Just because the majority of the Public Intoxication Task Force quit the group last night doesn’t mean they are giving up on their mission to revamp police practices in San Jose.
“It would be a mistake to assume that we are suddenly going to go away,” says Skyler Porras, director of the ACLU, one of the community stakeholder groups that resigned from the task force Wednesday night.
Porras didn’t disclose much more insight about what the former task force members are plotting to continue their efforts.
The group – which includes La Raza Roundtable, NAACP and other organizations – fired off an email to City Manager Debra Figone last night, letting her know that they were resigning from the PI Task Force.
Figone sent a letter back to the task force members. “While I am disappointed that you have chosen to resign, I understand that your goals and hopes for the Task Force were different from those established by the City Council,” Figone said.
The task force, which also includes Police Chief Rob Davis, was assembled earlier this year after statistics suggested that police were targeting Latinos for being drunk in public.
The community groups on the task force have been demanding greater access to all 4,000-plus SJPD drunken arrest records. The chief released a sample of 280. Last week, the members refused to move forward on the discussion without those records. With
their demands unmet Wednesday night, Porras and others made a quick statement, got up and left the task force meeting.
This is what members of the Task Force were directed to do:
“Investigate recommendations for non-criminal sanctions and diversionary approaches as alternatives to arresting individuals for public intoxication.”
Nothing else, and nothing more.
Maybe Raj’s task force was upset because less than 100 people showed up to a protest when they had been predicting thousands. Storm off because they didnt’ get their way; what a great insight into the mentality, or immaturity, of Raj’s group, and precisely why they don’t belong in that position. They have already made up their minds and prejudged the results, and no amount of objective information would make a difference. This is a total non-issue and another waste of tons of money we don’t have just to appease some tiny splinter group with an axe to ground with the police for their own lot in life.
#3 Village BS:
Just curious,…what’s your answer to this?
You ask a good question; I travel frequently and never experience this kind police activity. Unfriendly and unbending; I guess we don’t mind our kids being made into criminals for blowing off steam as we did as kids. I also guess its good business for local law enforcement, prison industry, attornies, and everybody but us. The Merc is on to something..they are just finding the tip of the iceburg though. Best advice, stay away from downtown and add a little paranoia to your life style and you will be just fine.
for one thing I’d like to see where and when these arrests take place. my suspicion is that there are downtown and on the weekends.
Has anyone done a demographic survey of who is downtown on weekends? I suspect we won’t find a large number of elderly Asian women getting busted for public drunkeness.
Could we have some perspective please?
and another thing. Why should the arrest records of everyone be made available to this group? Isn’t that an invasion of privacy? Could we then see all the police info on members of this so called task force?
Storming out like petulant childish brats—THAT’S EFFECTIVE!!!!
This past Cinco de Mayo, my son and I spent the weekend in Oroville, Steelhead fishing as we do every year to get away from the madness that prevails during and after the events down town,
We returned Sunday evening to find our heighborhood in vertual look down. Exits were blocked by squad cars on the Story Road exits. We were not surprised. This is an annual occurance.
I asked my self this morning, WHY only in San Jose? Last Saturday we attended an event in Oroville that included some 2000 Mexicans. Not ONE police officer did I see. The difference is, as I see it is there are no bars and night clubs on every corner like we have here in San Jose.
I’ve said this before, If you don’t want ants in your kitchen, clean up your kitchen, It works for me!
The folks that are trying to make it go down town are being hammered because most folks are avoiding the night life there. Throwing cops at kids is not the answer.
What has to stop is what is driving this whole circus atmosphere. We deserve better here in our Village. Why do we keep asking ourselves the Questions , We already know the Answers to!
The Village Black Smith
No, I doubt you’ll find many elderly Asian women being arrested for public drunkness, just being shot for assault with a deadly potato peeler. Staying out of downtown on the weekend is good advice, possibly just staying out is better. If you want to see a model of how nightlife and police can co-exist, see Austin Texas.
#8-JMO said, “Storming out like petulant childish brats—THAT’S EFFECTIVE!!!!”
