For Immediate Release May 6, 1998
Paul Mitchell Assaulted by 4-Time Convicted Felon
AUSTIN, TEXAS. Paul Mitchell, Counselor at Law, Federal Witness,
and Private Attorney General, was assaulted today by a lone
assailant in a suburb outside Austin, Texas. After the evening
meal sponsored by a prominent local Methodist church, at a
popular community center, a middle-aged man named "Ed" without
provocation punched Mitchell in the left temple, in a blind-side
attack while he was finishing dinner. Mitchell was sitting on
landscape ties near the front door, plate in lap, because there
was no room inside at the dining table.
While the assailant fled, Mitchell fell to the ground, blood
streaming from his left eye, and pieces of broken eye glasses
scattered around the front yard. Police and ambulance crews
arrived immediately and escorted Mitchell to the emergency room
of the regional hospital, where an expert medical team discovered
trauma to Mitchell's left eye socket, lacerations, and damage to
the iris of his left eye. The damaged iris does not respond to
variations in light intensity. Mitchell was discharged and
ordered to rest and see an eye surgeon the following morning.
The assailant is believed to have a prior criminal record of
four felony convictions and a total of 15 years in state prison.
Ed is legally blind himself, and now receives SSI, food stamps,
and other social services from a local Baptist Church. When
Mitchell sought temporary housing assistance from this same
church in late February, a seminary student introduced Mitchell
to Ed, who had just lost his latest roommate for undisclosed
reasons. Mitchell paid the seminarian $100 for one week, and
occupied Ed's second bedroom. However, neither Ed nor the
seminarian would provide Mitchell with any house keys.
During the first week of March, Mitchell went to work
seeking job interviews, and came home quite late one freezing
night, after pounding the pavement on foot for most of the day.
Ed would not open the door, forcing Mitchell to call the Baptist
seminarian, who had the only other set of keys. She, however,
did not answer her phone, and did not respond to her pager
either, after telling Mitchell she answers every page.
Mitchell, who was phoning from a local 24-hour convenience
store, returned to the apartment and tried once again to awaken
Ed, who had mixed alcohol and sedatives before going to bed.
After rapping sharply on Ed's bedroom window with a car key,
Mitchell did finally awaken Ed, who then opened the front door.
Mitchell said, "Hello Ed," and retired to the second bedroom. Ed
said nothing.
The following morning, an argument ensued after Ed
eavesdropped on Mitchell's stern phone conversation with the
Baptist seminarian, who proffered no good reasons for keeping the
keys. Ed then demanded that Mitchell vacate immediately, but
Mitchell refused, at which point Ed called the police. When the
police arrived, they threatened to arrest Mitchell if he did not
disclose a Social Security number. Mitchell responded by citing
Public Law 93-579, a federal statute in the Privacy Act which
makes it unlawful for state officials to punish any individual
for refusing to disclose a SSN. The second of two officers then
said, "Okay, Mr. Public Law, you are under arrest."
Mitchell was then booked at the local county jail, but was
released within 5 hours, after Sheriffs Deputies confirmed his
identity with the U.S. Marshals office in Austin and with a judge
on the Ninth Circuit who supervises Mitchell's litigation work.
In related developments, Mitchell was terminated recently
from the graveyard shift at a local telephone answering service.
The service had just acquired a new client in a tow truck company
which receives police dispatches on a rotating basis. Mitchell
objected strenuously when a co-worker instructed him to give
absolute priority to dispatching tow trucks, without exception.
The answering service handles numerous emergency calls from ER
and ICU personnel at the regional hospital. The owner, who is
also a captain with the local city fire department, terminated
Mitchell without hearing Mitchell's side of the story.
Mitchell responded by serving legal documents on the owner
and co-worker, including a Notice and Demand to Cease and Desist,
a Notice of Intent to File Criminal Complaints, and Offers in
Compromise and to Hold Harmless. Lacking proper legal training,
the owner misunderstood these three documents as "threats," and
lodged his own complaint with a local Justice of the Peace.
Just prior to Ed's assault on Mitchell, County Constables
politely escorted Mitchell from a local library to a private
meeting with the same Justice of the Peace. In chambers, with
the Constables and Justice of the Peace present, Mitchell reached
a private agreement to keep away from the answering service, but
preserved his right to sue for wrongful termination.
The Justice of the Peace also agreed to secure the return of
some dishes, gifted to Mitchell by another co-worker, and a
loose-leaf copy of "The Federal Zone" which Mitchell had printed
off the Internet for evidence in future copyright litigation.
America Online, Inc., with headquarters in Virginia, has refused
to remove an electronic copy from their file servers, which was
stolen and hosted there without the author's permission.
Mitchell authored "The Federal Zone" in 1992, under a pen name.
Mitchell took note that he received no legal service
whatsoever of any verified complaints or affidavits, even though
the Justice of the Peace said he had copies of same on his desk
during their private meeting. Moreover, no case number had been
assigned, and no attorney was present to represent the Plaintiff
of record -- the State of Texas. After that meeting, the
Constables politely offered to escort Mitchell back to the
library, but Mitchell instead chose to confirm his agreement in a
written contract which he presented to the Justice of the Peace,
who then thanked Mitchell for the gesture.
Less than 3 hours later, Ed viciously attacked Mitchell,
without provocation, sending him to the hospital emergency ward.
Mitchell has requested financial assistance, no matter how small,
to help defray the medical expenses of the eye surgeon and
hospital emergency staff, who completed a thorough professional
work-up without delay. Mitchell also needs help to repair his
broken glasses, and to pay for food and overdue rent, while
resting under doctors' orders. Donations can be made in cash, or
blank U.S. Postal Money Orders, to:
Supreme Law Firm
Medical Emergency Fund
c/o general delivery at:
2509 North Campbell Avenue
Tucson 85719/tdc
ARIZONA STATE
Donations are NOT tax-deductible [sic].
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