of malarkey! The DA had no reason in the world, and as a matter of fact, had political reasons to defend the inspectors. I am sure he wasn't interested in destroying anyone's future on 'he sez, she sez'.

Olma does it all on his own and has very little skill or character traits to be a good politician (for the community).

I have no idea where he works but I am guessing it was a political favor. If I'm wrong please correct me. And JO has been his lawyer for years and no comment on that.

This has been rehashed on this board years ago and was very interesting at the time.