Saturday, October 23, 2010

Ernie Shearer Charges Ed Treacy Assaulted Him At Eastside Polling Site

Marion County politics heated up at the eastside satellite polling place this afternoon at the traffic court near 10th and Post Road. Ernie Shearer, a Republican ward chairman for Warren Township, claims Marion Co. Democratic Chairman Ed Treacy assaulted him outside the polling place after Shearer snapped a photograph of Treacy. According to Shearer, Treacy yelled expletives at him, body slammed him and slapped him in the face in a chopping motion with credentials he pulled out of his pocket as evidencing his right to enter the polling place. Shearer says he grabbed Treacy's hand after he slapped his credential in his face at which point Shearer claims Treacy again body slammed him, knocking him against a pickup truck belonging to Paul Tuttle, Sr., who Shearer says witnessed the altercation.

Two reserve deputies arrived soon after the altercation occurred and took statements from Shearer, Treacy and Tuttle. Shearer said he had visited the polling site in a volunteer capacity on behalf of Hoosiers for Honesty In Government, a political action committee with which he is associated. Shearer said he had heard reports of campaign violations taking place at the two satellite polling sites. Shearer expressed concern that Democratic candidates, including Marion Co. Clerk Beth White were campaigning within the 50-foot chute leading to the polling site in violation of election law. Shearer claimed White greeted voters and asked for their vote. The reserve deputies who took the police report made no arrests and planned to turn their report over to IMPD according to Shearer.

UPDATE: Indianapolis Times reports on Treacy leveling the charge that Republicans were engaging in voter intimidation at the eastside satellite voting site where Shearer claims Treacy assaulted him. According to the press release from Treacy:

After spending months trying to prevent voters from voting by blocking the utilization of satellite voting locations, Marion County Republicans have sadly taken their voter suppression tactics to an entirely new level: Voter Intimidation.


Under Indiana law (Ind. Code section 3-14-3-21.5), voter intimidation is defined as "a person who knowingly or intentionally intimidates, threatens, or coerces an individual for . . . voting or attempting to vote . . . ."

Today, Marion County Republicans engaged in precisely such illicit behavior at the satellite voting location on 10th and Post Road. Taking pictures and recording the faces of voters without the voters' approval, local Republicans have resorted to reprehensible tactics.

"These tactics are both despicable and, frankly, creepy. Mayor Ballard and Chairman John should be ashamed of themselves for resorting to such desperate actions. Today, I'm calling on the Mayor and his county chairman to end this strategy of voter intimidation and suppression. If they won't protect voters, I will," said Marion County Democratic Party Chairman Ed Treacy.
UPDATE: WRTV has posted a brief story on the altercation here and WTHR has a brief story here. Both reports are consistent with what I reported yesterday. The Star reports the altercation between Shearer and Treacy was mutual, contrary to Shearer's version of the story:

Special deputies were asked for help at an early voting station on Saturday after two local political leaders got into a scuffle.


An Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department report says Marion County Democratic Chairman Ed Treacy and Warren Township GOP ward Chairman Ernest Shearer got into a shouting and shoving match around 3 p.m. Saturday outside a satellite polling site at 9049 E. 10th St..

According to the report, Shearer accused Treacy of assaulting him and insisted on pressing charges.

Shearer told police he took pictures of Treacy walking out of the polling site when Treacy began cursing at him, bumped him and hit him in the nose with a business card.

He told police Treacy chest-bumped him three times.

Witnesses told police they saw Shearer bump Treacy and grab his arm and that the bumping was mutual.

Satellite polling stations like the one on 10th Street allow people to vote absentee in person and avoid lines on Election Day. Just as at regular polling locations, candidates and party officials sometimes campaign nearby, greeting those getting ready to vote.
UPDATE: A statement included in today's Star from Ed Treacy confirms there was some bumping of bellies between the two men:

In a statement issued via e-mail, Treacy acknowledged there was a "bumping of bellies." He said the incident began as he was leaving the early voting location near 10th Street and Post Road. He said he noticed Shearer taking pictures of voters "in an intimidating manner."


"There had been an earlier confrontation with other Democratic volunteers," he wrote. "I asserted that Mr. Shearer was behaving in a manner designed to intimidate voters.

"Mr. Shearer asserted that he was documenting illegal behavior, including my presence at the site. I produced my watcher card, allowing me to enter and leave the early vote site."

Treacy then accused Shearer of voter intimidation.

Witnesses told police they saw Shearer bump Treacy and grab his arm. They said the bumping was mutual.

