This message came from Silence Is Violence today;
"Funeral services for Wendell Allen, the young man killed by the police last week, are being planned for this weekend. At this time, the Allen family is still struggling to meet funeral expenses, and they have asked for the assistance of SilenceIsViolence.
If you are able to make a contribution during this time of need for the Allens, please contact Capital One Bank: You can contribute directly to account name Wendell Allen, account number 562-721-7244.
If you prefer to contribute through SilenceIsViolence, you can do so on our website. All contributions received by the organization this week will be forwarded to the Allen family.
Wendell Allen was a graduate of Frederick Douglass High School. We have been contacted by teachers of his, who remembered Wendell as an energetic, outgoing, positive young person. He loved sports of all kinds--on the night he was killed, he has just come home from playing basketball with friends. Wendell attended Navarro College in Texas for a time before returning home to be near family. He was employed by Richard Disposal at the time of his senseless death.
Last Wednesday evening, Wendell was resting in his room when New Orleans Police broke into the family home on a search warrant, based on suspected marijuana sales tied to the house. Wendell heard the noise and came to the stairs, where Officer Jason Colclough fatally shot him.
Wendell was unarmed, and no explanation of why Officer Colclough used deadly force, nor any information about what is being done to address the killing by the NOPD, has been forthcoming from authorities. SilenceIsViolence is among many community members and organizations watching the follow-through on this case with concern.
For now, we are working closely with Wendell's family, through our Victim Allies Project, to support them in their immediate emotional and logistical needs. Wendell's grandmother is particularly determined that they manage to bring his sister, Jeadell Quinn, home to bid her brother goodbye this weekend. Jeadell is enrolled at Sage University in Albany New York, so her travel will be costly (flights start at $600), and we hope that this small drive by SilenceIsViolence will help to cover those expenses.
Thank you for joining us in supporting Wendell Allen's family. Please also join us in paying close attention to how the NOPD and Mayor Landrieu respond to this latest questionable action by local law enforcement. We will meet next Tuesday evening at 6pm at the SilenceIsViolence office (2702 Chartres Street) to discuss next steps; all are invited to take part in this conversation."
www.silenceisviolence.org
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Shine the Light
It's a breezy afternoon, the windows are open, nothing is too pressing, and thoughts have gone elsewhere, to be dissolved and reintegrated as something else...
Letting go and closing my eyes, I see it there, again, as it is always there; An indescribable source of Light, shining in infinite direction and distance, forever.
At the center of All Things is The Light, not as it might appear in one's imagination, but existing in more dimensions than the simple space time continuum we think we know. It is the Source Light, and from it drifts the fallout of it manifesting itself, like the tiny pieces of ash that drift from an arc lamp, in all directions, which is more than we can imagine, with the constraints of three dimensions and linear time that limit our perception.
Only by letting go of this world and allowing the mind to open can we become aware of this. Only through practice can we manage this experience.
This Source Light of infinite gravity and uncontainable energy is a paradox, resolved only by releasing itself, to manifest microcosms of existence such as ours. Maybe this is the source of the Big Bang. Maybe this is the source of a nearly infinite number of Big Bangs, spinning a Universe of Universes, each with it's on set of elemental parameters and laws of physics. But that hardly matters. No pun intended...
As these flakes of ash, chock full of the Energy of Source Light, go spinning away, their brief flame-out is the history of the entire universe each contains, in relative time to the Source Light, itself. Yet to us they seem like infinite expanses of galaxies, a dizzying array of data, so strongly effecting some of us that we deify this process.
It doesn't stop there.
We go further down the rabbit hole, dividing ourselves according to the perception and identification of these deifications, even killing each other, en masse, over this silly, sad game.
But it goes farther, still. Rather than turn off our ego mechanism, designed to help us cope with this experience, among other things, we begin to believe that these egos, and these temporal fleshly bodies that house us, are all we are or will ever be.
We take ownership of each other, exploit each other, divide ourselves by skin color, sex, belief system, property collection and power structure, until we begin to beleive these descriptions, ourselves. We carry cards associating us with each other, and learn to pre judge others by their mere affiliation with one group or another.
Large collections of us regularly tap into and poison the very planet we live on, believing that our ego's will survive, somehow, when in reality, we are but living cells in an organic circus, a spinoff of the Source Light, a tiny reflection of it in every way, as big as our entire universe, and as connected to each other as your own right and left hands.
Still, we battle on with a fight that does not exist, except within our own minds and hearts, as we have been taught to do. Not one of us is born with hate, or prejudice, or a desire to kill for profit. We enter this world as a reflection of the Source Light, infused with the tiny flecks of matter, speeding away from it, in our journey of entropy, as our lives spend out and our universe drifts apart from itself.
