THANK GOODNESS IT WASN'T DOWNTOWN

Or this might actually be a problem.

RALEIGH WIDE OPEN:

RALEIGH -- One person is dead after a shooting near the intersection of Capital and Crabtree Boulevards. It happened Monday around 9 p.m.

Police say the victim has been identified as 18-year-old Francisco Aurelio Kelly of Rocky Mount. Three other juveniles, including a 15-year-old male, a 15-year-old female and a 14-year-old female, were transported to WakeMed with gunshot wounds that are not life-threatening. If you have information into this shooting, you are asked to call Raleigh police at (919) 996-3555.

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WE AGREE NANCY ....

"Then McFarlane, reacting to Gaylord's assessment that using the city-owned site on Nash Square downtown would squander prime real estate, said, "How the city treats its public safety workers says a lot."

Nancy McFarlane
Raleigh News & Observer
February 20, 2010

Nancy, we agree with you. Couldn't agree with you more. Now how have you personally addressed the shortage of public safety workers in Raleigh the past few years? Where are the soundbites from you lamenting this shortage? How about those pay raises you gave public safety workers last year?

Oh wait, you didn't give any. You neglected Raleigh's public safety workers.

There's one thing you didn't neglect. A $50,000 appropriation for a 32 hour a week job for a Public Art Coordinator.

How a city treats its public safety workers does say a lot. We'll see what you have to say in relation to this year's budget in June.

RALEIGH PD TO USE SOUP CANS TIED TOGETHER WITH STRING AND SIT ON THE FLOOR

It appears that our illustrious Mayor "I really care about law enforcement but instead funded new public art coordinators but not police raises" Meeker has cut over $65 million in costs from the proposed Clarence Lightner Public Safety Center Building.

Don't believe me? Just read this from the Meeker's PR department with the City of Raleigh:

"Now is the time to lead, he said, not stagnate in the sluggish wake of this recession. Now is the time to move on the $140 million Clarence Lightner Public Safety Center ..."

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Sadly it appears Meeker has cut all but the costs of building the Taj Mahal - once again depriving law enforcement of the resources they need.

If that's not the case, Meeker's PR machine at town hall might want to be more truthful in their write-ups.

WHERE YA BEEN BRAD - PALLING AROUND WITH RACIAL GENOCIDE PROPONENTS?

--- On Fri, 3/6/09, Cheek, Patricia wrote:


From: Cheek, Patricia Patricia.Cheek@ci.raleigh.nc.us
Subject: Raleigh City Council Meeting---Tuesday, March 17 @ 1:30pm
To:
Date: Friday, March 6, 2009, 9:54 AM

Dr. West has asked that you make every effort to attend this Council meeting if possible. We look forward to seeing you there.

Do you think the Raleigh City Council should make JOBS and NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY in Southeast Raleigh its FIRST PRIORITY?

Do you want Southeast Raleigh to have access to $$ funds from Obama’s Economic Stimulus Program?

Do you think our community needs LESS CRIME and MORE YOUTH PROGRAMS?

BE THE CHANGE!

Come and support the Southeast Raleigh Quality of Life Coalition!

Where: Raleigh City Council Meeting
City Council Chambers
222 West Hargett Street
When: Tuesday, March 17 @ 1:30pm
E-mail Brad Thompson at bttsr@aol.com
to get more involved!

Patricia Lynch Cheek
http://us.mc01g.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=patricia.cheek@ci.raleigh.nc.us
Community Services Assistant
Community Services Department
831-6100
Community Services Homepage

Dear Brad,

We here at Wake Community like to think we closely follow issues regarding Southeast Raleigh. We've reported on murder after murder on Bragg Street and Tarboro Road. We've criticized Mayor Meeker for his utter "benign neglect" of your community's serious crime issues while pumping millions of dollars into Fayetteville Street for yuppie intellectuals.

One thing that's been missing in all our coverage and the stories we've followed?

YOU.

Haven't heard from you in a while. Where ya been?

We just heard your glowing presentation of passion and concern for Southeast Raleigh. (You can view it here.)

Apparently you've decided to assemble all the Southeast Raleigh groups together for your "quality of life" coalition.

You sure did use a lot of resilient words in your presentation. Very passionate I must say.

You spoke of:

"... common commitment to do whatever we can, to make it stronger."

"... but we don't want to bury our heads in the sand."