One of the witnesses, Paul Tuttle, 73, was at the site to support his son, Paul Tuttle Jr., a Democrat who is running for re-election for Warren Township constable.

"(Shearer) had been out here harassing voters, taking pictures while they were in the chute leading into the voting poll," said Tuttle. "I think he's trying to harass the voters."

18 comments:

Wilson46201 said...

Ernie: if people are picking on you and bullying you, just remember: it does get better!

Blog Admin said...

The spin piece on the Indianapolis Times is absolutely ridiculous. It describes "reprehensible tactics" and "illicit activites" as simply photographing and videoing people from public avenues.

Wilson46201 should know this more than anyone that photography is not a crime. Of course, he makes an exception in this case.

I know said...

What an embarrassment in Indiana!

Paul K. Ogden said...

Gee, that Ed Treacy sounds like a pretty tough guy, throwing around Ernie like that.

I'm a little surprised that Ernie though would affiliate with a group called "Hoosiers for Honesty in Government" since he has always defended the dishonesty and corruption in the Ballard administration.

Regard the incident, my guess is the truth is somewhere between the two versions.

Marycatherine Barton said...

I know, "I know".

Indy4U2C said...

Let's see: Ed Treacy thinks that voter intimidation is taking a picture by a person in a public place of a public event. It seems to me that anyone has a right to photograph anything that is in public, as they are only recording an image they have a lawful right to see.

Is Treacy's message really: "Don't photograph corrupt Democrat frauds and illegal voting activities"????? -Photos may be used to show that poll books were signed by people who were not there.

Finally The Democrat Machine may be exposed....for what it is

Marycatherine Barton said...

"2010 is Just Deck Chair Politics on the USS Titanic" writes Ron Holland at www.LewRockwell.com. Sad. but true!

problem solver said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
M Theory said...

Ernie? It doesn't matter if we elect a Republican or Democrat. Can't you tell? They are both exactly alike.

Indy4U2C said...

Wilson, Oh, Wilson:

You got any comments about taking pictures of public activity at public events???

Where is your camera?

"Corruption is as corruption does."

-The Democrat Machine

Concerned Taxpayer said...

Why did "special deputies" arrive and take a report? This would normally be done by IMPD who has jurisdiction.
Is this another crap job by the sheriff to conceal things?

indyernie said...

Gary the only photos that I took of voters are the ones I sent you. One has a lady in the Shute being handed info from a Graves rep and Paul Tuttle III. The photo shows her from the rear. Another has two young people walking into the frame while leaving the poll. This happened as I took a photo of Tuttle exiting the Shute. I have a photo that shows another man being approached in the Shute by democrats. These photos were taken two hours before Ed arrived.
Ed Tracy never saw me photographing anyone other than himself. The only photo that I took when Ed was there was of Ed. That is the photo I sent to you.
The statements from Ed and Adam insisting that I was there to photograph voters are lies.

indyernie said...

"if people are picking on you and bullying you, just remember: it does get better!"

FYI Wilson...I wasn't the one ducking the media this weekend. Every media outlet that contacted me told me that Ed was MIA.
Who's afraid of whom?
Gary has the truth and it came from me.

Gary R. Welsh said...

Ernie's version makes more sense to me. Yeah, Ernie is willing to say things to get a rise out of the Democrats, but he doesn't jump right in front of them with his camera like somebody else I know and start snapping pictures of them no more than 2 or 3 feet in front of them. Treacy is confirming the belly bumping. The question is who initiated the physicial confrontation.

indyernie said...

The only time I touched Ed was when I removed his hand from my face and then I only brushed it aside. All three "bumps" and him striking me in the nose with the folded credential card were initiated by Ed.

Indy4U2C said...

Ernie: Please go to the Marion County Prosecutor's Citizen Intake Unit at 251 E Ohio ST and sign a criminal complaint for Battery against Fat Ed Treacy!

-Then follow that up with a complaint to the State Supreme Court for Violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct.

Don't let Fat Ed bully you. You have every right to take a picture of a public event, especially to document misconduct by The Democrat Machine! In fact, it's really a duty of every citizen to document and report corruption in government/criminal activity.

Indy4U2C said...

-On a side note: Special Deputies are not police. They work for Frank Anderson, and therefore, most of them are incompetent. If anything happens at a polling place, the real police should be called to investigate/report.

indyernie said...

The Deputy that took my complaint did so in a very professional manner. I have no complaints about that.
Yesterday when I returned for an interview with the news media officers were posted outside and the democrats stayed ten feet from the Shute. I think I got someone’s attention.