Q4 - Chase Ingersoll - Peoria, Illinois

Letter to Editor of Peoria Journal Star

2005-08-29T07:03:00.000-05:00

Police not biggest threat to young, black Peorians

Monday, August 29, 2005

While reading the Aug. 16 article about District 150's new truancy plan, I was caught off-guard by a question local NAACP President Don Jackson asked at the School Board meeting. Jackson inquired if the police might use "deadly force" to stop fleeing truants. He should have been laughed out of the meeting.

Surely a lawyer and civil rights leader like Jackson is familiar with the Supreme Court's ruling in Garner v. Tennessee (1985), which stated that police may not even shoot at fleeing felons unless they pose an imminent threat. The use of deadly force must be reasonable to be considered valid under the Fourth Amendment. Clearly, it would not be acceptable for a police officer to shoot a juvenile just because he or she skipped school.

Mr. Jackson knows this. But his selective ignorance serves a definite purpose - fear-mongering. How irresponsible for a local leader to exploit the already palpable tension between the black community and Peoria police.

If Mr. Jackson really wants to prevent catastrophic incidents between police and black kids, perhaps an educational program explaining a citizen's rights and responsibilities during encounters with the police is in order. Mr. Jackson might also explain that the thug life philosophy is all about greed, violence, misogyny, racism, ignorance and death. These solutions may not be as sexy as yelling "racism" or "police brutality," but they're certainly more constructive alternatives.

If Mr. Jackson thinks the most profound threat to young, black Peorians is their police department, then he has not been paying attention to the local news during this long, hot summer.

David R. Hummels

Peoria

Will suburban schools take Manual students?

2005-08-27T12:05:00.000-05:00

www.pjstar.com

Duh.................depends on whether or not they play basketball.

Police Recruit Developments

2005-08-27T09:54:00.000-05:00

Boone, the recruit who complained about the statement of Police recruit Layman, was a short, thin guy with an engineering degree from Purdue. Made no sense why he would want to be a cop, with that area of eduction, or how he could actually be able to wade into a physical confrontation and hold his own with some oversized thugs. But could you imagine what would have happened if the Peoria Police Department had not hired him. Maybe that was the deal, the guy was cleverly hoping to not be hired or to be mistreated, setting himself up for a discrimination lawsuit against the City of Peoria.

Just thowing this out here for discussion.

Chase

Peoria police recruit resigns

He was suspended earlier this year for making a racially charged comment in training

Saturday, August 27, 2005

By Leslie Williams

of the Journal Star

PEORIA - The Peoria police recruit who was suspended for a day earlier this year for making a racial slur resigned from the department Thursday.

Reasons why Jamie L. Layman, 26, quit the force were not available late Friday, including whether his resignation had to do with the earlier racial incident. He chose not to be interviewed by the Journal Star.

"It's a tougher job than what a lot of people think it is," said Layman's older brother, Jeremy Layman, a Peoria police patrol officer for the last five years.

He declined to elaborate on his statement or discuss his brother's decision further.

The brothers' father, Larry Layman, a 30-year veteran with the Police Department, also turned down an interview request Friday night.

"He's far from a racist," Larry Layman has said in defense of his son. "A racist is someone who treats people differently. Jamie doesn't."

Peoria police Chief Steven Settingsgaard confirmed Layman submitted his resignation, but wouldn't discuss details.

"I can't talk about it," Settingsgaard said Friday. "I'd be violating his rights."

Peoria police benevolent President Mike Eddlemon did not return calls Friday night.

Jamie Layman was hired last November at a starting salary of $37,858. He was sent to the Police Training Institute in Champaign and graduated Feb. 4. Like all recruits, he then was placed on a year's probation, which took effect the day he graduated.

It costs law enforcement agencies about $4,000 for a recruit to take part in the 12-week class. Included in the price is the training, room and board. The recruit also is paid a training wage.

While attending PTI, Layman, who is Hispanic, made a statement that offended Demario Boone, an African-American recruit, also from the Peoria Police Department.

"We should not fear black people, nor do I have a problem with black people, but we should all own one," Layman reportedly said during the training.

After hearing that comment, reportedly said in a joking manner, and allegedly hearing other derogatory remarks, Boone reported Layman's actions to the director of the police academy. The director contacted then interim Peoria police Chief Gary Poynter and an investigation followed.

When Layman returned from PTI, Poynter, after discussing the findings of the investigation, which have never been made public, with other city officials, suspended him for one day. Layman also was ordered to attend eight hours of diversity training.

Local African-American leaders balked at Layman's punishment, saying he wasn't disciplined enough and should be fired. The decision also upset city residents and Peoria police officers, causing a division in the department.

City Manager Randy Oliver said at the time Layman could not be terminated because certain procedures have to be followed after an officer has been hired.

When the probationary period ends, Oliver and the police chief make a recommendation to the Fire and Police Commission, which then decides if the officer will be hired.

Layman's resignation comes more than a month after Boone's, according to Peoria's Human Resource Department. Boone quit July 15 for reasons unavailable Friday.

Jacobs speaks and inserts foot.

2005-08-23T22:14:00.000-05:00

Jacobs tonight mentions that the Civic Center debt represented 49% of the COP budget at that time. The water company purchase would represent 200% of the COP budget. So the water purchase is no good.

And this guy calls himself a business man?

Why do I ask that?

Because he looks at the proposed debt load to current income ratio, without noticing two things:

1. the actual physical value of the asset;
2. the increase revenue, less expenses that the asset will generate.

The logic of Turner, Morris and Jacob all mentioned forms of this that did not make any sense. Spears just blew it with the IRA analogy, because a monopoly distribution system of a natural resource for which demand will increase, will always go up. Your IRA stocks were obviously not based upon such an asset.

The most credible argument of the evening was Nitching, that time and time again municipalities have screwed it up. But that is loses to that arguement that a corporation with a monopoly has a corporate purpose of intentionally squeezing every dime from us that it can.

If they pass on this, I will drill a well. That will be a legacy to whomever ends up with this residence.

Ardis: complaining about having to cross his fingers on whether or not the figures would work out. How many projects has this council crossed it's fingers on.....Ballpark......Rec Plex. I think, maybe there is something in the water here, where if the project has some athletic sex appeal, it will get their vote. They can get excited about the ornamentation of the City. But they cannot get excited about the nuts and bolts which hold the City together.

An investment that is more likely than not to pay for itself, save the public money and provide better service to residences, businesses and to public entities.

Nail them Gary, they spent $65 million dollars (Civic Center) with no business plan, that is trying to sell ad space to pay for the project.

Gulley has cajones

2005-08-23T19:49:00.000-05:00

Ardis slaps down Sandbergs question to IL-AWC as to why it took 7 months for them to put in some pipes so that the road construction on Forest Hill at Woodrow Wilson could go through. Now kids can't walk to school and are being bused in from Big Lots.

Gulley steps up to the plate and politely tells Ardis that it does matter to him and he wants to know why Illinois American took so long.

Grayeb follows with some pesky little question to Illinois American about Champagin, Illinois council complaints and EPA issues.

Now Grieves is up there. Probably best thing he has ever done for everyone in town.

Tactics for Water Buyout Supporters

2005-08-22T12:59:00.000-05:00

John Morris has always held that on votes where it affects a particular Councilman's district, he will defer to the vote of the particular councilman and vote accordingly.

So if he is fence sitting on this issue, he really needs to defer to the vote of the majority of District Councilmen, #1, #2 & #3 who are in favor of the buyout.

Also: it is arguable that relative to the assessed values of their property, the voters in this Dsitrict have more to lose if IL-AWC institues an 8% increase in water rates. For a person in a $20k house and with a $15k income, that has a much greater effect on their budget than the person with a $200k house and a $75k budget.

Special Note for Clyde Gulley and Eric Turner: if you can't take this logic and pimp it for the point that to not vote in favor of this buyout, is to rob the poorest people in Peoria of money they don't have and give it to a German multination corporation, that has been around since the days of the Nazis, I am going to have to personally contact Mr. Jackson Sr, and ask him to revoke your Rainbow Coalition memberships !--)

Luciano misses the Tale of Two Cities

2005-08-19T09:01:00.000-05:00

Re: Phil Luciano of the pjstar.com on the murder rate in Peoria being higher than NY City

The 900 lbs gorilla jumping up and down and screaming in the corner of Phil's article, is the racial makeup of the perpetrators and the victims.

Off of the top of my head, I think only two victims that were not black, and both were on the southside of town, and both related to drug activity, as one was liking with a drug user, and the other was visiting a crack house. The others I think were pretty much YBM on YBM.

So once again the Journal Star, blows it, playing around with statisitic in a politically correct surface analysis.

That is what makesme so sick about the NAACP and you know who. Everytime he speaks, people need to ask him, what the NAACP is doing about balck on black violence, when the largest reason that teenage boys are cutting school, is that they are too busy making more money that a GED is going to get you, dealing drugs for the older black males..........who okay, fair enough.....are doing it for the white males and white customers who have never gotten busted.

Oh, I forgot......the guy who got shot woring at the gasstation....another drug related, and by a YBM.

Another way of looking at Phil's story, would be to ask..... how many homides North of McClure. I think the answer would be 0. And what are the demographics North v South of McClure.

Yes, it is a Tale of Two Cities

Clyde Gulley Election

2005-08-09T08:06:00.000-05:00

Many have commented on Gulleys election, but they fail to comment on the demographics of the district. Elections are won as much on what you have to work with in the form of voters, as what you have to work with in the form of a candidate.

In the First District, you have a lot of issues to work with, but only about 1000 voters in the primary and less than 2000 in the general election. Gulley won on 947 votes, which is probably a record turnout for a candidate the first district.

The number of actual voters being so small, along with the expectations of most people in the district, equates to a low turnout, and those who do turn out are demographically as a majority, support the perception of effort over success. Kind of like the critique that liberal education gets, they value effort more than achievement. The majority of the voters on the Southside know that the Southside is the dumping ground for the least educated, and least abled people in Peoria, and that to really change the Southside, you need to change the people who occupy it.

Analogy: it makes no sense to renovate and restore, one of Peoria's fine old mansions, while the crackheads are still smoking and dealing out of it. First you get rid of the problem occupants. Then you restore the house. Then you market to appropriate people and vigilantly screen out bad people. The Southside, has no screening mechanism, which in a capitalist society is, the value of the property. Crackhouses do not gain a foothold in a neighborhood in a city where rents are high and houses sell for more than the median price. Drugs and violence always go to the area that is the least valued and most tolerant of those activities.

Likewise the abilities and qualities of the candidates. You are going to get the most educated, highest performing candidates from the higher rent districts. Don't tell me that Peoria's City Council Candidates don't reflect the people in their districts. Gulley certainly reflects some of the better qualities of the people in his district.

What Gulley may lack in education or bookishness compared to some of his council counterparts, he compensates for with an extremely friendly and positive personality. He also has street smarts. Which you must have if you live in the middle of the crack house haven known as Starr Street. Gulley also has thick skin and is able to take a lot of criticism and keep on going. He is also not beneath begging for his District and what he does get he puts as much positive spin on as it will hold.

People on the Southside tend to be tough enough to survive the war around them, but few who survive, actually have the skills to thrive. Gulley is a noteable exception. He has stayed on the Southside and his family has thrived despite the noice, litter, crack houses and shooting. And that is why 947 people looked up to him and returned him to the City Council.

In a poke at Jennifer Davis and others who have commented on Gulley, I would say that they are commenting on a District that they have neither spent time in, nor have they spent much time talking to people from that district.

And I also have a prediction: Gulley's kids will not stay on the Southside. And once Gulley is no longer on the Council, he will at least leave the area of Starr Street. That is the problem for the Southside, just like East Germany and the Soviet block. Your thrivers are going to move on up. My apologies to LaVetta Ricca.
c

Greg BDISTRICT ONE
Greg Banks - 831
Clyde Gulley - 947DISTRICT ONE
Greg Banks - 831
Clyde Gulley - 947anks - 831
Clyde Gulley - 947

He has some points, but he also distracts from them

2005-08-08T10:46:00.000-05:00

This is Don Jackson, head of NAACP in the Journal Star

Morris' selection typical of District 150 board

Monday, August 8, 2005

It's no surprise that the District 150 School Board selected Steve Morris to replace Aaron Schock.

Anyone who attended the July 18 board meeting observed the way Morris and Sean Matheson were linked at the hip. The process that followed was nothing more than a dog-and-pony show. Morris is a very likeable guy. But he certainly does not bring the qualifications of a number of other candidates.

Morris did not have the resume, but on the other hand, he has more recently been in the classroom and in the halls to observe what was happening 15 years ago that predicated what is harming the district today. I think it was also in his favor that he is a licensed attorney, as so many of the issues that the district is dealing with, from contracts with personnel, union bargaining, and expulsion of students, involve technical legal consideration for which Morris would be qualified and be an incredible asset to the board, not unlike Barbara Van Auken on the City Coucil.

He does not have the experience of working with troubled teens like Gloria Cassel-Fitzgerald or Merle Felder. Mrs. Fitzgerald is a graduate of Peoria schools and, notwithstanding the barriers placed in front of African-Americans coming out of District 150, she made it to the top at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. While I don't know Felder, I
am told she has an equal passion for working through the problems of the less fortunate.

Oh please. Please don't think we are that naive. Nowhere has affirmative action been more effectuated than in state government, particularly in social services as in IDOC and DCFS, where you find ample minority participation. But a lot of that has to do with the degrees that minorities are getting. Minorities who make it to the college level (African American minorities) are barely even attempting the degrees in the hard sciences (Math, Engineering, etc) and even fewer of them are looking to obtain graduate degrees. But the ones who get into social services are not only given the benefit of opportunity, but they are also being "groomed" by those bureaucracies with the accomodation of graduate study and other opportunities, so that they can be promoted, and deflect future cries of discrimination. And I give them the benefit of the doubt that they were qualified as to the others that did not get the same opportunity. But I would also give the benefit of the doubt to the white male who complained that he did not get the position, that he may have been more qualified. Because affirmative action exists, we are in the logical, yet illogical conundrum of politely assuming that both are correct.

Alma Brown has an extensive history of working with policy setters to deal with budget deficits.

Alma Brown is another person, who you may be correct about, but it would also be correct to consider that she has had a lengthy relationship with a married member of the City Council and that her primary position which others have joked has consisted of putting faxes in the fax machine, has been preserved because of the former Mayor's finding her irresistably gropeable.

The Rev. Cleveland Thomas could have provided the spiritual "juice" to begin closing the racial gap caused by the vindictive ouster of Dr. Kay Royster while also making the debate about closing 11 schools located primarily in African-American and poor neighborhoods a more open and honest discussion.

I think a lot of people would like to hear from Rev. Thomas. But did you have to bring up Royster. A number of people out there are in hindsight looking at the Royster hiring as an ill thought out attempt to assuage a few angry minorities by hiring someone who was not thoroughly researched and was maybe not the best candidate for the job. Especially ironic, since Hinton was sitting right here in the community.

Morris brings none of these attributes.

So why was he selected? It's consistent with the pattern of this School Board to select individuals who look like them, talk like them, think like them and blend in with them at social gatherings. I'd encourage the others to continue serving this community. Remember, there is the elective process.

Don: how do I get around the perception of hipocrisy that I have about this last critique of the School Board, when you, Martha Ross and Gary Allen, want the baord to select individuals who look like you, think like you, talk like you and blend in with you at your social gatherings?

How are you not as prejudiced or discriminating as this board?

Frankly Don, I don't see a solution. The conflict with Dist 150 is no different from the conflicts within the neighborhoods. It is not about the color of skin, it is about the way in which the parents of the children in Dist 150 pay their mortgages. If I have a six (6) figure mortgage, I am not paying it every month to send my kids to a school with kids whose single mother is getting a housing subsidy. You can complain about that mother had no other choice, but the parents with a six (6) figure mortgage, have a choice and they understand what they have to lose, and that is why they show up at elections and vote for the people who are on the board.

And the dirty little secret of those minorities who have pulled themselves up by their bootstraps and actually really support racial integration, is that they probably want people who think more like Morris and Matheson and who have 6 figure mortgages , than people who identify with Allen and Ross. Look at the money Don. I'll bet they took the person that has the highest mortgage.

Chase

Donald R. Jackson, Sr.

More interesting comments

2005-07-31T03:16:00.000-05:00

I still think it is so funny that Lucianos wife got a dui and was screwing some other man. and phily was licking out sloppy secounds!! and then has the nerve to speak about peoria prostitutes in his article today. hhhmmm maybe phil licks them also.

Well Phily boy tell us. do you like hookers also. or is your wife Ho Enough.
SP | 07.15.05 - 1:50 am | #

I think I posted the info about Luciano's wife's DUI in Peoria where she was going to sue the department, but that ended when she was shown the tape of her calling the poor Asian cop, everything but, Officer??? Anyone verify that info? As Jamie might say, "That Luc.....he's got a wild one at home! Lucky man!"

From the late night peanut gallery

2005-07-31T03:04:00.000-05:00

First of all, it is not only the 'young black male dressed in the gang colors, gold chain and cocked hat' anymore, gangs are not an issue of race or sex. They are everywhere and people are in them: black, white, red, yellow, whatever. As an outsider who does not live directly in Peoria, what I see is people pulling their kids out and it leaving only the bad ones. Well, if that's all one has to deal with, that's all they are going to get. The bitching about it needs to stop and do something about it. As for your rants, get off your ass and volunteer! Also, it might actually help if you had a kid who goes there or went there - shit isn't always as it seems from the outside and from what I've known, your no judge with any accuracy about almost anything. So either shit or get off the pot. After a while, doesn't only stirring it get boring??

--
Posted by Anonymous to Q4 - Chase Ingersoll - Peoria, Illinois at 7/31/2005 12:59:59 AM

1. Why don't you pause for a minute to guess how many hours I've spent in volunteering over the last decade............... I spent one school year alone, doing about 10 hours per week at District 150 schools. And that was just one volunteering opportunity.

2. What the anonymous author characterizes as "bitching" is persistent consistency in advocating what the polticially correct bureaucrats will not talk about publicly......the young black male, thug culture, that dominates the halls and classrooms.

3. I recall a Journal Star article from a decade ago mentioning that Peoria had 3000 gang members, even while Mayor Maloof's office was denying that Peoria had a gang problem. "Acurately" speaking, those 3000 quantified members were not white, hispanic, or female.....They were black males between the ages of 15 and 35.

4. You acurately describe yourself as an outsider. I on the other hand am in the thick of it.....1 block from Central High School.

So as for your "rants" why don't you get some first hand experience with the situation before you pontificate about the accuracy and attitude of others?

Chase

THE LATE GREAT RACIST - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

2005-07-29T08:38:00.000-05:00

These paragraphs are excerpts from William Raspberry's column appearing in the July 30, 2005 Peoria Journal Star. I'm certain that Journal Star columnist Pam Adams can follow this up with a spin that while still "respecting" Mr. Raspberry, still manages to blame the white folks. The only blame "white folks" should accept, is that as a whole they didn't set the best example, and that was probably the reason that they tollerated this crap in the black community.....they were not much better.