We struggle to understand the physics of this, often using our limited knowledge to weaponize whatever truth we find there, for hatred or for profit. We seem incapable of understanding simple concepts, as we are blinded by our egos and the stories they adhere to.
It is not Light that moves at 186000 miles a second. The Source Light doesn't move at all. Reality as we know it is developing, to our perception, at 186000 miles a second, which we see as a timeline. This is why light from a standing source, or light from a moving object, both appear to be moving at that speed. It doesn't matter, as we can only perceive the movement of light through our limited perception, not nearly broad enough to understand that the entire universe is moving, in more directions than we can ever know, from a center we can never see or read with the instruments of science.
But look inside. Let your thoughts be pushed away from a growing bubble in the center of your mind's eye. Lose your name, your knowledge, you fears and expectations, one by one. Allow yourself to slip free, and begin to drift above your body. Let the Light begin to filter in.... let it grow....
We are not alone. We are but a working segment of an organic field, infused with the Source Light. It manifests as consciousness as it merges with physical reality. A consciousness that, on some level, permeates everything in that physical reality.
We have received the gift of self awareness in this. We have the reasoning to know we are aware, and wonder why. Perhaps it is The Passion, a desire for physical life so strong that it can overcome incredible odds to keep growing. Perhaps it is the desire to experience Love, to express in a physical realm, that which cannot be expressed completely elsewhere. Or perhaps it is the Source Light itself, yearning for the individual experiences, ups and downs, trials and discoveries that make up our lives. Those things too personal and close to be experienced by Everything, All At Once. And maybe each of these human experiences is some how absorbed, recorded emotionally and physically by that which has no emotion or physicality.
What ever the case, we are not alone. We are here, together, to find a way, to express that passion for life, to create and find that Love. And we are not simply conscious bags of meat, to be cut down for some selfish purpose or be enslaved and exploited by others. We are not our egos, a synapse powered glitch, bent on power over everything we touch or see.
We are an expression of love, we are star dust, and we are the light.
Shine it, won't you?
You're beautiful when you shine.
Letting go and closing my eyes, I see it there, again, as it is always there; An indescribable source of Light, shining in infinite direction and distance, forever.
At the center of All Things is The Light, not as it might appear in one's imagination, but existing in more dimensions than the simple space time continuum we think we know. It is the Source Light, and from it drifts the fallout of it manifesting itself, like the tiny pieces of ash that drift from an arc lamp, in all directions, which is more than we can imagine, with the constraints of three dimensions and linear time that limit our perception.
Only by letting go of this world and allowing the mind to open can we become aware of this. Only through practice can we manage this experience.
This Source Light of infinite gravity and uncontainable energy is a paradox, resolved only by releasing itself, to manifest microcosms of existence such as ours. Maybe this is the source of the Big Bang. Maybe this is the source of a nearly infinite number of Big Bangs, spinning a Universe of Universes, each with it's on set of elemental parameters and laws of physics. But that hardly matters. No pun intended...
As these flakes of ash, chock full of the Energy of Source Light, go spinning away, their brief flame-out is the history of the entire universe each contains, in relative time to the Source Light, itself. Yet to us they seem like infinite expanses of galaxies, a dizzying array of data, so strongly effecting some of us that we deify this process.
It doesn't stop there.
We go further down the rabbit hole, dividing ourselves according to the perception and identification of these deifications, even killing each other, en masse, over this silly, sad game.
But it goes farther, still. Rather than turn off our ego mechanism, designed to help us cope with this experience, among other things, we begin to believe that these egos, and these temporal fleshly bodies that house us, are all we are or will ever be.
We take ownership of each other, exploit each other, divide ourselves by skin color, sex, belief system, property collection and power structure, until we begin to beleive these descriptions, ourselves. We carry cards associating us with each other, and learn to pre judge others by their mere affiliation with one group or another.
Large collections of us regularly tap into and poison the very planet we live on, believing that our ego's will survive, somehow, when in reality, we are but living cells in an organic circus, a spinoff of the Source Light, a tiny reflection of it in every way, as big as our entire universe, and as connected to each other as your own right and left hands.
Still, we battle on with a fight that does not exist, except within our own minds and hearts, as we have been taught to do. Not one of us is born with hate, or prejudice, or a desire to kill for profit. We enter this world as a reflection of the Source Light, infused with the tiny flecks of matter, speeding away from it, in our journey of entropy, as our lives spend out and our universe drifts apart from itself.
We struggle to understand the physics of this, often using our limited knowledge to weaponize whatever truth we find there, for hatred or for profit. We seem incapable of understanding simple concepts, as we are blinded by our egos and the stories they adhere to.
It is not Light that moves at 186000 miles a second. The Source Light doesn't move at all. Reality as we know it is developing, to our perception, at 186000 miles a second, which we see as a timeline. This is why light from a standing source, or light from a moving object, both appear to be moving at that speed. It doesn't matter, as we can only perceive the movement of light through our limited perception, not nearly broad enough to understand that the entire universe is moving, in more directions than we can ever know, from a center we can never see or read with the instruments of science.