Actually, it is turning out to be very effective! Next year are elections, and our Mayor and Council are actually paying full attention to what these folks are screaming about, so for those of you who care about our Police Department, and footing a $200,000K bill for a Public Information Request bill being accrued by these “petulant brats,” you better start yelling louder than they are at the Mayor and Council to stop this insanity!
I don’t want to see another statistic about arrests of group X for cime Y relative to population.
People from different cultures do different things. This means they get into different types of trouble.
Cultures that value drinking and fighting will have more arrests for public drunkenness. Cultures that value studying will have more doctors.
Part of having a multicultural society is that not every culture is going to do the exact same things in exactly the same ratios. Each culture, and each person within each culture, will go their own way, doing their own thing.
It’s not something to beat ourselves up about.
Is “The Taskforce” upset that police won’t divulge information regarding immigration status of those arrested? No?
Well maybe they’re not as interested in “the truth” as they claim to be.
#9—If the mayor and council or the petulant brats believe the $200k estimate to produce the records, they are all dumber than I thought.
SJ and Santa Clara County are notorious for overbilling for the production and copying of public records. Their estimate equates to $50.00/report. That number is unsupportable, unless the SJPD is billing location and reproduction costs at the hourly rate of a ranking officer.
That said, the requesters need to be billed the ACTUAL price for location, redaction, and reproduction of the records. This is not a cost that the taxpayers need to bear. It is a cost the requesters need to bear. If they had to pay the costs, I’d bet the farm that their request would be more limited.
So, Raj, go out and raise some money to pay for compliance with your request.
Interesting point #11, but the answer is that they are not. SFPD & SJPD have internal policies of not determining the immigration status of arrestees.
Then you write the check # 15.
Light,
Then DeBug should be happy to pay it.
I’m NOT.
#12-JMO-
Sorry but you’re not quite accurate about the cost related to the time, and manpower this entails. Christian worked for a PRIVATE company that stored files in warehouses in several different locations, and I can tell you now, $50.00 is a drop in the bucket compared to the true price it cost to order, locate, and bring in required files. If you add in redacting the $85-$100 a report seems reasonable.
I do agree that De Bugged and their cohorts need to pay for these reports themselves, as well as for ALL their Public Information Requests. WE taxpayers have already paid 34K we shouldn’t have. That 34K would have hired quite a few crossing guards, or fed quite a few seniors. It is about priority people, not indulgence of the chosen few who think they are entitled to freebies care of taxpaying citizens.
Its amazing how much this blog’s contributers miss the mark entirely on this issue. And its always the same people commenting using the same hackneyed arguments. This task force is taking a stand against a blatent disregard for transperancy. Request for police records is not a violation of privacy, no one is asking for the arrestee’s or police officer’s names.
What amounts to a routine request has turned into monumental cluster you-know-what. Why? Because of one person. The ACLU makes similar request in other cities and are granted access.
The police chief’s reluctance to comply with this simple request is just another example of how provincial this big city really. Step in to the 21st century people.
Ok, next I expect you all to send your barrage about spelling errors and passive-aggressive remarks about Latinos, DeBug, and anyone else who angers you for pointing out injustice….
#15-Light,
Then by all means, feel free pay it yourself! That way the money can go to protecting children, feeding seniors, and a million other things that need to be priority.
Sunshine where? #18,
EVERYBODY is a victim of injustice. I am. Kathleen is. You are.
Most of us figure out a way to deal with it on our own. We figure, “that’s life”. It never occurs to us to impose on our fellow citizens to solve our own problems for us.
Then there are the professional victims who, instead of taking responsibility for their own lives, go running to their mommy, Government, every time they think they’ve been “disrespected”.
Maybe it’s time that group grows up, learns to stand on their own two feet, and gives the rest of us a break.
While I think the dissenting task force members have not helped their cause, I am concerned with those of you who are so self-righteous. Your mantra of “if you want justice then pay for it” rings a little hollow. Just because you disagree with their tactics doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have the right to prove or disprove their concerns. Certain costs are in a municipality’s jurisdiction to cover—democracy does not come cheap. As long as these accusations hang out there neither proven or disproven, it hurts us as a city.
