Downtown Fullerton Archives - Page 12 of 23 - Friends For Fullerton's Future

February 16, 2012February 16, 2012Dead heads

The Mighty Peculiar Tale of Officer Joe Wolfe

By now everyone is at least casually familiar with the personage of FPD cop Joe Wolfe, who along with Manny Ramos, happened to be the first to confront the homeless schizophrenic man, Kelly Thomas, in the Fullerton Transportation Center, on the sultry night of July 5th, 2011.

Allegedly responding to a call claiming somebody was breaking into cars, Wolfe and Ramos were near enough to get to the scene first. Some folks think this was not a coincidence.

According to the DA, Wolfe searched Thomas’ backpack at the rear of a patrol car as Ramos hovered over Thomas around front – a mere 10-15 feet away. The fact that this implausibly lengthy “search” took place during Ramos’ physical and verbal intimidation of Kelly gave the DA his justification for Wolfe’s subsequent behavior.

What happened next (according to the DA) is that Kelly, who finally realized he was being queued up for an ass kicking one way or another, got up, and backed away from Ramos, hands and palms up; Ramos had pulled out his baton. And who was there to meet Thomas with drawn night stick, having circled around behind the patrol car and who suddenly seemed very much aware of what was going on?

Right. Officer Joe Wolfe.

This corpulent cop, who was so thoroughly engrossed in picking through Thomas’ scant belongings that he supposedly had no knowledge of what was happening a few feet away, suddenly became as nimble as Nijinski, allegedly slamming Kelly in the leg with his night stick, and with Ramos, tackling Thomas. As Ramos held Thomas by the neck and punched him, Wolfe was on top too, kicking and punching as the beat down and the pile on began.

We are asked (by the DA) to believe that Wolfe was completely unaware of Ramos verbally threatening Thomas, and donning his latex gloves; and that he was merely coming to Ramos’ rescue. Could it have happened that way? I guess so, but it really strains credulity to believe that Wolfe was not aware of the provacative behavior of Ramos, even if there were no pre-arranged set up of Kelly involved. And the DA provided no credible explanation for the sheer violence of his physical assault: we are left with the inevitable conclusion that Wolfe meant to do Kelly great bodily harm.

How many times did Wolfe hit Thomas before the one-eyed cop Jay Cicinelli arrived on the scene to finish him off? Only those privileged cops (and city councilmen) who have seen the video know.

Many questions remain unanswered about the role of Mr. Wolfe on the night in question, and despite the DA’s effort to absolve Wolfe of complicity in the killing, many observers, including me, remain unconvinced.

One thing we do know for sure: Joe Wolfe joins an ever growing list of Fullerton cops who can’t be let loose on the street or trusted to testify in court. He has been on paid leave since August. And until the Gennaco report on the Thomas killing comes out, there he will stay.

February 2, 2012February 7, 2012"Dick" Ackerman

So Who Do Downtown Developers Support?

by The Fullerton Shadow27 Comments

Update: Gentle Friends, I forgot to remind you that Pelican Ontario was also shaken down, er, contributed $300 to Pam Keller for her Fullerton Collaborative just ’cause they care so darn much for Fullerton.

Here’s a snippet from the anti-recall Protect Fullerton Form 460 – indicating a healthy contribution from Pelican Ontario LLC.

What is Pelican Ontario? Why that’s the partnership proposing “Amerige Court,” that god-awful downtown Fullerton monstrosity in which millions of dollars worth of land is to be given to the developer for free. What’s that you say? Free? Of course. Because to people like McKinley, Jones, and Bankhead giving public resources to private interests without due consideration isn’t a gift of public funds, it’s being pro-business. We get stuck with the traffic and they get the campaign contributions.

You have to admit it takes a lot of nerve to attack Tony Bushala as a downtown developer when he isn’t, and at the same time take the money from people who have millions of reasons to prop up the Three Dyspeptic Dinosaurs. But these worthies are not bothered by ethical nuisances like hypocrisy.

January 29, 2012January 29, 2012Behind Closed Doors

It’s All About Image

by Joe Sipowicz115 Comments

UPDATE:

Sorry guys, I forgot to add this gem from the article:

In the weeks after the July incident, more trouble surfaced: an officer facing charges for stealing an iPad at a Miami airport; another facing termination after reports of sexual misconduct; police raiding the wrong house in search for a probationer.

This sentence sure makes it look like Ponsi is finally starting to lay the facts on the table, until you realize that we broke the Mejia story in June, before, the Thomas murder (Ponsi swiped that from FFFF without attribution); the raid on the wrong house occurred in 2010; Rincon’s debauchery started years and years ago and included the complicity of the entire department. And of course there is no mention at all of incidents that must have involved higher ups, like the Gochenour suicide and the beating, false arrest and phony prosecution of Veth Mam.