But look inside. Let your thoughts be pushed away from a growing bubble in the center of your mind's eye. Lose your name, your knowledge, you fears and expectations, one by one. Allow yourself to slip free, and begin to drift above your body. Let the Light begin to filter in.... let it grow....
We are not alone. We are but a working segment of an organic field, infused with the Source Light. It manifests as consciousness as it merges with physical reality. A consciousness that, on some level, permeates everything in that physical reality.
We have received the gift of self awareness in this. We have the reasoning to know we are aware, and wonder why. Perhaps it is The Passion, a desire for physical life so strong that it can overcome incredible odds to keep growing. Perhaps it is the desire to experience Love, to express in a physical realm, that which cannot be expressed completely elsewhere. Or perhaps it is the Source Light itself, yearning for the individual experiences, ups and downs, trials and discoveries that make up our lives. Those things too personal and close to be experienced by Everything, All At Once. And maybe each of these human experiences is some how absorbed, recorded emotionally and physically by that which has no emotion or physicality.
What ever the case, we are not alone. We are here, together, to find a way, to express that passion for life, to create and find that Love. And we are not simply conscious bags of meat, to be cut down for some selfish purpose or be enslaved and exploited by others. We are not our egos, a synapse powered glitch, bent on power over everything we touch or see.
We are an expression of love, we are star dust, and we are the light.
Shine it, won't you?
You're beautiful when you shine.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Y'all's Problem; a novel, by Michael Patrick Welch
This was one of those occasions where you wind up somewhere that's really nowhere, at first. That is to say, I was between stuff. I had the rest of the afternoon to putter about. And man, can I putter.
It's amazing.
A brand spanking new copy of 'Y'all's Problem' was on my reading table, courtesy of Michael, the White Bitch, hisself, so I thought I'd take a look, just a peek, inside. It was just after midnight when I finished the last page and closed the back cover. It's easy like that. And fun. It really is.
'Yall's Problem' flows immediately along, like a conversation with a co-worker, becoming more intimate as you read, almost like a personal journal. This subtle change only pulls you deeper into the flow, and the inner thoughts & perspectives make the first person narrative take on a feeling of keeping a confidence, binding you to it a bit more.
I found some Michael's basic characters to be almost stereotypical, at first, except that I have known these people before, or their doppelgangers, myself. After a while, they seem more iconic, as though the others were mere imitators. But then, service industry people tell so many stories of the mad, they all sound so.... familiar.
Anyway, as they interact with each other, and relationships develop, I almost wondered what some were doing while out of the text. I wanted to watch the story with them. But this iconography works very well in the easy flow of the birth of the story, allowing things to move quickly, on to more complex rhythms, and stranger tides.
The main character, Patrick, is complex in his simplicity. While often whining, or worrying about sounding whiny, he still sets out, stepping into the unknown, on a rather outlandish adventure, that, while not life changing perhaps, is life affirming, and a rather hilarious adventure at that. As he separates himself from the trappings of service industry youth culture, his coming of age may be a struggle, but a little ridiculous & naive as well.
You would think this was a real life journal. It felt that way, except for the obvious story telling capabilities. The Hero is at once bold and tragic, poetic and loud, brave and whimpering, desperate and independent. The story itself is of love, lust, coming of age, leaving it all behind, and finding it again. And it's somehow very personal, to the reader. It's interesting to be in someone's head as the walls come down, one by one.
Read this book.
And thank you, Michael, for sharing something well worth keeping in my head.
And for hipping me to shells.
I had no idea.
Really.
AMAZON HAS IT HERE.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
NDAA & You; The Straight Up
Much has been said about the signing of NDAA. There have been wild accusations, on the one hand, and downplaying on the other. There have been doctored video clips posted on the internet, which big name news outfits ran with as gospel, claiming that President Obama personally called for this bill to include the arrest, willy-nilly, & infinite detention of, American Citizens on US Soil for no particular reason...
Even as this dark practical joke was brought to light, the very news agencies that alerted the world about it, in the first place, are oddly silent now. I don't think that's unintentional, of course. There's big money behind both The News, if that's what we're calling it, and politics, alike. One might even suppose that certain 'news men' would enjoy the attention, or any of the spoils there of. But that's not what really matters here.
The language as it stands in sections 1031 & 1033 is ambiguous enough to need to be changed. I repeat, need to be.
It's not that it actually threatens the freedom & rights of American Citizens on an actual day to day basis, as it has specific language to prevent that, installed at the equally specific request of the Obama administration, in a word:
"The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to citizens of the United States."
What could be clearer?
This also deals only and specifically with those the President, himself, has asked to have detained.
