Wrongfully Convicted Man Freed as a Result of Scarsdale Grad's Work
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Sam Hershey SHS'01A 2001 Scarsdale High School graduate made headlines this week for his success in freeing a man who had been wrongfully convicted of murder 25 years ago.
Sam Hershey, an attorney at the New York law firm Cleary Gotlieb Steen & Hamilton has been working with the Legal Aid Society since 2013 to overturn the conviction of Shawn Williams, age 44, who spent more than 20 years in prison for the murder of his good childhood friend.
On Friday July 13, a judge overturned Williams conviction following a recommendation by the Brooklyn DA’s conviction review unit to reopen the case in 2013. Former Detective Louis Scarcella was found to have elicited false statements in other murder cases and Williams conviction was based on the testimony of one witness who later admitted to having been coerced by Scarcella.
We asked Hershey a few questions about the case and here is what he shared:
How did you become involved with Legal Aid Society?
I work for Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. Cleary and the Legal Aid Society have served as co-counsel to Mr. Williams.
When do you have time to do the work?
Cleary is very dedicated to pro bono and I was fortunate that they gave me the opportunity to devote a lot of hours to this over the course of five years.
What was it about William’s story that convinced you he was wrongfully convicted?
Without getting into all the facts of the case (unless you want me to), Mr. Williams’s conviction was implausible to begin with. We ultimately found the only witness to identify Mr. Williams at trial, and she told us that she had falsely testified under pressure from Detective Scarcella.
Will he receive any compensation for having served for so many years?
We certainly hope so.
Do you think this is just the tip of the iceberg and that other innocent people were convicted using testimony from Louis Scarcella?
Beyond a doubt, and I hope those innocent people are as fortunate as Mr. Williams to be given their day in court.
Herhsey has started a GoFundMe campaign to help Shawn Williams get back on his feet after 24 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Contributions would be much appreciated. Click here to contribute.
Sam Hershey attended Greenacres School, the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia Law School. He was a high school debater and also served as a mentor with Let's Get Ready. He joined Cleary Gottlieb in 2012 and works in litigation and restructuring.
Congresssman Engel's Comments on the Nomination of Brett Kavanaugh
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Eliot EngelOn Monday, President Trump announced that he had selected Brett Kavanaugh as his nominee to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court.
Newly re-elected Congressman Eliot Engel offered the following statement on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court:
“Unsurprisingly, the President has chosen another regressive ideologue to serve on the Supreme Court in Brett Kavanaugh. Over the course of a career that can only be described as hyper-partisan, Kavanaugh has demonstrated a history of anti-women, anti-labor, anti-consumer views, and his ultra-conservatism could turn back the clock on decades of American progress. The fact that Kavanaugh cut his teeth working under Kenneth Starr on the Clinton impeachment tells you almost everything you need to know. His appointment by George W. Bush to the federal bench was stalled for three years because of his partisan record, with Senator Ted Kennedy saying at the time Kavanaugh would be the ‘least experienced and most partisan appointee to the court in decades.’ And Kavanaugh is also on record as saying he believes the President of the United States should be exempt from both criminal prosecution and civil suits while in office. How convenient for our current Commander-in-Chief.
“There was a time when a Supreme Court pick like this was considered too outlandish, even for Republicans. But the GOP has so thoroughly lost its moral center that now this type of reckless choice is par for the course.
“When considering what to do next, Senate Democrats would be wise to remember the lessons learned during the
Brett Kavanaugh ill-fated Merrick Garland nomination in 2016. There, Republicans completely ignored 200 years of etiquette and obliterated the process by which we appoint Supreme Court judges. They also got what they wanted. The Senate should, at the least, postpone consideration of this nomination until after the November elections.”
What are your thoughts about Kavanaugh’s nomination? Share them in the comments section below:
Letter to the Editor in Support of Eliot Engel for Congress
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This letter was sent to Scarsdale10583 by Scarsdale Democratic Town Committee Chair Mark Lewis:
Re-elect Congressman Eliot Engel on June 26, 2018 in the Democratic Party Primary Election.
I am supporting Congressman Eliot Engel for re-election in the June 26, 2018 primary. He has been an effective leader whom President Obama relied on for help in formulating foreign policy. Eliot is the Ranking Member of the House Foreign Relations Committee and when the House of Representatives flips to Democratic Party control in November, Eliot will become its chairman.
"Eliot Engel is a strong, effective and trusted pro-Choice leader in congress.
He is making a real difference in fighting to protect Choice. Vote June 26 for Eliot Engel for Congress."
Catherine Lederer-Plaskett
President of WCLA-Choice Matters
Eliot has a 100% pro choice voting record.Based on the most recent Planned Parenthood and Naral Pro Choice America records.
Gun Control
Eliot has an F rating from the NRA for his gun control actions. Eliot Engel has authored and sponsored legislation to ban the sale of guns to people convicted of hate crimes and domestic violence, and again stop the sale of assault weapons.
Health Care
Eliot worked to make Obamacare law. He has fought to stop the Republicans from destroying it. Eliot has sponsored and authored legislation for Medicare for all.
Eliot Engel believes health care is a right not a privilege.
Eliot Engel is pro union
He has been endorsed by the AFL-CIO, 32 BJ - SEIU, NYSUT. None of his opponents has been endorsed by any union.
Eliot has been endorsed by the Sierra Club for his environmental record. He has a rating of 100%.
Eliot has been endorsed by End Citizens United because of his record of fighting for campaign finance reform. End Citizens United is the leading organization fighting the efforts of Citizens United court decision and for campaign finance reform. There are PACS that have contributed to Eliot. They include Planned Parenthood, the Human Rights Campaign and the International Associatiom of Fire Fighters.