The concern is not new. As Rivers noted at last week's National Press Club news conference, the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan sounded the alarm 40 years ago, only to be "condemned and pilloried as misinformed, malevolent, and even racist."

Interestingly, they blamed the black church for abetting the decline of the black family - by moderating virtually out of existence its once stern sanctions against extramarital sex and childbirth and by accepting the present trends as more or less inevitable.

They didn't say - but might have - that black America's almost reflexive search for outside explanations for our internal problems delayed the introspective examination that might have slowed the trend. What we have now is a changed culture - a culture whose worst aspects are reinforced by oversexualized popular entertainment and that places a reduced value on the things that produced nearly a century of socioeconomic improvement. For the first time since slavery, it is no longer possible to say with assurance that things are getting better.

The concern is not new. As Rivers noted at last week's National Press Club news conference, the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan sounded the alarm 40 years ago, only to be "condemned and pilloried as misinformed, malevolent, and even racist."

Dist 150...Notes

2005-07-28T09:53:00.000-05:00

Add campaign: District 150 has an image problem. Nice to know that they are at least admiting that. But they are not admiting the real source of the problem.....the lack of discipline of the CRIMINALS that sit in District 150 classrooms.

District 150, is like the alcoholic who claims that what they have is an image problem, so he moves to a better house, gets a flashier car, or finds a new girlfriend. Then he goes out an promotes himself.

I don't have a problem with Dist 150 spending money to promote themselves, but why don't they first do something substantive, like formings citizen committees of parents, to observe classrooms and then have the parents prosecute for expulsion, any child who is disruptive and "...wasting the educational opportunity..." of the other children in the classroom.

And here is an add that District 150 could run and get people's attention: a big circle with a slash through it across the photo of a young black male dressed in the gang colors, gold chain and cocked hat.

But that is what the district will not publicly admit. That the thug culture in the classroom and hallways that has caused people to pull their kids from the school.

New Board Member: almost makes me feel sorry for Dave Ransberg. He is now working down the chain of political offices, and the little brother of on of the councilman that used to follwow Dave around, beats out Dave for the appointment to the school board. You have to ponder as to the need Dave has for public office. It is professed as a need to serve.....but it just seems to agressive and self promoting. Perhaps Mayor Ardis could appoint Dave to a position as Peoria's Ambassador to China. I think it would be a nice gesture and since Dave has been creating jobs in China, I'm certain they would welcome him in that province with all the pomp and circumstance of a May Day parade.

A juxtaposition missed by the poltically correct

2005-07-24T16:07:00.000-05:00

The SUNDAY July 24, 2005 front page of the B section Peoria Journal Star carried a feel good article about inner city youths attending a camp in London Mills. There they will shoot arrow, go boating and have a relaxing time from the inner city.

Turning to the heartland, E Section, there is an equally feel good article about suburb kids detassling corn for three weeks and stating, "...Detasseling is more than a paycheck, it is a right of passage...."

Once again, the inner city kids got screwed. They learn to play, on a white charity dime, while the suburb kids learn the value of a dollar, getting up before the sun and sweating their asses off in the fields.

I quit going to camp, when I started detasseling, as did the other kids I worked with. Being expected to pay for camp ourselves, and knowing the value of a dollar, play camp was not worth our time or money.

A side note: I detassled more than 20 years ago, and because we got paid by the field, rather than by the hour, our crew had the highest pull rate (and most of the fields we were still doing by hand and walking, without the benefit of any machine pull) and we also finished the fields faster. The result was that us 12 high school kids made $8.50 to $9.00 per hour. And we got lots more hours than the kids on crews that were getting $3.35 per hour. Consider how that detasseling experince affected my view of union operations, the minimum wage and economics.

THE AUTHOR IS CORRECT

2005-07-23T07:40:00.000-05:00

The author of this letter is correct in his facts. You have to wonder the message that this inapplication of the law to criminal vandals, has had on a generation of tenants.

Peoria Journal Star Opinion / Forum
Make tenants, as well as landlords, legally accountable
Friday, July 22, 2005
The lack of enforcement of Peoria City Ordinance 5-291 requiring the tenant to maintain the safe and habitable condition of the premises occupied is contributing to deteriorating housing conditions.

The last time this ordinance was enforced was 1996 when tenants were fined $100 by the city for the condition of the property they vacated. However, damages to the house amounted to over $4,500, and this particular property was inspected by the city two weeks prior to the eviction of the tenant.

It should be little wonder that housing has deteriorated to its present condition. Landlords are not respected by law enforcement, and our previous council representatives used their position to denigrate the landlord for the condition of housing rather than encourage the enforcement of ordinances requiring accountability for recalcitrant occupants.

City government needs to realize that the solution to housing problems requires mutual accountability by both the landlord and tenant.

David A. Schwab

Peoria

Teplitz Mortgage

2005-07-22T11:52:00.000-05:00

Information received that Jack Teplitz has taken out a second high interest rate mortgage on his home, in the amount of $40k. The hope was that they might be fiing up the house so that they could sell it, but doubt was expressed about that considering Marcella's vigorous return to participation in Neighborhood activities, following her re-election defeat.

But that could possibly just to keep busy, until the next at-large election which it is believed that she will enter. Of course that would mean that she and Jack could live anywhere in the City. My suggestion for them would be to admit their penchant for social climbing and move out to Weaver Ridge or Highpoint.

Dear John

2005-07-22T10:13:00.000-05:00

Dear John:

Your name recently appeared in the newspaper as someone who had been arrested for solicitation of a sex act. We've known each other for a decade and have a number of mutual friends. I know that you have a wife and kids. I also know that your health has not been good.

When I saw your name, I first checked the address, to make certain that it was not another person with the same name. Then I called a couple of our mutual friends. One was aware that you were not in good health. Another had been approached by your spouse a couple of weeks before this. A third had no idea. My concern to all of them, who are not as familiar with the "street scene" as I, is that solicitation and use of crack cocaine go hand in hand and that it would not be at all unreasonable to seriously question someone arrested for solicitation as to whether or not they have begun using crack cocaine.

But despite the fact that you are a peer, I believe it is a good thing that you were picked up and that the "cat is out of the bag", because now everyone in your circle will be insisting that you get help. And I think that is the case with the people that have the most to lose or who suffer the most embarrassment from a situation like this. They are also the people that will have the most people around them, who will now intervene and insist that they get the best professional help.

About an hour after I spoke to one mutual friend, he called me and said that he had not been able to stop thinking about how wrong this was. He has grandchildren and he could not stop thinking about how if he were in that situation, his grandchildren would the next day, at Morton Junior High, and face the playground publication of Pappy's pecadilos. And his wife? How would she face the women at church?

But what I found particularly interesting about my friends sentiments is that while he was accutely sympathetic of the family, he was still willing to state that the perpetrator in this sense should be locked up and have the key thrown away. I personally do not have a problem with any shame or stigma that the family might feel. Part of me believes that many of them have been enablers of destructive behavior and it is not at all unlikely that they themselves engage in some sort of destructive behavior toward themselves. I also believe that people who have experienced vicarious shame and how cruel the world can be, become people that have a heightened appreciation for others' forgiveness and acceptance.

My other belief is that a an arrest for solicitation is just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much else going on and so much that has gone on for a long time, when one is finally picked up on a solicitation charge, that in some ways the arrest is an humanitarian act.

Our mutual friend however had a suggestion that I considered to be quite humane. He thought that perhaps someone who is arrested on solicitation could be given a choice at the point of arrest.....they can be arrested and booked on the solicitation, or they can go to a 28 day addiction treatment program. If they complete the treatment, the police department will not file the charges. And since there has been no arrest or booking, the only way for the public to find out about the incident would be for someone to go out of their way and file a request for a report with that person's name.

If there is no arrest, the person can have the report expunged.

Suggestion: the police department should work this out with State's Attorney's Office, so that the two law enforcement agencies keep each other honest and don't let someone slip through by virtue of their connections. But the police department would always have the option of issuing an arrest warrant based upon their own police report, until such time as the person petitioned the court for an expungement.

Chase Ingersoll reported on this in detail...to the City Council in the 1997 election

2005-07-17T09:36:00.000-05:00

Private fund draws Peoria's scrutiny
Questions surround the documentation of city money meant to rehab Randolph-Roanoke homes
Advertisement
http://pjstar.com/stories/071705/TRI_B70D6DRN.057.shtml

Sunday, July 17, 2005
BY JENNIFER DAVIS
OF THE JOURNAL STAR PEORIA - The city is looking into how $185,000 in city money was spent by a private revolving loan fund started by former city attorney Jack Teplitz and his wife, former City Councilwoman Marcella Teplitz, and some of their neighbors.

Re: Advanced Medical Transport of Central Illinois

2005-07-14T13:21:00.000-05:00

The AMT property on Sterling is in fact owned by a non-for-profit Peoria Hospital Mobile Medical Services (10-14-1975), which has assumed the name under which AMT operates. I am somewhat surprised.

If anyone wants to further delve into the corporate machinations, the registered agent is James Konsky at 456 Fulton #425. You could send a request for the annual Form 990 filing.

FROM THE AMT WEBSITE:

Advanced Medical Transport Board of Directors

Chairman of AMT Board Robert Viets Retired CEO CILCO	Vice-Chairman of AMT Board Larry Clore President/CEO Multi-Ad Services, Inc.
Secretary/Treasurer of AMT Board Sally Snyder Proctor Community Hospital
Brock Hessing Retired Senior Vice President National City Bank	Maryann S. Morrison Manager - Corporate Support Program Caterpillar, Inc.
Robert Klaus President Klaus Radio, Inc.	Debbie Simon Vice President Methodist Medical Center
Garrett McGowan Senior Vice President Proctor Community Hospital	Sue Wozniak Senior Assistant Administrator OSF Saint Francis Medical Center
Jo Ellen Patterson Director of Nursing Pekin Hospital

Project Medical Director

James Hubler, MD, JD
Director of Emergency Medical Services
OSF Saint Francis Medical Center

Corporate Medical Director

George Hevesy, MD
Director of Emergency Medicine
OSF Saint Francis Medical Center

When you see an ambulance, don't assume there's a paramedic on board… unless it's Advanced Medical Transport. Our emergency ambulances are always staffed by paramedic crews.

Why does this matter? Paramedics have 1,100 hours of training, as opposed to the EMT- I's 250 hours and the EMT's 106 hours.

Our experience is unmatched - we've been saving lives for over 25 years. So, ask yourself… if you were in need of emergency medical care, wouldn't you want the better qualified, better trained, more experienced team to arrive?

An obvious question

2005-07-14T10:53:00.000-05:00

From the Peoria Journal Star.....but the obvious question is if this person is related to the District 150 Superintendent. Also note his home address is out by Sam's Club, which means that there is crack cocaine being dealt in the 5th District.

Peorian gets 12 years on drug, gun charges
PEORIA - A Northwest Peoria man was sentenced to 12 years in prison Wednesday on weapons and drug charges.
Joseph H. Hinton, 36, of 6308 N. Devonshire Drive pleaded guilty in Peoria County Circuit Court to unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon. He received six years on each count to run consecutively.
On April 20, members of the Multi-County Narcotics Enforcement Group raided the home. Officers seized 42 grams of marijuana, 39 grams of cocaine and a .25-caliber handgun, said Assistant State's Attorney Suzanne Patton in open court.
With credit for time served and day for day "good-time" credit, Hinton could get out of prison in 5 1/2 years, said his attorney, Kevin Lowe.

If someone said these things about Terry Bibo, I'm sure she would call them an IGNORANT BITCH!

2005-07-13T08:18:00.000-05:00

And Terry Bibo's argument would be that the person choses to be an ignorant bitch because they make comments like this:

Fresh out of law school, then 25-year-old Ingersoll started by filing million-dollar civil suits against johns on behalf of beleaguered neighbors. He used what he called "legal extortion," sending letters to johns offering to settle out of court for $1,000. His efforts got him in the Chicago Tribune and on NBC's "Dateline," but how much of the proceeds actually went to neighborhood groups was always a little fuzzy.

There was nothing the least bit "FUZZY" about where the proceeds went. I was on a standard 1/3 retianer fee and every penny due went to the Neighborhood Association. Of course that did stop another ignorant BITCH by the name of Pat Palmer from complaining to the ARDC with the same insinuation that Bibo here seems to make. So all of my financial records, not just the agreement and account with this one client got "scoped" to the dime by the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, who would have only been too happy to amend their complaint against me with a charge of Conversion. Which to the credit of the ARDC, they never did.......because I always made certain that the first person to get paid was my client.

Of course that did not stop the Journal Star in 1996 claiming that I "...used my clients' money to pay my bills..." In deposition as a result of a slander suit I filed against the reporter, he was either too stupid, or was just playing stupid to admit to what the implication was. Footnote: the Journal Star was represented by Mary McDade, who is now Appellate Judge McDade, who proceeded to go right through every record that the ARDC had gone through and again tried to prove that I had indeed stolen money from my clients. Not just the neighborhood association, but every client I ever had. ATTORNEY MCDADE WAS JUST AS UNSUCCESSFUL AS THE ARDC IN FINDING THAT I HAD TAKEN ANY MONEY THAT BELONG TO A CLIENT. So her ultimate defense to the slander suit that I had against the Journal Start was "Times v. Sullivan" and that the statement, even though there was no proof that it was true, and even if it was false, was an unmalicious statement of an allegation.

But the reporter could never actually cite, which client it was that was alleging that I took their money.

Another DETAIL that Bibo leaves out is the numerous drug nuisance suits that I filed on behalf of the neighborhood associations, that I never asked a dime for. So quite likely any fees that I was able to make from suing Johns, went back to the Neighborhood Assocation when I paid for the costs of the drug nuisance litigation.

HEIGHT OF HIPOCRISY: The Peoria Journal Star takes the postion that the photos of Johns should not be run, because the should be presumed innocent until proven guilty. But meanwhile I have had to prove myself innocent of conversion and in fact did that in my lawsuit against the Journal Star, yet they still continue to insinuate that I am guilty of taking money that belonged to clients.

You'd think that after losing on the facts, for 10 years, a real reporter might actually give up this angle and take a look at the perjury that was used to get me disbarred.
That's what RICK BAKER would have done.

Notes on Chief Letter to Johns

2005-07-12T12:35:00.000-05:00

Excerpts from the Peoria Police Cheif's letter:

To "Julia", the brash prostitute who so boldly proclaimed that our actions would actually help her perpetuate her crimes, I say thank you for your honesty. I will consider following Chicago's example of only posting the solicitors. I would not want to assist you in any way, furthering the destruction of your own life and those who are so unfortunate as to have to live near you.

My comments:

Post the girls....that way their families will know the city where to contact their parole officer and find them. Have it a condition of their probation/parole that they cannot be in certain neighborhoods, so that their customers will have to figure out where to find them, but at least it will not be on the street. The picture only helps those who do not already know her.

To the Journal Star I admit that I was surprised when I read the headline of your editorial. I began to read "Keep Peoria sex trade off the ..." My mind subconsciously completed the sentence with the word "streets." That seemed like such a logical conclusion to the sentence. I find it far more important to keep the sex trade off the streets than I do keeping it off the Police Department's website. It was stated in your article that posting photographs may destroy families, cost people their jobs and even lead to suicides. Allow me to offer an alternative thought. It is criminality that leads to these dire consequences, not the act of holding criminals accountable. I am grateful to you for your coverage on this issue. While I disagree with your position, I appreciate the ideas that came to light as a result. You asked, "Why not post photos of drug buyers and drug sellers?" Be patient, we will get to your request as soon as we can.

I called for the posting of the pimps and drug pushers in another blog so as to give everyone in the neighborhood their name to call into the police. Part of their intimidation is their anonymity.

John Postings: liability for the City of Peoria

2005-07-12T08:08:00.000-05:00

As someone who has one more than one occassion, been falsely arrested and thrown in jail, by the city of Peoria, I have to ask why the Peoria Journal Star is so concerned about mug shots of Johns, when the Journal Star gladly published my arrest and mug shot on their front page. And then barely a whisper if any when the City's charges were not pucked up by the county.

And, barely a whisper when I filed and the city settled a federal lawsuit.

But let's look at what you have to do to be arrested on a solicitation charge:

1. You have to go into a neighborhood which is known for prostitution and drug dealing;
2. you then have to pull your vehicle over to a woman who is provacatively dressed and standing on the street;
3. you then have to engage her in a conversation;
4. that conversation must be recorded;
5. that conversation must include your naming a specific sex act;
6. your conversation must include your specifically agreeing on a price for the sex act.

The City of Peoria exercises something the legislature and courts have termed, SOVERIEGN IMMUNITY. It means that the KING (Government) cannot be sued by its citizens for damages, except on the terms that the KING has specified. And with cases of false arrest, innocent mistake is not enough to sue the KING. You need some specific maliciousness toward the plaintiff in order to get through the summary motions to dismiss.

The result is that few attorneys take these kind of cases. And when they do take these cases, they usually want a lot of money up front, because it is going to take a lot of their time and discovery costs to try and prove up such a high standard of liability.

I'm as familiar with these issue as anyone outside of the police department having sued Johns in civil court. Also, on one occassion, I represented someone who had their vehicle siezed by the city during his attempted solicitation. A decade later, I have to look back at his story and the police officers, and give the credibility to the police officer. I don't know if this guy was a serial whoremonger, he may have just never done this before and been very naive, when all of a sudden, he was driving through the neighborhood on a contracting job and there is this woman at the stop sign looking at him and smiling. Many of these guys are not the type that women look at, so they respond to an attractive smile and are not going to let any common sense let anything get in the way of a long held fantasy of using a little kindness to sweep a hooker off of her feet.

But these are also the guys who socially, have the least to lose. They are generally not in relationships and they are not going to even lose their jobs over this. They will get razzed by their friends and the guys at work for being a stupid "cherry boy".

The ones with something to lose......they can't afford to be that naive and it is doubtful that they are. A teacher. A pastor. A car dealer. These people know how to read. They didn't get what they have, by being naive. They are going to see the press coverage about the City web site. They are the ones that are going to get scared out of the neighborhood.

Barry Scheck suing Peoria over Johnny Savory DNA

2005-07-06T14:14:00.000-05:00

The City of Peoria is the subject of a 1983 Civil Rights action for failing to turn over evidence to a convicted murderer. The obvious question, is why would the City not turn this over to the Defense so as to keep out of the litigation, or at least turn it over to the State's Attorney and let the County deal with the problem/lawsuit?

State Police Sting at Ballpark

2005-07-06T14:10:00.000-05:00

In a State Police Sting, 4 servers provided alcohol to underage patrons who in fact displayed ID's acknowledging their inability to purcahse alcohol.

But according to sources, no charges will be filed by the State.

