John Kurtz
Orlando Copwatch
Click Here for news story from January about arrest of John Kurtz
The Facts:
Just before 2 AM on January 1st, 2011 John Kurtz left a Private Party on Orange Avenue and Church Street, Downtown Orlando to investigate some apparent police activity on Church Street.
Kurtz approached the scene and videotaped the incident, which included the use of tasers, a violent take down, and a pepper spraying AFTER the suspect was subdued and in handcuffs.
Officer Adam Gruler repeatedly told Kurtz to go away and turn off the camera. When Kurtz informed Gruler that he knew his rights and wasn’t going anywhere, Gruler violently took Kurtz to the ground and arrested him.
After multiple attempts to deny Kurtz bond, relentless efforts by Kurtz’s friends, family, attorney and other privately contracted help, Kurtz was finally released from Orange County Jail after a full 7 days behind bars.
Kurtz’s Video Camera with the evidence on it that would easily clear or condemn him of these charges mysteriously went missing. It was not in Kurtz’s personal effects when he was released from jail, nor was it entered into evidence. It is unknown what happened to Kurtz’s camera. However, at best it reflects negligence on the Orlando Police Department for failure to secure evidence; at worst it shows absolute corruption and evidence tampering.
John Kurtz is a peaceful person who adheres and promotes the non aggression principal. Kurtz is known by his friends as a pacifist who is much more likely to turn the other cheek, than to retaliate with violence.
The Evidence:
- The evidence against Kurtz is nothing more than the word of a few Police officers.
- The evidence defending Kurtz includes multiple third party eye witnesses and video evidence from the street camera on Church Street. All who show Officer Gruler as the aggressor, and Kurtz simply video taping.
About Officer Gruler:
- Officer Adam Gruler was named by the Orlando Sentinel as a ‘Hunter’ and one of the top Taser users on the force. Gruler is notorious in the poverty stricken area of Orlando known as Parramore for taserings, verbal abuse, violence and questionable conduct. Gruler’s Internal Affairs profile includes dozens of civilian complaints.
- Officer Adam Gruler is the same out-of-control cop who was recently caught on video unlawfully arresting a local Orlando News photographer!
About John Kurtz:
- Kurtz is known locally for not only his work with OrlandoCopwatch.Com, but also for a variety of civil disobedience and street theater, geared at pointing out the injustice and absurdity of some of the laws and ordinances in Orlando.
- Kurtz made national headlines when he refused to comply with a city ordinance in Orlando banning the feeding of the homeless within 2 miles of City Hall, Kurtz and others repeatedly held food sharings at City Hall.
- Kurtz is an active Jurors Rights activist who spends many mornings at the Orange county Court House informing Jurors of their rights.
- Kurtz has been a political activist as well, formerly a Precinct Chair for the Orange County Republican Executive Committee, and currently a District Coordinator with the Florida Campaign for Liberty, Kurtz has spent countless hours campaigning for local candidates and lobbying politicians for fiscally conservative and socially liberal practices.
- Kurtz has been a successful Real Estate Broker for 6 Years in Central Florida, and considers friends, family and liberty the most important things in his life.
Please Join us in letting Orlando Know that we will not condone innocent people to go to Prison as political targets.
More Info:
When: Monday May 16th, 2011 8:30 AM
Where: Orange County Court House: 415 North Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32801
What: Please stand in unity as Liberty activist John Kurtz stands Trial. Facing a maximum sentence of 6 years in Prison on the allegations of battery on a LEO, Obstruction of a Police officer, and resisting arrest without violence, Kurtz adamantly proclaims his innocence and that he is a political target because of his involvement with OrlandoCopwatch.com and other activism. Please bring signs, hand outs, alert the media, tell your friends. The people must know about this persecution of a political dissident.
SOURCE:
http://www.activistpost.com/2011/05/action-alert-trial-of-john-kurtz-facing.html
There is no true “Justice” in Modern Society. Not when the “Law Enforcers” are the ones breaking the law, and obstructing Internal Affairs Investigations by causing Evidence to go missing.
I don’t understand how this person still even works as a so-called “Law Enforcer” any longer. Are they desperate to fill the spots, or do they just turn a blind eye towards what he does?
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I wish I could be there…I live in PA but you have my mind and spirit on this one!
Best wishes and blessings!
i can’t believe this happens still. i would like to tell gruler “this is america, so deal with it you bully and don’t take your shit out on others”
A couple of years ago a NC police officer who was RECORDED discussing downloading music for free. The officer named the name Kazaa which has appeared in numerous lawsuits and talked about how the songs were arranged in groups and you choose the songs and just click and get them. He said it was the thing to do everybody was doing it. He bet his daughters had downloaded a THOUSAND SONGS on his computer. He said he had to get a new computer his old one FILLED UP WITH MEMORY. He laughed and said he hoped the federal government did not come in and investigate him.
Shortly after this conversation we began reading the news articles people were being sued by RIAA and the FBI. They were calling piracy a crime of stealing and calling these people thieves. The RIAA and the FBI on their websites encourage people to report piracy. The FBI Anti Piracy Warning says they investigate. At that time we reported the officer’s conversation as well as his name to the RIAA and the FBI. It was ignored. A few months ago we were still reading news article people still being sued. Three of these cases that stood out were Joel Tennenbaum, Jammie Thomas and Whitney Harper all having to pay outrageous monetary amounts. Now feeling ignoring the officer’s conversation was unfair we began reporting the conversation to the RIAA the FBI the PD and several other anti piracy organizations asking why this was not investigated. Again it continues to be ignored. If piracy is a crime as the FBI the RIAA and others proclaim why was this conversation ignored. Considering piracy is being called a crime and the thousands of people that have been sued shouldn’t this conversation be investigated to see where the THOUSAND SONGS this officer talks about came from, who the everybody is that is doing this police officer’s conversation be investigated to see where the THOUSAND SONGS he talks about came from, who the everybody is that is doing it, and if he or his daughters may have committed what they are calling a crime. Ignoring this conversation seems to be an injustice to all the people that have been sued as well as to us as a citizen reporting it and it being ignored. Please forward this to anyone that may have an interest in this. I feel we deserve to know why this was ignored and we are requesting that it be investigated.
This same officer also RECORDED discussing a favor being asked. The officer said a dentist had died while having sex in his office with a woman not his wife The brother who is an attorney in Raleigh NC phoned the PD asking to keep it quiet for the sake of the family. The officer said he started to tell him when you do something like this it is going to get around. Later the news paper printed the dentist’s wife was at the officer waiting to go for a walk definitely not the story the officer told.
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The Federal Government came right out and told me to my face that they will lie, cheat and steal to do whatever it takes to prosecute me as a Target. It seemed much simpler to plead out to one count of wire fraud. I didn’t even know what wire fraud meant at the time, do you? That’s not excuse – you can’t even have an excuse with the feds. By the way, I told the lenders I was working with, everything I was doing. The feds said, we don’t care we will just say you conspired with them to commit fraud. They are trained (brainwashed) into believing that everybody besides them are bad bad people.
No doubt what happened here, is there?
The cops are above the law. Many people are wondering how did Germans find so many brutal people to join SS or Gestapo. The answer is simple, once the government allows for vast abuse of ordinary citizens those monsters come out of woodwork. They are among us. The best example is a police force in today’s America. They behave like wild animals without any respect for people’s property or life.
It’s sad that some Police officers abuse their power to take advantage of others rights. I think the government should do something about this. It’s really alarming that some police officers act like criminals…
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