"Congress affirms that the authority of the President to use all necessary and appropriate force pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107–40) includes the authority for the Armed Forces of the United States to detain covered persons (as defined in subsection (b)) pending disposition under the law of war."
So, unless the President gets a slip of paper with your name on it, and you don't happen to be an American Citizen or legal alien (It doesn't apply to either), then you're all good. For now.
Those covered under this Law of War deal are described here, exactly as:
"Section 1031 excerpt:
(b) COVERED PERSONS.—A covered person under this section is any person as follows:
(1) A person who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored those responsible for those attacks.
(2) A person who was a part of or substantially supported al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners, including any person who has committed a belligerent act or has directly supported such hostilities in aid of such enemy forces."
This being the case, I, personally, don't believe Barack Obama is going to start sending in the Marines. Nobody is going to GitMo for wearing a burka in a Facebook modeling shoot.
Christ, the guy who posted his hatred for Obama, including: "...kill that fucken nigger & his monkey children" is still walking around loose somewhere, from what I understand. If not him, why you?
"The fact that I support this bill as a whole does not mean I agree with everything in it," Obama wrote in the signing statement.
Of course, there are those who love this shit in any election year.
It's a constitutional debate, they'll say.
Right.
The biggest news agencies in the free world just collectively tossed out a lie about the President insisting on the power to put us all in camps, during an election year, and it's coincidence? Not likely.
They don't even have to pick a side. Their ratings are sky rocketing right now, as aneurisms abound.
They're spinning you out, me out, US OUT... just like Wall Street did.
They're betting on either side & both of them, as long as rating shares go up, they DON'T CARE ABOUT THE TRUTH.
Then there's the real issue. The language of sections 1031 & 1033 is ambiguous enough to make 4 star generals, the ACLU, Amnesty International and a lot of other people really fucking nervous. Consider that these questionable words were tamed down from the original bill, authored by, among others, John McCain. I watched him during the debates on this bill, asking why, exactly, we couldn't have the military using predator drones on US citizens in Providence, Rhode Island.
He really didn't understand why not.
So, should this law stand as it is, we're looking at trouble. Not from Obama, although I wish he'd step up to something a little more aggressively, but beyond Obama. Rick Perry with the power to incarcerate at will? Not good. At all. He'd start gay witch hunts in all of the 57 states (his count, not mine) before sundown. Rick Santorum hasn't really showed his cards, but funny disappearances happen under theocracies.
My point here is this: The language of this bill NEEDS to be changed, and the momentum has begun. It will require a legal process and a hearing by the Supreme court, if Congress can't do it, themselves. But then, they don't have a great accomplishment record right now.
It's also no mystery why this spread so far and generated so much hate in an election year. Because the Media wanted it to. And if you think Wall Street & the GOP don't have a majority of pull there, I wish you the best of luck.
You'll need it.
Link to the entire NDAA is here.
Section 1031 starts on page 361.
Enjoy.
Even as this dark practical joke was brought to light, the very news agencies that alerted the world about it, in the first place, are oddly silent now. I don't think that's unintentional, of course. There's big money behind both The News, if that's what we're calling it, and politics, alike. One might even suppose that certain 'news men' would enjoy the attention, or any of the spoils there of. But that's not what really matters here.
The language as it stands in sections 1031 & 1033 is ambiguous enough to need to be changed. I repeat, need to be.
It's not that it actually threatens the freedom & rights of American Citizens on an actual day to day basis, as it has specific language to prevent that, installed at the equally specific request of the Obama administration, in a word:
"The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to citizens of the United States."
What could be clearer?
This also deals only and specifically with those the President, himself, has asked to have detained.
"Congress affirms that the authority of the President to use all necessary and appropriate force pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107–40) includes the authority for the Armed Forces of the United States to detain covered persons (as defined in subsection (b)) pending disposition under the law of war."
So, unless the President gets a slip of paper with your name on it, and you don't happen to be an American Citizen or legal alien (It doesn't apply to either), then you're all good. For now.
Those covered under this Law of War deal are described here, exactly as:
"Section 1031 excerpt:
(b) COVERED PERSONS.—A covered person under this section is any person as follows:
(1) A person who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored those responsible for those attacks.
(2) A person who was a part of or substantially supported al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners, including any person who has committed a belligerent act or has directly supported such hostilities in aid of such enemy forces."
This being the case, I, personally, don't believe Barack Obama is going to start sending in the Marines. Nobody is going to GitMo for wearing a burka in a Facebook modeling shoot.
Christ, the guy who posted his hatred for Obama, including: "...kill that fucken nigger & his monkey children" is still walking around loose somewhere, from what I understand. If not him, why you?
"The fact that I support this bill as a whole does not mean I agree with everything in it," Obama wrote in the signing statement.
Of course, there are those who love this shit in any election year.
It's a constitutional debate, they'll say.