"... situation that cannot be tolerated."

"... explosion of crime, particularly violent crime, that is intolerable."

"These problems cannot be left behind."

We just would love to know where this passion was recently as Southeast Raleigh rotted, as violent crime skyrocketed, social ills prevailed and shopping centers like Longview lost businesses.

We can observe one thing though. You seem all about some stimulus cash and making sure your hands are in the cookie jar. Suddenly you're on the scene.

You spoke that the".. stimulus package represents an opportunity for community investment." and that Raleigh should "... aggressively pursue the resources in the stimulus."

You ran through a whole host of social programs and services for Southeast Raleigh. Any of this stuff have a proven track record of working? Or are we burning yet more money on failed social services endeavors. Not sure why we should be too hard on you though - the Wake County Public School System spends millions on this annually and refuses to show any proven track record of success.

Don't get us wrong. Southeast Raleigh faces a lot of challenges and we've made it abundantly clear that Mayor Meeker's "benign neglect" is shameful.

The money was there to address serious problems in your community - but Mayor Charles "livable streets" Meeker chose not to invest in your community, but rather to pump millions of dollars into Mint restaurants, tear up Fayetteville Street and build City Plazas. And he continues to do so.

If you are serious about helping out Southeast Raleigh, then we would welcome your voice in criticizing Raleigh's misplaced priorities. Will you criticize Mayor Meeker?

One last thing. You went to the 1995 Million Man March in DC. Folks like former Sheriff John Baker spoke clearly when they said:

"All right, you are going to Washington. Then what?" Baker said. "What are you going to do the next day?" (Raleigh News & Observer - 10/18/95)

What did you do the next day, and the day after and the day after until March 17, 2009?

It's also interesting who you traveled to DC with for the March.

"It was kind of overwhelming -- a whole sea of people," said Bakari Kambon, who went to Washington with his father, Kamau Kambon, and Brad Thompson, a Raleigh city councilman. (Raleigh News & Observer - 10/18/95)

For those who don't know Dr. Kamau Kambon, he called for the extermination of the white race at Howard University in October of 2005. You can view the video here.

Part of the problem with our minority youth in Southeast Raleigh are the influences they come into contact with.

We would welcome your formal denouncement of Dr. Kambon. Your silence will speak volumes.

RALEIGH POLICE DEPARTMENT SEEKS INPUT

Dear Resident

The Raleigh Police Department is undergoing the development of a five year strategic plan. As part of that process, we are asking for input from citizens about what they think we do well, and what they think we should focus on in the future. One of the ways the public can do that is through a new online survey tool!

I wanted to send this to you, being involved in your CAC, as a convenient way for citizens to tell us what they think! I ask you to distribute the link below to any of your neighbors, friends, and other organizations you are affiliated with? The more people who give us input the better. The survey can be found at www.raleighnc.gov/police. Then click on >>Raleigh Police Strategic Plan Citizen Survey<<

We very much appreciate any help you can give us in “getting the word out.” Feel free to contact me with any questions.


Sgt. Shawne Anderson
Interim Strategic Planner
Raleigh Police Department
110 S. McDowell Street
Raleigh, NC 27601
Office: 919-996-1172
Fax: 919-996-7605
shawne.anderson@ci.raleigh.nc.us

UNC-CHAPEL HILL ON THE ATTACK AGAINST WAKE COUNTY SHERIFF DONNIE HARRISON

APPLES - Assisting People in Planning Learning Experiences in Service is now working to help recruit students to drum up bogus charges of racial profiling against hispanics:

Interested in human rights? Passionate about immigration issues? The Southern Coalition for Social Justice is working on a project to investigate racial profiling at traffic checkpoints in the Triangle area, particularly against members of immigrant communities. We're recruiting interested persons from the University as well as the surrounding community to train as "checkpoint monitors" who would be available to go out to checkpoints and record demographic data about the drivers who are being stopped and how they are being treated. Our training will take place on Saturday, March 21st. Online registration is available at http://nccheckpoint.eventbrite.com/ If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Katie Byerly at kwbyerly@email.unc.edu

You can check out the Southern Coalition for Social Justice here.

From their website:

Partnership with UNC Social Work Students
SCSJ will be working with 15 social work students from UNC-Chapel Hill this semester on Heirs' Property, Immigrant Rights, Create the Change Durham, and No OLF Work! We're excited to have such a motivated and excited crew of young volunteers.

