Peace, freedom, and justice are not things that were won for us two hundred years ago or forty years ago; they must be won again and again by each successive generation.

To be the victim of apparent incompetence once looks like incompetence. To suffer that same apparent incompetence over and over again looks like targeted harassment.

Incompetent

New York State Police entered my home on a defective warrant. They accused me of crimes I did not commit, seized my guns, threw me in jail, and destroyed my reputation. A hearing later exposed their investigative incompetence. The state police had to withdraw their request for an Emergency Protection Order under New York’s Red Flag law because their investigator deliberately withheld exculpatory evidence from the judge when he applied for the warrant.

My concealed carry permit was suspended and later returned at an illegal lower status. (SCOTUS has made clear: you either have the right to carry concealed or you don’t—there are no tiers.) The state returned it only after a court-ordered mental health evaluation confirmed I was not a danger to anyone, despite months of court proceedings, false accusations, and severe reputational damage. I am still not crazy.

Irresponsible

The state police eventually returned most of my illegally confiscated property—except for two standard-capacity AR magazines that the Second Amendment protects as arms in common use. Judge Philip J. Gizzi of Canajoharie Town Court sealed the case record at my behest after my attorney, former Rensselaer County DA Joel Abelove, failed to file the motion to seal it. Abelove blamed the court instead of taking responsibility.

Evil

My family and I were evicted from our home of more than 10 years by our former landlord—former New York State Trooper Daniel Voght of Canajoharie, NY (now suffering from dementia) and his Canadian wife, Linda Voght. They did not evict us for non-payment or lease violations. They evicted us because New York State Police had accused me of being a terrorist.

The same Judge Philip J. Gizzi who sealed my arrest record allowed the Voghts’ lawyer to call me a terrorist in open court and used that accusation as grounds for eviction. I already filed suit in New York State Court of Claims for damages from the false arrest and accusation. Now two state agents have openly conspired against me.

Right now, WRGB6 and the Schenectady Gazette refuse to remove or update their stories about my false arrest. I have repeatedly provided both outlets with court documents showing the case ended in my favor, yet they still refuse to correct the record. Once I finish with New York State, I will sue these media outlets for failing to act in the public interest.

Steadfast