The City of Richmond Truth Tazer

Truth so plain and simple that it's SHOCKING! Yes, it hurts some more than others, so proceed with caution!

Friday, April 14, 2006

Mo' Truth For Yo' Sweet Tooth...

This was a comment posted to the blog, but The Tazer has decided that it needed to be on the front page:
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The killing will ONLY stop when all of us start taking personal responsibility for each other as a people.

Black people in particular need to go back to the old values that got us where we are and stop blaming everybody for situations in which we hold the true power. If your child won't listen to his mother, father, sisters, uncles, what makes you think the teacher can make him mind?

What makes you think the police and politicians can do for our children what WE won't do? We can change our commmunities and families. But we have to put up or shut up.
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Being a young black man, The Tazer respects this opinion and the TRUTH that it holds. I believe that this blog is forcing all of us to do what is being said here: BE ACCOUNTABLE. Thank you to the poster of this piece. Your commentary is welcome anytime.

Oops!

This is too easy...

You know, the last thing folks want in an election year is "fuzzy math" coming back to haunt them.

According to Inge Oliver, friend of The Tazer, the Council and City got some 'splainin to do:

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Here another piece that put a big "??" behind the seriousness of our city's officials
to really want to take action on crime prevention:

In Oct. 2004 (this is not a typo!) the city received a grant under the State of CA.
Murray-Hayden Urban Youth Services Grant Program in the amount of $2.5million

TRUTH TAZER NOTE: 2.5 million would stop A LOT OF KILLING. Now back to your regularly scheduled truth...


to rehabilitate the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center and Park.


Community meetings were held to get input what the youngsters want.


Where is that money? So far, other than a sign put up in the park, nothing has happened!


So I question all this talk about the centers will/should be opened with programs available for kids and seniors.

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TRUTH TAZER SAYS: Thanks for this info Inge. I can understand misplacing 10 or 20 bucks, but how to you misplace 2.5 million? Can anyone actually account for the money? I mean, The Tazer is open for posting the explaination as soon as it arrives, so please, feel free....anyone?....anyone?

An Apology...Tazer Style...

Contrary to what some may believe, The Tazer does work for a living. Yesterday's updates got sidetacked due to the bidness of the bidness, so The Tazer apologizes...

The bad part is there was some good stuff! Check this out:

According to Tazer insiders, it seems that prior to the "special" session on Tuesday night (yeah, that one...the one we didn't see on TV), the council spent the better part of the afternoon whining and and crying behind closed doors about 3 things:

1. The boycott of council meetings from the folks unhappy about the city's plans for Violence Prevention.

2. The Times story on Corkey Booze

3. The Truth Tazer

Without going into another rant about why this type of thing upsets The Tazer, I'm going to let the council's actions speak for themselves...

Dear City Council,

Looks like you have some domestic issues...me senses that come November, you won't have to worry about them anymore.

Signed,

The Voters of Richmond, CA and the NEW people's voice choice, The Truth Tazer!

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Updater...

This update comes from contributor Inge Oliver:
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I want to compliment Michael Ali for his excellent piece, well put, Michael!

In addition, here some new info:

Tony Thurmond is trying to get support for an item, he wants to put on the agenda under "Council as a whole", a working meeting in Richmond, addressing the problem of guns and drugs in our streets.

He suggested to invite all mayors, council members, chiefs of police, community groups etc. of Bay Area cities, who face the same problems we have here in Richmond.

"This event could be coordinated by the office of the Police Chief, The Office of the
Violence Prevention Coordinator, and the Offices of the City Council and City Manager,
utilizing help from Trina Jackson and city staff." he wrote.

Basically I think this is a good idea, as long as it doesn't turn out to be yet another attempt
of a taxpayer's paid election campaign.
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TRUTH TAZER NOTE: I agree with Inge, to a point. I believe that Thurmond is serious about getting to a solution, but his recent track record (ala the 950k in proposed taxpayer backing for an agenda item that got pulled) makes me weary of how all of this would go down.

I'd love to see everyone's take on this. A "combined forces" plan of action might be a way to help the process.

I Saw It On TV...Well, Maybe Not...

The Tazer starts the day confused folks...from the events of last night.

Seems that Mayor Anderson found it necessary to call a special council session last night regarding the office of violence prevention and unluckily for her, things don't stay secret around this town for long...

So after the cat got out of the bag, it was then decided to keep the meeting off of KCRT in order to "keep better control" of things. Hmmmmmmmmmm...haven't there been a few DICTATORS that started off comments that way?