Eliot Engel has a 92.7% voting record. He missed some votes when he traveled with President Obama overseas when the President asked him to do so. He missed a few votes when he was caring for ill parents and when he was sick.
Education – Congressman Engel made sure that Scarsdale and Greenburgh got a fair share of Title 1 funds that the school districts were entitled to get. This brought in millions of dollars to both districts.
Eliot has been endorsed by Westchester County Executive George Latimer, Westchester County Clerk Tim Idoni, State Senators Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Shelley Mayer, Assembly members Amy Paulin and Tom Abinante, Chairman of the Westchester County Board of Legislators Ben Boykin.
Eliot Engel is ranked as the #1 most effective Democrat in Congress by the Center for Effective Lawmaking. He is pro-choice, pro-gun control and has fought for affordable health care.
Remember to vote in the June 26, 2018 Democratic Party Primary for Eliot Engel.
Mark Lewis
Scarsdale Democratic Town Committee Chair
Engineers Review Findings of Sanitary Sewer Line Study
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Trustees reviewed an analysis of the Mamaroneck Valley District, shown in green on this map.According to Westchester County and the environmental group Save the Sound, Scarsdale is dumping more than our fair share of untreated sewage into Long Island Sound and compromising public health.
Just how much excess water is flowing out of Scarsdale was the subject of a study presented by H2M Engineers to the Village Trustees on Tuesday June 26. Trustees engaged the consultants to study one portion of Scarsdale’s sewer system, the Mamaroneck Valley District, to identify where excess water was infiltrating and inflowing into the sewer system. Scarsdale has three sanitary sewer districts and only the Mamaroneck Valley system discharges into the county-owned waste treatment plant and was therefore the subject of this first study.
The study was commissioned in response to the County Consent Decree and the lawsuit from Save the Sound, which is ongoing.
Based on census data which shows that Scarsdale has 3.21 people per household, the district’s total estimated average daily waste water should be 1,011,000 gallons per day. However, the study showed that for this portion of Scarsdale, the flow was 1,470,000 gallons per day, or almost 50% more that allowed. The County claims that out of 11 municipalities, Scarsdale had the second highest number of daily flow exceedances, with a 59% exceedance rate.
In order to find out where water was flowing into the system the engineers monitored infiltration during rain storms, cleaned and monitored 156,000 feet of sewer using closed circuit TV, visually inspected 635 manholes to find defects and used smoke testing to see where inflows were occurring. The period of the study was June 7 to July 25, 2017.
The study identified areas where there were gushers, runners and drippers which account for major infiltration of groundwater into the sanitary sewer pipes. Gushers were located in four locations on Innes Road, Saxon Woods Road, Broadmoor Road and Heathcote Road where obstacles had been installed into the pipes. These four gushers alone account for 30,000 gallons of excess water per day. Most of the Village’s sewer lines of constructed of vitrified clay, and the study found that most are in good condition though cracks and fractures do occur. Some of these lines are over 100 years old.
An examination of the 635 manholes was done from August to November 2017 and found that 233 exhibited signs of prior leakage. In order to reduce inflows, the village may need to install watertight covers on leaking manholes or do grouting and lining.
Smoke testing was used to identify discharges through open connections such as storm sewer catch basins, yard drains, driveway drains, roof leaders/gutters, broken or open sanitary sewer clean out caps and defective sewer laterals. Smoke testing involves the blowing of a harmless non-toxic smoke into the system, and then observing where the smoke exits. The presence of smoke indicates a break or fault in the sewer line. 35,000 feet of sewer lines were tested and a long list of homes with excess flows into the sanitary sewer system were identified.
To correct these situations the homeowner would need to disconnect sump pumps and drains from their sewage pipes and redirect storm drainage to a drywell, watercourse or open area rather than into the sanitary sewer system. During rainstorms, the total inflow from a single 1-inch rainfall is estimated to be 183,000 gallons.
In order to address leakages at individual property, the Village may need to enact legislation to add requirements on the inspection, repair, replacement and maintenance of sewer laterals by property owners. Trustees discussed the possibility of making a sewer inspection a requirement at closing for those purchasing a home, though this would do nothing to correct problems in homes that are not for sale.
Since all newly constructed homes are already required to have new sewer line connections, the problems only occur with older homes.
By repairing the gushers, fixing pipes, securing manholes and asking residents to remediate illegal connections to the sanitary sewer system, the Village will reduce the excess flows.
The Village already collects a sewer rent fee on all water bills, and these funds are being used to pay for the studies and to make necessary repairs.
This study accounted for only about 1/3 of Scarsdale’s sewer lines. Village Manager Steve Pappalardo indicated that the work would be on-going and studies of the other districts would follow.
Learn more about the state of Scarsdale’s sewer system here:
Let's Get Ready Seeks Summer Volunteers
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Volunteer with Let's Get Ready this summer! As a Coach in our College Access Program, you will be on the frontlines of educational justice as a tutor, role model, and mentor. You will serve as an SAT tutor to a small group of high school students in your community and support them through the college application process. Access Coaches commit to teach 3 hours a week in the evening and dedicate 1 hour a week to prep time for 9 weeks in the summer (mid-June to mid-August).
Who we look for: Coaches are undergraduate (preferred) or graduate students. All majors encouraged to apply. Program have started, but it's not too late! Apply today, and you can get started next week!
Let's Get Ready provides a detailed curriculum, training, and support. Visit http://letsgetready.org/coach to learn more, and apply online.