If the city would stop its bunker mentality and work to resolve these concerns instead of stonewalling, then we could move on.
But, as is typical of SJ, they would rather provoke to the point of a lawsuit, rather than try to find some common ground and provide the information.
This place never learns and neither do some of you.
Injustice, is worth any price to root out.
Light
#18-Sunshine where? Said, “This task force is taking a stand against a blatant disregard for transparency.”
I think you, and many others, misunderstood the purpose of the Task Force.
(Please take the time to watch the Council Meeting in which the Task Force was set up, and the direction they were given by the Mayor and Council.)
The purpose for this Task Force was not to look at arrest reports, it was simple; it was set up to:“Investigate recommendations for non-criminal sanctions and diversionary approaches as alternatives to arresting individuals for public intoxication.” That is what they were asked to do, nothing else, and nothing more.
Some of the Task Force Members took it upon themselves to betray this appointment and gave themselves more authority than they were given, and tried to take the Task Force in a direction it was never intended to go in. Hence the reason they lost my support.
#21-Just Wondering said,” As long as these accusations hang out there neither proven or disproved, it hurts us as a city.”
I agree with that statement 100%. The problem we have here doesn’t just lie with the City. De Bugged, the ACLU, and the NAACP went into this Task Force with their own agendas, and both sides had/have mistrust for one another from start to finish. When you have two sides entering any discussion to try and find a solution to such a vital issue with such distrust, you have a complete “no win” situation. Everyone looses.
#23-Fernando’s Back,
“I wish Kathleen and JMO and all you crying brats would walk off this blog.”
I’ll just bet you do, that way the only voice that would be heard is YOURS! Sorry Fernando, but we are entitled to express our own views just like you. Welcome to the meaning of the First Amendment!
“You fail to look at why these task force members left in the first place.”
You fail to look at what the Task Force was assigned to do:
” Investigate recommendations for non-criminal sanctions and diversionary approaches as alternatives to arresting individuals for public intoxication.”
There were assigned to do nothing else, and nothing more.
“Public records are OUR RIGHTS.”
Yes they are! Now go pay for them yourself!
“but OHH…will so willingly give them up to the CPLE.”
Ah Fernando, the CPLE invited the Task Force to join them in the research. Raj and his buddies refused the invitation because they felt hurt that they didn’t know, before the rest of the public that the City decided to bring on the CPLE to pick up where the Task Force was supposed to leave off.
Fernando, there are ALWAYS two sides to every story and then there is the truth. This, it is only because we’re Latino victim thing is getting old. Did it ever occur to you that SOME of these arrests are completely justified? Find a middle ground will you?
#23—Fernando’s BACK???? Never heard of you before, so how could you be BACK?
And the “crying brats” are the folks who walked out in a huff. That’s really leadership—pick up your ball and walk out.
And you wonder why no-one in authority pays attention to you other than to give some lip service to your whining.
Kathleen, calm down. Your beginning to make mistakes.
On your post #9 you refered to JMO’s comment on #8 was actually his post on #7. Have any of you been managers of a business. When an employee causes an infraction or violation aren’t they disaplined.? It’s apparent some of you have never dealt with some police, guilty or not. You all might be discussing some other topic and doing some good instead of the insults and Ohh and Ahhs! It’s great intertainment! Oh yeah! Welcome Back Fernando. – Crusader Rabbit
I wish Kathleen and JMO and all you crying brats would walk off this blog. You’re the type that would blame people for their own injustice. You fail to look at why these task force members left in the first place. Debra Figone gave so many excuses why not to release those records (logistical, then money, then it’s too much) but OHH…will so willingly give them up to the CPLE. Public records are OUR RIGHTS. Maybe if the cops stopped making these false arrests there wouldn’t BE so many records to release in the first place.
Santa Clara County and San Jose Is looking like the Deep South. Can the Feds be far behind?