Right.
The biggest news agencies in the free world just collectively tossed out a lie about the President insisting on the power to put us all in camps, during an election year, and it's coincidence? Not likely.
They don't even have to pick a side. Their ratings are sky rocketing right now, as aneurisms abound.
They're spinning you out, me out, US OUT... just like Wall Street did.
They're betting on either side & both of them, as long as rating shares go up, they DON'T CARE ABOUT THE TRUTH.
Then there's the real issue. The language of sections 1031 & 1033 is ambiguous enough to make 4 star generals, the ACLU, Amnesty International and a lot of other people really fucking nervous. Consider that these questionable words were tamed down from the original bill, authored by, among others, John McCain. I watched him during the debates on this bill, asking why, exactly, we couldn't have the military using predator drones on US citizens in Providence, Rhode Island.
He really didn't understand why not.
So, should this law stand as it is, we're looking at trouble. Not from Obama, although I wish he'd step up to something a little more aggressively, but beyond Obama. Rick Perry with the power to incarcerate at will? Not good. At all. He'd start gay witch hunts in all of the 57 states (his count, not mine) before sundown. Rick Santorum hasn't really showed his cards, but funny disappearances happen under theocracies.
My point here is this: The language of this bill NEEDS to be changed, and the momentum has begun. It will require a legal process and a hearing by the Supreme court, if Congress can't do it, themselves. But then, they don't have a great accomplishment record right now.
It's also no mystery why this spread so far and generated so much hate in an election year. Because the Media wanted it to. And if you think Wall Street & the GOP don't have a majority of pull there, I wish you the best of luck.
You'll need it.
Link to the entire NDAA is here.
Section 1031 starts on page 361.
Enjoy.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Chief Serpas' 12 Point Plan; or "I gotta New Toy for Christmas, Kids!"
Chief Serpas' 12 point crime fighting plan has arrived. Coming in through my email, it was a nightmare of jumbled html, and had to be corrected before reposting it here. This, of course, offers little confidence in their new "computerized" crime fighting. Perhaps if they'd just sent it in plain text, it would have been legible.
Then again, while my neighbor was calling the 5th District to report suspicious & threatening activity on her doorstep, as Mitch & Ronal keep pleading with us to do, they referred her back to the General Dispatch number, rather than take the call, even though it's in their district. The General Dispatch number agreed, refusing to do anything about it either, and referring her back to the 5th District. She explained all of this to Sergeant Cutno, at the 5th District, who had answered the phone the first time, telling her to call dispatch. Then she had to wait for him to call back, to see if a unit would ever be sent out.
No amount of computerized equipment is going to make up for the lazy, disinterested apathy of the NOPD at street level. From my own experience, I have immediately been the main suspect anytime I've called them, including while bartending during an armed robbery. Six witnesses (who were there & also robbed) described the robber as short & black, yet they came within seconds of charging me with the robbery, despite these witnesses, and the fact that I'm just over 6 feet, and Caucasian.
There have been at least half a dozen calls made about the street violence on St Claude Avenue (Item # L42745-11), yet none of this 'Laser Precision' has zeroed in on it, to date. My last call to the 5th regarding this issue was answered by laughter for several seconds before a voice said "Hello?" followed by more laughter, and then "5th District...", as though some drunk kids were answering dad's phone. They knew nothing of the events, and told me they couldn't possibly, as "the computers is down." I even emailed the Chief, along with a CC; to Kristin Palmer & Jackie Clarkson. So far? Crickets & dead air. I would suggest that Chief Serpas & Mayor Landrieu apply some high tech Boot to Ass, and get the actual members of the NOPD AWAY from computer screens and other facets of law enforcement that remove them from community interaction. The murder rate has been on a steady climb since the inception of Serpas' 'reign' and the violations of civil rights have not abated one iota since the DOJ report gave a frightening & scathing grade to what is approximately the New Orleans Brute Squad.
For opinions other than my own, one need only read this blog,
( http://carolineheldman.wordpress.com/2011/12/25/the-dangerous-nopd/ )
to get an idea of how far wrong this department has gone.
Please, take a few seconds and read this notice from the Chief. It sounds for all the world like a geek who got his favorite toy for Christmas, by convincing Mom & Dad it was needed for a School Project, when it's only really gonna be used for fantasy football & porn. Like most technology, in the right hands, it's irreplaceable. But when the homework isn't done and the team is running amok, it's tits on a bull, plain & simple. Trouble is, we're paying for Juniors New Toy, and getting killed in the process, at the highest rate in the land.
Here's Da Chief's Big Notice;
New Orleans Police Department – Public Information Office
Superintendent Serpas Releases 2012 Crime-fighting Strategy
***Plan Attached***
(January 2, 2012)- Today Superintendent Ronal Serpas released the 2012 Crime-fighting plan for the New Orleans Police Department.