This on top of the Immigration/Human Rights Policy Clinic at UNC going after Sheriff Harrison last week with a report on 287(g).

Your tax dollars hard at work.

HKONJ HIGHLIGHTS VIOLENCE ON BRAGG STREET, UH MAYBE NOT

You would have thought that when HKONJ marchers met in Chavis Park on Saturday, February 14, 2009, some lip service would be paid to the violence plaguing this community. Camden Street is just blocks away in one direction and Bragg Street just blocks away in another.

Not a mention. Nothing.

They did help to highlight Bragg Street though and completely unintentionally. In order to put on their show, traffic was diverted around MLK boulevard. That resulted in a caravan of drivers being diverted onto Bragg Street to navigate around the "march."

In due fairness, there was an outcry against violence. Violence against pigs that is.

flesh, milk, eggs .... products of violence.

There ya go.

MAYOR CHARLES "BENIGN NEGLECT" MEEKER FINALLY SPEAKS ON CRIME...

And what did he have to say?

More police? More investment in community programs? Crackdown on gangs?
Faith based initiatives?

NOPE.

He blame shifted. It's not his fault he says.

From Sunday's News and Observer:

Meeker agrees that there are too many guns on Raleigh's streets, but he says state and federal laws bar the council from doing anything about it.

"We really don't have any authority there," he said. "We're left policing after terrible incidents have occurred."Meeker agrees that there are too many guns on Raleigh's streets, but he says state and federal laws bar the council from doing anything about it.

News and Observer, 2-15-09

That's it. That's literally all he had to say.

So Meeker takes the standard guns kill people excuse. This is the best he could do to explain crime and address solving the problem.

After an almost 50% increase in murders in Raleigh last year and this is the best answer he could muster.

Raleigh's well on its way to besting that number this year.

Don't blame me. It's Bev Perdue and Barack Obama's fault says Mayor "benign neglect" Meeker.

DEAR DONNIE:

Sheriff Harrison,

We at Wake Community are disappointed. Haven't you learned? You've been through these budget processes with Wake County Commissioners before.

Recent news reports state you might have to get rid of the ICE program and 61 deputies.

We know you're a pretty sharp fellow and would think you had observed our Wake County School System in action.

Your solution? Why Donnie just cook your attendance numbers. The Wake County Public School System does it every year and seems to get away with it.

Just inflate your prison population figures above what you actually think will occur.

Heck with the dropout rate in Wake County Public Schools and Mayor Meeker's failure to speak a word about crime in his "State of Fayetteville Street" address, you might actually be right on target. They might inadvertently help you along.

Your being far too honest Donnie. The Wake County Commissioners seem to expect it from Del Burns. Give it a go!

MAYOR MEEKER'S STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS

What perhaps was fascinating about Mayor "downtown first" Meeker's State of the City speech was not all that was in it, but what was lacking.

What he avoided talking about.

Mayor Meeker went through a litany of items - lavish spending for Fayetteville Street, Raleigh's new Convention Center, etc. All things that are not basic functions of local government.

But addressing crime is. And it was completely absent from his remarks. Not a single word said.

NOTHING.

Just think about the high profile murders that have occurred this year. Crime remains rampant along Tarboro Road and Bragg Street. Just this past week found yet another violent murder committed on Camden Street - just blocks from where Mayor Meeker has pushed multi-million dollar public investments along Fayetteville Street.

Raleigh saw a 48% increase in murders in 2008. One might think that would be worthy of discussion among the Mayor's overview of the "State of Raleigh."

Raleigh's violent crime went against national trends last year and saw a substantial upswing.

So the next time you personally experience theft of your personal property or are the unfortunate victim of violent crime, remember what Mayor "benign neglect" Meeker had to say about it........

NOTHING.

FOXY BROWN - THE MUGS

Real name: Inga Fund Marchand

Her Wikipedia entry even documents the infamous "iron incident" at a local Capital Boulevard hotel in January 1997.

RALEIGH AND RAP ARTISTS

If you take the family out to watch the deification of yet another cultural icon - Christopher Wallace, take a look back at his storied Triangle past.

Yes, his name is Christopher Wallace, but he was better known as Notorious B.I.G.

He was better known to local law enforcement as a troublemaker.