Civil Rights are being abused. It’s time to deal with the reality of who is responcible for these crimes againts society.
Light
Oh John, I don’t wonder why those “in-authority” don’t pay attention to me. I already know why. They are quick to wanna know me come election time, I tell you that.
And Kathleen with the selective reasoning because everyone else is so polar….Hey, my people didn’t pull out the “Race card”. The cops did.
#26-Frank said, “Kathleen, calm down. Your beginning to make mistakes.
On your post #9 you refered to JMO’s comment on #8 was actually his post on #7.”
Is that the only comment you can make regarding such a vital issue? Pointing out a typo? Your grammer is frightening! Okay, I guess your misspelling of “you’re” and “referred” can go unmentioned because you have one standard for me, and a different one for yourself.
In any case, it never ceases to amaze me that so many of you can ignore and make excuses for criminals, and their unlawful behavior. I guess they haven’t made their way into your neighborhood and stolen your car, or broken into your home, or robbed, or vandalized your businesses, or almost hit your child walking across the street, or gotten high and beat up your neighbor, or driven drunk past you on the street. Lucky you!
And yes, I agree, people’s civil rights are being violated! CRIMINALS who think they are above the law are violating them, and they will continue to do so as long as they have folks like you defending their right to do so. God Bless America!
#26,27,28,
Did you all attend the same grade school?
29 – Most of us ignore the pitiful spelling and “grammer” on this site. You should be the last one to even dare respond to that criticism given your “sins” in this area. But,most of us do look past those things and try to find the substance in the comments. Not always easy, but sometimes it is there.
29, in commenting upon Frank #26’s post, you forgot “disaplined”. He also forgot to end his question with a question mark. Frank, have you been a manger of a business? Is it still in business? Frank, I have dealt with “some police”, and I have tried to give them the respect that they deserve.
Frank, you illiterate slut, shut up!
A sheriff with DUIs kills two bikers while asleep at the wheel? He gets an ultimatum? A group of college jocks gang rape a young girl? They get squat? DAs are with holding videos from the defence? X mayors get millions of our money and we are losing everything? Husband and wife get tazed as they leave a dive bar, not a whisper since that occurred. The Mayor hires a cop as the IPA. Now the Mayor wants the A’s down town as well. I suggest Santa Clara street be renamed Tazer Alley. Juanito and Panchito, San Jose State students get BUSTED for staring down a young cop after leaving Savor. Now they can kiss their future as cops goodby. Perhaps they could become County Sheriffs?
Cops bust taggers, Tony Ridder, gets to show off his tag atop downtown building perpetually.
What’s the point of going on.
What makes it so hilarious is it is all true.
Leonard McKay your by gone days characters got nothing on us.
The curse of Quetzalcualtl is upon us. I am placing an offering of fresh corn at the base of this plastic serpent this afternoon. 4000 arrests have made Quetzy very angry.
Did you know that the Aztecs expected Quetzalcuatl to return on the year of “One Reed”? The Aztec calendar is cylical 52 years being a full circle or “One Reed”. In 1519 the year Cortez showed up, it was “One Reed”.Look it up!
This is 2009!
Gil Hernandez
#31-Noah,
My sins? Give me a break. Typo=sins?
Just once on here I’d like to have a discussion that does NOT result in this type of pissing match. Every time one of these Frank’s doesn’t have anything factual, or intellectual to contribute to the topic, they resort to rude comments, personal bashes, etc. It seems to me that there should be a way to share ideas and be respectful, but for some reason it just doesn’t seem to happen very often on blogs like this. Sad~
#26—Frank! What’s going on, homey?
#30—Yeah. You were my principal.
Kathspleen and JsMO
I think my wireless keyboard needs a new battery. Sorry for the misspelling.
Martin L. King said it best.
“Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere. 1929-1668.
JMO, Kathleen, you both should view some of those Council meetings and comments from the public. You actualy might understand what everybody is up in arms about. You both might learn a thing or two, besides your fluent grammer.