“The new police tactics we announce today, coupled with Mayor Landrieu’s Strategic Command to Reduce Homicides, give us new tools that we need to make a difference in New Orleans,” said Superintendent Serpas
The biggest advantage to this new strategy is the department’s ability to focus and zero-in on locations where crime trends are most prevalent, as opposed to covering broader crime areas. New software acquired last year, which is now in place, enables the NOPD to do this.
“The 2012 refinements released today, expand upon the strength of the NOPD 65 Point Plan to re-build the New Orleans Police department by being able to utilize several state-of-the-art crime analytic software programs purchased and installed throughout 2011”, said Superintendent Serpas.
“What is noteworthy about this plan is that we now have the unparalleled ability to use laser-like focus to fight both major and minor crimes within our community. Instead of using manpower to cover the large area of , say, a half mile, we now have the computer intelligence and knowledge to focus at the street level, many times no bigger than four to five square blocks”, Serpas said.
As the technology becomes more familiar with all districts, the department will better understand crime trends and criminal habits, and information will be reviewed and updated to fine-tune policing strategies.
Superintendent Serpas said, “We will routinely produce maps that direct our aggressive, professional and impartial policing in the areas of our city linked by homicides, shootings, guns and drugs in ways that are supported by best practices and evidenced based policing of hot spots models used in other cities.”
“Key to the future of this department is building the professionalism of the men and women who serve with pride and dignity”, Superintendent Serpas said.
“Due to the Mayor’s and City Council’s action on the NOPD’s 2012 budget, which provides stability for planning, we look forward to reviving the Police Officer II, III and IV promotional system in a unique partnership with the Fraternal Order of Police in 2012; promoting critically needed sergeants and lieutenants to ensure that our service is the finest it can be; and, by hiring the first NOPD Training Academy of our administration in early 2012.”
Superintendent Serpas' crimefighting strategy for 2012 is attached.
( Note: While I'm sure it's clever beyond words, this power point presentation re: the New Computer Skills, wouldn't open.)
Then again, while my neighbor was calling the 5th District to report suspicious & threatening activity on her doorstep, as Mitch & Ronal keep pleading with us to do, they referred her back to the General Dispatch number, rather than take the call, even though it's in their district. The General Dispatch number agreed, refusing to do anything about it either, and referring her back to the 5th District. She explained all of this to Sergeant Cutno, at the 5th District, who had answered the phone the first time, telling her to call dispatch. Then she had to wait for him to call back, to see if a unit would ever be sent out.
No amount of computerized equipment is going to make up for the lazy, disinterested apathy of the NOPD at street level. From my own experience, I have immediately been the main suspect anytime I've called them, including while bartending during an armed robbery. Six witnesses (who were there & also robbed) described the robber as short & black, yet they came within seconds of charging me with the robbery, despite these witnesses, and the fact that I'm just over 6 feet, and Caucasian.
There have been at least half a dozen calls made about the street violence on St Claude Avenue (Item # L42745-11), yet none of this 'Laser Precision' has zeroed in on it, to date. My last call to the 5th regarding this issue was answered by laughter for several seconds before a voice said "Hello?" followed by more laughter, and then "5th District...", as though some drunk kids were answering dad's phone. They knew nothing of the events, and told me they couldn't possibly, as "the computers is down." I even emailed the Chief, along with a CC; to Kristin Palmer & Jackie Clarkson. So far? Crickets & dead air. I would suggest that Chief Serpas & Mayor Landrieu apply some high tech Boot to Ass, and get the actual members of the NOPD AWAY from computer screens and other facets of law enforcement that remove them from community interaction. The murder rate has been on a steady climb since the inception of Serpas' 'reign' and the violations of civil rights have not abated one iota since the DOJ report gave a frightening & scathing grade to what is approximately the New Orleans Brute Squad.
For opinions other than my own, one need only read this blog,
( http://carolineheldman.wordpress.com/2011/12/25/the-dangerous-nopd/ )
to get an idea of how far wrong this department has gone.
Please, take a few seconds and read this notice from the Chief. It sounds for all the world like a geek who got his favorite toy for Christmas, by convincing Mom & Dad it was needed for a School Project, when it's only really gonna be used for fantasy football & porn. Like most technology, in the right hands, it's irreplaceable. But when the homework isn't done and the team is running amok, it's tits on a bull, plain & simple. Trouble is, we're paying for Juniors New Toy, and getting killed in the process, at the highest rate in the land.
Here's Da Chief's Big Notice;
New Orleans Police Department – Public Information Office
Superintendent Serpas Releases 2012 Crime-fighting Strategy
***Plan Attached***
(January 2, 2012)- Today Superintendent Ronal Serpas released the 2012 Crime-fighting plan for the New Orleans Police Department.