Peoria Police have not conducted such stings, because off duty Peoria Police Officers serve as security for the ballpark.

Sources reveal that the reason given for the non-prosecution was that the servers were "volunteers" and not employees of the ballpark.

Can anyone confirm these allegations?

GET BASKETBALL OUT OF THE STREET

2005-07-06T08:16:00.000-05:00

Last March, I parked my vehicle in front of my own driveway. Shortly thereafter, I notice a Parking Officer Vehicle, parked across the street....within 20 feet of the STOP sign. After 15 minutes of him sitting there, watching me, I approach him and ask him what he is doing. He tells me I cannot block the driveway.

IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE TO HIM THAT IT IS MY OWN DRIVEWAY!!!!!

So here is how it looks to a WHITE GUY that does not suffer from AFLUENZA (Affluent White Guilt): If I am an adolescent black male, wearing gang colors, and refusing to give the right of way, I can park unlicensed private property, on the public right of way and the BLACK parking officer is not going to say anything to me. But If I am a WHITE GUY in that same neighborhood, the BLACK parking officer is going to threaten to ticket me, if I park a licensed vehicle in front of my own driveway.

I have yet to figure out how my vehicle was causing any problem on the street, parked in front of my own driveway. But the only time I ever had my motorcycle laid on its side, was when my front wheel was hit by a basketball that bounced into the street.

Why Posting the Pictures of Prostitutes Will Help the Neighborhood

2005-06-30T10:05:00.000-05:00

Regarding the furture web posting of mug shots of "johns" and prostitutes:

For the johns, the main effect is shaming. But there is also the aspect of public information and community policing. For a long time, my beef with community policing has been that the information is a one way street and that there was no way to verify whether or not the right person received the information. By one way street, I mean that information about the various law breakers would be called into the police department, but rarely did the neighborhood get information from the police as to the police's observations, arrests, etc.

What we did successfully with the Olde Towne North newswire was email out information, not only directly to our neighborhood police officers and vice, but also to everyone in the neighborhood (owner occupants, tenants, property investors, businesses). And anyone could send out the information to everyone on the list with one simple email.

The site the city has proposed will have an effect on the women that are working the street, but it is not so much about shame.... That would be like calling a pig a pig. Street prostitution is what it is, and they are already out there in public, sucking cock for rock, so what more can you do to them. But where it will have the effect, is in everyone knowing for certain, who that woman is and what they are doing out there on the street getting into cars. At that point, a simple email from the neighbor who sees it, is not just a description of Jane Doe, in a red halter top at the corner of Monroe and Morton, but rather an email to the police officer specifiying the name of the person hooking, because they can be immediately ID by the neighbor, off of the website. The police officer can then forward the email to anyone, including vice, the neighborhood police officer's vehicle and to the County probation or State parole, for a revocation proceedure.

Also: I would suggest that the police make it a point to put the mug shots of any persons who are seen hanging around or talking to these women, if the person has any kind of a criminal record. Generally, the prostitutes have "friends" or other active drug addicts that hang around and associate with them on the street, and who will set them up with dates, or hook them up with crack. Put their photos on the web also, along with their names and convictions so that the electronically gifted in the neighborhood, can provide the police with that information.

Something else I asked to have done 5 years ago.

2005-06-30T09:03:00.000-05:00

Peoria police to target prostitution

Thursday, June 30, 2005

By Leslie Williams

of the Journal Star

PEORIA - Hoping to shame them out of business, the Peoria Police Department plans to post photos of arrested prostitutes and their customers on the Internet.

But one hooker says it actually may help her business by proving to customers that she is not an undercover cop.

Mug shots of prostitutes and the customers who solicit them, also known as johns, will start appearing in July on the Peoria Police Department's Web site, www.peoriapd.com.

"We think it's a way to significantly deter prostitution activities," City Manager Randy Oliver said. "What we want to do is stop the activity. The police chief and I believe this is the way to do this."

Lunnini vs. Grayeb

2005-06-25T11:30:00.000-05:00

Comments on the dismisal of Lunini's case:

1. What about the police officer that was on disability leave for a fall that occurred when he was stalking a female police officer? I'm sure someone remembers that incident.

2. But the problem here is that if we disregard the salaciousness of homosexual twist to this relationship, it is that we have a community leader in a personal relationship with someone that, all of us who knew the two of them knew this fellow to be rather young, hot headed and not paying child support.

3. It was an open secret that Lunini was Chuck's partner in bed and in the rental business, but that Lunini was kept off of the books, because of his child support arrearage.

Gee, as much as we might complain about the Jacob appointment, as long as the guy is not stupid, and does not drag the City into personal lawsuits, that titilate those who live outside Peoria, that's got to mean something?!

The problem with Durbin's choice of words, is not the phraseology, it is the substantice perspective

2005-06-23T15:48:00.000-05:00

If something is Nazi or Stalinesque, then call it like you see it.

There are a lot badly behaving bureaucrats and government policies that are absolutely facist and communist. The latest Supreme Court ruling undermining mom and pop property rights is absolutely strait out of the Communist Manifesto, upon which Stalin based his programs of taking away the farms of the Russian middle class and condemning them to death on collectives.

But the problem for Durbin is that he comparison of Gitmo to Treblinka is just not a reasonable perspective. I don't know if Durbin was ever in the military, but when I went through Marine Corps boot camp in the late 1980's none of us would have doubted that if we pulled the kind of fecal throwing stunts, Koran worshipers pull at Gitmo, that we would have most certainly experienced a fate worse than being shackled naked to a concrete floor.

Part of Durbin's problem is that Osama, and the Mullahs are the fist in the air preaching the destrunction of anyone outside our ideology.......just like the Third Riech and facist Japanese in World War II. Hello Dick?! These guys picked up guns and trained to specifically kill infidels, which means you and I, OUR wives and children and anyone else that does not join their cause. And lest we forget, like the Japanese of WWII they were all comitted into dying for their cause, so perhaps the real error here is that we did not accomodate them on the battlefield and instead are enslaving our soldiers who should be destroying the people that want to kill our WIVES and CHILDREN, to a tour of duty on a hot rock where they daily turn the pillows and scrape the dinner plates of people that want to conquere or destroy the entire fricking world.

The solution to Gitmo is to CLOSE IT DOWN for good, and turn all of the inmates over to the new Afghani or Iraqi government. I'm sure they will extract all of the necessary information from them in a couple of hours and can then dispense with allowing these "true believers" to give up their lives for Allah.

Dick, take a week out of the Beltway, and on your way down to Gitmo, stop off at Paris Island and chat with someone in the base brig, who is on bread and water. Then put Gitmo in that perspective.

I guess there are two ways of looking at this...

2005-06-21T09:12:00.000-05:00

From the Peoria Journal Star on June 21, 2005:

Four people were arrested: Demeteric A. Mobley, 24, 913 W. Nebraska Ave., booked on charges of obstructing police, resisting arrest and aggravated assault; Creston F. Coleman, 24, 1924 W. Antoinette, obstructing and resisting arrest; Clifford J. Jowers, 28, 308 E. Thrush, resisting police; and James L. Smallwood, 22, 942 Tonti, resisting police.

It is unclear how many bar patrons were involved in the group, but Ruggles said their numbers were estimated at more than 100.

"It took a bit to get the crowd out of Downtown," she said.

Summer usually brings about similar activity, albeit on a smaller scale.

"It's not uncommon to have every officer in the city Downtown when the bars close during the summer because of fights," one Peoria city and county 911 dispatcher said Monday. "During the winter it's different. No one wants to fight then."

Keeping in line with political correctness, the Journal Star has failed to report, or perhaps in fact edited the racial background of these perpetrators, which any half-wit that frequently reads the police blotters could identify as having "non-caucasian or hispanic" names and "non-caucasian or hispanic" adresses.

So the question one must ask is, "Did the police racially profile the alleged perpetrators, or did the alleged perpetrators, racially profile the law as the law somehow being "anti non-caucasian & non hispanic"

Again and again, I have observed this generation of "non-caucasian and non-hispanics" who have been brainwashed with a spectrum of perverse cultural phenomenons from their vulgar music, to insidious support of theft called reparations legislation, top off their malcontentedness with a little whiskey and become uncontrolable.

But the underlying issue of lies that festered their bile is politically untouchable. This is just Peoria's grown up version of the Decatur 7. And what is law enforcement to do? Send them to jail. They'll only return. My suggestion is that since we know who has given them a place to lay their heads, by the addresses in the paper, that family should politely asked to leave the community and take this person with them. If they refuse, ask firmly. If they still refuse, advise them that the full force of every enforceable law will be microscopically applied to them, until every aunt, mother, sister and brother, has been put in jail or otherwise moved from this town.

I guarantee you that Bartonville, Creve Couer, East Peoria and Morton will not accept them. But this sort of "abatement" of crime breeding families is of what this community needs to purge itself. And until we do that, we will only have higher taxes, worsening public schools and the public intimidation of law enformement officers. Look around Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford county and ask yourself, why these kind of people and problems seem to congregate in Peoria. Then remove those opportunities for that class of people.

Raw, Informative and Substantive. Sandberg vs. Widmere on budget and water

2005-06-19T17:13:00.000-05:00

This exchange was a result of M. Widmere's blog posting regarding the water buyout.

At 11:13 AM, Gary Sandberg said...: THe vote to pursue due diligence was 7-3 NOT 8-2 as you state. Sandberg, Grayeb, and GULLEY. If I wanted to "pull a Merle", I would point out your accuracy was off by 50%.

As for the anonymous letter, I called the individual and chatted with her for some length. She signed it and included her address. It was out of respect for her that I call people before blasting their name on the airwaves. Only politicans, like yourself and me, seem to enjoy that. As for the practices of the Peoria County Board, I see no reason to emulate any of them. Do you do a "Dunn and Bradstreet". fingerprint / stamp DNA test to verify authorship before you read them? I guess you and the Peoria Urinal Star share common values, in that respect. The writer was NOT ANONYNOUS, she just wanted her name to be held in CONFIDENTIALITY. Big difference except in the minds of small people or is that small minds of people, I forget. The chance that she is "associated with PAAG' in any fashion is highly unlikely. More likely is the significant number of water company employees and their friends and relatives that contacted me to oppose the buyoutdid so out of their "unique special interest"
At 8:19 PM, Anonymous said...: Sour grapes Gary.
At 9:26 PM, Merle Widmer said...: Aw, Gary, lets not nitpick; just get to the facts. "By a 8-2 vote the council opted to stop researching a buyout of the -----". JS 6/15/05.

You can continue to get as many concessions as you can from IA, but not on my property tax nickel.

"Morris, Sandberg and Ransburg voted in favor of a motion stating the buyout was not financially feasible" JS 4/8/05.

By an 81% to 19% the referendum said "do not continue efforts to buy IA".

Just can't trust the JS to get anything right!!

And you a professed populist!! Tears came to my eyes when you read that letter from the "little old lady from Pasadena". Made me wish I had written a letter in opposition of the buyout to Patrick and had Patrick read it, but, Patrick, please "don't use my name". Anonoymous by dictionary definition is, "having or giving no name". Webster's.

Remember you said you would not work with Peoria County because the "County always took advantage of the city". When I asked you how and when you said "back in 1982------". Are you saying you don't like Peoria County. Shucks!!

Gary, sooner or later, the taxpayer will realize the duplication going on by governmental bodies in this community. Maybe not in your politcal career of mine

I might as well tell those who do not believe IA has an office in Peoria, it does, at 123 S. W. Washington St. Ph. #671-3720. It's call center, like many corporations is in another city, Alton, Il.. At least it's not in India like some "local" companies.
At 10:06 PM, Gary Sandberg said...: Now I understand why you are so smart on all the issues, YOU GET YOUR INFORMATION FRON THE JOURNAL STAR. Ransburg, Morris and SANDBERG voted that the purchase "was not finacially feasible" (4/8/05) ACCORDING TO THE TERMS OF THE CITY of PEORIA/ PAAG agreement. Come on Merle, you know that that agreement called for amortization over 26 years. That is why is WAS NOT FINACIALLY FEASIBLE UNDER THOSE TERMS of THAT AGREEMENT. Because the Journal star doesn't write the verbatum motion, you think you are scoring points. All you are doing is relying on the Journal Star as your data resource, a position I would think you would not choos to do. I don't, but then I am NOT AS SMART AS THOSE COUNTY BOARD MEMBERS THAT APPARENTLY FEEL COMFORTABLE USING THE journal star AS THEIR SOURCE OF INFORMATION

Maybe you can explain to your readers WHY THE COUNTY OF PEORIA ONLY CHARGES THE CITY OF PEORIA A "BOOKING FEE" for PRISONERS BOOKED AND NOT THE OTHER INCORPORATED COMMUNITES OR UNINCORPORATED AREAS OF THE COUNTY????? WHY WHEN THE COUNTY WAS PROVIDING PISS POOR ANIMAL CONTROL SERVICES and THE CITY WAS FORCED TO TAKE OVER TO GET ANY ACCEPTABLE LEVEL OF SERVICE THE COUNTY KEPT THEIR TAX RATE AT THE SAME LEVEL and EVENTUALLY PASSED THE REGISTRATION FEES ON TO THE CITY???????? or WHY THE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT WHOSE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR RAT ABATEMENT ELIMINATED THAT PROGRAM IN THE EARLY 90's and DIDN"T LOWER THE TAX RATE, but EXPECTED THE CITY TO ANTE UP THRU ITS RATE RATE THAT SERVICE?????
At 10:22 PM, Gary Sandberg said...: Oh yeah Merle another question that is a take off from the County UNIQUELY ripping off the City, Why does the County have the CITY PAY DIRECTLY for two sheriff deputies. If I am not mistaken the CITY TAXPAYERS PAYS TWO/THIRDS (roughly) of ALL THE COUNTY EMPLOYEES but THE COUNTY EXPECTS THE CITY TO PAY FOR TWO ADDIDTIONAL. Now I didn't get that information from your resource the journal star, but check it out and tell me why the COUNTY APPARENTLY ISN"T PROVIDING ENOUGH OF IT's BASIC SERVICES and EXPECTS THE CITY WHO ALREADY PROVIDES 2/3 of the REVENUES IS EXPECTED TO ANTE UP MORE. DUPLICATION????? .................... I have a better term but won't use it on your blog space.
At 11:34 PM, Merle Widmer said...: Gee Gary, now you tell me these things. I've only been on the board for 4 1//2 years so I suspect you have a little more history. Did you bring these subjects up while Zan Ransburg was on the County Board? Also, you are surely aware that we made every effort to get together with your past mayor and dialogue on our differences and opportunities. You probably know that fell flat on it's face. (JSEB 7/17/05) "Note to city, county leaders: stop sparring" and JS 7/10/04 "Committee says it need support of city's leaders"."if we were approached in the spirit of cooperation---."

C'mon Gary, you've bee in politics a longime and you don't get cooperation from beligerence. You have never at any one time mentioned to me any of these complaints except the one about the animal shelter back in 1982. that's 23 years ago and a long time to hold a grudge.

I'll listen and work to help correct past mistakes but I need both sides of the story and open dialogue with the mayor, council and county representatives. You also know we as County Board members have very little controll over county elected officials such as the sheriff. Our major control over elected officials is setting their budgets on expenditures that aren't mandated.

I'll research these complaints and if you can open up your mind, Dave and I and whoever will be glad to discuss with you or whoever any ways to get better understandings and cooperation.

Need I remind you that only one newspaper is widely read in this area and I believe they get most of the things right, probably better than %50

Thanks.
At 10:34 PM, Anonymous said...: Sandberg and Widmer going at it tooth and nail. Gotta love it!!!!
Glad to see Gary is paying attention.

Peoria Journal Star Sunday Editorials

2005-06-19T09:02:00.000-05:00

This editorial: Political witch hunts may reveal secrets about the hunters, which bashes the gy abshers is authored by, as the Journal describes him as:

George Hopkins is a professor of history at Western Illinois University in Macomb.

I met George briefly, back in 1987 or 1988 threough his son who was a Senior at Woodruff. I met his son at a place called "The Pit". This was a house on the Southside of town, ironically in sight of the Hilltopper AA club next to Jumers. The house was the favorite watering hole frequented by a lot of young free-thinkers and no-thinkers . The one bedroom house was owned by by the father of a Spaulding graduate that went into the Marine Corps about the same time I did. His father didn't live there. He was a few years older than I and the other 18 years old that hung out and crashed there, so he was able to buy the alcohol.

One night George's son was down at The Pit, and his car keys ended up with "Mike". I'm sure eveyone was half lit. It was probably after midnight, but Mike being the most experienced drinker managed to talk the keys to this brand new, black Honda Prelude SI 2.0L from Georges son. I'm not sure why I went along for the "ride" but the ride ended up on I474, with Mike living out his NASCAR fantasy to the tune of 125 mph. That car was pretty amazing to at that speed, and I guess Mike and I are alive today, thanks to the quality control of the Japanese auto manufacturing industry. And so is George's son. I'm guessing that George is a Lib and no fan of the death penalty, but from the way his son talked, he was going to get killed if that car did not make in home in one piece.

Actually I thought George was a pretty interesting guy. Most history professors would be pretty interesting in a conversation. But the important little detail that the Peoria Journal Star failed to mention about George, was the name of his boy's momma. Yeah, George's wife.........Elaine Hopkins......"card carrying member" of the local ACLU and reporter for the Peoria Journal Star.

More from Cal Skinner and a Chaplain

2005-06-19T07:45:00.000-05:00

And this explains the dead bodies carted out, the chaining to the floor.....how?
Rob | Homepage | 06.18.05 - 12:46 am | #

I sent Major Svendsen your comment, Rob. Here is his reply:

I can only speak about what I have knowledge. In the history of Guantanamo Bay and the detainees held there there has never been the loss of life of a detainee.

As for the other, I am not the all seeing God and don't know everything. I can say that while I served in GTMO I neither heard or saw any detainee "chained to the floor".

As concerned the general living quarters, those who didn't attack the guards and were cooperative lived in communal settings in which they lived in an open bay, had recreation time, ate meals together and were allowed to served themselves at a community table, prayed together as a group, and even were given video entertainment such as recorded sports events.

Those who kicked, hit, head butted, spit on, threw feces and other bodily fluids on the guards did not get those things but still had the freedom to pracice their religion and had their Koran.
Cal Skinner | 06.18.05 - 9:52 pm | #

As a chaplain, how much time did you spend in direct contact with the detainees?
Rob | Homepage | 06.18.05 - 10:49 pm | #

Can some one tell me if it is possible?

2005-06-19T07:38:00.000-05:00

My understanding of the technolgical facts are as follows:

1. Cellphone towers are typically at least 5 miles apart except in urban areas;
2. Cellphones are usually .6 watts, so even with a digital signat, you need to be within 3 miles of a tower in order to get any reception;
3. A 747 airliner is typically travelling at 25-30k ft;

Can you actually use a cellphone, in the air travelling across the country, five miles hight?
Have you actually done this?
I've used a cellphone in a plane on the ground, but never in the air.
Comments?

