To: Eric Holder, US Attorney General
A Call for Action to the United States Department of Justice
In his 20 years at the helm of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, former Sheriff Don Hunter said the disappearances of Felipe Santos and Terrance Williams are among the top cases that continue to haunt him. But there is more in Sheriff Hunter’s closet than meets the eye at first glance. During his tenure as Sheriff, numerous civil rights violations occurred and Hunter was right there in the middle as a willing participant through his knowledge of the offenses and his lack of responsiveness when brought to his attention.
"Every agency head of some tenure ... is going to encounter perplexing and odd, bizarre cases," Hunter said in a phone interview with CNN. "This is mine." In this interview, Hunter was referring to the disappearance of two minority citizens of Collier County who were last seen alive by former Collier deputy Steven Calkins, who was fired after
(http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2012/04/disappearance_of_2_florida_men.htm) Hunter said he became uncooperative in the investigations. The men, who didn't know each other, went missing at different times. Santos was reported missing after he was involved in a minor traffic accident in North Naples in October 2003. Terrance Williams was last seen near a Naples cemetery in January 2004. A former Collier County Sheriff's deputy, then Corporal Steve Calkins, is believed to be the last person to see both of the men. During an internal investigation Calkins failed a polygraph test pertaining to contact with Terrance Williams and ultimately refused to cooperate, according to Hunter.
It is no surprise that when one of Naples own civil rights protectors brought attention to the lack of institution and organizational control at the Collier County Sheriff’s office that he too would encounter the wrath of Sheriff Hunter and his certified and uniformed associates. Upon meeting Victor Valdes the first thing that you would think is that this man could be your father, grandfather, uncle or a member of your family. Victor Valdes was born in Cuba and migrated to the United States like many other Cubans fleeing the oppressive communist government of Fidel Castro. Victor settled in the then sleepy town of Naples, Florida to pursue a peaceful quiet life.
For many years the journalist Victor A. Valdes used his First Amendment rights under the United States Constitution to publicly denounce corruption and abuse of minorities (especially Hispanics), allegedly perpetrated by some members of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office. In the service of the Hispanic Community and other minorities that requested his assistance, the journalist Valdes investigated and denounced acts of excessive use of force, the death of an individual allegedly at the hands of a police officer, and instances of improper conduct. These acts of defiance did not sit well with Sheriff Hunter.
Today, Valdes and a broad-based group of community members reach out via moveon.org to request that those of you who favor justice and love the laws of this Great Nation to demand an investigation and rectification of the injustice committed against Victor A. Valdes and his daughter-in-law Odalys Duquesne. On his webpage titled JUSTICE FOR VICTOR A VALDES, you will see evidence of perjuries committed by deputies Larry White and David Greve of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, which they used to deceive the judge and honorable members of the jury in the case and led to the conviction and punishment of Valdes and his daughter-in-law. In these public files, you will also be able to judge for yourself how the Collier County Sheriff’s office made an examples of the journalist Victor Valdes aimed at halting his public cries and complaints to bring light to the injustices taking place within the Collier County Sheriff’s office.
We urge you to sign the petition and strike a blow against the injustice committed against this journalist and hero of the Collier County community. Send a message to the powers that be that injustice will never be tolerated at any level and does not come with a statue of limitation. In America we like to believe justice is blind and equal. The real fact of our justice system is that it is blind and equal only when we the people demand it to be so, for all.
"Every agency head of some tenure ... is going to encounter perplexing and odd, bizarre cases," Hunter said in a phone interview with CNN. "This is mine." In this interview, Hunter was referring to the disappearance of two minority citizens of Collier County who were last seen alive by former Collier deputy Steven Calkins, who was fired after
(http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2012/04/disappearance_of_2_florida_men.htm) Hunter said he became uncooperative in the investigations. The men, who didn't know each other, went missing at different times. Santos was reported missing after he was involved in a minor traffic accident in North Naples in October 2003. Terrance Williams was last seen near a Naples cemetery in January 2004. A former Collier County Sheriff's deputy, then Corporal Steve Calkins, is believed to be the last person to see both of the men. During an internal investigation Calkins failed a polygraph test pertaining to contact with Terrance Williams and ultimately refused to cooperate, according to Hunter.
It is no surprise that when one of Naples own civil rights protectors brought attention to the lack of institution and organizational control at the Collier County Sheriff’s office that he too would encounter the wrath of Sheriff Hunter and his certified and uniformed associates. Upon meeting Victor Valdes the first thing that you would think is that this man could be your father, grandfather, uncle or a member of your family. Victor Valdes was born in Cuba and migrated to the United States like many other Cubans fleeing the oppressive communist government of Fidel Castro. Victor settled in the then sleepy town of Naples, Florida to pursue a peaceful quiet life.