Before I go I’d like to thank the Mercury and ISJ for bringing to light the events in San Jose. Many parents didn’t know what was going on as even youths had a code of silence. “It’s not cool to snitch”.
We as parents were able to teach them the difference between snitching and reporting abuse. Our local news papers as far as I’m concerned are our link to the outside world. Parents and Childrens relationships are now being mended because we now know what they have been dealing with.
We are all now on the same page.
Frank L.
#36-Frank,
No need to apologize for misspelled words; I’m guilty of this upon occasion myself. Thank you for coming back in a respectful manner to try and discuss this very important topic.
In the past three years, I have attended over 12 public forums on the supposed brutality of SJPD. Last year, I attended both the special Council meeting, and the Nov. 18th meeting on the supposed disproportionate arrests of Latinos in SJPD. I watched Tuesday’s Council meeting, and ALL Council meetings on this topic.
Having said that, I can tell you the way these folks communicate with the Council is appalling. The yelling, the threats, the general over all demeanor of these people is WHY no one takes them seriously, and why they are getting arrested out on the street. If you act like a thug, you are certainly NOT going to get my sympathy, or attention because I’m a firm believer if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it is a duck.
Frank, in working with youth offenders, mostly Latino, not ONE of them has ever denied that they committed the crime they are being punished for. I give them a lot of credit for that because 9 times out of 10, their parents deny their teen committed ANY crime! They scream racism, or Police profiling, and don’t give one dam about the person their child just victimized.
79% of these kids don’t either know who their Father is, or don’t see or know their Dad. 90% of these kids come from parents who have done time, are doing time, or have a drug-addicted parent on WELFARE. Now, that is something that needs to be addressed here.
These teens behave badly when they become adults because we have rotten schools, too few crime/gang prevention programs, and lousy role models to guide them. They use the race card, and Police brutality as an excuse for their criminal behavior because we live in a world that encourages that mindset! It is the new in thing to do, and that is a very dangerous thing to be teaching our youth today because it does not encourage them to have integrity, be responsible for their actions, nor does it teach them the meaning of hard work equals reward. It only teaches them to play the victim when they screw up, and believe me; they have learned that lesson very well. It ruins it for innocent people who truly are being profiled, or being discriminated against. You might read the story titled, “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” sometime. It pretty much sums up my view of things~
#35-Fernando,
Judging by the way the way you write, you obviously spent more time in the Principal’s Office than in class.
Unless this site attracts some heavy weights with some serious commentary, the light weights that post here, that are like old dogs on the porch, barking at every passerby, dooms us to mediocrity.
Light
#39-Light,
Don’t you think your comment in #39 is a bit hypocritical? Your posts are almost always editorial comments about SJI posters who don’t agree with your viewpoint, and never anything of substance about the topic.
#40,
I’m actually Frustraded Fin Fans masculine side.
Light
#36 wrote:“You both might learn a thing or two, besides your fluent grammer.”
Uh, that would be grammar, Frank. Did you get out of grammar school? How, by just getting older?
Frank, it ain’t the keyboard. It’s the operator.
Yes, Frank, injustice is a threat to us all. But the injustice these days is heaped upon the victims, not the criminals.
What the excuse-the-criminals-because-they come-from-disadvantaged-households crowd fails to realize is that they are breaking down the system that has ordered our lives in the western world for a few centuries.
What is now criticized as profiling was what once was considered good police work.
If a victim describes her assailant as a black man in his twenties (all those Palo Alto robbery cases near the train station, where, guess what, they recently arrested a black male), you can pretty much eliminate whites, asians, light-skinned hispanics, and anyone over 35 when looking for the perp.
But the current PC crowd calls it racial profiling if the cops concentrate on black males in their twenties when trying to locate the assailant who was described by the victim as a black male in his twenties.[you can substitute any group in this analysis, Frank. So, if the victim described her assailant as a white male, you can eliminate blacks and asians and dark-skinned hispanics, right, Frank?] Because of an unfortunate choice of words on her part that the PC crowd jumped all over, it cost the Palo Alto Police Chief her job.
The time for coddling hardened criminals and making their rights superior to the rights of their victims must end, Frank.