From a Gitmo Chaplain

2005-06-17T20:35:00.000-05:00

cal skinner said...

I received the following email from an Northwestern Illinois Methodist minister who served as chaplain at Gitmo. (Sorry it's so long.):

The following is a e-mail letter I wrote to the Women's Division of the General Board of Global Ministries concerning their announcement of beginning a new campaign.

Please feel free to pass it along to others and especially any other United Methodists.

FROM: Reverend Kent L. Svendsen
Ordained Elder
United Methodist Church / Northern Illinois Conference

Dear Women's Division
General Borad of Global Ministries
United Methodist Church

I understand that you about to start a campaign relating to among other things human rights protections and the detainees held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
I can speak with some authority on the subject since I served as the chaplain to the Joint Detention Operation Group in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba from May 2004 until March 2005.
As a United Methodist I have a keen sense of world justice and while serving in Cuba sought to be faithful to our social principles and their concern for social holiness.

So I am not speaking to you as a military chaplain but as an Ordained United Methodist.

I have a great concern for our news media sources today. There was a day when the truth and protecting our nation from harm took precedence over being the first to break a story. Now it seems that accusations, no matter how harmful, no matter the source, no matter the possible consequences,are enough to use them as weapons upon the innocent as well as the guilty.

I am also grieved that there seems to be not only an automatic assumption of guilt when the accusations are aimed at our military and our government,
but that any explanation aimed at proving them innocent is also
automatically viewed as a "cover up". And that when those who are guilty of violations are uncovered, prosecutated, and punished there is a tendency by some to want to use
that as evidence that the violations were policy instead a violation of the standing orders and policy. What the new media and groups like the Woman's Division needs to understand is that accusations cause harm and create damage that a retraction and
an admission of error later cannot repair. (I don't think we will ever really know exactly how many died after Newsweek made the false accusation of a Koran being flushed
down a toilet.)

There are those who would use accusations such as those recently made against our military as weapons to gain political power. They count on the fact that people will believe something if its said enough times and said by people and organizations they respect. It was the case in the past that our nation's opponents tried to prevent our culture and news sources from reaching their people. After all, the ideas of freedom, democracy, and equality for all doesn't play well in some parts of the world. So since modern technology cannot be stopped and "world news" is now also news to the world there is now a new strategy. They use it to their advantage as a weapon against our nation.

The accusations are flying fast and furious. If your organzation would be interested in knowing about my experience. (I cannot talk about the day to day activities in the
camp but I can either verify or deny many of the accusations that are being made.)

Here's a list that might help you if your willing to listen to an Ordained Elder who knows the facts rather than accusations made based on speculation. I'll respond here
specifically to some of the one's I've heard.

1. The detainees have direct access to the International Red Cross represenatativies contrary to the accusations that they have no outside contact. Also, all the detainees are allowed to write and receive mail from family.

2. The detainees have their food prepared according to Islamic guidelines. The call to prayer is broadcast for them to go to prayer. Each detainee has the direction
to Meccah painted in their cell. They are allowed to practice their religion wihtout interference and are given the religious items they need to do so. They are allowed
to observe Ramadan.

3. There are strict guidelines and training concerning human rights protections. If a service member sees a violation they are to report it and if asked to violate someone's
human rights they are to consider it as an unlawful order. Those who violate are subject to prosecution.

If you are interested in more information please contact me. There is also an article about my work in Cuba which was published in the July issue of Esquire magazine.

Kent Svendsen
Chaplain (Major) USAR

Council Has the Skill Sets for Due Dilligence

2005-06-17T07:30:00.000-05:00

The Peoria City Council is basically a corporation board. For the ultimate decision on the water company purcahse, the board is going to benefit most from the expertise of three people: Bill Spears, Bob Manning and Gary Sandberg.

Sandberg has already demonstrated his value as Council Historian, but what many have never considered about Sandberg is that it is his background as an architect that educated him to be an historian of how things are put together, how the different parts affect each other and what parts are foundational or crucial. So it doesn't matter if you are talking about a building, a business or a bureaucracy, Sandberg has the training to analyze something by breaking it down to its crucial parts.

Bob Manning with his MBA and CPA, has been similarly trained in the analysis of business systems and numbers. Again it is a matter of breaking them down to their essential parts and looking at how the numbers over here, affect the numbers over there.

Bill Spears with his background in plumbing will uniquely understand the nuts and bolts of the product which is really two parts: purifying the water; and then delivering it. Plumbers are also technological historians, trained in a discipline that is based upon standards and rules, and if they are to be successful, have to be good estimators of the cost of the materials and work that they are going to perform.

There is a fourth person, with a background in civil engineering that could also contribute a lot to this analysis (Randy Oliver), but with someone in his position you have to wonder if they are not setting themselves up for a job with RAE or an RAE competitor, depending on how all of this goes down.

But the point to all of this is that Peoria's City Council, is uniquely equipped to evaluate this particular public works business and lead the City in this process. These are just the right guys at the right time.

Give them a chance to check this thing out. They are not going to make a quick, or an emotional decision.

Water Buyout

2005-06-14T19:31:00.000-05:00

Nitchting leads off with a motion to deny, seconded by Morris

Sandberg then tosses a letter from an elderly constituent who has reconsidered and is in favor, after voting against last April. Sandberg says it will at least keep IAW Co at the table in an honest negotiation and appropriate service. Points out that Mrs. Senior citizen spent as much on her letter to the council members as each citizen will pay to do the due dilligence.

Sandberg says that back in 1994 two wealthy individuals said they would pay the legal costs and the due dilligence costs if the city would look into buying the water company. And what they wanted, was half of the profits.

The problem is that the current interest rates are probably as low as they are ever going to be, and lower than they will be 5 years from now when the option will roll around again.

Turner: says he sought advice a "white paper" from Sandberg. Says it was one of the best papers he had ever seen. "I think about those young people too.....control of water is up for grabs with multi-national companies.....Enron was the 3rd largest water company in the world.....understand the value of control of water....sees problems from out west, heading to the midwest........but the problem is that you never listen to the people.

Turner is stuck on the referendum ....I think it would be a tremendous asset, but 80% of you have told us that now is not the time....

Morris: ....led by a group of private citizens who did what they did because they cared deeply.....but we are not back to square one if we don't do this tonight, because the option is an option the council can keep, which gives us tremendous power......rate freeze.....by I will be consistent with my previous vote....there is no consistent, universal purpose in the community.....yet.......

But this was a MOTION TO DENY the substitute motion for a budget amendment....if there is a 5-5 vote, the motion would be denied. Is the fix in? Or is it because it is a motion to amend the budget???....I'm not sure how that works?

Grayeb: Illinois Commerce Commission is a joke, that is in bed with the industry. If the citizens own it they can control the quality and can replace half the council every two years if it is not being run properly......if we have the due dilligence, they will have to OPEN THEIR BOOKS at the water company.

Manning: report has little room for error.

Spears: if there are repairs, Illinois American Water has deeper pockets than we do. I know we are going to pay for it anyway.

Auken: I have not had the time to build the credibility with the voters. All of the things that I want to achieve for 2nd Dist residents. I feel that I will lose credibility with my constituents and will have a harder time achieving those goals for my constituents. SHE LOOKS LIKE SHE IS ABOUT TO CRY.

Gulley: It doesn't take me long to make a point. I'm voting yes. He also got a call to keep the process going. WHat we have in front of us is a "drive by" appraisal. We need a more detailed appraisal.

Sandberg: we need the due dilligence in order to see the books and establish a baseline. Only ILAW knows the 282 mil asset based values for the appraisal. That is why we need to get into their books if we are going to combat the appraisal values 3, 8, 13 years from now.

Grayeb: maks the point that ILAW does not pay for use of righto f way as do other utilities, or damage to the public infrastructure?

Nitchting: this started because of the claim that Peoria had the highest rates. He lists a number of cities in IL that are publicl owned, but the rates are higher. PROBLEM: they coudl be higher, because those towns are new and are actually buying their water from Chicago and other places. Quincy: 3 times Peoria.....hmmmmmmmm

3% increase is only if infrastructure costs stay with historical trends. PROBLEM: if the infrastrucutre is problematic, woudl that not come up in the engineering portion of the due dilligence which could then be used to come back and attack the appraisal.

IT LOSES.

Jacko Predictions

2005-06-13T14:50:00.000-05:00

1. Convictions, except for the conspiracy;
2. No appeal bond;
3. This won't matter, because Jacko will be headed for a jurisdicition without an extradition treaty with US.
4. He'll get there while Tito rides a stretcher into an ambulance and to the hospital, before the police firgure it out;
5. Jesse Jackson will claim Jacko's innocence and a racist conspiracy of a racist judicial system.

Clinton Raping Clinton is it libel?

2005-06-13T09:06:00.000-05:00

Off of the Drudge Report, the Ed Klein book THE TRUTH ABOUT HILLARY CLINTON. Alleges that in Bermuda, Bill raped Hillary and Chelsea was conceived. Hillary threatens to sue Klein.

A couple of problems with her doing that:

1. The allegation is against Bill, not Hillary;
2. Bermuda was probably under a common law principal where it is not illegal to rape one's own wife
3. Poor Chelsea.

Guantanamo Bay Prison

2005-06-13T08:58:00.000-05:00

The President has a very simple solution to resolve the Gitmo bay controversy........send the prisoners back to Afghanistan and let the Afghani government deal with them. If they are not dead in a fortnight, they'll wish that they were dead. If you really want to hurt a Muslim, give them to other Muslims who will put them in a cell with a dozen other Muslims and a single bucket for a toilet.

Then, we can ship our most anti social rapists and murderers to Gitmo, and let them know that they are free to cross no-man's land into Cuba where they can have a criminal murderer for a president....Fidel Castro.

The latest crack bust in Peoria Illinois

2005-06-10T14:59:00.000-05:00

I thought Peoria Pundit's comments were interesting and justified, but I contend with one slant.
Bill seems to think that the neighbors next to the houses where the 2 pounds of cocaine were found, were the ones that were suffering for two years while the drug dealing was going on. From what people formerly in the business have told me, that amount of drugs and money would have been at least a couple of houses up the supply chain from the crack house.

Typically the way it works is a small amount of drugs are kept at one location. Across the street or down the block, a kid stands in front of the property or sits on the porch. When stops to get crack, he will then go in and get it from a stash that is small enough to where if the place got busted, he would only be charged with possession, not possession with intent to distribute. As soon as his supply runs out, a courier from the other house delivers more and picks up the money that is due. The courier coming from the house where the money and drugs are being stored, has a fair amount of drugs and cash, that is why he will never deal directly from that house. If he did, then the police could get a warrant.

If the police bust house number one, they woudl have to hope that the guy on the street would then give up the second house. But that guy is not going to do that, because it is the guy in the second house with all of the dope and cash who is going to bail the first guy out, as long as he keeps his mouth shut. So the guy the police can bust, is back out on the street in a matter of hours.

Meanwhile, the motherloads are being securely stored at a house where hardly anyone ever comes or goes. In fact, the guys in the second house, probably don't even know the address. They just have a pager or phone and will go and meet and exchange the cash for crack at a fourth house, where no crack smoker is ever allowed to come anywhere near. Part of the reason for this is security, not from the cops, but from crack users. As much as you don't want the cops to know where the big supply of drugs are being kept, the last people you want to know are the junkies who will give you up, or maybe get to geekin' enough where a couple of them would grab a couple of guns and barge into the store house to make a big hit. And of course, you do not want your competition (gang) to know where you are keeping the drugs, because they would cut a deal with one of your customers to find out and then they would jump the place.

Also: it was interesting that when one of the guys got busted, he admited and said he was ready to do his time. He knew that eventually he would get caught, and he was probably tired of living every day waiting to get busted. But the problem was that he had no way out, without the people above him thinking that he had ratted them out. Now he can get away from them by doing time, but at the same time assure his loyalty to them by keeping his mouth shut, so he doesn't get cut up while in prison. And while he is in the joint, they will keep money on his books and take care of his family. When he gets out, they can't have him with around any drugs, because he will have to keep up appearances for federal parole, but they can help him out with a job in a business that is laundering the drug money.

But Bill is right. For the manhours and money that was spent, we could be getting a lot more of the problems of the "unprofessional" drgu dealer taken care of. The guys making the real money, don't get arrested. They are dealing to people in businesses, who are then dealing to their clients in those businesses. The best place to deal out of is a bar. Everyone knows everyone in the bar. But no-one is bothered if someone stops into a bar to have a beer and pick up some crack and a whore. The amatuers are hanging out in the street, in the heat and in the cold, freezing their butts off. Likewise with the amatuer whores. Those are the ones who are so strung out, that they got kicked out of the bars.

Peoria should really re-consider the drug war and start prosecuting or containing it based upon the economic realities rather than the criminal offenses. For the most part, we have done this with alcohol. If you want to drink and be around drunks, you know where to go. Likewise, we should have places for the tokers to go, places for the rock stars to go and places for the mainliners to get together. All the police department has to do is have the officers tell the users that if they want to go to these places, they will be left alone. Bring it into the neighborhood, try to sell it in a park or residential neighborhood or project, and you'll get busted. Then there would be no reason to pimp the kids. Just buy a bar and offer your customers the best service.

What is the beef about Jacob?

2005-06-09T20:43:00.000-05:00

Ardis could not just unilaterally appoint Jacob. It would have taken at least 5 other votes. So if Ardis is a sell out, so are the other nine, because the leading indicator is that the vote was unanimous.

Further, Sullivan did not want the job and is in fact a supporter of Jacob.

Yes, there are a number of people who are qualified. But educationally speaking, and resume speaking, Thetford, Teplitz and Ransberg were INCREDIBLY qualified. What the ten here wanted or needed, was a personality that they could work with, a brain that can handle the issues and a tongue that can communicate his position on the issues without irritating a large segment of the public.

If it really matters, wait and get the executive meeting minutes and see what was being said.

And hey, anyone with five kids with the same woman, can't be that bad.

The whores of Flora Ellis

2005-06-09T10:04:00.000-05:00

Flora Ellis Neighborhood has three women working the streets there. Actually it is more like they are working the Sheridan, Main Street traffic, but they get a steady supply of succor from the local Neighborhood Heirarchy with C.O.P. connections.

I would like a second source on this: chaseingersoll@yahoo.com

Dracula 150

2005-06-09T08:48:00.000-05:00

Put a stake in the heart of Dist 150. Sometimes something is so bad that there is just no saving it. Today's PJS Editor says that things can only get worse if the State takes over the Peoria public school system. Hey, as anyone knows, the gangs took over the Peoria public schools a long time ago. Can the State really be any worse?

Those of us that are holding on in the neighborhoods and keeping up the property values are already sending our kids to private schools. Perhaps if 150 were facing the elimination of extra-curricular activities and larger classes, an even greater number of parents would start seeking out and developing private schools within their churches and other organizations. I've always thought that this is what the churches should be doing. They have empty sunday school rooms 5 days a week.

Public School education is a Soviet style bureaucracy. Peorias neighborhoods need District 150 like Poland and Slovakia need the USSR. Give parents back the responsibility for raising and educating their children, and nothing but good things can happen.

Eliminate the Peoria Public School system and we have just cut property taxes in half. For that reason alone, every childless couple in Central Illinois would consider moving to Peoria where they would not have to pay thousands of dollars each year to educate someone elses brats. Can anyone see a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow? The other influx of home buyers would be those who are home schooling or sending their children to private school already. Again, they would consider that money spent on real estate taxes for schools is their hard earned money spent to babysit their neighbors' brats.

If we did that, Peoria would become a state and national leader, as we could stop sending out leaders to Springfield and Washington who have to whore themselves for State and Federal dollars by signing on to omnibus spending bills.

And kids running the street......sure, we'll have that for a time, before parents catch on. But slap the cuffs on a few parents for allowing their kids to run the street between 9 and 3, and I think that they may just slap their kids into shape real quick. If nothing else, they won't be able to keep up with their rent, and they'll just have to move to some other town where there is free childcare for 5-16 year olds.

Following up on Phil Luciano

2005-06-09T08:43:00.000-05:00

From the June 9, 2005 Edition of the Peoria Journal Star, Phil Luciano writes:

She's also proved adept at bumper cars, what with her tendency for reckless, lead-footed driving. I think she inherited those skills from her mom.

It made me wonder about the story I heared earlier this week. Luciano's wife had a DUI in Morton (last ?) year. But she also had one in Peoria a few years back. It was an Asian cop, and she called him everything but a white man. Later she went down to the police station to complain about Officer (Wong?). They showed her the videotape. She went home.

Anyway, better get mom in AA quick Phil, girls need a sober feminine role model.

I didn't see this in the Journal Star

2005-06-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

BEFORE THE HEARING BOARDOF THEILLINOIS ATTORNEY REGISTRATIONANDDISCIPLINARY COMMISSION
In the Matter of:
ANDREW J. KLECZEK,
Attorney-Respondent,
No. 1478532.

Commission No. 05 SH 24
FILED - April 20, 2005
COMPLAINT
Mary Robinson, Administrator of the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, by her attorney, Gary S. Rapaport, pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 753, complains of Respondent, Andrew J. Kleczek, who was licensed to practice law in Illinois on October 25, 1968, and alleges that Respondent has engaged in the following conduct which tends to defeat the administration of justice or to bring the courts or the legal profession into disrepute:
Count I(Sexual relations with client)
1. On July 1, 1999, Keith Skorup ("Keith") fell and suffered a closed head injury and injuries to his back and left shoulder while working at Lowe's Home Center ("Lowe's") in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. As a result of the head injury, Keith became disabled by reason of mental impairments. Psychiatrists subsequently diagnosed Keith as suffering from organic mood disorder with bipolar and psychotic features, dementia, and other conditions.
2. On October 18, 1999, Keith's wife, Rebecca Skorup ("Rebecca"), acting as Keith's agent and next friend, retained Respondent to prosecute a workers' compensation claim against Lowe's and civil claims against the manufacturers and vendors of a lift and safety harness that Keith was using when he fell. In relation to the workers' compensation claim, Respondent and Rebecca executed an Attorney Representation Agreement as prescribed by the Workers' Compensation Act that established Respondent's fee as 20% of the amount of any recovery, subject to the arbitrator's approval. In relation to the civil claims, they entered into a written agreement that established Respondent's fee as one-third of the amount of any recovery.
3. On October 22, 1999, Respondent filed an application for adjustment of claim before the Illinois Industrial Commission. The matter was docketed as Keith Skorup, Employee/Petitioner, v. Lowe's Home Centers, Inc., Employer/Respondent, No. 99 WC 56823.
4. On April 17, 2000, Respondent filed a petition for discovery in circuit court pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 224 on behalf of Rebecca and Keith. The matter was docketed as Keith Skorup, Petitioner, v. Lowe's Home Center, Inc., No. 00 L 35 in the Circuit Court for Jefferson County, Illinois.
5. In or about May 2000, during a visit to Mt. Vernon in connection with her and Keith's legal matters, Respondent began a romantic and sexual relationship with Rebecca. Thereafter, on visits to Mt. Vernon, Respondent frequently initiated sexual relations with Rebecca. The relationship continued for the duration of the time that Respondent represented Rebecca and Keith.
6. On June 29, 2001, Respondent filed a civil lawsuit on behalf of Rebecca and Keith. The matter was docketed as Keith Skorup and Rebecca Skorup, Plaintiffs, v. Dalloz Fall Protection, Inc., Air Gas Lines Safety, and Nacco Materials Handling Group, Inc., Defendants, No. 01 L 48 in the Circuit Court for Jefferson County, Illinois. On August 9, 2001, the matter was removed to federal court and docketed as No. 01 CV 4223 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, Benton, Illinois.
7. The complaint in the above matter consisted of six counts on behalf of Keith and six counts on behalf of Rebecca. The counts for Rebecca alleged that she "suffered loss of consortium and services because of the injuries to her husband, Keith Skorup, that he sustained during the course of their marriage."
8. Respondent continued to represent Keith and Rebecca in No. 01 CV 4223 through June 11, 2003. Respondent continued to represent Keith in his workers' compensation claim, No. 99 WC 56823, through October 2002 when the matter was settled.