“The new police tactics we announce today, coupled with Mayor Landrieu’s Strategic Command to Reduce Homicides, give us new tools that we need to make a difference in New Orleans,” said Superintendent Serpas
The biggest advantage to this new strategy is the department’s ability to focus and zero-in on locations where crime trends are most prevalent, as opposed to covering broader crime areas. New software acquired last year, which is now in place, enables the NOPD to do this.
“The 2012 refinements released today, expand upon the strength of the NOPD 65 Point Plan to re-build the New Orleans Police department by being able to utilize several state-of-the-art crime analytic software programs purchased and installed throughout 2011”, said Superintendent Serpas.
“What is noteworthy about this plan is that we now have the unparalleled ability to use laser-like focus to fight both major and minor crimes within our community. Instead of using manpower to cover the large area of , say, a half mile, we now have the computer intelligence and knowledge to focus at the street level, many times no bigger than four to five square blocks”, Serpas said.
As the technology becomes more familiar with all districts, the department will better understand crime trends and criminal habits, and information will be reviewed and updated to fine-tune policing strategies.
Superintendent Serpas said, “We will routinely produce maps that direct our aggressive, professional and impartial policing in the areas of our city linked by homicides, shootings, guns and drugs in ways that are supported by best practices and evidenced based policing of hot spots models used in other cities.”
“Key to the future of this department is building the professionalism of the men and women who serve with pride and dignity”, Superintendent Serpas said.
“Due to the Mayor’s and City Council’s action on the NOPD’s 2012 budget, which provides stability for planning, we look forward to reviving the Police Officer II, III and IV promotional system in a unique partnership with the Fraternal Order of Police in 2012; promoting critically needed sergeants and lieutenants to ensure that our service is the finest it can be; and, by hiring the first NOPD Training Academy of our administration in early 2012.”
Superintendent Serpas' crimefighting strategy for 2012 is attached.
( Note: While I'm sure it's clever beyond words, this power point presentation re: the New Computer Skills, wouldn't open.)
WWOZ - New Years Music Fail; The New Orleans Old Folks Home
Not to sound like a complaining asshole (cuz that'd be new, right?), but I tuned in to WWOZ for New Years Eve, hoping to hear some great New Orleans music. At first, there was some really trippy brass-hop, and I thought I was in heaven.
It turned out to be 'filler' while they connected to "Irvin Mayfield & the Jazz Playhouse Revue & Special Guests."
While all of these folks have great histories, the self aggrandizing of saying each other's names, over & over in to the microphone, seemed more like some TV Award Show gone horribly wrong. Whatever their major skill sets, a 12 minute tambourine solo, for New Years, really? Followed by a 15 minute emotive banjo solo? Keep in mind, this was all under the context of the longest, most repetitive version of 'Little Liza Jane' I've ever heard.
Reaching across the globe, via live streaming internet, from the city voted number one New Years Eve spot in the entire country, this was what the English so lovingly call 'shite'. Considering the vast amount of genuine talent & musical innovation resident in our fair city, never mind the bands like the Soul Rebels, who take traditional brass music to the level of Jimi Hendrix, when fully on, I was beyond disappointed.
I turned the shit OFF.
I'm sorry, but whatever credentials Irvin Mayfield may have in the jazz world, or even only in New Orleans jazz world, this Uncle Tom pandering to the played-to-death carnival hymns of yesterday, including the unbridled selfishness of relentlessly featuring every name of note they could squeeze in, doing the stuff nobody but aging tourists from the musicless suburbs would ever sit through, were certainly diminished, if not destroyed, by this sojourn into blatant commercialism.
Don't get me wrong, here. I WANTED it to be good, if not great. I looked forward to it serving as the musical back drop for my New Years Eve. But this was not to be. As the Monday Morning of the New Year dawns with our Chief of police bragging, not only about busting some poor 25 year old schlub for possessing a small amount of personal marijuana, but suggesting that he got a dangerous 'future' armed robber off the streets by doing so, I find myself closer to a Stepford/Mayberry in Hell reality than I ever thought possible for the City of New Orleans.
Were it not for the stellar quality embraced by the New Orleans Saints, in both performance & integrity, and the art & music found off of this beaten-to-death path, I would consider the possibility of chucking it all in, here.
But of course, I can't & I won't.
Join me in the following year, if you dare, in going out to see music that MATTERS; from the Soul Rebels to Ratty Scurvics & the Black Market Butchers, or Dr John sitting in with JD Hill at the St Roch Tavern.
Patronize amazing local theater at out-of-the-way places like Allways Lounge & Marigny Theater, the Shadow Box theater or Otter's Backyard Ballroom, rather than more commercial endeavors, like Professional Douche Bag, Pres Kabacoff's, ugly little orange mall.
Like any city, New Orleans has government, police, buildings and roads, and all the other accoutrements that make a city a city. But like all of them, it is the People here who make it what it is. And in that respect, it's pretty fucking amazing.
