From the April 2002 Idaho Observer:

Ellensburg hotel owner fights corruption with help from citizen group

by Leonard Browning

Kuo Yang, Hsue (whom we will refer to as Andy) came to Citizens Against Corruption (CAC) on a referral from Jail for Judges. Idaho J.A.I.L.er Rose Johnson got an email from Andy which read, “Help, Help, Help!” She contacted him, found out a little about his plight, and referred him to “Dragonslayer” of the CAC. The CAC contacted Andy to see if we could be of any assistance.

Andy is a native of Taiwan. He first came into contact with the American people through US airmen stationed near his home in Taiwan about 40 years ago. The American service men were so kind to him. They gave him food and candy. They were friendly and generous. Andy said, “When I get big, I want to go to the United States to be with such a loving and kind people.”

Andy worked very hard and studied diligently in school. After many long and hard years of sacrifice, he received an engineering degree.

Andy took a job in Bolivia designing oil refineries. He did such a fine job that he soon became a leader in his company. Andy was sought after by several different companies, and he prospered and grew. At a time when the exchange rate with the American dollar and the Bolivian currency was at an all time high, Andy being the wise man that he is, cashed in all of his Bolivian currency, quit his lucrative job, and moved with his new wife (a Bolivian native of German descent) and his brother to Seattle where they purchased a vacant lot.

They arranged for financing and built a new motel. After a few years in Seattle, Andy sold his interest in the motel to his brother and moved to a smaller town, better suited to the raising of his children -- a place where they could get a better education and a better quality of life -- a place where the air was fresh and the people friendly -- something similar to those American airmen he first met in Taiwan. Andy moved to Ellensburg, Washington where his American dream became a nightmare.

After Andy had been conducting business for a while at the motel, members of the city said that his neon sign which read “LIGHTHOUSE MOTEL” -- a sign that could be seen from the freeway--was in need of repair. They told him that he was required to make certain repairs to the sign.

When Andy asked them to tell him which ordinance, statute or regulation they were relying on to require him to repair or paint the sign as they said, they were unable to answer him. However, that fact failed to prevent them, after much harassment, from blatantly taking down Andy's sign and piling it beside his motel office wall. They did all of this without due process, without a court hearing, without a court order and without notice to Andy.

Andy and his family were terrified as the chief of police and his deputy paraded defiantly in front of his motel office, with their hands resting on their guns while Andy dutifully, and somewhat furtively, recorded all of their activities on video tape from inside his home at the motel.

The police officers from the city of Ellensburg often sat at the entrance to his motel with their lights flashing during the hours of 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., effectively discouraging potential customers from checking into his motel. No one wants to check into a motel where they are having a “blue light special.”

Then, to top it all off, a city agent appeared with an official “backflow specialist.” However, it must be understood that this backflow specialist has a husband who works for the Public Works Department in the city of Ellensburg.

A backflow valve is designed to prevent water from backing up into the city water system. Andy, the highly qualified engineer who designed oil refineries in Bolivia, knew the mechanics of his boiler and its components at the motel. He knew that his boiler water could not backup into the city water supply. State certified agents from Washington regularly inspected his boiler. Andy knew that city inspectors had no authority to compel him to install a backflow valve. Plus there was no practical reason for installing such a device in his system.

Andy and his witness asked these agents where the water inlet was which came from the city to his business. These two “experts” pointed to a valve and pipe coming into Andy's furnace. The pipe and valve to which they pointed were connected directly to the natural gas line -- not to the water line.

Andy made contact with the CAC with his message of help, help, help. He then came to CAC headquarters and spent a couple of days researching the law. He discovered his civil rights had been violated.

He told us that, as further harassment, the postal department had refused to deliver his mail, supposedly because he had installed his mailbox at a slight angle. Andy investigated. He drove all around Ellensburg videotaping other mail boxes, any number of them in a sad state of disarray, yet still being used as receptacles for the mail by the postal authorities.

Andy then contacted the human rights commission at the university there in the town. Finally, after his second contact with them, they in turn contacted the postal department and directed them to resume delivering the mail. They did resume delivering Andy's mail, but only after a 30-day hiatus. As a further form of harassment, the postal department refused to deliver mail that Andy had sent by priority mail, postage prepaid, carefully, clearly and legibly addressed to his insurance company. Without giving any reason, the post office returned this article to him undelivered.

The CAC has assisted him in his search for justice and equality. Andy has filed a $5,000,000 lawsuit against the City of Ellensburg and a $50,000 suit against the postal department.

***

CAC Update: a message from the Dragonslayer

The CAC has several ongoing cases -- one of which is in the Idaho State Supreme Court and will be discussed in a future edition of the CAC Newsletter. Another case that we are working on takes place in Okanogan County concerning an individual who is having his civil rights violated.

A man named Rick has been in jail approximately 60 days and has not as yet been served with a complaint or summons.

Speedy trial in Washington is 60 days from the date of arraignment. He was arraigned on the 19th of February, 2002. Even the arraignment is illegal. He was not represented by an attorney (or counsel). The judge in this case was functioning as the prosecutor, the public defender, and the judge. I wouldn't be surprised to see him running for state executioner in the next election.

Rick's case is working its way through the system and I guarantee his rights will be upheld by the time he is done with them.

The CAC is achieving nationwide recognition for the 100% success rate it has had in defending people who cannot afford conventional attorneys due to lack of money or lack of representation by those attorneys.

Chip Rowe, Associate Editor of Playboy magazine, asked me to send him a Citizen's Defense Packet and transcripts on the trial of Joshua Krawiec. As you will recall, Joshua was charged with a non-crime and arrested at his high school in Newport, Washington. His family was put to great monetary expense, and lost standing in the community while dealing with these frivolous, malicious, fictitious, non-crime charges.

[See: 15-year-old pro-se achieves Superior Court dismissal, Idaho Observer, January 2002]

The CAC is struggling to keep up with the demands of an ever-increasing case load. As membership grows and resources permit, we are taking on more cases. As we grow, a justice-demanding and justice-achieving machine is being built. In Pend Oreille county, a judge has standing orders to the clerk that every time the CAC pulls a file, he is to be shown the same file. The result is that many frivolous charges are being dismissed without direct intervention from the CAC. The CAC is striking fear in the heartless legal system that would rather administratively dismiss some of its more malicious charges than risk having them dismissed after making a public record of their maliciousness in court.

We, the ordinary people of this country, are coming to each other's aid in this time of pandemic persecution. We appreciate the support and so do all the people who are not in jail because of your kindness and compassion.

Join the CAC today and be part of the machine that is defending the rights of Americans in court without attorneys.

DRAGONSLAYER