At any rate, insiders tell me that the whole thing went to hell in a handbasket pretty quickly. City Manager Bill Lindsay suggested bringing in a "consultant" to set up the office for 6 months, then bring in the actual coordinator...the structure would pay the consultant ONE HALF of the $200,000 proposed for the office set up. MATH: That's $100k for someone to work 6 months "setting up an office", then bringing in the actual coordinator to do the work...once again I ask: WTF?

I hate to keep wasting my valuable energy beating up on the folks at city hall, but DAMNIT TO HELL, STOP THIS FOOLISHNESS!

The Truth Tazer is putting you kiddies (that's the council and it's associated affiliates) on notice: You either you fix this problem QUICKLY AND CORRECTLY or you're going to see part two of the meltdown seen a few years back...that's what happens when people STOP BELIEVING IN THE SYSTEM. No threating here...this is fact. People can only take so much before they decide there's a better way to get things done.

We're looking for commentary on last night's events from a few folks, so please stay tuned to the Tazer for updates.

PS: Dear City Council,

Have you considered that the person to handle The Office Of Violence Prevention may ACTUALLY be in the city already? Whatever you do, don't go to Vermont (or someplace similar) to find the person to head this office and destroy that persons' entire life by shocking them into a heart attack or stroke.

Missed you on TV last night...not too cool,

The Tazer

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

A Plesantly Different Side Of The Tazer...

I'm a spiritual person and I'm under the impression that most who visit here are...this is why I've elected to move this to the front page...

Doesn't matter what you believe in my friends...just believe in something!

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Please post this as an entry, Mr. Tazer.

TAZER NOTE: Post Granted My Friend:


Jesus on Love Simon, son of John, do you love Me?
John 21:17: If you love Me, you will keep my commandments.

John 14:15: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away....And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.1 Corinthians 13

There's Truth in that der Tazer...

That's why everyone loves it!

Tazer friend Charlene Harris wanted to share this apology, and the Tazer has deemed it appropriate to do so:

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:

I clearly overstated to information I hadn't investigated for myself. Based on relevant information received, I apoligize to anyone I may have offended.

I accept the responsiblity but not the blame. Let the truth be known, The City of Richmond,CA. since 2004 has supported M.A.S.K. and it's efforts.

I do in fact see the City stepping forward doing better. We must continue working together in order for the Violence to end.

There is no one component that will accomplish this goal. We do a need long term stategy plan.
A Violence Prevention Coordinator is needed and feasible for our city.

Sincerely,M.A.S.K./Founder
Charlene Harris
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Thank you Charlene. We at the Tazer apologize for the mix up.

Top of the Tazer To Ya!

Here's a piece that I'm posting at the request on Michael Ali. I believe a lot of these feelings are shared by many of us:
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EDITORIAL TO THE 'RICHMOND TRUTH TASER'

'A VETERAN THAT REFUSES TO GIVE UP HIS VISION OF PEACE IN THE KILLING FIELDS OF RICHMOND' by Micheal Ali

Many people in Richmond say I am a veteran Community Activist, and they are totally correct! I have had two tours of Peace on the Streets, the first back in 1994 to 1995 with the 'Stop the Gang Violence Moratorium' in which we negotitated a peace treaty with all of the gang sets of Richmond and West County.

The second tour has been with the 'Committe of Families For the Safety of Our Children' from 2003 to present; partnering with the Richmond Improvement Association.

In May of 2005, I lost a family member in a double-homicide, where she was used as a human shield in the killing fields of Richmond. As of this writing her killers have not be arrested and brought to justice. All we men and women in the Violence Prevention Movement are well-seasoned professionals and veterans in the killing fields of Richmond. My story is but one in hundreds of stories that Movement people can share with you!

My convictions to bringing an end to the bloodshed, the carnage, the killing and violence, is more stronger now than it has ever been.
As you know there are boycott sanctions being placed on the Mayor's office for the proposed or so-called 'Office of Violence Prevention' and the City Council for supporting it. Most of the true Violence Prevention Movement are boycotting all Council meetings, until they do a buy-in with the Movement. The Movement has never been invited to the bargaining table as equal partners or stakeholders in order to help the City of Richmond formulate real policies about violence prevention!

We the real Violence Prevention Movement in the City of Richmond, could help develop and implement real policies that could contain and reduce both violence and killing with our youth and young adults.