Other news on Big Al's and Strip Clubs in general

2005-06-04T12:09:00.000-05:00

Insiders within the PAAEL (Peoria Area Adult Enterntainment League) suggest that Fantasyland is kicking the revenues from Big Al's and Club Cabaret, who are now back to having drink specials. Al's and Cabaret are now offering $2.00 drafts...........if you like a 7 ounce draft...... At least that was how it was explained to me. I'll let someone else go out and verify that info. Peoria Pundit maybe?

But wagerers are betting that Al Zucharini will be out in the next year and Abraham who owns the building will be bringing over his partner at Club Cabaret to operate Al's. It was father Abraham's dream to get his hands on Big Als and it looks as though the son is determined to make fulfill his poppi's dream.

Re: Peoria Pundit and Farmington Rd

2005-06-04T12:04:00.000-05:00

Rocky's is shuttered. The West Peoria Mayor does not like that business. And maybe for good reason. But other news: West Peoria is looking at a 5:00 am liquor licenses and the annexation of property to include the Peoria Speedway, Juke Box Comedy Club and Fantasy Land. Note that W. Peoria has a limited number of liquor licenses. Peoria used to be that way.

The effect would be that Farminton Rd. could become THE night spot in Peoria, rather than downtown Peoria. Part of Farmington Rd, is the gravel parking lot, red-neck with a pickup truck appeal. Late night Peoria also has a plethora of gang bangers and street violence that the Peoria Journal Star does not talk about.

Problem will be that if we have white bar patron flight from downtown, there will be some closings, which may result in marketing of the downtown bars to an even lower common denominator of patron. Kind of the District 150 ization of Peoria watering holes.

Re: community meeting to end gun violence

2005-06-04T11:50:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I visited an Illinois Correctional Center. The person I was visiting is doing 40 years for his involvement in a murder. After being in prison almost a decade, he had a few very pertinent comments, that I paraphrase:

1. When you are scared, your mind doesn't think right. Just as it may fail you when you are extremely angry. They can vigil all they want against violence, but until they address the fear and the anger.

2. It starts with the materialism. It is all around you. It's what's on television. It's the gym shoes on the sidewalk. It is in the rims driving down the street. This is the reason that people get into selling drugs. The gang activity centers on the 20 and 30 somethings, pimping the juveniles to carry the rock. But if the juvenile is not busted and actually taken off the street, they are at some point going to try and move up in the food chain and control more drugs and more cars and more women, and that is what creates the conflict.

So the anger originates with the greed and jealously which beget the fear of losing what you have and having your life taken from you by someone who wants the territory and customers that you've developed.

3. Regarding rehabilition in prison. They don't do anything to rehabilitate you. You have to rehabilitate yourself. Over time you just change your way of thinking. You stop wanting some things and you start wanting other things. You get over stuff that happened.

4. Some cops are dirty and some really care. Some will actually not bust you unless it is a clean bust. You have to respect them for that. And some will even tell you that you have too much going for you to be out there on the street and that you should find something else to do before you get hurt.

5. The ones who are dead are usually no different from the ones who wind up in prison. It could have just as easily been the other way around.

Go ahead and protest the violence. But we have violence because of people's evil values that result in there pimping teenagers to make a buck. Until you start holding people accountable for the materialism and greed, you are not going to stop the end result....violent death. And until then....you are wasting your breath.

Re Peoria Pundit:

2005-06-04T11:45:00.000-05:00

http://www.peoriapundit.com

I'll wager Peoria Pundit a dinner at a place of his chosing that the appointed council member will not be Pat Sullivan.

I'll also wager him another that it will be Jacobs.

This is coming from sources that could not be any closer to Sullivan. Sullivan was on the Heart of Illinois Commission and saw it as a treamendous drain of his time, away from his first love of developing the blocks down on water street. So he is sticking to what he does best and figures that he'll really be able to pull out the stops, if the new council can keep Pat Landes out of his way.

Jacobs is the insider because of his experience as a business executive and extensive volunteer contacts throughout the community.

12 Step groups and locations

2005-06-01T08:01:00.000-05:00

If the objection to Beewolf is its proximate location to a school, I would point out that White Oaks Detox and residential treatment center is mere yards from PALS at the corner of Willow Knolls and Allen Road. Also yards away is a day care on University and across the street is the YMCA.

CITCA located to the Southwest of Downtown, is a block away from Valeska Hinton and a couple of parks and a pool. CITCA is a long term treatment facility.

Peoria Rescue Mission is smack up against O'Brien field and across the alley from the kiddie playground in deep left center.

Addicts congregate and some wander off from White Oaks all of the time.
I'm sure CITCA has pimps lined up outside the gate, waiting for the gal that has had enough of treatment.
I'm sure there is a homeless person or two at the mission that has diddled a little boy he met in a park.

PALS in downtown Peoria, is located right next to St Francis, where all of the diseased, and shot up, along with their sick friends, relatives and AIDS patients go to get subsidized health care.

U of I Medical Center where they have drug addicts and prostitutes that live all over the med tech distrcit, come to participate in the HIV/AIDS studies is surrounded by parks and apartment complexes with lots of kids.

Central High School is only a block away from the 1700 and 1800 block of Bigelow which are reknown for their gang infestation for the last decade.

Greeley Charter school, is only two blocks from Crack Central (Taft Homes) and sat across the alley from a major methamphetamine distributor.

Irving Grade School, as is Spaulding Academy and the former Father Sweeny Junior High, sit triangulated by the Whores of Morton Square, the Crackheads of Taft Homes and the sick, diseased and injured of the Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis. And oh yeah, the knife throwing Mexicans on Perry!

c

Peoria Pundit Comments

2005-06-01T07:34:00.000-05:00

It is interesting to see which posts get the most attention as judged by the number of comments that they get. Here is another from Peoria Pundit that left me not knowing whether to laugh or hurl. For the record, the last time I was in the Peoria Lake, was on water skis and that has now been a decade ago. And that was up river. I don't know why the Journal Star is just getting to this story now. I heared about it 9 or 10 years ago from some crusty old guy "Bernie" from the 2nd district. Didn't know if it was true, but it was enough to keep me several feet from the water.

Filthy Peoria lets kids swim in sewage

Comments

Sad yes. Surprising no.

Don't some of council have kids? Morris' and Nichting have small kids I know. Their kids probably swim at River City.

We need a Momma on the council who will worry about ALL of our kids.

Posted by: momma at May 31, 2005 09:52 AM

I've never considered immersion in that water a good thing. I remember one time when I was on the river with my dog and she ran right up to the edge, stopped short and refused to go in once she got a good whiff. Smart dog.

Posted by: Vonster at May 31, 2005 10:03 AM

Peoria might not be banning swimming in the water, but where the heck are the parents who let their kids go bathe in this sewage!

It makes more sense to me to blame bad parenting instead of elected officials for this one.

Posted by: Kiyoshi Martinez at May 31, 2005 10:35 AM

And these are the people you want to own our water system!!!

Posted by: C. J. Summers at May 31, 2005 11:49 AM

Blame bad parenting????? WHAT???????????? I am sure that the parents that allowed their children to swim there had no idea. It's a park, isn't it? I'm sorry Kiyoshi, but they would have had to KNOW they were letting their kids swim in sewage to make it a parenting issue. That just makes no sense.

Posted by: kristy at May 31, 2005 11:55 AM

C.J.: Actually, since there have been elections, these aren't the same people. But I get your drift.

And there is going to be some accountability over this issue at the next meeting, I have been assured.

Posted by: Bill Dennis at May 31, 2005 12:06 PM

Once a not so long time ago, in the older neighborhoods of Peoria, it was quite permissable to empty raw sewage into the storm water drains. The systems were once the same. In fact this was quite standard. Flush the toilet and you could theoretically watch through the manhole cover in the middle of the street, as it went away. At some point a separate system for raw sewage was implemented and everyone was supposed to switch over to it. Naturally, as with many other newer standards, some homes did not make the switch over. They empty into the storm water system to this day. Ask some plumbers... So in a city with widespread lead paint issues, old post n knob wiring, asbestos, can we really be surprised that raw sewage is finding its way into the river? Is this really a scandal or just a legacy problem in need of more attention? The river is running very very low, perhaps people just notice it more now.

Posted by: Mahkno at May 31, 2005 01:56 PM

It's a scandal is the voters decide it's a scandal. I must be among a large percentage of the population that was shocked that a large part of Peoria has a drainage system one might find in Calcutta.

Posted by: Bill Dennis at May 31, 2005 02:54 PM

That's probably why, when I took my 3yr old son down to the river last week, I saw many giant dead fish floating around. UGH! Of course he wanted to know who shot them-too much Power Rangers.

Posted by: nursypoo62 at May 31, 2005 03:44 PM

I have a really sick feeling we now know the REAL reason why Peoria's tap water smells and tastes "musty." Algae my ASS.

Posted by: pollypeoria at May 31, 2005 05:25 PM

I have a horrible, horrible feeling you might be right.

Posted by: Bill Dennis at May 31, 2005 05:31 PM

Imagine my surprise after drinking a large glass of Peoria tap water to read these comments. I nearly hurled.

Thanks for bringing this up, now it's time to stock up on some good bottled water.

Posted by: Jeff (Peoria TV) at May 31, 2005 06:55 PM

I've never really thought of that about Detweiller. Is it a designated swim place for the river? I know Chicago on there 30+ beaches, they test the water everyday for bacteria levels due to sewage and other factors. If its to high, then they simply close the beach down no matter how much complaining they receive. I wonder why Peoria doesn't do that if Detweiller is considered a swimming place.

Jason

Posted by: Jasonpeoria911 at June 1, 2005 04:18 AM

Beewolf - Background

2005-05-29T13:07:00.000-05:00

"Beewolf" was started 30-40 years ago, by 2 men with a coffee pot and a four letter vocabulary. The story is that they were tired of getting hassled at Hilltopper AA Club, by the knitting, former gin drinkers, for all of the four letter words, they as former whiskey drinkers found essential in honest expression of their sobriety.

So these two gentlemen decided to start their own group. To decide on a name, the got a dictionary, opened it up and put down a finger. The finger came to rest on "Beewolf". A beewolf is a wasp that captures bees with a paralyzing sting, and then plants is larvae/maggot in the bee which then eats the bee when it hatches. I guess the two of them saw a poetic irony in the name and the way that folks thought of them so they proudly adopted it as the name for their new club.

Today the reputation of Beewolf among AA groups is that it is the most vulgar, smoke filled and raucous collection of wet brains in Central Illinois. It is also a place that consistently welcomes the person who is just out of treatment and cannot go home because people in the house are still smoking crack. It is also a place where the door is not slammed on women who were previously working the street and are now trying to stay clean and stay away from their old pimp.

Most of the people who find their way into Beewolf are the most severe addicts who spend a lengthy period of time, "white knuckling it" while they continue to detox chemically and social after they have been released from a prison or drug treatment center. But the problem is that there is no where else for them to go. The neighborhood is filled with those that go back to their home, back to the bar and back to the crack house. As wet brained as some of the ones outside of Beewolf, might appear to be, they are actually at that moment, in a better state of mind than they would be if they were sitting home, wondering how they are going to make it another day clean and sober.

Beewolf is the place that many consistently say, "when I want to drink or use, I know I have a choice. I can go the crack house, or I can go to a meeting." And Beewolf, is that meeting, because of its proximity, and the fact that it has more meetings than any other group in town. It is also unique, because many people stay after the meetings and are there to talk to and help people that show up at the end of or after a meeting and just need to be somewhere where they feel safe.

I would challenge anyone who has a comment about what the place is, or is not, to attend a few meetings there and listen to some of the people who have been helped by such a place, when nothing else was available. Until then, you really don't have a clue as to what a necessary instituion a place such as this is, in Peoria, Illinois.

Read Blog Comments

2005-05-29T12:43:00.000-05:00

http://www.peoriapundit.com/mti/mt-tb.cgi/5844

If you read blogs, you really must read the comments. The following is off of Bill Dennis - Peoria Pundit Blog, and I am putting it out here for those who might have missed it. The responses are triggered by state legislation that would legalize the ownership of bars and liquor licenses by councilpersons, allowing Mayor Ardis to apoit a good friend and supporter (Pat Sullivan) to the at-large seat that he [Ardis] vacated. My comment is that the previous prohibition, may have only served to give the appearance of a lack of conflict of interest. And while liquor may have held a special political significance in the past, today it is so regulated and documented and litigated, that I would suggest that anyone that holds a liquor license, "successfully" for an extended period of time, may in fact fall into the category of the most competant and responsible businessman. The business is just so competitive and complex that anyone who can handle those incatricies, may be precisely the kind of person to handle the intracacies of municipal governments.

Comments

Amazing how fast and efficient govt can be when the high and mighty do the asking. Sullivan may be ok, but a beer distributor? I can imagine all kinds of abuses.

Posted by: Allison at May 28, 2005 05:54 PM

Actually, the beer and liquor distributor lobby is directly respoinsible for laws prohibiting Internet sale of liquor and beer, when the seller is from out of state.

The U.S. Supreme Court recently overturned some of those rules.

Posted by: Bill Dennis at May 28, 2005 06:00 PM

I thought Ardis would be good but this is fishy. Why hasn't he named someone yet? It looks like he is waiting for this new law to go through so he can hand over the seat to his drinking buddy.

Posted by: bob at May 28, 2005 06:02 PM

But an in town distributor who is voting on developments and government projects? Anyone else see a conflict of interest here?

Posted by: Allison at May 28, 2005 06:05 PM

Why lower yourself by campaigning door to door and shaking hands. If youre worth a shit you should be able to call up your swarmy state reps and have them overhaul the law. Then your drinking buddy can appoint you. Jeeze why do I bother going to work anymore. Life would be alot easer if I had their ethics.

Posted by: Ryan at May 28, 2005 06:15 PM

Grandpa was right. Politicians. They're all a bunch of crooks. I'm going to scratch myself now, roll over, and go back to my nap. Ma call me when suppers ready.

Posted by: dash at May 28, 2005 06:22 PM

I just moved here from Chicago. After reading this story in the paper this morning. Gotta say. Feels just like home! If Leitch hadnt of confessed I would hav3e sworn someone was on the take.

Posted by: Alan May at May 28, 2005 06:32 PM

Dirty politics are so normal dumb asses like Leitch don't even think they're doing anything wrong anymore.Leitch wants Lahood's spot when Ray goes for the gov's job. Great.

Posted by: obrien at May 28, 2005 06:37 PM

ANGELA ANDERSON!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Vonster at May 28, 2005 07:58 PM

Alison: Granted, anyone who is involved in public life is eventually going to come across city council legislation that affects his or her line of work.

You have to expect that they abstain from these votes, and you have to expect that the other candidates are going to vote in the public's interests not in the interests of their buddies.

You can exclude as many kinds of business people from politics as you want, if you don't elect generally trustworthy people to begin with, there's no structural reform that will prevent abuse.

Basically, I'm saying that there's no substitute for personal honesty.

For example, as far as I know, the PCC never toon a single vote that directly affected the sprinkler business. Yet former Mayor Ransburg habitually lied to the public.

See what I'm getting at?

Posted by: Bill Dennis at May 28, 2005 08:49 PM

Bill: Yes. I see what you're getting at, but alcoholic drinks and Sprinklers aren't the same thing. The law -and just about every state has it-was originally enacted in the 1800s to prevent bar owners from buying votes with booze. A free drink is long remembered. It would be a lot more effective than a bumper sticker, pencil, or magnet to gain votes. In Peoria, fewer people vote in at-large elections than in the district races. A couple of discreet drinks on the house every night could do a lot to win an election. The owner of Peoria's most popular bar sitting on the Council should raise some red flags. Even if Sullivan would never, ever do such a thing, the law covers the entire state. There are much smaller towns with city councils too. Even West Peoria has one. How many sprinklers could Ransburg give away before it became known he was bribing people or he went broke? How many free architectual plans could Sandberg do? How many free plumbing jobs could Spears give away? How many restaurant supplies could Nichting hand out? Alcohol is a very popular currency. You just can't compare it to other businesses. Thus the law. Besides, House Bill 1285, which as far as I can tell says the same thing, has past both the house and senate and is waiting for the govenor's signature.

Posted by: Allison at May 28, 2005 09:36 PM

Bill,

You sound a little like my dad during the Watergate. He might be a crook, but he is MY crook.

I don't think Ardis' is a crook, but this is a bad idea, and it doesn't put him in a favorable light.

It sure in heck doesn't sound like "inclusive government" to me.

I voted for Ardis, but if he picks Sullivan, I most certainly will remember in four years.

Progressive or not.

Posted by: Kristy at May 28, 2005 10:00 PM

Dang. Tough crowd. I'm with Bill. I trust Ardis. I trust Sullivan. I think they both have integrity in spades. I admit Allison has a point. Just because our guys are trustworthy doesn't mean the barkeep/village trustee in Cicero is. Buying votes with drinks here seems far fetched, but in Sphincter, Illinois, Population 200, it seems plausible.

I still think Sullivan would be great.

Posted by: browneyedgirl at May 28, 2005 10:15 PM

Sullivan is giving out free drinks? How late is Kelleher's open?

Bye!

(Christ, give voters some credit.)

Posted by: pollypeoria at May 28, 2005 10:26 PM

Browneyedgirl: At one point in my life, I lived in Sphincter, Illinois.

But it was such an unpleasent place to be, I pulled out.

Posted by: Bill Dennis at May 29, 2005 06:56 AM

East Bluff bigots deserve every crack house they have.