Injustice is the victim being victimized again by the system, Frank.
Recently, I and my friend Maria went on a walk about in the down town hard core areas. We left the safety of the Fairmont dance and piano bar area at 11:30pm and began the treck to the dives and bars in the surronding areas, I have termed Tazer Alley.
Our first stop was Asucar. Most were Hispanic, a young croud in their thirties to fouties. Well dressed and engaged in conversation. The Salsa Band had quit at 12. Three bartenders all busy doing tricks with the bottles and pumping out Mojitos bouncers at the door. The Cinebar dive bar next door was packed with most of the customers in levis and very casual wear, drinking and socializing. Heavy odor of marijuana.Bouncers at the door. We moved on to the North on 2nd st. across the street the Tres Amigos crowd , mostly anglos were out to the side walk a casual croud drinking. On to the Loft. A loud and busy joint which was packed with what appeared to be a large Asian croud. The age group was in the early thirties and younger. Most of the women were scantly dressed, showing lots of leg and high heels very loud DJ music. Bouncers every where. The bartenders were slamming out drinks as fast as they could. We ventured up stairs. More of the same. The music was blaring and there again the bardenders were slamming out drinks. We felt very out of place. Maria asked , where are all the mexicans they talk about. Leaving there we poked our heads in at the Voodo Lounge. More of the same. Same crowd same demographics, same music. Many afro americans. Rounding the corner at 1st and Santa Clara there was a night Club that was sparcely inhabitaed, but with also the same Asian customers all scantly dressed, bouncers at the door, Our next stop was the Lido we peered in and refused to pay the 8 dollar cover charge. Bouncers at the door. Mostly Hispanics and the music was not the R&B or 0ld school, but Nortena or banda. Most were not dressed to impress. Lots of dancing. The bar action was quite, the music was very loud..
By this time we are headed to OJ’s for a bite and home. Our last stop was the Mosaic Lounge in the Old Montgomery Hotel. at 1 am this bar was jammed with what appeared to be 80 % Asian young croud in their early 20 to early thirties. The DJ was pounding out hip hop and there was lots of interaction spilling out into the patio area, but not the activity of drinks being served as on 2nd street. It was not aplace we felt we could enjoy. it was very loud and crowded. We finally arrived at OJ’s. We had no idea the down town was so in control of the young drinking crowd with lots of money to spend.
What did come to our minds were the total absence of police and Mexicans. I did not see one squuad car or police as we made the rounds. at 1 am. Maria made the comment, “I would never allow my daughters to come into down town. It was an experience for me to see this in San Jose. It is no wonder every body I have spoken to does not go into the down town core. We got out of town at 1:30 am with our OJ doggie bag and a yawn! Wow what an experience. Once is enough!
The Village Black Smith
“A Fresno man who police said forced his 7-year-old son to get a gang tattoo pleaded not guilty today in Fresno County Superior Court to felony charges of aggravated mayhem and street terrorism.”
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12380269?source=most_viewed
Well Frank, I think even you can see by this article why so many of us support the Police. Who would be this child’s protector if not for the Police? Who would be protecting this child’s rights if it were not for the Police? Or doesn’t that matter?
Village BS:
First you complain of the oppressive police state downtown and then you lament the lack of police. You will never be satisfied which is why politicians make a mistake to appease your lobbies.
Fear not, DTSJ will not miss you and your omniscient judgements.
Gil: You left the Fairmont @ 11:30 and, by your account, you and Maria hit Azucar, Cinebar, Tres Amigos, The Loft, Voodoo Lounge, an unidentified night club @ First & Santa Clara, The Lido (but you didn’t go inbecause of the $8. cover), Mosaic. You ended up @ OJ’s @ 1:00. That’s a lot of places to hit in 90 minutes. Either you two drink fast (owners love U), or you didn’t drink at all (owners don’t need U).
Then you get ot OJ’s @ 1:00 and are out by 1:30. You couldn’t possibly have entered, ordered & eaten in 1/2 hour. So, what did you spend, twelve bucks for the night?