– Joe Sipowicz

When you’ve had some practice, it’s amazing how much you can write without saying anything. In fact, between the first sentence and the last, people adept at it can cram all sorts of empty stuff into their essays. The conclusion is always the same. Reading such drivel is like eating a bag of marshmallows.

Here is our old friend Lou Ponsi of the Register doing his usual gig. The story is all about Fullerton’s image in the wake of the Kelly Thomas murder by members of the Fullerton Police Department. To his credit Ponsi finally describes the DA’s version of the actions of Ramos and Cicinelli: a “rain of blows.” Everything else is fluffery designed to avoid the critical main crux of Fullerton’s present problems: that out of control rogue cops have been permitted to prey upon the citizens of and visitors to Fullerton, and the Kelly Thomas episode was not an isolated case at all.

Ponsi’s story includes the obligatory interview with a Chamber of Commerce booster-type – Davis Barber (who also pretends to be a real reporter, yet tips his hand rather badly) and some business owners defending the honor of Fullerton. Oh, and of course there’s the de riguer academic “expert,” who arrives upon the scene to compliment the City for bringing in Michael Gennaco.

As usual you can avoid getting the sort of responses you don’t want by asking all the wrong questions.

Did Ponsi ask Acting Chief Dan Hughes to explain the actions of Rincon, Mater, Power, Mejia, Tong, Hampton, Cross, Goodrich, et al? Has he yet asked anybody to explain the call that came in the night of July 5th; or why the cops involved were permitted to watch the video and coached to re-write their reports? Did he ask those interviewed if they knew about the serial transgressions of all these cops?

Bet not.

The strategy of the FPD and its apologistas now seems to be to make FPDs problems mostly about image and lack of communication with the public. The Kelly Thomas thing? Oh, yeah, mostly about two aliens who didn’t know how to deal with the mentally ill homeless.

Come on in and take the tour. Glad to see ya. Big hugs. Air kiss!

January 1, 2012January 1, 2012"Dick" Ackerman

Tumblin’ Tumbleweeds?

by Mr. Peabody40 Comments

Remember the assertion by dithering dinosaur Don Bankhead that without Redevelopment, Fullerton would be a ghost town?

Or, to put it another way:

Is Fullerton doomed to become a ghost town? Bankhead thinks so or he wouldn’t have said it, right?

Or could Fullerton become an incubator of interesting and profitable businesses run by people whose ideas are not grounded in government subsidies and write-downs, gifts, and grants? Old big-government liberals like Bankhead, Jones, and McKinley have more faith in central government economic intervention and subsidy than they do in any free market ideals. And that’s how we ended up with a saloon in every other building in downtown Fullerton.

What do you think?

December 31, 2011December 31, 2011"Dick" Ackerman

A 4F Record Year

by admin50 Comments

Well, Friends, 2011 was a record year for our humble little blog. We’ve had 2,013,945 visitors, and counting. I wonder what next year will bring for a blog that all began here, the day I questioned the ridiculous and deteriorating Redevelopment Styrofoam light fixtures at the downtown plaza.

See what I mean?

light-fixture3011721524_2ebc5a4745 — Styrofoam, the Redevelopment material of choice...

That was just three short years ago, and since then we’ve taken on every Sacred Cow of Fullerton’s reactionary old guard – from ridiculous Redevelopment boondogglery to a police department stewed in rampant corruption. And we’re not done yet, not by a long shot.

Stick around as we continue to poniard the pompous and demand accountability from the unaccountable. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll experience a whole range of emotions. We promise.

December 29, 2011December 12, 2016Dead heads

Slidebar Has A Blackball List

by admin129 Comments

Guess so, but it seems to be oddly short, and it doesn’t appear to be for loud, sloppy drunks.

fuzzybrandon — Image swiped from OC Weekly

Yesterday, Brandon Ferguson of The OC Weekly posted a story about how he has been banned from the Slidebar bar, presumably for sharing the allegation that it was a Slidebar employee who made that fateful call that somebody appeared to be breaking into cars in the parking lot. That call, whoever made it, led to the cop torture and beating death of Kelly Thomas, a homeless man, last July 5th .

Of course no evidence has ever been presented that anybody was breaking into cars, and no evidence linking Thomas to any illegal act.

Incidentally, the other day Brandon Ferguson noted that The Weekly was getting the cold shoulder from FPD spokesphincter Andrew Goodrich, apparently because of Marisa Gerber’s Fringie® winning expose on the rampant Culture of Corruption in Goodrich’s department: you know, all that garbage he neglects to inform his employers (us) about. That got Marisa hollered at by the arrogant swine.

