Appeal ends in police abuse case
The appeal of Luis A. Berrios 3d for a new trial in his federal police-abuse case has ended.
Berrios contends Philadelphia police used excessive force and wrongfully arrested him during a 2010 domestic disturbance at his Hunting Park residence. He also contends officers hurled anti-LGBT slurs during the incident.
In November, an all-white jury cleared the defendants of any wrongdoing.
Berrios filed a notice of appeal, but the appeal process ended last week because Berrios didn’t order a transcript of the trail.
“Unfortunately, we see only one viable ground for appeal, given the jury’s unanimous verdict for the defendants,” said Rania Major, an attorney for Berrios. “Even if we won that issue, the appellate court wouldn’t need to grant a new trail as the remedy. My client wants closure of this matter.”
City attorney Michael R. Miller declined to comment for this update.
— Timothy Cwiek
LGBT grantmaking agency rebrands
A local organization that distributes funding to LGBT causes recently announced a rebranding effort.
The Delaware Valley Legacy Fund has changed its name to DVLF. It also unveiled a new logo, which consists of several Philadelphia skyscrapers being cradled in a hand, next to the organization’s name and the tagline: Serving the Greater Philadelphia LGBTQ Community Through Philanthropy.”
The changes are the result of a recent communication audit, executive director Samantha Giusti said in a statement.
Giusti said the logo reflects “an organization that lifts up the LGBT community in our region.” She said the shortening of the name “will provide more clarity to who we are and what we do.”
The organization plans to update its website, www.dvlf.org, later this year to enhance community involvement and giving.
V-Day video contest continues
There’s one more week left for local couples to enter a Valentine’s Day contest sponsored by PGN and PersonalCast Studios.
The production studio is offering a free “Love Story video, valued at $599, to a PGN reader. Interested applicants should answer the question, “When did you know your partner was THE one?” in fewer than 100 words. Entries can be sent to [email protected] through midnight Feb. 7. Entrants should have access to FaceTime or Skype.
PersonalCast will interview the winning couple about their relationship through one of the video-messaging services and professionally edit the footage.
For more information about PersonalCast, visit www.personal-cast.com.
— Jen Colletta