Justice for Michael Barham

Michael Barham Justice Act (“The Barham Act”)

We are demanding the Philadelphia District Attorney, Pennsylvania State Attorney General, and the United States Department of Justice investigate the gross police conduct and malfeasance surrounding 17 year old Michael Barham’s murder investigation. 

On July 11, 2010 Michael Barham was murdered at a one of the most travelled SEPTA stations in Philadelphia (52nd and Market Street). Minutes before Michael’s brutal murder witnesses told Police Officer Carter, a Philadelphia cop, about the escalating violence directly across the street. Officer Carter responded by telling the witnesses it was not her problem because it was not her district as she walked backed into the H & S Donut Shop. That decision sealed Michael’s fate, as he was murdered on the EL Platform with over 14 bullets fired at him, in broad daylight, only to run for his life to die in a pool of his own blood face and pants down on a dirty city street. Michael was a 17 year old high school senior headed to college with his entire life in front of him. While Officer Carter’s disregard to initially investigate the incident leading to Michael’s murder was a horrible decision, the police conduct afterwards was even more appalling. Non-emergency personnel were allowed to disturb Michael’s body and contaminate his crime scene and they were the only persons trying to save Michael’s life despite the Philadelphia Police being present. Homicide Detective Bass and a high ranking Internal Affairs Commander ignored and covered up this misconduct when Michael’s family wanted answers and hid behind the blue wall of silence. No criminal justice agency seriously investigated the Police’s misconduct and now is the time! 

We demand mandatory laws, not only police regulations, where every person’s body regardless of race, religion, color, handicap, national origin, criminal history, age, or the circumstances’ leading to his/her death be treated equally and humanely. We demand the police cover every person’s body from public view before he/she is removed from the death scene. We demand the police isolate a potential murder scene as soon as practicable after arriving and disallow any persons from touching the deceased or otherwise contaminating the area.

We demand where gross police misconduct can be shown by prima facie evidence to have caused a juvenile’s death, the offender will then become eligible for a 1st degree felony conviction which carries with it 10 years mandatory imprisonment.We demand the limits on governmental liability for when a person is murdered due police misconduct be modified. We demand all statute of limitations claims for wrongful death and survival actions involving police misconduct be set at 4 years. Further, upon a prima facie showing of police misconduct the statute of limitations will be tolled for the period during which the malfeasance was alleged. We demand the victim/representatives no longer have to file a notice claim to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania regarding any intent to sue during the running of statute of limitations period. We also demand the local government and all criminal justice agencies be held liable for actions in failing to prevent or attempting to prevent a juvenile’s murder when credible evidence exits showing they were adequately warned about it.      

SIGN FOR JUSTICE