2005-05-27T06:45:00.000-05:00

Having been a member of AA for 14 years, having subbed at Glen Oak primary, and having attended a weekly meeting at Beewolf for more than 3 years, I offer the following:

1. Regarding the children, it is not the AA club, or Narcotics Anonymous club that will have any effect on the children at Glen Oak. The negative effect on the children, it will be the fatherless home that they go to each night and the house next door, where the drunk, refer rolling, crack smoking, porn viewing, whore pimping, criminal, says "Hey baby, wazzzup!";

2. 99 out a 100 addicts will tell you that they learned the substance abuse and addictive behavior, first in their own home, and then continued it on the street, I certainly fall into this category;

3. People who are currently using, or dealing, are uncomfortable with the presence of an NA or AA club and seeing people who used to run with them, who are now on the wagon, and know that they are one of the ones that is still using or dealing;

4. Time and time again, I have seen people who are serious about sobriety and helping sponosr people coming to the meetings, actually rent or buy a home as close to the meeting place as possible. And these new residents, who are the most knowledgeable about drug activity on the street, have also been proven to be the least tolerant of it;

5. Most recent example: In Olde Town North, we located a daily narcotics anonymous meeting in a building, on a block which had for years been nothing but drugs, prostitutes and gang shooting. Since the meetings began on that block, as soon as a drug dealer or prostitute found out that there were meetings there, they would move on to another block. Curious, I actually asked a couple of them why. Their answer was pained, and it was hard for them to say, but they were embarrassed that the people going into the meetingknew them by their names, had once run the street with them, and they basically felt like the kid who flunked 8th grade and is still going to Junior High, while the others have move on to High School. There was also the point that while the neighbors might think that the person is "bad" and be afraid of the dealer, the people going into the meeting, know what a crack smoking pussy he is, out there in the snow and the rain, because he owes his drug dealer money. Former drug users have some pretty vicious descriptions of people when they are using or looking to cop. One of the descriptions is "geeking".

The best thing that could happen to Fry and Wisonsin is the daily get togethers of people who are celebrating and promoting sobriety. That the East Bluff has not opened their arms to this sort of group.........I absolutely condemn the East Bluff and say that they must deserve ever crack house that they have.

12 Step groups hassled by zoning dept. Drug house are not.

2005-05-26T08:42:00.000-05:00

This is a follow up to a www.peoriapundit.com post.

There is a very interesting issue with Beewolf right now that would make a story. There is a non-profit corporation that actually bought the old Valent Roofing Building on Fry/Wisconsin, to turn into a permanent home for Beewolf. They had the commercial zoning, went in and did a bunch of work to get the place set up for a May 28th move in.

But now zoning has come in and stopped them saying they have to have "assembly" zoning, and clearly that carries a different parking standard. But here is where the constituional issues come into play. People have a right to peaceably assemble. And People have a right to practice their faith. Both of these issues may in fact trump zoning convenience, unless we have a condition that is absolutely unsafe for life and property.

I have told 12 step groups for a long time that they are going to need to sue or the City is going to systematically make it more and more difficult for them to find places. I doubt any of them actually have the "correct" zoning at the places where they meet.

But what really galls me is that we have such a problem with assembly of gangs, and commercial activity (drug sales) being conducted out of residences.....and I asked the Corporation Counsel office more than one year ago, why they are not issuing zoning violation tickets against the owners of drug houses. They best answer I got was from Cliff Mitchel, who said he thought that it was an interesting question.

Running Ragged

2005-05-26T08:16:00.000-05:00

Be careful what you ask for, especially when you ask to be elected to the Second District Council Seat. Barb is getting run ragged by calls from constituents who got blown off for four years. She has a Bradley intern, but get the word out that she needs help and maybe someone could step forward and set up a real constituent office for her.

Gary really benefitted all of those years from Ruthie, who had worked for the City, who could explain a lot of things to people who GS was never going to be able to get back to. THe other thing is that you could encourage people to email her and perhaps she could set up a blog to respond to their questions and concerns. That would be of benefit to everyone.

The development of a blog story:

2005-05-26T07:59:00.000-05:00

I have not yet seen this story in the convential media. But I think it has merit, and I think that the way in which the School administration is alleged to have handled the matter, is similar to the way the school administration in Columbus, Ohio handled the allegations of a sexual assault of a handicapped girl...an assault that was videotaped.

Here is my original post from May 11, 2005

Growth in other Communities Two stories today @ www.pjstar.com regarding expansion in the Germantown Hills schools and a 600 unit Chillicothe subdivision that was selected primary because of the good reputation of the School District there and the proximity to North Peoria.

If one were so inclined, one might project that "good reputation of the School District" is a euphemism for "the only Blacks enrolled in the District are foreign exchange students from Africa, or those who were adopted by White parents."

But I can understand, observing the way the self annointed Black leadership in Peoria likes to trot out the racist boogeyman, that many people, like the parents of the kid who got kicked while on the floor of the gym at Keller, just say to heck with it, turn the other cheek. And walk away. Collectively, Peoria has the school district that it deserves.

And here is the last comment that was posted a week later, which really ads color to the story and perspective on what is going on at one of Dist 150 better schools, and the defensive posture that the district is taking:

I know Ken Turner (the Principal) too, and he is a good man. His job, however, is to keep Kellar known as a "good" school. It was not a fight. One kid hit another, repeatedly. The victim did not fight back. Making it a beating, not a fight. The victim went to the hospital for stitches to the lower lip and a possible broken nose. He was badly shaken and only recently returned to school. The offender was suspended and has a long history of being in trouble. These kids are eight and nine! My kid attends Kellar and was really upset by what he saw and thought it was very violent. Not a common occurence at Kellar, in fact, the first instance of violence I've heard of in the four years he has been there.
Anonymous | 05.17.05 - 5:29 pm | #

The following are comments in chronological order that were posted in response to my original blog and I find them to be an excellent example of what you get in the blogsphere, when you put out a story. But cream rises to the top, and I think that more information and perspectives are better than single one we would have gotten from the Peoria Journal Star.

You cannot force people to integrate themselves with criminals....which is what you are doing if you send your kid to a District 150 classroom........

So, 3rd graders are criminals, now? How about someone work on the socioeconomic problems. There are people that just don't care, but, some of these families; albeit some single parent, that have to work 2 or more jobs just to pay the rent, and can't afford a nanny, or often, even good quality daycare. The people even willing to work in these schools and daycares can't expect to make even a living wage. Restrucuring tax districts might be one place to start.

The wealthier sect can continue to move, or be afraid, or they may have to look at sacrificing small amounts of budget now to insure a better future for all. If they really want poor kids to succeed, they need to do more than pay lip service.
Rob | Homepage | 05.08.05 - 9:28 am | #

I bet these kids were the little blackies that Chase is always talking about. hmmmmmm
silentobserver | 05.08.05 - 5:50 pm | #

Chase, thanks for the link.

In response to another comment, if this story is true (and I have no reason to doubt it), then yes, I believe this particular third grader is a criminal. Is not assault a criminal act?

The kid should be expelled and prosecuted. Maybe he was. But recent events seem to indicate that Dist. 150 is letting too many thugs back into classrooms, and that's wrong. Kids cannot learn if they're full of fear from these criminals.

It's not a problem of integration between people of different racial or economic backgrounds -- it's a problem of integration between well-behaved children and thugs. You're never going to change thugs' misbehavior through integration.
C. J. Summers | Homepage | 05.09.05 - 4:49 pm | #

Yes, prosecute 3rd graders to the fullest extent as adults. By 3rd grade, they must be a lost cause. Then ship to Alcatraz island. Maybe you 2 should start your own civilization somewhere in the desert, where you can genetically engineer a utopian society. Take your pastor with you.
Rob | Homepage | 05.10.05 - 12:43 pm | #

Rob, I don't know if you know this or not, but they have juvenile courts for young offenders and juvenile detention centers for violent ones. They don't get tried as adults or sent to prison for life. Most people don't see kids so young as a lost cause, either.

But that doesn't change the fact that he has assaulted another student and there should be just punishment for such an act in a civilized society. Don't the other students deserve protection? Your idea of looking at the root causes is all well and good, but what do you do in the meantime? Just let kids get beaten up and sent to the hospital until poverty and prejudice are eliminated from society?

Come on, Rob. If it were your child that was sent to the hospital, you wouldn't be defending the little thug who put him there.
C. J. Summers | Homepage | 05.11.05 - 11:33 am | #

C.J.

Why don't you ask Rob about his kids, and their issues? Since Rob has supported the violent kid, rather than the kid that was victimized, it might be reasonable to conclude that Rob and his kids have a similar pathology.
Chase Ingersoll | 05.11.05 - 2:51 pm | #

First off, you don't squat about me or my kids, except information you have pieced together in your own mind. Maybe you should be asking what we as parents have done to help our children learn to become socially adept. But, I'm sure you wouldn't be interested in that info, as it would challenge the insanity in your melon. Speaking of melons, maybe you should let your bobble head, errrr, son out of the house and mingle with fresh air and sunshine. Right after you teach him that people who don't look like him are inherently bad, and manipulating others is the best way to get through life.
Rob | Homepage | 05.11.05 - 8:53 pm | #

BTW, asking the larger questions is not supporting the victim. It is trying to find a solution that goes beyond today. Absolutely the child should taught that this is not ok, but, to what extent? What happens if they put him in violent juvenile detention? He learns more about crime from other violent juveniles. Until someone learns that the "out of sight out of mind" locking kids up method doesn't work effectively, there won't be any change.
Rob | Homepage | 05.11.05 - 9:04 pm | #

One horrible incident at Kellar (you always spell it wrong, Genius Chase) and whites are supposed to pull their kids out of 150 schools? The post said that the kid in question came from a challenged area, NOT THAT HE WAS BLACK. The real question is whether or not you want your kids to go to school with the POOR, not blacks. Poverty can breed ambition, determination or it can breed violence and hopelessness.

Keep in mind that some of the nation's very best universities are located in ghettos and high crime areas. Harvard/Cambridge, Yale/New Haven, Columbia/Harlem, University of Chicago/Hyde Park (so. side of Chi-town), U of Pennsylvania/Philly.

Ask the parents of children at Columbine (located in an upper middle class suburb of Jefferson County, CO)and they will likely tell you, the belief that economic class or race isolation buys you safety is an illusion that can easily be shattered at any time.
Anonymous | 05.12.05 - 9:59 am | #

Excellent point Anonymous.
Rob | Homepage | 05.12.05 - 6:22 pm | #

New info: according to the principal of the school, there was a fight, but no one went to the hospital, and the kid was suspended. I realize the cynical may think the principal has something to hide, but I know him and have no reason to doubt him. Whereas, I don't know the anonymous person who reported the incident. FWIW.
C. J. Summers | Homepage | 05.15.05 - 7:41 pm | #

so as usual, chase posts lies!
silentobserver | 05.17.05 - 4:37 pm | #

Auction

2005-05-25T21:44:00.000-05:00

Three year old forcloser case, finally went to sale today. 40 properties. Mostly East Bluff and Southside. Formerly owned by Kevin Jones, who sold them to the boys getting forclosed. Unlike Kevin, who you could love or hate, depending on whether his mouth was for you or against you, the buyers never made any enimies that I am aware of by shooting off their mouth. But they failed to do two things that Jones did.....collect his rent....and keep the properties within code. I heard that in four years, they never filed one eviction. It was like they closed on the properties, got the keeps and then they closed up shop.

One of the strangest deals I ever saw. But at the time, Kevin was having his 3rd child, building a bigger house in Morton and.......yes........Marcella and Landes had said that they were going to run him out of town. So they did, and Kevin, licking his wounds and binding them with 1.5 mil of cold hard cash from the closing, limped over to Tazewell County and within 30 days closed on just about as many units there......that probably netted an even better cash flow. You may hate him, but his banker loves him and if his places were really that bad......why are their always people applying to get in. Kind of like prisons.....if they are really so bad, why are they always so full......but I digress.

The point here is that Landes and Tepliz and their little personal vendetta, really dragged down a number of blocks around the city that had to deal with blighted and basically an abandoned proeprty for several years. Can someone give Detective Tepliz a clue?

But something really needs to be done about the forclosures. They devastate a block, and the City has no-one to go after. And with all of the adjustable rate notes going up, you can bet the number of forclosures is only going to increase.....

WHat to do? What to do? A citizen's work is never done.

Citizen Chase

Horserace for the open Council Seat

2005-05-25T21:33:00.000-05:00

Oddsmakers are betting on George Jacobs? The beer distributor. He is a Spears relative. Plumbers have good connections.

Ah, but he's disqualified because of the alcohol distributorship.
Ah, not so fast, Georgie S. has taken care of that in Springfield, with a staute changing all that, which was set to go into effect January 1, 2006. But now.......it's getting bumped to June 1,2...0.....0.....5!!!!!!!!!

But that maneuver also piques my interest in the stautus of the dark horse.........Pat Sullivan who is now liberated from potential divestiture of Kellehers.

Of course, people are sympathetic for people who actually put their name on the ballot and exposed themselves to candidate night vettings.....A. Anderson probably being the favorite, but I am guessing that historically, appointments such as this have been inside people who have quietly been hanging around in the iright circles for some time. And Jacobs (isn't that a Lebanese name?) fits that bill. I for one, really like the Lebanese in this town, and with all of the shootings the South Side has to offer, the older generation has a first rate example to explain to their children and grandchildren why they left Lebanon.

School Board Insight

2005-05-25T21:22:00.000-05:00

Someone needs to run for school board and be the Sandberg that Dist 150 never had. Imagine what might have been prevented or at least been widely forcast, had GS been elected to that public body. Instead we got Martha Ross, who embarrasses the English speaking population every time that she opens her mouth, and is doing everything that she can to run every legitimately born, white and black child out of the District, through her support of gun toting juveniles. If only other politicians were as resolute in supporting the right of law abiding homeowners RIGHTS to protect life and property, by the carrying of loaded weapons and hollow point ammo.

Rumblings on Dist 150 and Cahill. Cahill has nixed the RFP Request for Proposals regarding health insurance, and everywhere he has been he has brought in Blue Cross. Someone want to fact check this for me?

Also: Cahill has instutitued a change in a software program at the district, but the program only runs on Windows XP, which is not on the computers. Again fellow bloggers and Jenny D., can you fact check this one.

Also: the teacher's union is putting together an Unfair Labor Practice complaint over the open discussion of the bargaining issue regarding health benefits. Knapp probably had a point and was just trying to prevent the labor problem. Never argue with Knapp on a detail oriented issue. Listen to him closely. He is one of the most detailed and accurate people you are ever going to meet, and had he become a lawyer instead of teacher, he would be as feared, loved and hated as Patricia Bennassi. Well, even with out that, he probably is those three things in District 150.

Here are the tips. Now you do the rest of the story.

2005-05-25T21:05:00.001-05:00

Trifecta decap in works at City Hall: Even John Morris had reservations about Landes appointment as Assistant City Manager. Oliver is attempting to put together a hybrid planing and zoning/economic development director, so as to disqualify Karrie Frilling, one of the nicest....and most honest....people to have ever worked at City Hall.

Meanwhile Landes, long protected by The Wicked Witch of the East Bluff and her treacherous sister The Wicked Witch of the West Bluff Wandolph Woanoke, has proven her stripes to Oliver as the perfect minion, hatchet woman. Despite her lack of education, and complete disregard of peoples property rights, due process and the law, I have come to regard Landes as a very capable adversary. She is really very clever, and were this Stalanist Russia, she might well have become head of the KGB. More than any other person in Peoria's history, Pat Landes has blocked more real estate deals, by confusing citizens selling a property who came to City Hall to request a zoning permit. She woudl run them through the hoops of resubmiting the sort of historical information that no-one keeps, even though the people were entitled under the law to receive the exact certificate that was currently on the books, without re-applying.

ANd then of course Ben Ewert and Ransberg's council, raised the zoning application fee to $95.00. When anyone has a right to FOIA a zoing certificate for any property and pay 10 cents. Try it and you will see. FOIA a copy of the current zoning certification. Your closing agent will accept it. But someone needed to sue that department a long time ago. Well now the chickens are coming home to roost.

But the Knights royal fork would be if in one fell swoop, the council were to gut Pennington lose ASAP...since he has a job lined up with Matrix.....can Oliver, promote Landes to interem City Manager and then can her. Free at last. Free at last. Glory halleluiah we are fee at last.
The the landlords can lie down with the code enforcement officers, and landlords can be judged not by the way their profession has been colored, but rather whether or not their floor has any splinters. Right Ms. Landes? Did the floor have splinters? Did Jim make you huff?
If you don't get these last three questions, just give them to Jenny D. and let her ask around as to the meaning. I could just tell you about this history, but if you all ask around, it will make someone squirm more than if I just come out and tell you and you snicker the next time you see them.

Something familiar about this. I think I may be in interesting company.

2005-05-25T21:05:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, May 25, 2005 2:16 p.m. EDT

LA Times Threatens O'Reilly With Secret Service

The Los Angeles Times is slamming Bill O'Reilly – for slamming the Los Angeles Times.

The newspaper has warned the "telephilosopher" to stop his "decapitation fantasies" involving Times editorial page editor Michael Kinsley – or face trouble from the Secret Service.

Story Continues Below

It all started with a Times editorial urging the shutdown of the terrorist detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and access to attorneys for detainees.

That set off O'Reilly. During the broadcast of "The Radio Factor with Bill O’Reilly" on May 17, he declared:

"How can they think this way? How can anyone think this way? You know: 'Shutting down Guantanamo and giving suspected terrorists legal protections would help restore our reputation abroad.'"

Said O'Reilly, "That’s like saying, 'Well, if we're nicer to the people who want to kill us, then the other people who want to kill us will like us more.'"

Then he fired off the big gun, saying the paper's editorial board will "never get it until they [the terrorists] grab Michael Kinsley out of his little house and they cut his head off. And maybe when the blade sinks in, he'll go, 'Perhaps O'Reilly was right.'"

The Times counterattacked in a May 24 editorial. Questioning why people the U.S. has liberated from tyranny "don't love us," the paper stated, "It doesn’t seem worthy of decapitation to suggest that ghastly stories (not all fabricated by Newsweek) about abuse of prisoners don't help."

The Times has long had an ax to grind with Fox News. Much of the paper's anger no doubt comes from Fox's coverage of the Times' last-minute smear job on Arnold Schwarzenegger in the days leading up to the 2003 gubernatorial recall race.

For the moment, O'Reilly is in the liberal paper's crosshairs, warning: "O'Reilly should be careful. Any further decapitation fantasies could get him in serious trouble with the Secret Service."

It seems the paper has difficulty distinguishing between a threat and a "fantasy." And when it comes to actual threats against its employees, the paper may want to check with its lawyers on whom to contact.

The Secret Service deals with threats against the president and vice president, not editorial writers.

City Council at-Large Candidates: something to keep in mind

2005-05-20T11:46:00.000-05:00

I overhead Barbara Van Auken mention how being a candidate and getting elected, brings a lot of people out of the woodwork. Everybody wants to be your friend. And most all of them want something. She actually stated that she did not think she could have handled that situation 20 years ago and that she appreciated the experience that she had and the more settled life that she had now and ability to understand what people wanted and who her real friends are.

