Another round of gaiety
It’s OK to be a storyteller if you’re talking Philadelphia history
Family Portrait: Jay McCarroll
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Aug. 9-15, 2013
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Vol. 37 No. 32
MontCo fires back at state By Jen Colletta jen@epgn.com
DOWN THE DRAIN: Woody’s Bar took Stolichnaya off its shelves July 31 with the help of local community and civic leaders. Woody’s joins several-hundred LGBT and ally venues across the country that have removed the Russian brand in protest of Russia’s restrictive antigay policies, made more oppressive this summer with a new law that prohibits LGBT “propaganda.” Joining the action were City Councilman Jim Kenney (from left), Thom Cardwell, District Attorney Seth Williams, Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds-Brown, state Sen. Larry Farnese and Councilman Mark Squilla. Knock owner Bill Wood also sent over his venue’s stock of Stoli to be dumped. Photo: Scott A. Drake
Hearing delayed for murder suspect By Angela Thomas angela@epgn.com A hearing for a man accused of murdering a local transgender woman was postponed this week. Charles Sargent, 43, was scheduled to face a preliminary hearing Aug. 7 at the Criminal Justice Center. He is charged with murder, possession of an instrument of crime and abuse of corpse in connection to last month’s stabbing and dismemberment of Diamond Williams. In court Wednesday, Sargent’s attorney, J. Michael Farrell, requested a continuance for the preliminary hearing. Sargent, who is being held at CurranFromhold Correctional Facility, was not present.
Municipal Court Judge Teresa Carr Deni agreed to postpone the proceeding to Oct. 15. The hearing will take place at 9 a.m. in Room 306 of the Criminal Justice Center, 1301 Filbert St. Farrell did not respond to a request for comment. Sargent allegedly stabbed Williams, 31, in his Strawberry Mansion home after an argument. Williams was a sex worker, and Sargent reportedly brought her to his home for a sexual encounter. In 2007, Carr Deni was criticized over a ruling in which she reduced charges against a man accused of raping a sex worker at gunpoint and forcing her to have sex with a group of other men. Carr Deni dismissed the rape and sexualassault charges against the suspect but let stand “theft of services” charges. She was subsequently rebuked by the Philadelphia Bar Association for an “unforgivable miscarriage of justice.” Sargent is also charged with making terroristic threats for allegedly threatening to kill his girlfriend. ■
T h e wa i t i n g g a m e c o n t i n u e s i n Montgomery County. More than 80 marriage licenses have been issued to same-sex couples since MontCo Register of Wills D. Bruce Hanes announced last month that his pledge to uphold the constitution prevented him from denying such licenses. Last Friday, the county filed a formal response to the lawsuit filed earlier in the week in Commonwealth Court by the state Department of Health, which sought a writ of mandamus to compel Hanes to halt the distribution. MontCo Solicitor Ray McGarry held an Aug. 2 press conference detailing the county’s response to the suit, which was filed July 30 against Hanes. The county asked the court to dismiss the suit on a number of grounds. First, the county argued that the court lacks “subject-matter jurisdiction” to decide the issue, arguing instead that the state Supreme Court has governance over “general supervisory and administrative-authority” issues. The state Department of Health also lacks standing to bring a mandamus action against Hanes, the county said. Standing, the response explained, requires that “litigants must demonstrate that they are aggrieved PAGE 20 in order to proceed with
LOOKING FORWARD: A young boy was among the 100 demonstrators rallying for marriage equality Aug. 5 at the Norristown County Courthouse. The event was meant to thank Montgomery County Register of Wills D. Bruce Hanes, who is being sued by the state for issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The rally drew state lawmakers, religious leaders and LGBT and ally community members. Photo: Michael Albany Photography
Voter-ID enforcement halted By Angela Thomas angela@epgn.com Attorneys for the state last week agreed to delay the implementation of Pennsylvania’s voter-identification law until after the November election. The decision came at the end of a Commonwealth Court trial, in which opponents argued that the law marginalizes voters. The measure, which was supported by Republicans and criticized by Democrats as a method of suppressing the Democratic vote, was adopted last year. But a judge halted its implementation before last November’s election. The law requires voters to provide valid,
government-issued identification before they vote. On Aug. 1, the state attorney general’s office agreed to support a temporary injunction that would not mandate that voters provide photo identification in the Nov. 5 election. However, poll workers would still ask voters for proof of identification, an issue that Commonwealth Court Judge Bernard McGinley will rule on by Aug. 19, along with whether the injunction will apply solely to the upcoming election or be worded more indefinitely. Plaintiffs bringing the suit — the NAACP, the Pennsylvania League of Women Voters and the Homeless Advocacy Project — argued during the 12-day trial that the law PAGE 20 unduly impact minori-