SAMUEL L. RIVERS 30 Rockledge Avenue Mount Vernon, NY 10550 (914) 760-8136 samuelrivers@gmail.com

May 5th

, 2010

New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct 6100 Broadway, Suite 1600 New York, New York 10006 Dear Sir/Madam: I hereby respectfully request that your honorable body initiate an immediate investigation into Mount Vernon City Court Judge Helen M. Blackwood. Judge Blackwood has engaged in conduct that is in direct violation of the Rules of the Chief Administrative Judge; Part 100 Judicial conduct. On Sunday, May 2nd

§ 100.4 States: A judge shall so conduct the judge's extra-judicial activities as to minimize the risk of conflict with judicial obligations

, 2010, Judge Blackwood was the keynote speaker at the “All Islands 30th Annual Scholarship Luncheon”. Judge Blackwood was also listed and was advertised as the keynote speaker in the journal that was distributed.

(C)

Governmental, Civic, or Charitable Activities.

(3) A judge may be a member or serve as an officer, director, trustee or non-legal advisor of an organization or governmental agency devoted to the improvement of the law, the legal system or the administration of justice or of an educational, religious, charitable, cultural, fraternal or civic organization not conducted for profit, subject to the following limitations and the other requirements of this Part. (ii) may not be a speaker or the guest of honor at an organization's fund-raising events, but the judge may attend such events. Nothing in this subparagraph shall prohibit a judge from being a speaker or guest of honor at a court employee organization, bar association or law school function or from accepting at another organization's fund-raising event an unadvertised award ancillary to such event; Judge Helen Blackwood is also the Judge on a proceeding on a matter that is currently before her for which I was assaulted by James A. Dickerson. The case is being prosecuted by the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office. James A. Dickerson is extremely close friends with Mayor Clinton I. Young Jr. Judge Blackwood was appointed to the bench in April of 2009 by Mayor Clinton I. Young Jr., Mayor of the City of Mount Vernon. Prior to being appointed to the bench, Judge Blackwood served as Corporation Counsel for the City of Mount Vernon under Mayor Clinton I. Young Jr. James A. Dickerson was also instrumental in securing employment for his girlfriend Tracy Thompson who currently serves as Mayor Clinton Young’s executive secretary and also worked with Judge Blackwood while she was Corporation Counsel. In my opinion, Judge Blackwood should have immediately recused herself from the above mentioned proceeding to avoid the appearance of impropriety. Upon information and belief, Judge Blackwood had an ex-parte conversation with Mayor Clinton Young and others and agreed to release James A. Dickerson without bail after he was arraigned on Criminal Contempt 2nd

Degree for violating an order of protection previously issued by Judge Blackwood prohibiting James A. Dickerson from any communication with me.

Dickerson was given preferential treatment upon his booking at the Mount Vernon Police Department and was arraigned before Judge Blackwood in a relatively short time frame. Upon information and belief, Judge Blackwood had a discussion with individuals close to the investigation and pre-arranged a time for James A. Dickerson to appear before her. Upon information and belief Judge Blackwood was not sitting in the Criminal Part of the Mount Vernon City Court, but was sitting in the Civil Part of the Mount Vernon City Court the day James A. Dickerson appeared before her to be arraigned on Criminal Contempt 2nd

Degree.

In 2009, I filed a complaint against Judge Blackwood with the Appellate Division, 2nd

Department for inappropriate ethical conduct that she engaged in while serving as Corporation Counsel for the City of Mount Vernon.

I have also been an extremely vocal critic of Judge Blackwood’s and have written articles on my blog denouncing her appointment as Mount Vernon City Court Judge. www.mountvernonexposed.blogspot.com. The video of James A. Dickerson assaulting me is also posted to my blog. §100.3 states; (E)

100.3 A judge shall perform the duties of judicial office impartially and diligently.

Disqualification

(1) A judge shall disqualify himself or herself in a proceeding in which the judge's impartiality might reasonably be questioned, including but not limited to instances where:

(a) (i) the judge has a personal bias or prejudice concerning a party or (ii) the judge has personal knowledge of disputed evidentiary facts concerning the proceeding;

(d) the judge knows that the judge or the judge's spouse, or a person known by the judge to be within the sixth degree of relationship to either of them, or the spouse of such a person: (f) the judge, while a judge or while a candidate for judicial office, has made a pledge or promise of conduct in office that is inconsistent with the impartial performance of the adjudicative duties of the office Sincerely, Samuel L. Rivers cc: Westchester County District Attorney’s Office – Patrick cc: New York State Bar Association Committee on Professional Ethics

Macarchuk - Mount Vernon Branch Chief

cc: New York Court System Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics cc: Press