While WWOZ sells out with the rest of the Jazz & Heritage Foundation (Kid Rock? The Eagles? Really? That's Jazz & Heritage? Or just a money grab...), you don't have to. So rather than suggest yet another boycott of anything, I recommend a more positive approach; Go see the Good Shit. It's everywhere. And it's waiting for ya.
When it comes to the People, the Music, the Art & Lifestyle of New Orleans, never mind the food, it's the Greatest City in the World, in my humble opinion. But, like anything even approaching greatness, there are parasites hanging on. In this case, they are the usual money grubbing promotion shucksters, greedy politicians, crooked developers and thuggish cops. But don't let that stop you.
Gird your loins appropriately, folks, and head on out.
Life in this city is dangerous.
Its complicated.
It's amazing & it's beautiful.
In the final measure, for me, it's the only way to go.
Once you see past the commercials, its an endless ride of brilliant talents of every kind.
There's a whole New Year of New Orleans getting made, right now.
Be a part of it.
Go on out & get some on ya, ya hurd?
Lord David
Skull Club
2012
It turned out to be 'filler' while they connected to "Irvin Mayfield & the Jazz Playhouse Revue & Special Guests."
While all of these folks have great histories, the self aggrandizing of saying each other's names, over & over in to the microphone, seemed more like some TV Award Show gone horribly wrong. Whatever their major skill sets, a 12 minute tambourine solo, for New Years, really? Followed by a 15 minute emotive banjo solo? Keep in mind, this was all under the context of the longest, most repetitive version of 'Little Liza Jane' I've ever heard.
Reaching across the globe, via live streaming internet, from the city voted number one New Years Eve spot in the entire country, this was what the English so lovingly call 'shite'. Considering the vast amount of genuine talent & musical innovation resident in our fair city, never mind the bands like the Soul Rebels, who take traditional brass music to the level of Jimi Hendrix, when fully on, I was beyond disappointed.
I turned the shit OFF.
I'm sorry, but whatever credentials Irvin Mayfield may have in the jazz world, or even only in New Orleans jazz world, this Uncle Tom pandering to the played-to-death carnival hymns of yesterday, including the unbridled selfishness of relentlessly featuring every name of note they could squeeze in, doing the stuff nobody but aging tourists from the musicless suburbs would ever sit through, were certainly diminished, if not destroyed, by this sojourn into blatant commercialism.
Don't get me wrong, here. I WANTED it to be good, if not great. I looked forward to it serving as the musical back drop for my New Years Eve. But this was not to be. As the Monday Morning of the New Year dawns with our Chief of police bragging, not only about busting some poor 25 year old schlub for possessing a small amount of personal marijuana, but suggesting that he got a dangerous 'future' armed robber off the streets by doing so, I find myself closer to a Stepford/Mayberry in Hell reality than I ever thought possible for the City of New Orleans.
Were it not for the stellar quality embraced by the New Orleans Saints, in both performance & integrity, and the art & music found off of this beaten-to-death path, I would consider the possibility of chucking it all in, here.
But of course, I can't & I won't.
Join me in the following year, if you dare, in going out to see music that MATTERS; from the Soul Rebels to Ratty Scurvics & the Black Market Butchers, or Dr John sitting in with JD Hill at the St Roch Tavern.
Patronize amazing local theater at out-of-the-way places like Allways Lounge & Marigny Theater, the Shadow Box theater or Otter's Backyard Ballroom, rather than more commercial endeavors, like Professional Douche Bag, Pres Kabacoff's, ugly little orange mall.
Like any city, New Orleans has government, police, buildings and roads, and all the other accoutrements that make a city a city. But like all of them, it is the People here who make it what it is. And in that respect, it's pretty fucking amazing.
While WWOZ sells out with the rest of the Jazz & Heritage Foundation (Kid Rock? The Eagles? Really? That's Jazz & Heritage? Or just a money grab...), you don't have to. So rather than suggest yet another boycott of anything, I recommend a more positive approach; Go see the Good Shit. It's everywhere. And it's waiting for ya.
When it comes to the People, the Music, the Art & Lifestyle of New Orleans, never mind the food, it's the Greatest City in the World, in my humble opinion. But, like anything even approaching greatness, there are parasites hanging on. In this case, they are the usual money grubbing promotion shucksters, greedy politicians, crooked developers and thuggish cops. But don't let that stop you.
Gird your loins appropriately, folks, and head on out.
Life in this city is dangerous.
Its complicated.
It's amazing & it's beautiful.
In the final measure, for me, it's the only way to go.
Once you see past the commercials, its an endless ride of brilliant talents of every kind.
There's a whole New Year of New Orleans getting made, right now.
Be a part of it.
Go on out & get some on ya, ya hurd?
Lord David
Skull Club
2012
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