For many years the journalist Victor A. Valdes used his First Amendment rights under the United States Constitution to publicly denounce corruption and abuse of minorities (especially Hispanics), allegedly perpetrated by some members of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office. In the service of the Hispanic Community and other minorities that requested his assistance, the journalist Valdes investigated and denounced acts of excessive use of force, the death of an individual allegedly at the hands of a police officer, and instances of improper conduct. These acts of defiance did not sit well with Sheriff Hunter.
Today, Valdes and a broad-based group of community members reach out via moveon.org to request that those of you who favor justice and love the laws of this Great Nation to demand an investigation and rectification of the injustice committed against Victor A. Valdes and his daughter-in-law Odalys Duquesne. On his webpage titled JUSTICE FOR VICTOR A VALDES, you will see evidence of perjuries committed by deputies Larry White and David Greve of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, which they used to deceive the judge and honorable members of the jury in the case and led to the conviction and punishment of Valdes and his daughter-in-law. In these public files, you will also be able to judge for yourself how the Collier County Sheriff’s office made an examples of the journalist Victor Valdes aimed at halting his public cries and complaints to bring light to the injustices taking place within the Collier County Sheriff’s office.
We urge you to sign the petition and strike a blow against the injustice committed against this journalist and hero of the Collier County community. Send a message to the powers that be that injustice will never be tolerated at any level and does not come with a statue of limitation. In America we like to believe justice is blind and equal. The real fact of our justice system is that it is blind and equal only when we the people demand it to be so, for all.
Why is this important?
For many years the journalist Victor A. Valdes used his First Amendment rights under the United States Constitution to publicly denounce corruption and abuse of minorities (especially Hispanics), allegedly perpetrated by some members of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office. In the service of the Hispanic Community and other minorities that requested his assistance, the journalist Valdes investigated and denounced acts of excessive use of force, the death of an individual allegedly at the hands of a police officer, and instances of improper conduct.
Today, Valdes and a broad-based group of community members reach out via this medium to request that those of you who favor justice and love the laws of this Great Nation demand an investigation and rectification of the injustices committed against the journalist Victor A. Valdes and his daughter-in-law Odalys Duquesne. On this page titled JUSTICEFORVICTORAVALDES.COM you will see evidence of perjuries committed by deputies Larry White and David Greve of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, which they used to deceive the judge and honorable jury in the case and led to the conviction and punishment of Valdes and his daughter-in-law. You will also see some examples of the many conspiracies committed against the journalist Valdes aimed at halting his public complaints.
It has taken Valdes and some of his closest collaborators nine years to gather documents and videos to construct this page to show the world the evidence he was not allowed to present during the dirty trial to which he and his daughter-in-law were subjected (the judge and jury were not appraised of the facts).
Acting under the color of the law, deputies Larry White y David Greve, both of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, violated the constitutional rights of the journalist Victor A. Valdes and Odalys Duquesne when they allegedly mutually agreed to knowingly lie under oath in their court testimony against Valdes and Duquesne. This constitutes a conspiracy and openly violated their civil and constitutional rights. This action a direct violation of Title 18, U.S.C. 241, Conspiracy Against Rights.
Today, Valdes and a broad-based group of community members reach out via this medium to request that those of you who favor justice and love the laws of this Great Nation demand an investigation and rectification of the injustices committed against the journalist Victor A. Valdes and his daughter-in-law Odalys Duquesne. On this page titled JUSTICEFORVICTORAVALDES.COM you will see evidence of perjuries committed by deputies Larry White and David Greve of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, which they used to deceive the judge and honorable jury in the case and led to the conviction and punishment of Valdes and his daughter-in-law. You will also see some examples of the many conspiracies committed against the journalist Valdes aimed at halting his public complaints.
It has taken Valdes and some of his closest collaborators nine years to gather documents and videos to construct this page to show the world the evidence he was not allowed to present during the dirty trial to which he and his daughter-in-law were subjected (the judge and jury were not appraised of the facts).
Acting under the color of the law, deputies Larry White y David Greve, both of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, violated the constitutional rights of the journalist Victor A. Valdes and Odalys Duquesne when they allegedly mutually agreed to knowingly lie under oath in their court testimony against Valdes and Duquesne. This constitutes a conspiracy and openly violated their civil and constitutional rights. This action a direct violation of Title 18, U.S.C. 241, Conspiracy Against Rights.