Author: admin

Tony Bushala, FFFF founder, site administrator, activist from 2008-2013.
Posted onBehind Closed Doors

What Did McKinley Know, And When Did He Know It?

by 295 Comments on What Did McKinley Know, And When Did He Know It?

 

Gee, this is getting depressing.

Friends, we just received this e-mail from a gentleman named George Marshall Thompson who asked if we would publish it. Yes, we will, George. ‘Cause that’s how we roll. And thanks for the submission.

Dear FFFF,

We all saw Fullerton councilman, former police chief and architect of the culture of corruption within the FPD, on CNN. After his cavalier and insulting comments about facial injuries he indicated his belief that it was probably just two cops involved in the murder of Kelly Thomas. He also denied seeing the video.

And after the DA charged only Ramos and Cicinelli with crimes, I’m starting to get a picture in my mind. And that picture ain’t pretty.

We can speculate all day about whether or not McKinley saw the video and then lied about it; or simply read the doctored reports; or received “unofficial” briefings from his pals in the department and the FPOA to which his colleagues on the council were not privy. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if something tumbles out of McKinley’s closet when he is deposed by Garo Mardirossian. But something else is disturbing: the fact that McKinley’s ostensible “speculation” about two cops  mirrored anonymous troll comments on this site and ultimately neatly corresponded with the DAs charges.

Is it conspiratorialist to suggest that it McKinley himself participated in the plan to hold Ramos and Cicinelli under the bus as a form of damage control for the other four cops, and more importantly from his perspective, for the good of the whole FPD? Maybe, but it sure is weird that McKinley seemed to know what was going to happen six weeks before it did. And McKinley isn’t psychic. He isn’t even very smart.

Throughout this whole affair I’ve picked up the vibe that it was McKinley who was calling the shots for the City of Fullerton as disaster after disaster piled up; that it was he who told Sellers and Praet to try to buy off the dad, and that he was receiving inside information, perhaps not even shared with the City Manager, and certainly not with Whitaker or Quirk.

Maybe someday we’ll know McKinley’s role throughout the so-called “internal investigation” that never even started until Gennaco was hired. In the meantime one thing remains crystal clear to me. It was McKinley’s total lack of oversight of his own police department that led to the horror show that’s been unfolding the past few months, and that keeps unfolding as more and more Fullerton cops are busted for one crime or another.

The reputation of the Fullerton Police Department is unreveling before our very eyes. And the people of Fullerton are going to pay dearly for the corruption therein.

G.M. Thompson

 

 

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Posted onFullerton City Council

A Lack of Trust, by Robyn Nordell

by 158 Comments on A Lack of Trust, by Robyn Nordell

As is evidenced from the comments tonight, the comments from the last few city council meetings, the FPD protests, and the current city council agenda which is full of lawsuits which will cost the city millions of dollars, it’s obvious that there is a great deal of anger and mistrust towards the Fullerton Police Dept and the City of Fullerton.

A large number of negative incidents involving Fullerton police officers continue to come to light, ranging from alleged sexual misconduct of officers towards women whom they have stopped, to officers allegedly committing theft, to charges of false arrest, and so on. Our family experienced a mistaken raid on our home by armed undercover vice cops who were looking for the home next door.

Clearly, it is in the best interest of everyone for the FPD and the city council to work hard to win back the trust of people. In doing so it seems obvious that it would be Wise to Avoid Doing Things That Unnecessarily Increase Distrust.

THE CURRENT UNACCEPTABLE SITUATION

There is a situation in the FPD that can be corrected. Making this correction should take away some of the distrust.

Your current FPD Spokesperson / Public Information Officer has had, and still has, a major role in the Fullerton Police Officers union. (FPOA)

Here are three examples of his significance to the union:

  • CURRENT—On behalf of the police union, Mr. Goodrich is on the small negotiating team for the current police union contract. As a member of that team he would be trying, of course, to get the highest salary and best benefits possible for the union members. To do so, you would assume that he would be trying to put the officers in the best light possible.
  • IN THE PAST— In 2003, Mr. Goodrich wrote a how-to article for union members entitled, “The Value of Political Involvement-Your Association’s Role in Local Politics.” This piece explained effective ways for the union to get their choice of candidates elected to the city council and WHY it is in the union’s best interest to do so. (Goodrich’s document is located within this article, “Peer into the Thought Process of the FPOA,” www.fullertonsfuture.org)

I think it is absurd for someone in a significant role in the police union to be the spokesperson for the Fullerton Police Department.  This situation obviously causes distrust by many in the community and it makes the leadership of the FPD, the city manager, and the city council look foolish.