45&46; John Micheal and Reality,
We had a great evening at the Fairmont. I wanted to experience the crowds at some of these dive you guys frequent. The Loft where the couple were reduced to trash, still leaves me with the thought that most decent folks should not frequent these places established by our own political powers to create your 24 hour down town.
We simply melted into the crowd to observe. Each dive was an awakening for us. Our night was excellant. dancing at the Fairmont and a sandwich at OJ’s. the tour we took told me everthing I needed to know about the down town core.
I read a post by Fernando yesterday where he adresses ACOUNTABILITY of our police . He is right on.
The powers that be, are the issue not the cops or the patrons.
Several of us decided to do down town again on this Saturday evening. We parked at San Carlos and Market . a great cocktail at Mc Cormics and on to the Flames for dinner. WOW was that great. A perfect 10. and no HULKS as security guards every where. We then walked to the billard place on first. Shot some pool and headed for home. It was not a confortable feeling, Walking in the down town. Won’t do it again!
Again we saw few Mexicans. and few Cops. Perhaps the cops and the Mexican don’t come out until 2 am?
“Hey Pedro, lets go down town and pay a 15 dollar cover, and pay 8 bucks per drink, and maybe we could get busted by the cops later. Yippie!” I don’t think so.
John, your criticium becomes you. I have not seen the hourds of vatos you so eloquently harp about in your posts. There is sonething a miss when there are 4000 arrests in the down town and all that I have seen are ASIAN folks pounding drinks at your favorite haunts.
Perhaps the police have cleared the Mexicans out of the down town and now it is safe to go there. Oh Yea!
It sickens Me to read Kathleen and Christian , Reality, and You go on about Mexicans on this site.
It is so sad to see what this Village has become.
“If You Choose Booze In The Down Town core, You Loose”! RDA! It’s the only cash to be had in the down town core! Follow the money! Scape Goats we don’t need!
The Village Black Smith / Gil Hernandez
Gil said, “It sickens Me to read Kathleen and Christian , Reality, and You go on about Mexicans on this site.”
You see things as you are Gil, not as they really are.
It sickens me to see our Police Department accused of things they are NOT doing, and to see SJI allowing Police bashing articles with ZERO balance for the other side. And you think that is fair because that is how YOU view the world too.
Gil, I haven’t mentioned vatos locos in at least six months. No, I haven’t seen the vatos locos lately either…since I don’t hang out around Santa Clara Street, which is where they cruise. Nor did your pilgrimage take you there, except kinda close @ Voodoo.
I guess the cops arrested them all, and they’re awaiting trial in jail ‘cuz they can’t make bail.
By the way—what you got against Asians?
Gil,
When I read most of your posts I have the same feeling of confusion of the AFLAC duck when he runs into the former baseball great Yogi Berra at the Barber Shop.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-EZf56AfYc
John Machael,
I have nothing against Asians, they are not Mexican, and those Mexican are not where every one of you are saying they are. They are not at your haunts, like the Loft etc. Where you and your friends hang out.
My observation in the real world is what I saw down town at 1 am. Argue with that.
John, I’m getting sick again! After your reply about Mexicans not being able to make bail, especially since most Villagers can’t even pay their morgages or keep a home from foreclosuer.
Scape Goats are every where, but not here!
The Village Black Smith
Village BS:
Which I might add is a wonderfully appropriate name for you, I have a serious question for you. Do you engage in the use of recreational drugs? No really, I am serious. Please do not be offended.
As Steve perfectly illustrated, with the AFLAC duck/Yogi Berra commercial reference, more often than not you leave most of us (latinos included) stunned by your lack of compass. You really appear to enjoy playing in your village playground south of Alice in Wonderland while most of us are stuck here in SJ, aka reality. I hope you are not offended.
OK,…so I hope that puts it in context for you. I will be awaiting your reply and promise not to tell Chief Davis. You secret will be safe with us here
Let’s get back on topic. There is a group of folks out there who appear to believe that drunk Mexicans are arrested DT SJ because they are Mexicans, and not because they are drunk. Their only evidence—the number of Mexicans arrested for being drunk is greater than their percentage of the population of SJ. That logic would earn a failing grade in Logic 101 at any community college.