I’m really starting to like this Ferguson guy.

December 26, 2011Dead heads

More Carnage in Downtown Fullerton

by Mr. Peabody54 Comments

So reports the Register, here. Seems a serious accident took place. Wednesday, at 1:45 in the morning.

Apparently some pedestrians (i.e. jaywalkers) were crossing mid-block on Harbor between Santa Fe and Commonwealth. They were smacked by a northbound vehicle into the southbound lane, where injury was added to injury. The victims were reported to be in critical condition at UCI, favored treatment locale for DTF trauma victims.

In what must have been an attempt at deadpan humor, the register’s Denisse Salazar’s writes:

The investigation is continuing, and it’s not yet known if alcohol played a role in the accident.

Of course we will be told that the open air booze-a-thon created by the Fullerton City Council played no part in the accident.

December 11, 2011"Dick" Ackerman

Time For Another Fundraiser? Please Do!

by admin33 Comments

A little over a month ago, The Dithering Dinosaurs© held a fundraiser at the Villa Del Sol in downtown Fullerton. The entrance fee was a mere $150. Until yesterday, I had been wondering what they would be spending the money on, if, in fact they netted anything at all. Well, on Friday I received this “hit” piece in the mail addressed to me and my brother.

Thanks to the knuckleheads for advertising the Recall! Saturday was a record breaking day for signature gathering. I say it’s time for another fundraiser!

And thanks to the help of one of our intrepid Friends, the clip below shows you some highlights from the last fundraiser. Watch the big money developers silently scuttle by; listen to the slow-motion simpleminded mental unwinding by Jan Flory; and hear from two of the dinosaurs, themselves. F. “Dick” Jones gets deeply Scriptural but really shallow when it comes to facts. Don Bankhead is as confused and/or untruthful as ever – the illegal 10% water tax is still being collected. Enjoy.

December 6, 2011"Dick" Ackerman

City Council Meeting Tonight!

by The Fullerton Harpoon269 Comments

Yessiree, Friends, tonight is the night when our “esteemed” City Council chooses our mayor for 2012.

It’s also the night when the Council will be entertained (not enlightened we may reasonably assume) by a reading from Marisa Gerber’s great exposition of Fullerton’s bad cops, bad cops in the OC Weekly. After hearing the extensive (and not even exhaustive) report on the Culture of Corruption created and abetted by Jones, Bankhead and McKinley, even the most die hard loyalist to the Ancient Regime must cringe and slink off in shame. But not the Three Dyspeptic Dinosaurs.

But I digress.

It used to be that if you were on the Fullerton City Council and you were a Democrat; and if the following year happened to be an election year, your chances of being selected mayor by your colleagues were pretty damn slim. This is because the old guard country club Republicans like Dick Ackerman and Ed Royce would start pulling the strings of whichever featherheaded RINO nincompoops they had put on the council and the “rotation” that everybody talked about was out the window.

This year is a lot different. With the Recall of Jones, Bankhead, and McPension signature gathering phase coming to a successful completion, Ackerman & Co. know that this year their creaky boys cannot afford to offend anymore constituents, especially what’s left of the antique liberal cadre in Fullerton. So he must now do what for him is unthinkable, under ordinary circumstances, that goes diametrically against every fiber in his corrupt being, and that is order the Triumverate of Tone Deafness to support Sharon Quirk-Silva for mayor.

It will hurt, but it must be done. But will it help in the Recall campaign? Presumably there are some libs old, and young, who, while they won’t support the Recall publicly will certainly vote for accountability when it matters.

Stay tuned for the fun.

December 5, 2011"Dick" Ackerman

A Peaceful Family Town

by Mr. Peabody78 Comments

JonesMouthOpenFor Business — Oooh, they's bad, bad men!

The anti-recall chuckleheads are trying to scare their few dozen elderly supporters with the notion that the Recall is some sort of scary thing that will upset the applecart in good, ol’ Stepford.

The shameful fact is that Don Bankhead and Dick Jones turned downtown Fullerton into a boozy free-for-all with fights, rapes, and killings; and Pat McKinley sent in his goon squad of misfits, thugs, perjurers and killers to keep order in Jones’ “New West.”

Here’s the latest black-eye for Fullerton, a cabbie stabbed twice at Amerige and Harbor.

When are the folks of Fullerton going to wake up to the mayhem wreaked on their peaceful family town by Mssrs. Bankhead, Jones and McKinley?

Real soon, I reckon.