BROOKLYN, NEW YORK—
John O’Hara, a Brooklyn activist and newly reinstated attorney, is currently waiting to hear if he has been pardoned for two counts of voting illegally, an infraction committed over a decade ago. The deadline for submitting pardon requests was this October 1 st. This will be his latest attempt petitioning for a pardon since his conviction in 1996.
O’Hara was sentenced to five years probation, community service, and a $20,000 fine after being found guilty for changing his voting address to his longtime girlfriend’s apartment, a fourteen block distance from his own apartment of primary residence. A prominent attorney and political activist, he was consequently disbarred from his practice only to be finally reinstated by the Supreme Court in 2009.
The last person to be convicted of this crime in New York State was Susan B. Anthony in 1872, before women’s suffrage was enacted. The rare application of this law prompted others to speculate if O’Hara was being targeted for his political interference in the campaigns of other prominent Democratic Party members.
Rock Hackshaw, A close friend of O’Hara and blogger for the Gothamist weblog, recently posted, “ Some detractors thought he ran too much. Sometimes he ran others as challengers; near all the time he would be challenging some lackluster incumbent representing the powers that be. As a democrat (and insurgent) he stepped on many toes…what happened to him smells of a reprisal, or a vendetta, or just plain old-fashioned human revenge for something or the other.”
Hackshaw’s opinion is commonly shared among the local Brooklyn community.
After serving his 1500 hours of community service O’Hara’s past charges still remain on the books despite being reinstated to his former position as an attorney.
Pardons are ultimately decided by Governor Paterson, but regulated through a Pardon Panel comprised of the Executive Chamber and State agency personnel.
Paterson recently instated the panel to help control the high flux of petitions that are received annually and ensure more cases were reviewed.
Friends have continued to give support to O’Hara aside from circulating an online petition for his pardon, most notably creating a facebook with the tagline, “Get Justice for John Kennedy O’Hara,” and the website, www.freejohnohara.com created by a group who simply go by the name “Friends of John O’Hara.” They could not be reached for comment for this article, but continue to leave facebook posts urging users to “read all about the saga of John O’Hara. It is just unbelievable. Governor Paterson’s pardon can show that in the end, justice can prevail.”
Actor and New York resident, Chris Noth, has also stepped in releasing a statement imploring others to lend their support suggesting, “Because of the dangerous precedent created by the O’Hara prosecution, anybody with two or more homes can face prison time if they vote. Students living out of dormitories can go to jail for voting. Homeless people living in shelters can be prosecuted if they vote, along with people who have recently lost their homes through foreclosure.”
Governor Paterson’s has most recently pardoned Chinatown resident, Qing Hong Wu, who had been described as a man who rose from poverty and street crime to become a successful technology executive and faced deportation back to China.
Paterson’s most notable pardon was awarded to Ricky Walters, also known as Slick Rick, best known for his hits “Children’s Story” and “La Di Da Di.” Walters had pled guilty to two accounts of attempted murder. Paterson granted the pardon after Walters risked being deported back to England.
Paterson’s office could not be reached for comment as to when a pardon decision will be reached. However in a prior statement to the New York Daily News a spokeswoman for Governor Paterson said, “Of the hundreds who request commutations or pardons in New York State each year, only seven are granted on average.”
Other notable politicians who reside in multiple residences include Arizona senator, and former presidential candidate John McCain and former chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, who upon retiring from Washington D.C. immediately announced his run for mayor of Chicago.
http://www.r8ny.com/blog/rock_hackshaw/a_note_to_governor_david_paterson_please_pardon_mr_john_ohara.html
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/freejohnohara/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Get-Justice-for-John-Kennedy-OHara/167117679009?v=wall
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