In his “union role”—Mr. Goodrich’s union task would be to put police officers in as positive of a light as possible.

In his spokesperson role”—when he is speaking on behalf of the FPD—putting police officers in as positive of a light as possible should not be his concern. His concern should be honesty, accuracy, and transparency.

HERE’S MY SUGGESTION:

The current FPD Spokesperson/Public Information Officer (Mr. Goodrich) should be reassigned to a different position and he should be replaced by an officer who has not had a major role in the Fullerton Police Officers Union.

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Posted onPatdown Pat McPension

Snouts of Fury: Aardvark Pays Fullerton a Visit!

by 267 Comments on Snouts of Fury: Aardvark Pays Fullerton a Visit!

At Saturday’s protest of the hapless Fullerton Police Department, some perceptive folks espied a character who immediately drew suspicion, sore thumb-like, as some sort of plant. Of course they challenged this individual, who, thoughtfully provided a business card.

An aardvark with a business card!

Craig Fury. “Law Enforcement Territory manager.” Aardvark Tactical.

FYI, an aardvark is a homely creature that roots through the dirt for bugs which seems aptly descriptive; the use of the name could also be a tactic just to get to the front of the phone book.

Our Friends discreetly followed Mr. Fury for several blocks down Commonwealth Avenue before he doubled back and wandered into – the FPD HQ! So what gives? Did the cops employ this clown to spy on peaceful protesters? If not why was he there?

Yes, we carry the full line of Pat McPension gear...

I note that on their website that Aardvark “featured partners” include Safariland, the company that McKinley worked with (on the taxpayers dime) developing his special vest that was later purchased by the Fullerton Police Department. Aardvark is an “authorized dealer” of Safariland equipment. Did McKinley and the anti-recall drones employ this guy to take pictures of scary members of Kelly’s Army? If not why was he there, and why the loop-de loop?

Aardvark explains himself

 

Aardvark pretends to leave
Aardvark sneaks back into the station

I think somebody in authority (now who would that be?) needs to inform the police that the FPD facility is owned by the taxpayers (us) and that they had better stay out of politics on public time (ours) and in a publicly owned facility (ours).

 

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Posted onDowntown Fullerton

Saturday: Kelly Thomas Memorial Concert and Canned Food Drive

by 137 Comments on Saturday: Kelly Thomas Memorial Concert and Canned Food Drive

The Kelly Thomas Memorial Concert and Canned Food Drive will remember Kelly with a day of music and donations that will draw attention to the thousands of destitute, whom our cities remain blind to or worse, ill-treat through willful ignorance and neglect. In partnership with Ron Thomas and the Kelly Thomas Memorial Fund (recently founded in memory of his son), the event hopes to open the eyes of Orange County to the alarming growth in its homeless population and just how few resources our cities have to help treat this social epidemic.

Eric Bootow, bassist for fullerton-based Sederra, was inspired by the tragic events of July 5th to put this show together. By reaching out to the Thomas family and his fellow musicians in Fullerton, the show quickly materialized and has since gathered massive support from all over SoCal. The event promises to have upwards of a thousand in attendance with Ron Thomas (who will be speaking) and family also in attendance.

Where: Fullerton Downtown Plaza (125 E. Wilshire Avenue Fullerton, CA 92832)
When: 3pm-8pm on Sept 17, 2011
Music: Sederra, Julian Porte, New Skool Kings, John Paget, 80 Proof, Mr Mirainga and Robert Gupta of the LA Philharmonic
How People Can Help: Donations, canned goods and clothing and will be accepted during the event.

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Posted onAbout Us

Protect Fullerton From Me? How About Protecting Fullerton From Its Own Police Department!

by 288 Comments on Protect Fullerton From Me? How About Protecting Fullerton From Its Own Police Department!

