IS IT TRUE? October 19, 2011 Gang Solutions and Acknowledgement

1. One thing that WON’T work to bring in an Infrared Robo-tank to start patrolling the SE side of the city…

   As someone said on the C&P website, we might as well add a predator drone or two. LOL.

   • Actually the predator drone or a cluster bomb to take out those 10,000 abandoned houses may be a good idea. No place to run, no place to hide. Destroying all of the abandoned drug houses and ho houses may just make this neighborhood salvageable.

     • Would solve the sewer problem on the cheap.

       • What we need is a flame thrower for DMD to get them crap houses down and a high tech urban assault vehicle or two to keep them gangstas down.

         • Agree with all abandoned homes should be destroyed. Do a controlled burn on them if it would be cheaper. Give the gangs and drugs no place to hide. Even if it is costly, worth the money, destroy the homes quick clean up as you can. They need to challenge the gangs now. If they find out their hiding area, send in a swat team. If they are fired upon, then the swat team should take them all down. Gangs are nothing but terrorist, the long you allow them around the stronger they get.

2. The web site mentioned can be found in the link below, if you want a real eye opener search Illinois and pay attention to the Chicago news reports.

   http://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/Gang-Related-News

   I hate to point out the fact that a lot of gang activity has been tied to the illegal immigration issue (undocumented workers for the pc crowd) the group MS13 is the most widespread and violent gang in America, which breeds rival gangs, street gangs have been around since the 40’s but wide-spread gang related violence only became fashionable in the last few decades unless you want to talk about Al Capone and his crew.

   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mara_Salvatrucha

   Maybe that’s what we need here in Evansville, a man like Elliot Ness and the Untouchables!

   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliot_Ness

   JMHO

3. I can sit here and tell you that it would be a good idea to put security guards at Eastland mall to prevent shoplifting, but I don’t think the editor should give me credit for solving the theft problem. Afterall, there are already security guards at the mall. Kids are already told it is not right to steal. The police are trained to deal with the issue.
   Winnecke has taken other peoples plans, listed some that are already used here, and suggested counseling to tell them gangs are bad.
   I do not see the forward thinking leadership that is implied here. I see last minute scrambling for more votes. Winnecke has not said a word about the inner city until 3 weeks before the election.
   Davis was aware of, and involved with, the inner city neighborhoods well before he started his mayoral campaign. He has been a member of the Inner City Neighborhoods Coalition for a while now. He is also involved with United Neighborhoods of Evansville. That’s the big difference in the two candidates. One does it because it is the right thing to do. The other sees possible votes. Which one would still continue to be involved if they are not elected next month?

   • “Winnecke has taken other peoples plans, listed some that are already used here, and suggested counseling to tell them gangs are bad.”

     Here’s an example of what can happen when you provide counseling…

     http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2011/10/18/bloody-gang-fight-breaks-out-at-richmond-city-hall/

     The last paragraph shows how the liberal mind deals with gang violence.

     JMHO

     • I am curious what the CCO folks think about all of the work done by the EPD prior to Winnecke “validating” the gang issue. Based on media reports, they have made numerous arrests lately and the number of gang acts has dropped since those arrests.
       I have heard that police work is a thankless job, but to imply that had it not been for Lloyd Winnecke, our police officers would have been clueless about gangs is mind blowing. Winnecke took a hot button topic and used it as a political platform to get votes. I guess that’s just part of politics. If he would have addressed the programs already in place here and how they have already had an impact on the issue, maybe his plan has more credibility. To ignore the work of others and act like you are the only one with the solution is not going to get the desired outcome.

       • This appears to be a page out of our current mayors playbook… ie taking credit for the work of others, it’s disturbing to think that we may loose one arrogant mayor only to replace him with one of his toadies that has the same beliefs and aspirations.

         As for the work EPD does, same as the firefighters in most cases an outstanding job, and your right it is basically thankless.

         JMHO

         • Blanger, I have a simple either or question for you. It’s pertinent to this edition of Is It True that features two issues – Winnecke’s gang solution, and the Democrats FloatGate.

           Would you rather have mayoral candidate’s campaign borrowing crime fighting ideas that worked for other communities, or would you rather have a mayoral candidate’s campaign using police power to get even with a political enemy.

           Before you answer, I am not accusing anyone of anything at this point. I think whatever the facts are will speak for themselves when and if the facts come out. I’m just asking you which you would rather have – politicians who borrow crime fighting ideas that worked elsewhere, or politicians who use police power for political retribution? Again, it’s hypothetical.