The real reason the Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) is happening for because it is an election year here in Richmond. The proposed OVP is about political power and money to run it. There will be a Czar of Violence Prevention to head it. The City will hire numerous consultants and City executives that will cost the taxpayers of Richmond, hundred of thousands of dollars and in the coming years, millions of dollars to formlate policies about violence prevention. The City Government wants to have the sole monopoly on the violence prevention game. When it comes to the real violence prevention Movement, the City will use any form of POLITICAL REPRESSION, to censor us, to discredit us, to banish and shun us, to try to divide the Movement with political favors and money to BUY our silence and turn against our Movement people!

Why? It's all about power and money, and that's all it will ever be about. The taxpayer's money being flushed down the rat's hole in the name of the violence prevention hustle! The 'Pimps for Youth' and the consultants will implement policies that will cost both the taxpayers and the City Government of Richmond millions upon millions of dollars to formulate policies about violence prevention!
Policies that are both designed to fail and will not meet the challenges of the issues of why our youth and young adults are killing one another!

Violence prevention policies is worth at least 'SEVEN MILLION DOLLARS' over the next 5 years to OVP according to some experts in the violence prevention Movement. To have Movement people come on board, would mean the truth would expose all of the lies and cover-ups of OVP's so-called sucess story on their 'war on violence' The Movement would expose the abuse and misuse of public taxpayers monies rating in the millions of dollars, fighting a war that they have NO INTENTION OF WINNING much less developing or implementing policies that will contain or reduce the real issues of why our youth and young adults are killing one another!

The real Violence Prevention Movement teaches THE VALUES OF PEACE , not making profit with violence prevention, and using victims and their families as the scapegoats in this mess! Not in our names, hell no! This community must learn that time is running out and the long hot summer will be here soon! The politicans in the election year cycle, will profess to the voters and taxpayers that are now 'self-proclaimed experts' in the arena of violence prevention!

For now at least, the Movement is going to just sit back and boycott the Mayor and the City Council meetings and watch the OVP blow up in their faces during this election year! Meanwhile the Movement will still go on about their business of trying to stop the violence and death in the mean killing fields of Richmond. The only vision the Movement knows is the killing MUST stop and stop NOW!

Sunday, April 09, 2006

Sunday Bloggin...With a Purpose!

Good stuff overnight from Inge Oliver...If you've been curious about the entire City of Richmond RFQ for the office of violence prevention, take a look here: http://www.ci.richmond.ca.us .

Scroll down the page a bit and you can look at a few different pieces (you'll need the Adobe Acrobat software to view...if you don't have it, complain to the City office that they need to make things available for easy viewing :)

Here's Inge's note:

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As I mentioned already, this forum is a much need tool in our city, thank you again for creating it!

TRUTH TAZER SAYS: Thank you Inge! We need more good pieces like this.

I urge everybody to read at the city's web page "RFQ Office of Violent Prevention and the attachments".

It is a comprehensive outline what the city may consider to do to stop the violence in our streets.

But if you take the time to check the list what will have an impact on the budget, you can see that all the ideas, mayor Anderson brought to the table, the "bundle of bureaucracy", which really is not necessary at all, has the biggest impact on the city's budget.

I am so glad that Chief Magnus obviously is not at all convinced that we need another department with more high paid staff.

I suggested to the city's officials to appoint Ltd. Ron Berry to the Crime Prevention Coordinator for several reasons. His qualification for such a position is absolutely out of question!

*He knows where is what going on.

*He has deep roots and therefore has built the necessary trust in the community, a very crucial component for the impact/success of such a position.

*He is already on the payroll.

Hiring a new person would need at least 1-2 years to acquire the knowledge Ron Berry already would bring in for such a position, while costing us, the taxpayers, annually about $200,000, money that would be much better spend for the proposed programs.

TRUTH TAZER NOTE: Inge bringing up Berry for the position is an interesting take. I would agree that with his history with this city, he may very well be a good fit...can anyone comment as to whether he's in the running?

Irma Anderson just should admit that she desperately need one good deed with her name on for her upcoming election campaign, that's all she seems to care for!

TRUTH TAZER NOTE: PREACH ON SISTER OLIVER! I guess actions really do speak louder than words eh? Even if Mayor Anderson had/has the city's best interests at heart with all this paperwork, her prior track record makes everything she does that's connected with this look like political positioning to try and win re-election.

One can just hope that everybody "wakes up and smells the coffee"!

Sincerely,Inge Oliver

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