Open Thread Wednesday

What’s on your mind? Comment away!

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  • Jeffrey Smith

    Well, the 84th Precinct Community Council was held last night. The new chairman is light years better than the former. But the basic systemic problems/ designed-in controls which haunted the organization from it’s onset remain in place. First of all, community feedback is minimized to the greatest degree possible. There is the very worthy feature of the cop of the month presentation. Which when invented, was always after the request for public concerns. Then there was a brief statement by the Captain which does contain a very brief, poorly by the mc conveyed in theory window for concerns. We had a good presentation by the local transit district Capt. He indeed took questions. But then… the interm- inable dog and pony show started; First usually a very worthy charity or less worthy social change group. Then the parade of politicians offices reporting on thier various programs they are pursuing. This proceeds endlessly. Finally after like the fourth presentation, I asked when we get to the public concerns portion of the program. This didn’t sit well with the assembled dignitaries. At one point, Jo Ann Simon presented her
    office’s latest programs. She did take questions. I simply asked what her position on the Montague to BBP access idea and I asked why can’t it be made into Black Letter statutory law that if you increase the population/use of an area the manpower for đź‘® 🔥 and EMS must be increased…she answered that SHE IS FULLY IN FAVOR OR A MONTAGUE ACCESS!!! ” the more access the better” “at present there are only two accesses to the park”…to which I simply replied: with all the toxic effects the park has already has had you want to widen the apature? This was too much for one part of the PD which apparently felt the brief response, albeit in somewhat strident tone, was “disrupting” and “disrespecting” the meeting!!! Really? More politicians look-what-we-are-doing-for-you, talks continued. People are now getting tired and considering leaving. So I asked one of like the Fifth! or Seventh office holder’s reps, I lost count, when the community gets to speak? The chairman said it would be soon….and another politician’s representative followed. Finally….the chairman asked for questions this is like at 8 PM or after….I brought up the attack on the Woman and the near riot outside the High Street station. This Capt is apparently genuinely very concerned but only two of the possible culprits have so far been questioned. The entire issue of parity of manpower/ patrol strength to population/use of an area was well surfaced. Other questions/feedback were heard. But at one point one of Leslie Lewis’s favorite well, “devices” was attempted the wonderful idea to the effect that the ONLY way permissable to address the Capt or other panel was to be in the form of a question!! (of course what happens then, is you ask a question, you get a bureaucratese answer and nothing is ever really answered or resolved) to his credit the Capt brushed aside this not so little attempt at limiting access and graciously listed to fully stated community concerns.

    But then the meeting ended and the fireworks really started; first a gaggle of the old leftists who are somehow attracted or directed to the meeting delivered thier hostile comments to me, it didn’t help I was wearing Trump cap…, BUT THEN one PD member approached me with the charge that I had disrupted/disrespected the meeting AND IF I CONTINUED, I WOULD BE REMOVED. I told him and two others that this would escalate if public feedback, and that’s NOT limited to questions, is not kept the absolute center upfront feature of the gathering, as it was SET UP TO BE when the monthly community meeting were mandated by departmental policy. I ALSO reminded several of the critical types WHY the Tea Party movement erupted. Congress people would typically fly home and have classic town hall meetings. Except this slyly now consisted of their delivering a speech on all he was doing for the district and if anyone had questions or worse, comments they had to remain silent and if they didn’t, well, the Congress persons “staff” acted as bouncers. (I watched this personally at two halls one in Kansas and one in Nebraska folks)
    The level of absolute fury this caused led to the formation of the Tea Party and the removal of like 40 people from Congress….

    After the meeting I decided to simply go home and immediately put on “Call your daddy, baby” by Kenny Mc Kinnon and the blue cats on Fable. The graphics were also a major plus.

  • KXrVrii1

    Happy Thanksgiving!

  • Tryptophan Delivery

    From the faith and courage of this continent’s founders to today, every generation has paused to focus on our blessings