         • LOL trick question, but of course the logical answer would be the borrower….and my gut feels good about that answer.

           JMHO

       • JTTBB: The CCO thanks and admires the EPD for all of the work that has been done recently with respect to the gang problems. We also extend credit for keeping this manageable for a great many years when the fact that Evansville has gang issues was not widely known and in many cased denied by public figures. The EPD will need the support of the next Mayor on both the gang issue and the meth issue. Davis came out strong against meth and Winnecke followed soon after. The good news is that now both candidates for Mayor are on board to fight the supply chain for meth. Hopefully we will be in the same position for gangs soon. The EPD deserves a Mayor that has their back and the public acknowledgement of this problem is a step forward for Evansville.

         • Thank you for your reply. I agree, the next mayor must tackle some big issues. I just hope that these issues stay on the radar long after the political hype that currenlty surrounds them is over. To me, past actions indicate that Davis has been involved at the neighborhood level a lot more than Winnecke.

   • Winnecke has been involved with the inner-city far longer than “3 weeks before the election.” He has been a part of the African-American museum, United Way, and a host of other inner-city organizations and activities for quite some time.

4. Floatgate: You can bet the farm it was setup deal, Sgt. Hubbard did not act alone, and he took orders from above. Now that is really scary!

   • Good grief,

     I’m guessing, only 1 out of those 7,000+ was bold enough to get on a festival float and WAVE TO THE CROWD!

     Don’t people that expect to skirt the law know better than to prance, boldly in front of the public?

     The Fall Festival is a significant community event… if you ask me, he was thumbing his nose at the police.

     • I agree. This guy is a serial traffic offender. He probably drove to the Fall Fest and if so, most likely did so without a license or insurance. It doesn’t matter to me how the officer found out that he had an active warrant, once he did he has a sworn duty to enforce the law.

5. Is it true that interviews already have take place to gather information from persons who indeed were present in the two or three block long Fall Festival parade staging area of Franklin Street west of Fulton Avenue during the incident now known as FloatGate?

   Is it true that among the persons interviewed were those who both saw events leading up to the incident or who heard conversations in a tavern and on the street pertinent to the incident?

   Is it true that the most disturbing thing to come from FloatGate MAY NOT BE the fact that there are over 7,000 active warrants walking the streets of Evansville, but rather that an abuse of political influence may have occurred?

   • So let me get this straight…..we have EPD detectives interviewing people who were within a two or three block staging area, all this because an off duty cop called to have a criminal detained who had a active FTA warrant?, I’d be more interested in knowing why he wasn’t hauled off to jail like anyone else would have been…there’s your abuse of political influence/power.

     JMHO

     • You got that right…

     • Right. You know his good ole boy cronies were on their cell phones getting someone to cut him loose immediately.

     • What I dont understand is this. If you hear Sgt Hubbard’s audio of him calling it in, when and where did he check the status of this guy? In other calls I have heard in various places, the officer will call in the person and check their status. Now if he was just told this person had a warrant by say someone coming up to him and saying “so and so has a warrant” wouldn’t he have to verify this? Or can anyone walk up to an LEO and say X has a warrant and expect the LEO to take it at face value. Where is the audio of Hubbard confirming Jarvis has a warrant? That tells you right there that someone with an axe to grind tipped Hubbard off. Someone that Hubbard trusted and was friends with. Probably that same BilL Denton that yanked Hubbard out of the Lamasco Bar momnents before Hubbard called it in. Or I could be wrong and Officer Hubbard is such an outstanding officer that he has a book with the name of every outstanding warrant in Vanderburgh County that he carries with him for just such occasions. I find it doubtful though since Officer Hubbard hasnt executed an arrest in over 7 years.

   • I believe it IS TRUE that the most “disturbing” aspect of FloatGate is the fact that people are focusing on the warrant, and not on the “abuse of political influence” involved in this ridiculous ploy. What is true is the fact during a festival with attendance levels at record highs, someone chose to waste valuable time and money on a traffic violation, while thousands of others with warrants were walking around enjoying their evening.

     Sneaky, spiteful and distasteful to say the least.