Hoo Boy! This attempt to smear ‘lil ol’ me is so stupid I just have to share it with the Friends. I have no idea why this nincompoop James Alexander thinks dodging the real issues of the recall will be an effective strategy, but I am happy to share this. Just one more example of Bankhead, Jones, and McKinley dodging personal accountability for their own public records. Well, they can dodge, but they can’t hide.

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Posted onDick Jones

Dick Jones’s Baby: “The Wild, Wild New West”

by 65 Comments on Dick Jones’s Baby: “The Wild, Wild New West”

UPDATE #2: WE LAST RE-RAN THIS 2008 POST BACK ON MARCH 25TH, 2011. THEN IT WAS JUST FUNNY. NOW, WITH THE ABUSE AND PERJURY IN THE VETH MAM CASE, AND OF COURSE THE MURDER OF KELLY THOMAS, IT BECOMES A HELL OF A LOT  MORE SINISTER.

OUT OF CONTROL COPS IN DOWNTOWN FULLERTON ARE THE DIRECT RESULT OF AN OUT OF CONTROL, OPEN AIR BOOZE COURT DELIBERATELY CREATED BY THE THREE BLIND MICE – JONES, BANKHEAD, AND McKINLEY.

DON’T BELIEVE IT? JUST LISTEN TO JONES’ OWN ADMISSION OF FAILURE. THE CREATION OF AN NIGHTLY INSANE ASYLUM IN DTF REQUIRED A GESTAPO TO CONTROL IT.

PLEASE BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY THIS WILL FEATURE PROMINENTLY IN THE RECALL CAMPAIGN. LET THEM EXPLAIN HEEHAW’S OWN WORDS.

— Joe Sipowicz

UPDATE: WHILE CLEANING OUT THE DUSTY CORNERS OF THE FFFF CYBERSTORAGE BIN I STUMBLED UPON THIS TRANSLUCENT JONES GEM. TOO GOOD NOT TO SHARE AGAIN. ENJOY DOC HEE HAW AS HE EXPLAINS THE MESS HE’S MADE OF DOWNTOWN FULLERTON. OF COURSE HE DOESN’T TELL US HOW MUCH PUBLIC MONEY HAS BEEN SPENT MAKING A VERY FEW PEOPLE WEALTHY.

NOW YOU KNOW WHY THE DOWNTOWN FULLERTON KLEPTOCRACY LOVES OL’ PHOGBOUND SO MUCH.

– Joe Sipowicz

Enjoy the crazy ramblings of the Fullerton City Council’s own Doc Phogbound – wonderful nuggets of nonsense strung out like pearls on a necklace. How many times can one individual abuse the baby and the bath water metaphor? Start counting.

Even after all his breast beating about the out-of-control monster he created, he still votes to subsidize the bootleg night clubs.

Now it’s thirteen years – and counting.

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Posted onLaw N Disorder

Reading the Tea Leaves: Parsing the Statements out of the DA’s Office

by 284 Comments on Reading the Tea Leaves: Parsing the Statements out of the DA’s Office

Attorney Mark Cabaniss has provided us with more expert analysis on the potential prosecution of the Fullerton police officers responsible for Kelly Thomas’ death:

It is getting close to decision time for the DA in the Kelly Thomas case.  While the investigation is still not completed and must be before any charges are brought, if any are brought, some of us are nervous, and increasingly disturbed at the way things are going, or not going, and at the unseemly deference given to the six police.

Unfortunately, in public pronouncements about the case, the Orange County DA’s office has sometimes given the impression that they are on the side of the police, even though the police are the criminal suspects.  This is unusual.  Usually the DA is on the side of the people, and against the alleged criminals.  Usual prosecutorial practice is to charge as many people as possible, with the most serious charges possible, in order to create the most leverage for the DA to get people to plead guilty and settle the case without a trial.  For example, in a case with multiple defendants, the DA might make a deal for one or more defendants to agree to testify against the other defendant(s) in exchange for reduced charges, or even outright immunity.  And in every case the DA charges the most serious charges warranted by the facts, so that he can get the defendant to plead guilty to a less serious charge, in exchange for getting rid of the more serious charge.  But in this case, the Kelly Thomas case, the DA has set a pattern of preemptive surrender, conceding points to the (possible) criminal defense even before any charges are filed, indeed, even before the investigation is complete.

(more…)

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