Keep Protesting All the Way to November
There was a protest today in Fullerton, like many cities around the country, sparked by the George Floyd murder in Minneapolis. People are justifiably angry about the actions of the officers involved who killed Mr. Floyd.
This blog has long stood against police misconduct and abuses of authority from the Pre-Kelly Thomas days to my ongoing lawsuit trying to expose the ongoing Culture of Corruption within the City of Fullerton.
We’re allies on the issues of abuses of authority and unaccountable police.
That said I implore you to focus your anger.
Police abuse people not for such a simple issue as wrongthink. Manual Ramos threatening Kelly Thomas with his balled up fists wasn’t a Black vs. White issue. When 50% of the Officers fired for the murder of George Floyd are POCs it breaks the lazy narrative.
Police do terrible things because we as a society let them. We tell them it’s okay. We condone and support their actions. We give them endless benefits in their checks and qualified immunity in the courts.
We do it every election at the ballot box.
In 2016 Jennifer Fitzgerald, our current Mayor, won election with more votes than any candidate has ever received in the city of Fullerton. She won with these numbers despite being the biggest bootlicker on council since the 3 council members we recalled.
During her tenure, this woman has caused our budget to be absolutely CONSUMED by police pay and benefits. Public safety currently accounts for more than $7 out of every $10 we spend in our general fund. This is ridiculous but it has no end in sight and we’re getting less and less for it.
Our city cannot afford to fix our roads because she and those like her have never seen a police pension or pay raise she didn’t adamantly support.
Meanwhile she has fought, tooth and nail, against any meaningful reform of the Fullerton Police Department from her seat on council. She glad hands police and supports their militarization at every opportunity. She has supported asset seizures which is when the city steals your property to pad their budgets. She has gone so far as to support hiding records from the public by not demanding the City follow basic public records laws. Hell, this blog got sued for showing that FPD is RIGHT NOW doing everything they can to AVOID publicly disclosing wrongdoing by their officers.
This blog exposed a pervert cop who was caught filming up a 16 year old’s skirt while assigned to Fullerton High School and her solution was to vote, multiple times, to SUE US. Oversight? Accountability? Assurances that there is chain of custody and accountability? That FPD won’t turn more of our kids into victims of sex crimes? She’s been as quiet as a church mouse on those issues because she puts bad cops over our kids & our city as a whole.
Did she demand accountability after the Fullerton PD put their friend & then City Manager Joe Felz above the drunk driving laws? Nope. She cried that she’d miss her friend.
Did you know that Fullerton purchased 160 AR-15s? That’s more than one PER officer. Why? Why does FPD need that kind of firepower? It certainly isn’t to protect you. And if it’s not to protect you, it’s to protect the very police that our elected officials refuse to hold accountable from you.
Fitzgerald eagerly supported this purchase and militarization without hesitation. As did Jesus Silva & County Supervisor Doug Chaffee.
They do the bidding of the Fullerton Police Officer’s Association and the FPOA cares about one thing and one thing only – keeping cops with fat wallets above the law at your expense. Remember that the less accountable they are, the more you pay when they screw up. Those millions that Fullerton paid Ron Thomas certainly didn’t come out of any police pensions or FPOA bake sale.
In the near decade since Kelly Thomas was murdered we have seen no meaningful reform of the Fullerton Police Department. No transparency. No real oversight. Jennifer Fitzgerald has now been Mayor twice in that time. She was put onto council in the election months after the recall resulting from the Kelly Thomas murder – she even ran on exploring changes to the police department and it was all bullshit to placate you. She allegedly refused to even watch the Kelly Thomas video unless her buddy, Chief Danny Hughes, was there to guide her opinion. Imagine somebody saying that about the George Floyd video – that they wouldn’t watch it without the Commander in charge to guide them through it? That’s our Mayor.
If you care about police accountability. If you care about justice. If you care about any of the things the protesters claim to care about in this moment of national outrage – make your voice heard at the ballot box AND the in the streets.
Don’t forget. Don’t get complacent. Vote against anybody who puts the FPOA above we the people. Kick the Jennifer Fitzgeralds with their constant bootlicking to the curb. Be a part of the change that stops the platitudes.
Gratuitous Fitz Meme.
It’s time for ALL the Fullerton pigs that murdered Kelly Thomas to be charged with 1st Degree MURDER…
Kelly never had his voice heard… No one from the scene that night got to testify in criminal court… That means we get to Charge Them All!!!
What are the names of the three cops who stood around, assisted, watch, and cheered Cicineli, Wolf, and Ramos kill Kelly Thomas?
Remember a man name Kelly Thomas? He was a white man who was murdered not that long ago by several Fullerton police officers while begging for his life repeatedly uttering: “I can’t breath”?
And, are they all still working in Fullerton?
Anyone who is endorsed by the Fire or Police department does not get my vote. If they do get elected the should recuse themselves on issues regarding those departments.
That seems to be the sentiment in my household too.
I want to run against this has been.
Please run or get someone to run, I’d vote for a head of lettuce before I vote for her.