6. The Guardian would be a retro-fitted Brinks truck that can be obtained very cheaply, similar to the current EPD SWAT vehicle. This is not a crazy idea, it is working in other cities. Here is a link from The Police Chief Magazine:

   http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=2357&issue_id=42011

7. LOL at all the Machine goons trying to make hay out of the arrest of a serial traffic offender.

   Keep it up, goons. That dog won’t hunt. Most people LIKE the fact that Davis is standing up to you people and seeing to it that even the powerful face justice.

   • I wouldnt call a office manager powerful. Look at the fools that have had that job: Jarvis, John Paul Josey, Jon Siebeking and others. None are powerful or important. The only one you could call even well known would be Josey and thats just because he’s run for just about every office that is on the ballot

     • he’s not the office manager, he’s the political director, whatever that is, according to their website

       • Basically the political director’s job in a county central committee headquarters amounts to herding cats.

         • Like I said a fools job

         • Yes, only a fool would take a herd of half broke house cats on a 12-month cattle drive.

8. ClovisPoint,
   Has it slipped your attention that an EPD sergeant was interviwed in todays paper? His responses indiacted that the EPD already does some of the things Winnecke listed. He also points out, based on his real life experiences, that at least one of the suggestions will not work. I think using ideas that have proven successful prevents re-inventing the wheel, under certain circumstances. Not all problems can be dealt with the same way everytime in every city.
   Again, Winnecke failed to acknowledge the work already done by the EPD. He also failed to mention any funding mechanisms in place to pay for all of his programs. ( Meth, gangs, rundown houses) At some point, he will have to choose which ones he will be able to do and that means someone is going to be left out….Unless he raises taxes for public safety.

   • I understand there may be grants from federal sources and donations from private foundations that could cover some or most of the costs of the anti-crime programs Winnecke is suggesting. Winnecke’s executive experience and professional expertise would enable him to deftly pursue such grants and aid. By comparison, Davis clearly indicates he would employ new local taxes on the one hand, and who knows what source of funding for his 50-kid park clean-up crew which is a duplication of an existing program.

9. Team Weinzapfel loyalists revive FloatGate grassy knoll conspiracy theories as diversion from ally Winnecke’s recent TankGang. I suspect the Guardian tank’s water cannon will be repurposed as a wide area urban sprinker on a mobile water park platform.

   • Haven’t seen very many of the people running this year who were proud members of Team Weinzapfel in 2007 showing their old pictures with Hizzoner off in public.

     Bredhold, John, Watts, Walker, all got on that Team and all are out by choice or by vote.

     Only Dan McGinn was not on Team Weinzapfel.

     Do you think that any of the opponents of Mosby, Friend, or Adams will use the past associations with Hizzoner against them. Adams never really was a Mayor worshiper but the others were. Will they be held accountable even by their opponents?

     • Friend switched from the Republican Party to the Democrat Party after he ran for City Council as a Republican and lost. I got that information from The Courier when Friend announced that he was running for City Council as a Democrat.

10. IS IT TRUE that articles on city-countyobserver.com would be a lot easier to read and comprehend if the editors would write in a normal journalistic style instead of using a trite, hackneyed device like “IS IT TRUE” all the time?

    • That’s the “sneagel” way of reporting…sneaky but legal. It covers their a**

      • Cute, but no banana. The concept of IS IT TRUE was born on a boat in the mind of the founder several years ago. It was not done to cover arse but if it does it does. It has become part of the branding of the CCO and consistently draws the most readership. The only things that draw more readers are when local officials are caught doing incredibly stupid things like floatgate and winefests.

    • Is It True that if your having problems with reading and comprehending the English language that maybe a remedial reading course could help you overcome your handicap.

      JMHO

      • I think it’s more important when reading much of this to install your BS filter.

        • Morning Clovis……totally agree.

11. The reason that there are 7,000 or more outstanding arrest warrants in Evansville is that someone in the Whiney-zappel regime decided almost a year ago to blow off any criminal complaints at the misdemeanor level, simply because too many of those perps vote Democrat! The party can’t afford to have that many people hacked off at the Democratic Party, which after all has been running Evansville into the ground since ole Benji Bosse bought the mayor’s office, then found out to his chagrin that he had only rented it!

    • It has nothing to do with partisan politics or who is mayor. It has everything to do with people who flaunt the law, and an overburdened court system. When I say court system, that includes the courts, the police, the prosecutor’s office, the jail, and everyone else we pay to deal with trash who cannot even hitch up their baggy pants or comport themselves with a little decorum when finally appearing in court to answer to violations of the simple little laws that we all have to live by.

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