No behavior, criminal or otherwise, conforms to the percentage a given racial group represents as a percentage of the entire population. Some racial groups have an incidence of criminal behavior below their percentage of the population, while other racial groups have an incidence of criminal behavior higher than their percentage of the population. There is nothing sinister in that; it’s just a fact.
Gil H tells me that Mexicans are boycotting DT SJ, which is why he saw not a single one during his recent walkabout DT. Arrests are down, as well, in DT. Coincidence?
All lawbreakers should be arrested. For one segment of society, that single arrest is enough to wake them up, and they never do it again. For other segments of society, it’s a way of life; AND, they blame THE MAN for arresting them, instead of looking inside to see that they were arrested because they broke the law, they did not abide by the rules. And, sadly, these career lawbreakers have their apologists, like Raj & Weeby.
Reality,
I am quite sure Chief Davis is not waiting for your imput to act.
Your slur upon my personal habits is a reflection of who you folks really are. Do you really belive the readers of this pony show that is comprised of Kathleen, Frustarted Fin Fan, Rality, John Macheal, and a few other unnamed souls, belive that you are the Guru of the Come Back Kid.
You are a nameless text that never will see the light of day.
There are so many wonderful villagers doing great stuff, while you vent your own personal venom, that tell us who you are. If we had a city phyciatrist,, you should go to that person and come in contact with the true Reality. The criticisums belong to you. They came from your mind , not ours..
It’s OK to be afraid, It’s not OK to LIVE in Fear. Show us your feminum side, Reality
The Village Black Smith
Village BS:
Thank you for answering my question in the affirmative. As to your amateur attempt at psychotherapy, keep your day job.
You see, those of us who do not seek to appease the tyranical minority lobbies, are living in reality. We are not afraid of the latino lobby that seeks to customize the city until it resembles Guadalajara. You see, we are still Americans. Regardless of color, Americans. Your endless focus here on the merciless martyrist plight of latino in SJ blunts the actual facts and causes those who might sympathize to become just plain bored and worse, makes you look like a racist. The latino, and all peoples (not just color), have had their struggles. Why do you always see the city only through the latino lense? Is La Raza all that matters. The fact that you can not ackowledge the value of others in the downtown core is very telling. Does the little old Vietnamese man walking in DTSJ not register on your ethno-counter? Is he not of value in your “all things latino” view? Is DTSJ less of a city if, for one night, it does not match YOUR demographics of the city to a single percentage point?
#54-Johnmichael,
I agree with what you’ve said, but I need to add something. I don’t know when this happened but this world has turned into a place that seems hell bent on destroying values, morals, and getting rewarded for hard work and being law abiding. God, I am just stunned by the way youth talks to authority, and their own parents. I am even more shocked at their parents for letting them get a way with it, and in some cases condoning it.
I’ve grown weary of these Raj articles and debates. It is the same old tired argument every time. I don’t know about you but, I miss the old SJI run by Jack, when we had conversations on real City issues~
Reality,
YOU NEED A HUGG, BUDDY!
The Villge Black Smith
#54 John Machael
The fact that I saw no people of latin decent and no cops at 1 am in the down down core could mean none other than the Great Downtown Boycott has begun. And not just by people of color.
San Pedro Square lost yet another resturant in Piccassos and another changed it’s name to attract latinos on the corner of San Pedro and Santa Clara.
Yet while all this drama is occurring down town, just blocks away on the other side of 87, Henry’s High Life is awash with families and new customers flocking there for lunch and dinners. And I might add Mexican families.
By your own admission weekends are the only time the dives down town can make bank.
I belive the City Council will get it’s self in position to bring our down town back from the brink.
The Village Black Smith
Village BS:
Whoa! It’s not dodgeball Gil. But thank you for your non-response response. It is the debate equivalent of surrender. Hahaha! Have a nice weekend