The News and Observer has an interesting tidbit about Christopher's arrest for and pleading guilty to charges of possesion of cocaine and marijuana with intent to sell in 1991.

And now we have Carmike Cinemas, among others, pushing the deification of him to make a buck. Nice job.

We've come a long way baby.

Oh yes, let's not forget about another rap icon, Foxy Brown, and the iron incident.

I'm not posting links to their garbage. I'm sure it can be found easily enough on YouTube.

It sure is a far cry from Marvin Gaye's 1971 "What's Going On." Jesse Martin of Law Order fame will play Marvin in an upcoming movie. Your blogger will attend that one.

LATEST INCIDENT IN MEEKER'S "UNLIVABLE STREETS"

Here's your weekly murder in Mayor Meeker's "Livable Streets/Raleigh Renaissance."

Murder in 300 block of Camden Street in downtown Raleigh.

Not exactly a "mint" of an area.

What would $1 million do to revitalize this area with increased police protection and strategic social services? Instead it was used to revitalize a building into a plush restaurant.

WHICH PLUM CRAZY IN THE BRENTWOOD AREA IS WORSE

The old Plum Crazy or these new folks who are "plum crazy."

The "Fruit of Labor World Cultural Center."

Apparently, they do hip-hop as well.

You can add these folks to the list of problematic "hip-hop" joints in Raleigh

Brentwood sure has gone downhill since I grew up there.

IF THIS HAPPENED ON FAYETTEVILLE STREET WITH THE CLOCKWORK FASHION OCCURING AT THE ENLOE HIGH SCHOOL AREA ...

What would Charles "Livable Streets" Meeker do?

Yet another violent crime has been committed at/in the Enloe High School area.

Of course this area around Tarboro Road, Raleigh Boulevard, Glascock Street, etc. doesn't fall within Mayor Meeker or Mitch Silver's vision for livable streets.

They've dumped millions onto Fayetteville Street and in the process completely neglected areas of Raleigh desperately in need of true social services and more importantly police protection.

Police moral is low. The Raleigh Police Department is understaffed. Ask some of Raleigh's finest off the record and they'll tell you how disappointed they are in Meeker and City Manager Russell Allen.

Maybe you can tell folks at the MLK celebration tomorrow how much you've neglected their community in favor of pouring millions into upper crust "white-collar" restaurants on Fayetteville Steet.

Maybe an apology is more in order....

Or maybe you can just blame President Bush's "human rights" record for the problem as you did recently. After all you're just a Mayor and this is your city.

Anne McLaurin - could you please talk to your husband and ask him to fix the problem? He is the Mayor and you are on the school board.

WHEN RALEIGH GETS A NEW MAYOR THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF TARBORO ROAD AND BRAGG STREET RESIDENTS SHOULD START IMPROVING

"A mention of human rights led Mayor Charles Meeker to say America's human rights record should start improving now that Obama is replacing Bush."

(N&O 12/6/08)

Maybe when somebody replaces Meeker the human rights and public safety of residents around Tarboro Road and Bragg Street will start improving.

Pot meet kettle Mr. Meeker.

VENITA PEYTON'S TAKE ON CRIME, ETC.

Venita's post on Raleigh's upswing in violent crime is worth a read.

You can access it here.

We hope she'll keep up her work locally.

MCCAIN SIGNS STOLEN - TWICE

2640 Blackwolf Run Lane

Raleigh, NC 27604

(THE NEIGHBOR'S OBAMA AND MILLER SIGNS WERE CONVENIENTLY LEFT UNTOUCHED.)

ANOTHER MURDER IN THE UNWASHED AREA OF DOWNTOWN RALEIGH

Shots fired and police find a dead man behind the Valero Mart on New Bern Avenue.

No need to worry. It's well away from the the special landmarks and hundreds of millions of dollars in public investment in downtown Raleigh.

What makes Raleigh great? A walk with a river or a walk with safety?

Kudos to folks like Octavia Rainey who have been working tirelessly over the years to push our elected officials to do right by the less privileged areas of downtown Raleigh.

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WELL WHAT DO YOU KNOW - CAPITAL BOULEVARD AT PEACE STREET CLOSED DUE TO A SHOOTING

But thank goodness Raleigh leaders want a "special landmark."

Personally, I think Raleigh residents would be happy with some more police officers and less shooting.

But that doesn't seem to be where the hearts of Raleigh's illuminati are right now.......

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