She is right. There are a number of people that want to "glom" on to someone that they perceive as successful, or potentially successful, with potential power and access that they will not have. I saw this in my 20's, a decade ago, as an attorney and political candidate. There are a lot of people who claim you to be the messiah of their issue or their day. But when they realize that you are not going to be the king that they expected, they will be in the crowd shouting "Crucify him. Crucify him."

I give you for example Aaron Schock. There are those who believe he is being pimped by more experienced political operators. I'm certain that people had that perception of me in the 90's, but I know that the majority of my positions were based upon unique combinations of my beliefs and the facts of situations as I observed them. The problem for me and that I think Schock may have is that it is only with life experience can we see through the BS that people will spin as credible facts or a reasonable view of a situation.

Looking at it historically, it has been the 20 and 30 somethings that have sallied forth in innumerable personal and political crsuades. Some to glory, but most to demise or limping home from their battles. But don't forget that the 20 and 30 somethings did not start the crusades they joined. No, those crusades were started by a generation of 50 and 60 somethings who manipulated the 20 and 30 somethings. And the sad thing is that the 20 and 30 somethings who are manipulable are probably the ones with a higher quotient of idealism and purpose, who would stick their neck out for a cause and justice for others.

And in the alternative, it is just as possible that a young person could be used in furtherance of a just cause. The same way young men gave their lives...and their spirits.....in the Nazi cause, others gave their lives and found their spirits in fighting Facism.

I've been through the resumes of the doane and a half City Council Candidates. The problem is that Peoria is a tale of two cities. One city is fighting to not resemble East St Louis, while the other is busy being a Naperville. One has a public school system in demise. The other has a public school system that is sending its students to Ivy League Universities.

I have only experience living on the three bluffs and the North Valley. That is Peoria. North Forest Hill, you lose the century of history and what makes Peoria different from an of the thousand subdivisions and shopping centers throughout the State. But North of Forest Hill, you also lose the problems of an older city that imported inexpensive, unskilled labor in the 50, 60s and 70, and the social ills of the last 4 decades.

A house divided, cannot stand. Those who have fled to the north part of Peoria and especially those who have fled 150 do not have the same commitment to the bluff area as those who have remained. Contrast Gary Sandberg/Chuck Grayeb vs. John Morris/Patrick Nitchting. The councilmen without school age children live on the bluffs. Those who have school age children live out north. Sandberg and Grayeb have personally lived with the drug house across the street, and are directly experienced with the good and bad of the type of student Dist 150 attracts or does not attract.

The nice thing about the 4th and 5th districts of Peoria, is that those areas could easily run themselves. The don't need the 3rd, 2nd and 1st district. And all the 1st three districts want from the remaining two, is their sales and real estate tax dollars.

The solution as sold by past generations is to expand the area of the city. I propose a solution is to divide up the City and allow the northern portion the autonomy to grow like Morton, Dunlap and Germantown Hills. Call them North Peoria, or Richwoods. Peoria can then have to deal with its issues without having the addicting option of another land grab. The Heights has been dealing with this for a number of years, and quite successfully. Their real estate tax is 12% higher than Peoria, but there is no mass exodus from the Heights and if anything it is the other way around. People in magnificent Victorians on Peoria's East Bluff are trying to step up to a ranch cottage in Peoria Heights.

DIVERSITY: Peoria proclaims diversity as an asset. But what kind of diversity? Not diversity of purpose. And the purpose is different. The method is different and the personalities are different. They are like a badly married couple. They can get along fine. But not in the same house.

So two cautions in the upcoming selection: Is the person settled and experienced enough to not be influenced by sudden stardom; and, to which part of the city has the person proved their commitment......i.e. upon what parcel do they pay their mortgage?

So here are the odds is how to predict the selection:

Peoria: Sandberg, Van Auken, Grayeb, Gulley
Between: Turner, Manning, Ardis, Spears
Richwoods/Dunlap: Nitchting, Morris

I think that for this reason, the person who gets the job, will live closer to City Hall, than the Dunlap School District. And since the winning issue in the last election was crime and essential services, the selection should be someone who is familiar with those issues and has performed actions that have made the Old Peoria a better place to live.

Property Tax vs Income Tax - Chicago Style shell game

2005-05-18T14:00:00.000-05:00

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-050518tax-db,1,4882829.formprofile?coll=chi-news-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true

Contracting liberal editorial in sale of paper

2005-05-13T20:27:00.000-05:00

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000920570

This is what happened in Peoria with the sale of the Peoria Journal Star to Copley by Henry P. Slane. The managers, editors and publishers were to be kept by Copley. But in their case it was to be for 15 years. Ergo the Mantz-Drake liberalism on the editorial page.

I think Barbara Van Auken is someone who would know the details more accurately than I.

Gang Banger bites the dust - recent parolee

2005-05-13T12:24:00.000-05:00

http://www.idoc.state.il.us/subsections/search/showside.asp?idoc=R34192

R34192 - WALKER, MARK D.
Parent Institution:
Shawnee Correctional Center
Inmate Status:
PAROLE
Location:
PAROLE DISTRICT 2
Discharge Reason:

VITALS
Date of Birth:
06-22-1982
Weight:
160 lbs.
Hair:
Black
Sex:
Male
Height:
5 ft. 10 in.
Race:
Black
Eyes:
Brown
MARKS, SCARS, & TATTOOS
TATTOO, FOREARM, RIGHT - MARK
TATTOO, FOREARM, LEFT - RIP LEAN
TATTOO, ABDOMEN - MARKITA

ADMISSION / RELEASE / DISCHARGE INFO
Custody Date:
11/04/2004
Projected Parole Date:
Paroled Date:
01-05-2005
Tentative Discharge Date:
Discharge From Parole:
01/05/2006

SENTENCING INFORMATION
MITTIMUS:
04CF277
CLASS:
4
COUNT:
1
OFFENSE:
AGG UNLAWFUL USE OF WEAPON/VEH
CUSTODY DATE:
09/17/2004
SENTENCE:
0 YEARS 15 MONTHS 0 DAYS
COUNTY:
PEORIA
SENTENCE DISCHARGED?:
NO

Schwinggggg! Condolezza in 2008!

2005-05-12T19:56:00.000-05:00

Rice: Gun Rights Important As Free Speech
By BARRY SCHWEID, AP Diplomatic WriterWed May 11, 9:13 PM ET
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, recalling how her father took up arms to defend fellow blacks from racist whites in the segregated South, said Wednesday the constitutional right of Americans to own guns is as important as their rights to free speech and religion.
In an interview on CNN's "Larry King Live," Rice said she came to that view from personal experience. She said her father, a black minister, and his friends armed themselves to defended the black community in Birmingham, Ala., against the White Knight Riders in 1962 and 1963. She said if local authorities had had lists of registered weapons, she did not think her father and other blacks would have been able to defend themselves.
Birmingham, where Rice was born in 1954, was a focal point of racial tension. Four black girls were killed when a bomb exploded at a Birmingham church in 1963, a galvanizing moment in the fight for civil rights.
Rice said she favored background checks and controls at gun shows. However, she added, "we have to be very careful when we start abridging rights that the Founding Fathers thought very important."
Rice said the Founding Fathers understood "there might be circumstances that people like my father experienced in Birmingham, Ala., when, in fact, the police weren't going to protect you."
"I also don't think we get to pick and choose from the Constitution," she said in the interview, which was taped for airing Wednesday night. "The Second Amendment is as important as the First Amendment."
The First Amendment protects religious, press and speech freedoms as well as the rights to assemble and petition the government. The Second Amendment guarantees "a well-regulated militia" and "the right of the people to keep and bear arms." Gun-rights supporters and those who favor gun control disagree over whether the amendment guarantees individual gun ownership.

Growth in other Communities

2005-05-11T13:28:00.000-05:00

Two stories today @ www.pjstar.com regarding expansion in the Germantown Hills schools and a 600 unit Chillicothe subdivision that was selected primary because of the good reputation of the School District there and the proximity to North Peoria.

If one were so inclined, one might project that "good reputation of the School District" is a euphemism for "the only Blacks enrolled in the District are foreign exchange students from Africa, or those who were adopted by White parents."

But I can understand, observing the way the self annointed Black leadership in Peoria likes to trot out the racist boogeyman, that many people, like the parents of the kid who got kicked while on the floor of the gym at Keller, just say to heck with it, turn the other cheek. And walk away. Collectively, Peoria has the school district that it deserves.

Stupid people are dangerous people.

2005-05-11T09:48:00.000-05:00

For the record, I am in support of concealed carry. But I have yet to see anything worth sympathizing for Tifinie King , as does Peoria Pundit:

Was this really a major crime?
A woman who apparently forgot she was carrying a gun in her purse tried to walk into the Peoria County Courthouse. She was arrested of course, and held on $25,000 bond.
I've read of athletes caught with guns and given misdemeanor citations -- a ticket -- for not carrying their Firearm Owner Identification Card.
I know courthouse security is important, but let's hope that in our paranoia to avoid another courthouse tragedy, we don't crucify this woman. I say this not knowing one iota of this woman's background history.
In a kinder, gentler era -- one in which people felt safer to walking the streets of Peoria -- a person in her position could have simply checked her gun at the door, and retrieved it when she left. But, we live in an era when too many people believe that possession of a gun is evil, even though it's a right protected by the 2nd Amendment.This entry was posted in the following categories: 2nd Amendment

Anyone who is "afraid" to the extent that they get a gun and carry it on their person, you'd think would be careful enough to properly secure the weapon and not forget that they are packing heat. If she can't remember to check the safety on a loaded gun that she is going to carry around in her purse....you have to ask, yourself if this is one of those people who IS TOO STUPID to be carrying a lethal weapon. Let her get a stun gun.

Why you should read the blog comments....

2005-05-08T16:56:00.000-05:00

A post by PeoriaPundit, Bill Dennis and comments of his readers:

I am in need a a favor from my readers ...
I need you all -- every single one of the 700-plus people who visit this site every weekday -- to promise that if I ever, ever, ever write a column like PJStar.com this one, please beat me to death with my computer monitor.
Thank you.
C'mon, Phil. A column about burying pets in the backyard? Are you serious? It's not like there hasn't been stuff happening in Peoria recently that merits a real column, and not this weak Dave Barry imitation.

Comments:

I had just finished reading that article when I pulled up the peoriapundit.....I was sooooo hoping you would have something on here about that pathetic piece of "urinalism."
Posted by: Andrew B Perry at May 7, 2005 01:27 PM

Yikes. It's definitely time for another moment of silence for Rick Baker.
(___________________________________________________)
Just think what we could be reading right now, if he'd only fastened his freakin' seat belt.
Posted by: Carmen at May 7, 2005 03:00 PM

The sad thing is he would have probably given himself a 'C' for that piece of work if he'd submitted it for one of his classes.
Posted by: Kristin at May 7, 2005 03:15 PM

The Peoria Pimping Star

2005-05-08T11:21:00.000-05:00

Check out the Sunday, May 8, 2006 E section, "50 years roar by" It's a two full page, color spread, selling the zoo expansion.

Why they want to cram more wild animals in that park, when they have acres out at Wild Life Prairie Park.......and why do we want two that compete against each other. If they were combined, they really could try and rival Chicago and St Louis. But when politicians and bureaucrats are spending Other People's Money, they don't need to be that practical.

And neither does the Journal Star, who is too happy to go a'pimping for them.

And you thought your kids were safe at Keller

2005-05-08T07:42:00.000-05:00

This is an anonymous post to CJ Summers Blog. I don't recall reading about this incident in the papers. But the same thugs that ran the law abiding people out of the Southside......their children and grandchildren are going to be only too happy to run law abiding people out of the rest of Peoria.

You cannot force people to integrate themselves with criminals....which is what you are doing if you send your kid to a District 150 classroom.....forcing your child to spend 7 hours a day waiting for a sucker punch.

Anonymous said...

I love Peoria, but I'm seriously thinking about leaving. Because of the SCHOOLS. I have my kids at Kellar, which I thought was a nice, safe, academically oriented 150 school. Last week I learned that one third grade boy seriously BEAT another third grade boy during a basketball game at recess. This wasn't two boys fighting. This was one kid who sent another kid to the hospital. The victim laid on the ground in the fetal position while being kicked and punched. He was so severely attacked that he has not returned to school. The offender is not in the Kellar district, but a child bussed in from a challenged area. He is allowed to attend because his home school is either a failing school or an Edison school.

This leaves me incredibly torn. I don't want to be elitist. I want poor kids to do well in school and become productive members of society.

On the other hand, my spouse and I have worked REALLY hard, played by the rules, went to college, will be paying off student loans until we die, and got decent jobs. We did all of this so that we could live in a safe neighborhood and send our kids to good, safe schools. If we can't have this, then why pay the high property taxes in North Peoria?

Taxes in Tazwell County and German Town Hills are actually a tad higher than Peoria's, but I would be happy to pay them for safety.

You want to stop urban sprawl? Fix crime and the schools. Those ugly cookie cutter homes in Dunlap are filled with families willing to give up trees and character in order to live safely. Taxes are not the primary problem.

Hey Peoria Pundit: I was raised by Communist in USA

2005-05-07T21:15:00.000-05:00

This is my response to the Peoria Pundit post www.peoriapundit.com

These are not my words, but I independently came to observe many of these before I came across the following: at http://www.libertyzone.com/Communist-Manifesto-Planks.html

The problem, is that if members and former members of the US Military such as myself are to uphold our entry oaths, to defend the Constitution of the United States "against enemies, both foreign and domestic..." the first enemies that we would have to defend ourselves against are the terrorist politicians who have stolen the birthright of our constitution.

But can you expect the public school system to be honest with kids, any more than they are honest about teachers pensions and budgets?

ARE Americans practicing Communism?

Read the 10 Planks of The Communist Manifesto to discover the truth and learn how to know your enemy...

Karl Marx describes in his communist manifesto, the ten steps necessary to destroy a free enterprise system and replace it with a system of omnipotent government power, so as to effect a communist socialist state. Those ten steps are known as the Ten Planks of The Communist Manifesto… The following brief presents the original ten planks within the Communist Manifesto written by Karl Marx in 1848, along with the American adopted counterpart for each of the planks. From comparison it's clear MOST Americans have by myths, fraud and deception under the color of law by their own politicians in both the Republican and Democratic and parties, been transformed into Communists.

Another thing to remember, Karl Marx in creating the Communist Manifesto designed these planks AS A TEST to determine whether a society has become communist or not. If they are all in effect and in force, then the people ARE practicing communists.

Communism, by any other name is still communism, and is VERY VERY destructive to the individual and to the society!!

The 10 PLANKS stated in the Communist Manifesto and some of their American counterparts are...

1. Abolition of private property and the application of all rents of land to public purposes.
Americans do these with actions such as the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution (1868), and various zoning, school & property taxes. Also the Bureau of Land Management (Zoning laws are the first step to government property ownership)

2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.
Americans know this as misapplication of the 16th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, 1913, The Social Security Act of 1936.; Joint House Resolution 192 of 1933; and various State "income" taxes. We call it "paying your fair share".

3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance.
Americans call it Federal & State estate Tax (1916); or reformed Probate Laws, and limited inheritance via arbitrary inheritance tax statutes.

4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.
Americans call it government seizures, tax liens, Public "law" 99-570 (1986); Executive order 11490, sections 1205, 2002 which gives private land to the Department of Urban Development; the imprisonment of "terrorists" and those who speak out or write against the "government" (1997 Crime/Terrorist Bill); or the IRS confiscation of property without due process. Asset forfeiture laws are used by DEA, IRS, ATF etc...).

5. Centralization of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly.
Americans call it the Federal Reserve which is a privately-owned credit/debt system allowed by the Federal Reserve act of 1913. All local banks are members of the Fed system, and are regulated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) another privately-owned corporation. The Federal Reserve Banks issue Fiat Paper Money and practice economically destructive fractional reserve banking.

6. Centralization of the means of communications and transportation in the hands of the State.
Americans call it the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Department of Transportation (DOT) mandated through the ICC act of 1887, the Commissions Act of 1934, The Interstate Commerce Commission established in 1938, The Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Communications Commission, and Executive orders 11490, 10999, as well as State mandated driver's licenses and Department of Transportation regulations.

7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the state, the bringing into cultivation of waste lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.
Americans call it corporate capacity, The Desert Entry Act and The Department of Agriculture… Thus read "controlled or subsidized" rather than "owned"… This is easily seen in these as well as the Department of Commerce and Labor, Department of Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Mines, National Park Service, and the IRS control of business through corporate regulations.

8. Equal liability of all to labor. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.
Americans call it Minimum Wage and slave labor like dealing with our Most Favored Nation trade partner; i.e. Communist China. We see it in practice via the Social Security Administration and The Department of Labor. The National debt and inflation caused by the communal bank has caused the need for a two "income" family. Woman in the workplace since the 1920's, the 19th amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, assorted Socialist Unions, affirmative action, the Federal Public Works Program and of course Executive order 11000.

9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries, gradual abolition of the distinction between town and country, by a more equitable distribution of population over the country.
Americans call it the Planning Reorganization act of 1949 , zoning (Title 17 1910-1990) and Super Corporate Farms, as well as Executive orders 11647, 11731 (ten regions) and Public "law" 89-136. These provide for forced relocations and forced sterilization programs, like in China.

10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children's factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production.
Americans are being taxed to support what we call 'public' schools, but are actually "government force-tax-funded schools " Even private schools are government regulated. The purpose is to train the young to work for the communal debt system. We also call it the Department of Education, the NEA and Outcome Based "Education" . These are used so that all children can be indoctrinated and inculcated with the government propaganda, like "majority rules", and "pay your fair share". WHERE are the words "fair share" in the Constitution, Bill of Rights or the Internal Revenue Code (Title 26)?? NO WHERE is "fair share" even suggested !! The philosophical concept of "fair share" comes from the Communist maxim, "From each according to their ability, to each according to their need! This concept is pure socialism. ... America was made the greatest society by its private initiative WORK ETHIC ... Teaching ourselves and others how to "fish" to be self sufficient and produce plenty of EXTRA commodities to if so desired could be shared with others who might be "needy"... Americans have always voluntarily been the MOST generous and charitable society on the planet.

Do changing words, change the end result? ... By using different words, is it all of a sudden OK to ignore or violate the provisions or intent of the Constitution of the united States of America?????

The people (politicians) who believe in the SOCIALISTIC and COMMUNISTIC concepts, especially those who pass more and more laws implementing these slavery ideas, are traitors to their oath of office and to the Constitution of the united States of America... KNOW YOUR ENEMY ...Remove the enemy from within and from among us.