The people of Fullerton need to take a stand against their elected officials soliciting and taking bribes (campaign contributions) from the police and fire union goons. I refuse to vote for ANY would-be elected official that takes money from public safety unions. Period. COVID-19 might finally be the silver bullet that’s been needed to crush the fire and police department unions and break their labor contracts. Fullerton was broke before the pandemic and it will be lucky to keep their lights on in the months to come so now is the time to slash and burn their pensions and restructure their service models completely.
“ She was put onto council during the recall resulting from the Kelly Thomas murder…” Not accurate. She ran in the regular 2012 election in November, not the Recall election held earlier that same year.
I remember that. I also remember that she kept the Police Union at arms length during that campaign, in contrast to the open tongue bath they received from Jan Flory, Rick Alvarez and Kitty Jaramillo. Her “social distancing” of the FPOA ended as soon as she was elected though.
She even advocated getting a bid from the sheriff to control costs.
One half second after getting elected that went out the window.
I call BS, she ever advocated to get a bid from sheriffs dept.!
Here you go: https://www.fullertonsfuture.org/2012/council-candidate-supports-ocsd-preliminary-analysis/
Also, read the comments on that post. Some scary accurate predictions for her future behavior on council.
She didn’t run in the recall cause she was 209% behind Bankhead, Mckinnly, and Jones.
The bitch did not think the recall would be successful. That’s why she did not run in the recall election
Thanks, fixed
Vote Vote. Her out.
Jennifer. The puppet. Fitzgerald
Must go.
Who will run against her? Need someone really good!
I see the issue of racial injustice and police brutality separate but interlinked. I think that the first explains why African Americans have more interactions with police, and as we in Fullerton all know police officers will not hesitate to beat the shit out of people. But so long as BLM isn’t willing to talk about what happened Kelly Thomas, the solution will be diversity training and not systematic reform. So I have no problem with the phrase Black Lives Matter, but this issue goes far beyond that
The officers that stood by and let Chauvin choke the life out of Floyd were a virtual Rainbow Coalition, and it made absolutely no difference. What’s needed is accountability and consequences. Consequences for the officers who engage in this conduct, consequences for the officers who enable it by standing by and violating their oath to protect and serve, consequences for upper and middle management who bow to union pressure to keep ticking time bombs on the force and consequences to city council-members who sweep the whole mess under the rug.
Completely agree
Steven
as a Senior Citizen born and raised in Fullerton and still living here I can tell you that the hateful attitude started at FPD with that POS McKriminal and lives on to today
Blue lives matter
blue lives aren’t real. nobody forces them to be cops. cops aren’t in danger with their cushy pensions, RIFLES, and favoritism from city governments. they take up half the budget!!
Regarding all of those “they put their lives on the line” talking points, here is a link identifying all of the Fullerton PD Officers who died in the line of duty: https://www.odmp.org/agency/1365-fullerton-police-department-california
The total number is two. Not two per year. Two total. For the entire 100+ year history of the Fullerton Police Department (one death occurred in 1975 and one in 1990). I get that there are risks involved in the profession and we should do what is reasonable (emphasis on reasonable) to minimize this, but, dude, have a little perspective. Being a tree trimmer is a deadlier job.
More dangerous being a roofer or a 7-eleven clerk. And more useful.
Irving,
Btw, one of those incidences was a cop killed by a drunk driver, so really only one of those cases is really a police murder in the line of duty
And the cop who was killed in the “line of duty” was actually out buying cocaine in Norwalk with his partner Danny Hughes. Hughes was supposedly “backing him up”. If you think about what really happened – it was more like Hughes left Tommy Delarosa by himself to get murdered by the guys he was buying cocaine from.
Finally getting some higher profile people saying what 4F has been saying for years
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv5vFT9FmkM
Yes, I would be more go out and march if I thought any of these folks out there had taken the time to follow their city council’s actions and organize an opposition when necessary.
Now the B of S with Chaffee sitting for Fullerton is going to spend millions of dollars it got from the feds from the CARES Act. It’s supposed to go to people hurt by the shutdown. Will it?
Aw hell, who cares. Let’s go out and protest!
I definitely threw up a little when I saw Ahmad Zahra, Sharon Quirk SIlva and Jesus Silva’s statements of solidarity with Black Lives Matter on facebook. So how much of the campaign cash the three of you have received from the FPOA over the years do you plan to return? Oh, none? And you’re gonna ask for more next time? Figures.
It’s time for JUSTICE FOR KELLY THOMAS…
His killers are still at work in Fullerton PD. The other 3 are free to walk this earth.
ALL LIVES MATTER
KELLY WAS MURDERED BY EVERY RACE OF PIG THERE IS.
WAKE UP FULLERTOON
I watched the video 200 times and didn’t see anything wrong with the way our boys handled the situation.
After all, Kelly Thomas put two of our beloved law enforcement officers (Ramos and Cicinelli) in the hospital, and with broken bones!
Some lives matter more than others. And now you know why.
Danny, was it true that Goodrich lied about two cops were hospitalized with broken bones, and it was YOU who told him to say that?