Friday, 30 of July of 2010
Focused Effectiveness for the 169th District
Thank you so much for all your support during Tuesday’s primary election! As always, I am humbled by the support you have continued to give me over the years. I look forward to the next several months as we make our way to the November general election.
If you would like to help out, click the “get involved” tab. Don’t forget our fundraiser on June 10th. For more information click on events.
Again, thank you!
Denny
Today is election day! Don’t forget to press button 119 first!
For voting information such as where to vote, go to www.Seventy.org.
Thanks for all your support thus far!
When: Thursday, June 10th from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Location: Finnegan’s Wake, 537 N. Third Street, Philadelphia, PA
Description: The Friends of Denny O’Brien cordially invite you to a special evening honoring State Representative Dennis M. O’Brien.
$250.00 per person
$500 Sponsor
$1,000 Patron
Feb. 16th is the first day to circulate petitions to get Denny’s name on the ballot for reelection. We need your help! In order to secure his spot on the ballot, Team Denny needs to secure 300 signatures from registered Republicans in the169th District. Of course, this means we will attempt to get at least 600 signatures to avoid any challenges.
If you can help in any way, please email Denny@DennyObrien.org. We need to continue the fight on behalf of the people of Northeast Philadelphia!
I would like to wish each of you a safe, happy and healthy new year! As we leave 2009 behind, we should not forget lessons learned, new friendships and our sense of hope in the future.
In this new year, as we begin the 2010 election cycle, I will continue to fight for the most vulnerable in society such as children and families with Autim. Further, I will continue my fight on behalf of the working families of Northeast Philadelphia. We have made much great progress in our neighborhoods over the past several years . With your help I will continue that progress in ways we cannot yet imagine. Whether working with local civic associations, senior groups, atheltic associations, or the various other organizations in the 169th District, I am always reminded of why I am in this. I grew up in the heart of my district. My constituents are my neighbors, friends and family. My three young boys play sports with your children. We have gotten to know eachother quite well and it’s nothing less than an honor to represent each of you in Harrisburg. With your help, I will continue to do so.
Again, Happy New Year!
Your Friend,
Denny
On behalf of Team Denny, please accept our best wishes for you and yours during this holiday season! May the New Year bring peace, prosperity and joy to Pennsylvania.
Denny
Then, the man aimed a handgun at one of the officers and fired, shooting the front-driver’s-side door of the van, parked on Apsley Street near Wayne Avenue in Germantown.
Neither officer was injured that Feb. 22, 2007, night.
In court yesterday, the gunman – Issa Benoit, 28, of Germantown – was sentenced by Common Pleas Judge Glynnis Hill to 17 to 34 years in state prison, followed by three years’ probation.
A jury in October convicted Benoit of attempted murder, weapons offenses and aggravated assault against Officer Sean Devlin – the cop in the van who Benoit pointed his gun at.
Benoit faced a mandatory-minimum sentence of five to 10 years.
If the shooting had occurred more recently, he would have faced a much stiffer mandatory sentence. A bill signed into law by Gov. Rendell in October calls for a mandatory 20-year sentence for a person who shoots, or shoots at, a police officer.
Among the observers in court yesterday were state House Rep. Dennis O’Brien, R-Northeast Philadelphia, who was House speaker when the bill passed last year and was one of its main supporters.
O’Brien, who is also a friend of Officer Devlin’s family, said after the hearing that this was the first sentencing he has attended involving a shooting at a police officer.
“Governor Rendell and I have been agonizing over the numerous police officers who have been killed,” the lawmaker said.
O’Brien said he came to court for the same reason members of Mothers Against Drunk Driving packed courtrooms – to highlight the importance of an issue.
“I hope my presence in the courtroom will encourage others to pack the courtroom” in police-shooting cases, he said.
Earlier in court, Judge Hill said his sentence was based on various factors, including Devlin’s victim-impact statement, the need to “protect our officers,” and Benoit’s “inexcusable” behavior.
“What you did was horrible,” Hill told Benoit, “and I never thought of a sentence of five to 10 [for you], and it [the 17-to-34-year sentence] doesn’t have anything to do with who’s sitting in the courtroom.”
The judge said he hoped his sentence will “send a message to other young people to not act the same way.”
Assistant District Attorney Richard Boyd asked the judge to consider the “climate of the city” and the number of police officers who have been killed. He asked for a sentence of 25 to 50 years.
Benoit asked the judge for leniency and said, “In no way or shape do I condone violence.” He also asked for “the chance to raise my children.”
His mother, Jennifer Benoit, and grandmother, Margaret Trout, tearfully asked for leniency. After the sentencing, Jennifer Benoit left the courtroom hallway in tears and in anger.
During a break in yesterday’s proceeding, Devlin, 34, recalled what happened about 9:30 that night. After Benoit said, “Do you wanna bang?” and fired a shot, he ran off, Devlin said.
Devlin and his partner, Officer Joseph Domico, who was also in the van, didn’t see where he fled, but they got a good look at him beforehand.
Sometime shortly after the incident, Domico picked out Benoit’s photo from a police archive.
The jury convicted Benoit of attempted murder and aggravated assault on Devlin, but acquitted him of those charges against Domico. Domico testified at trial that he had seen Benoit pointing the gun at Devlin.
After yesterday’s hearing, Devlin and Domico said they were happy with the judge’s sentence.
Merely a day before this shooting, another man, Kendall Hudson, allegedly rammed his Dodge Intrepid into police officers standing at Orianna and Wildey streets in Northern Liberties, hitting two. Hudson’s trial on attempted murder and related offenses began Wednesday and will continue Tuesday in Judge John J. Poserina Jr.’s courtroom. *
Overly impressed with the participation at the police walk yesterday.
God Bless the family of Officer John Pawlowski as well as the Philadelphia Police Department.