Killer Lionnel Pruit is an out of towner

2005-05-05T21:16:00.000-05:00

In the Courthouse I was informed by sources familiar with families from the 'hood, that Peoria's most recent Killer is not a Peorian and is in fact a Chicagoan who was on probation or parole. I could not find him in the IDOC parole system, but not everyone is on it.

As might be expected, they are not happy with Chicago's export. I think that I have mentioned before that many of the blacks are fleeing the Chicago ghettos and neighborhoods because of the influx of Illegal Mexican Immigrants, who are tougher, not as high, and skilled with knives. There are also more of them, because Mexicans tend to be catholic and not in favor of birth control devices. And it is likely to stay that way, as long and Jesse and Kwase Mufume continue to support.........ABORTION.

But interesting, the link between abortion, illegal immigration, and the life of a Peorian not being worth fifty cents.

Oh, the ladies at the courthouse did not like my idea of running the mommas out of town. Probably because they are mommas, but they said it was damn DCFS' fault because they could no longer discipline their kids. The one lady said she was on the DCFS list because she would whip her daughter, but she said it was worth it because the daughter has straightened out and she is not worried about her ending up pregnant or on the street.

The other lady agreed that the schools went to hell when they took out the paddling, and they could only wish that they be allowed to carry concealed weapons. Then the bullshit would stop.

Lost Opportunity - Fire the Campaign Manager

2005-05-05T10:09:00.000-05:00

As a candidate, the last thing you want to do is be on television, denying the ridculous. Whoever is managing the Anderson Campaign, should have been lining up every black neighbor, sorority sister and church member to give the interviews.

I know if I were accused of such, I have my black friends from school and college, former clients, business associates and and blacks from the homeless shelter, all smiling and saying something like, "...Gee he was putting together a KKK meeting at his house? I don't know how he was going to do that without the black kid from East St. Louis that lives with him finding out." And you know that might scare that kid, and I don't think Chase would want to do that.

The problem that Anderson may have, is that she may not have any personal relationships with any black people. And that is how a ridiculous charge of OVERT racism may stick in the form of an IMPLIED charge of exclusivity. Anderson may be stuck with the perception of that while she may not have any hatred of Black people, and she is not going to join a neo-nazi group, she chose to live in a neighborhood that is less than 1% African American and she is not going to be like the Terry Knapps (teacher, coach and president of teachers union) of the world who take their own kids living in the white neighborhood, down to the Boys and Girls club in the black neighborhood and send them to Woodruff High School, so that their kids don't grow up with that aire of exclusivity and wihtout the hands on experience and perspective of other races and cultures, not to mention the lack of relationships.

Another note about the Grandview: it is not ghetto. My observation is that the population is more aptly described as white trailer trash.

Other Roberies

2005-05-05T07:55:00.000-05:00

In addition to the Circle K, I heard that a Tavern on Loucks and another place were robbed about the same time. We could pay an NRA lobbyist, but our locale criminals are doing a fine job of getting us to a tipping point where we will get CONCEALED CARRY.

Pensions - always problematic

2005-05-05T07:35:00.000-05:00

http://www.pjstar.com/stories/050305/TRI_B6AC04HO.007.shtml

The reason pensions will always be problematic is that they are un-Biblical. They are based upon interest, which in the totality of the economy cannot be paid without increasing the money supply.....which equals inflation. So any increase that you are going to see in your pension, has to be economically offset, by a decrease in the amount of money out there for other spending, or we have to increase the supply of money.

The other problem, is that pensions kill people. Pensions allow people to have a liesure "retirement" which hastens their death. Biblically speaking, men are supposed to work 6 days a week, not five and there is no mention of a man ever getting to completely quit working.

Granted, a lot of people need to slow down and not work so hard, but it is like the fable of the turtle and the rabbit. Similarly, life is a marathon and slow steady financial progress can be guaranteed, but winning life's lottery and retiring to a Carribean Island cannot. Over and over again we have seen people corrupted, not by getting a bad deal thrust upon them, but rather by getting paid more than they were worth. Pay someone more than they are worth and you will ruin them. Forever more they will want to get paid more and work less and having tasted that "easy dollar", they will cut whatever corners necessary to achieve that "easy dollar" again and again.

I have friends and relatives who are teachers. Are they important to society. I suppose. But so are all of the other jobs. The guy at Walmart who puts oil in my truck is important too. But the penision and benefits are a big deception, especially in the public sector, because the buyer is not really aware of what they are actually paying for the services, becuase it is being put on the taxpayers credit card. I think that many Legislators have accepted the debt problem as like that of the drug addict......they are not going to go into treatment, as long as they can still acquire their drug. Not until they have totally binged and are ruined, are they going to shape up.

Likewise, the state and national goverments are going to binge, as long as the majority of people are tolerating it, because they are "vested" in the system economically and are therefore willing to bury their collective head in the sands of economic and mathematical impossibilities.

So Schock and the others......give them what they ask for. Spend it all now. Promise it all now. And hasten the day when the system finally crashes and a new geneartion will have to step forward and not live that way any more. It is an economic and sociological cycle that has been repeated over and over again. Many people will be crushed, ruined and if they don't jump off a bridge, they will live in misery. But some of us will stick around to say I told you so, and provide insight for future generations.

False Light - Can someone get me the letter?

2005-05-05T07:20:00.000-05:00

Here is Anderson's response to the letter ciculated claiming that she wants to set up a KKK group.

This letter, I have been told, is all over the place, including the press and City Hall. I have been advised to try and get "ahead" of the story, because it is inevitable that the letter - which I have never seen - will be released. The Peoria Police have informed me that my name, address, and phone number were printed on a racist flier. I want to state that I did NOT write this letter/flier, nor does it represent my beliefs. For the record, I believe strongly that we are born equal, regardless of race, and I do not support hate or racism of any kind. I'm sorry that the African American community has been hurt by this and that my name was used for something so cruel. I can not be sure why someone would want to smear my name, I can only guess that it has something to do with my application for the open At Large Council Seat, or my work to have the Grandview Hotel closed.
Angela Anderson

Welcome to being a target Angela, but don't assume this is because of some public act. I profile such a letter as more personal grudge and is coming from a woman. It could be someone that supported Gale Thetford, or it could be someone that you said something to 10 years ago. It could be a teenager in the neighborhood who thinks that you called the cops on their friend.

I'll get a copy of the letter and post it, with analysis. If someone were to be re-acting because of the Grandview Hotel, I would have presumed they'd have done this to Thetford before the election.

Deadly Week for the Law Abiding

2005-05-05T07:04:00.000-05:00

Fitting that two of our fellow law abiding citizens, exited this life, while Ransburg was feeling "bewildered" by the rejection of the City's voters.

Why would any law abiding person chose to move to Peoria? Or work in a gas station on the East Bluff. For several years, I lived in an apartment overlooking that particular gas station. This was in the early 1990's and it was the most robbed station in town, even then.

Need to find out who raised this killer and ask them to do the right thing and leave town. They are part of the crime problem in Peoria.

Lionell Pruitt shoot 'em up at the Circle K

2005-05-05T07:02:00.000-05:00

With so many asking: Why? Why shoot the guy who gave you the money? The answer is obvious....HE RECOGNIZED THE BANDIT as one of the neighborhood crackheads who comes in for sodas, smokes and lottery tickets.

Duhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

What they don't report...

2005-05-05T06:54:00.000-05:00

The city took action after a Grandview tenant was arrested in late March on drug charges. The same man was arrested in the same hotel room nearly two months before, also on drug charges. Neighbors have complained for years about problem tenants, but the city's intense scrutiny on the hotel began late last year after a woman was shot in the head there.

This from the May 5, 2005 Peoria Journal Star, no reporter credited. Interestingly the www.pjstar.com does not include the information that in both cases, the charges were dropped and when the man returned to the hotel, there were no charges pending against him.

This reminds me of an incident where I was evicting someone on complaints from the neighbors as to drug activity. I got help/encouragement from the Peoria Heights Police Department, but then I received a call from the Multi County Enforcement Task Group (MEG) asking me to delay the eviction because the tenant was a police enforcement.

Necessary Laws

2005-05-02T12:00:00.000-05:00

Dogs: certain breads....you should have to have a license to walk them on a public street, and there should be a cause of action against anyone maintaining them in an unsafe condition on a private property. Further, any conditions or treatment of the animal that would cause it to be un-naturally aggressive, the person causing that should be be placed in a 10 ft by 10 ft ring with belonging to an un-naturally agressive dog that they did not train. Or they can just pay a fine and have their dog put down.

Blog v. Blog

2005-05-02T11:22:00.000-05:00

From: http://peoriasummers.blogspot.com/

If municipalities are violating the Constitution's protection against unlawful search and seizure, then SB1727 is superfluous, isn't it? Also, you should visit the Holocaust Memorial Museum before you throw around any more Nazi comparisons.

It's not superfulous if you are a Plaintiff. The impetus for this State Legistation is Plaintiffs who's constitutional rights have been violated, having to ante up prohibitive sums of money to initiate lawsuits against municipalities to enfource those rights. Part of the difficulty is that there are not many "Civil Rights" attorneys out there, and those who are, are probably going to ask for a five figure retainer and go from there. Obviously there are few property owners that want to pay that and there are probably about ZERO tenants who can afford that. The exception is the higher priced tenants. They can afford to litigate, but what has probably happened is economic discrimination BY THE MUNICIPALITIES in that if you live in one area of town, you don't have a 4th amendment, but if you living in a high rent district and are in a class of politically connected tenancies, you are not going to be inspected anyway. That is what is occuring in Peoria right now.

If as you say, the bill is superfulous, why would you care if Shadid and Co, voted against it? The proplem is that in municipalities with a saturation of Socialists and Bureaucrats, they have an inherent self interest in the presumption that goverment action will solve a problem. The State Law would simply counter this local abuse, but the problem is that your locality is still filled with people who think they know a lot about "Development of Communities" but down understand DIDLY about the value of Constitutional Rights.

Accordingly the comparison to the "Nazi" Socialist Party is quite accurate. This community is filled with thousands of Sheeple who upon economic suffering, will be happy to follow any pagan Hitler, Stalin or Pol Pot that would come along and provide them a chicken in every pot.

I've visted the Holocaust Museum, and have Jewish relatives from Denmark that I know about and probably other Jewish relatives and ancestors that I don't know about, because they also had to keep quiet to survive. Unfortunately most "Amerikans" don't realize that the various United States were in large part populated by people of Israelite decent that were escaping the persecution of totalitarian regimes of Western Europe who had persecuted them, no less than the Egyptians, Phillistines, Syrians, Babylonians and Romans persecuted the Hebrews of the previous milleniums.

Lest

Another incident resulting in White Flight

2005-05-02T10:56:00.000-05:00

http://www.idoc.state.il.us/subsections/search/showfront.asp?idoc=R15853

Got kids? Why would you want to live within a stray bullet of the guy in the above picture. Or perhaps send your kids to school with his illegitimate kids, his siblings, his cousins, etc......

There are only two options: we can watch, while more good people leave town;

Or: send this guy to prison for life and and run anyone who associated with him, including his ex-girlfriend out of town. Sorry, but it would appear that a law abiding guy is dead, because the woman he dated suffered fools.

Please note the tatto selection:

$/"HUSTLERS
NEW 610"
Love Mom Regina Ashing"
Regina Ashington"

ADMISSION / RELEASE / DISCHARGE INFO

Custody Date:	01/20/2005
Projected Parole Date:
Paroled Date:	03-21-2005
Tentative Discharge Date:
Discharge From Parole:	03/21/2006

Note that this guy went into custody on January 20, 2005 and was then released 2 months later.

His previous convition was for AGGRAVATED USE OF A WEAPON.

But all you have to do is take one look at his IDOC Photo and you know he is a first degree crack smoker.

c

Can't discriminate against Section 8?

2005-04-29T10:15:00.000-05:00

Also pending in the Legislature is a bill that would prohibit "source of income" discrimination. THis would prohibit a real estate investor from not renting to people on the Section 8 program. See the previous post referencing the naive punditry of:

http://peoriasummers.blogspot.com/2005/04/legislation-would-hurt-neighborhoods.html

The number 1 cause of disaster in the neighborhoods is: Section 8 and bringing a subsidized under-worked class of people into a working class neighborhood.

Where are the civil libertarians?

2005-04-29T10:09:00.000-05:00

http://peoriasummers.blogspot.com/2005/04/legislation-would-hurt-neighborhoods.html

Ha!

Now I know how Sandberg feels when you get rookies in staff and on the Peoria City Council.

All this legistlation does is codify Court decisions upholding that the Constitutional provisions against search and seizure without oversight by a judge, cannot be undermined by "allegations" of code violations and municipality's willingness to implement a Nazi style home rule.

This is one of only a couple of bill currently in the House, regarding property rights, that have been pushed by the Board of Realtor lobby groups, not "slumlords". Real slumlords are too dysfunctional to know what is going on in Springfield.

Cocaine Dist conviction of 1997 Manual player

2005-04-29T09:38:00.000-05:00

Gee, why doesn't this surprise me?
1996 Marshall Dunnigan Jr - Manual Basketball gets shot in wee morning hours outside Harrison homes
And what about Mr. Basketball from the early 90's who let drugs mess up an NBA contract.
And wan't their a Manual player from the 80's who played at Bradley in the 90's who was also had legal problems as a result of narcotics.

Courtesy of the April 29, 2005 Peoria Journal Star:

Former Manual star sentenced to prison
PEORIA - A former starter on the 1997 state champion Manual High School basketball team was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in federal prison.
Jerral C. Page, 27, of 508 Spring St. had previously pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to unlawful possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute and unlawful possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.
In a letter to the court, Page's former coach, Wayne McClain, spoke well of Page, saying he was warm and one of the most humble people on that 1997 team.
McClain and Page's attorney sought - and received - the minimum sentence of five years on each count. Federal sentencing guidelines had put Page's sentencing range slightly higher.
Page was living in the 500 block of East Arcadia Avenue when police raided his house in November 2003. Once inside, an officer saw Page standing near a .357-caliber revolver, Page's plea agreement states. Inside Page's pockets were two grams of crack cocaine.
Police also found a 9mm Taurus handgun in the house and about 16 grams of suspected crack cocaine and 37 grams of powder cocaine under a rug. Page admitted he had been dealing drugs for about two years and sold roughly 700 grams in that time, according to court records.

Note on Villa Bordeaux and Grandview

2005-04-29T09:33:00.000-05:00

Isn't the Villa Bordeaux on Knoxville an apartment complex only? If it is only an apartment complex then isn't the stat irrelevent and not pertinent? Forgive me if otherwise.

No: the statute was actually written for apartment buildings. The problem that they had, and I believe it was Grayeb that brought this to the attention of the council, was that they could only close down one unit at a time under the state statute. This would enable the bad guys to simply move to another unit.

Villia Bordeaux went ghetto at least a couple of years ago. I joked that it is the French name, so all of the "LaQuishas" in town wanted to live there. Funny how their management [Mid-Ameria] states that "...the City likes us..." This statement could come back to bite the city, because it would tend to support the porposition that if the city likes you, you can run a ghetto, and get away with it......like the PHA. But God forbid that you get on their crap list. Then they are going to mess with you to the fullest extent of the law.

c

Is THIS news?

2005-04-29T09:12:00.000-05:00

http://pjstar.com/stories/042905/TRI_B69753UU.013.shtml

If this is news, it should have been news last fall, when one of Nick Fady's tenants at 1313 N North Street was caught breaking into a vehicle in my neighborhood. I chased the kid and as he ran into his mother's house, she shouted, "WHAT DID HE DO NOW!"

Of course the police never did get back to the witness [me] as to how the case turned out. I made several contacts to PHA, but never heard a "boo" from them either. I believe the family is still living there a block from the victim of the crime.

But clearly this article is designed as a socialist clarion call against the capitalists. I say this, because of the slant which does not leave open for the possiblity that this kid intentionally damaged the property and hurt himself in the process. One thing I have seen is that when something is functioning as it is supposed to and someone is observed banging on it or hanging on it, it is not unlikely that "monkey see, monkey do" will occur and others, especially ghetto kids will then take the opportunity to bang on an inanimate object, which will not retaliate with a gun the way their fellow ghetto rats might.

But in this case, it looks like the rail may have in the most passive of aggressive manners, STRUCK BACK. So if it is the case that this kids was being a punk, he only got what he deserved.

Sorry, but I've seen too many people in this town, with porches and railing that are fully within code and inspected properly, but they are not designed to have several people sitting on them at one time. Oh and don't get me started on the ignorant cultural phenomenon of those in the ghetto that operate a charcoal grill with lots of lighter fluid handy, on a wood porch.

Less than a quarter mile away from this kid is another family that burned their house down in a grease fire, at 1:00 am in the morning. Anyone want to guess the background of this family. But having observed a few rental properties (in this case it was owner occupied) here is how this happens.......... The kind hearted liberal families of the ghetto, don't want their cockroaches to starve, so they leave the chitlins and grease spatterings sit on the stove. Eventually the grease that sits on the stove for.....years.....catches fire, and the kitchen catches on fire. At that point you can only hope that the illegitimate delinquents living in the house have not stolen the batteries from the smoke alarms.....to use in their electronic games.

Letter to Illinois American Water

2005-04-28T11:26:00.000-05:00

I sent the following email to Illinois American Water Company in March. I did not receive a response.

Is IAW Co perhaps playing hard to get and actually very happy to sell the water company for $220 million?

It just seems to me that if the City was going to take my property and appraised it for 30k, I would be tickled to get $75k and would use an appraisal for $110k in order to get an arbitrator to split the difference at $75k.

But would I ever let the City know that I was pleased? No.....I'd pretend to be fighting it all the way until I actually had the money.

Your [Illinois American Water Company] protests only make it look like it is worth even more.

If you really were not happy about it, it seems that you'd be issuing pre-mature press releases to your shareholders, chortling about the premium price that you were getting and make certain that those releases were getting back to the press in Peoria.

It also occurs to me that just like the house example I gave you, where I would not tell the city that my roof and foundation leak, my furnace is out, that I have termite infestation, not to mention the crack house next door, Illinois American Water would not tell the City about potentially massive capital investment that could be needed in the next few years that would make the property actually worth much less.

But if you are being forced into a sale, then your Corporate behinds are covered as far as any of the problems that you are not voluntarily disclosing, because you tried to fight the sale....so how could you be accused of a fraudulent inducement.

I think that you Germans are shrewd negotiators!!!

Any comments?

Chase Ingersoll

Hold Your Nose - Granview Hotel - City of Peoria Illinois

2005-04-28T08:47:00.000-05:00

I have not edited or added anything to this, other than paragraphs. It is the full article of Dewayne Bartels, as appeared in the Peoria Times Observer. It should put the Peoria Journal Start to shame, journalistically speaking, as these are facts that were easily obtainable, and crucially relevant.

column of 4/27/05

Hold your nose

Kris Jain told Judge John Barra in court a couple of weeks ago that the Grandview Hotel isn't as bad as neighbors and the city believe. He had to say something since the city is trying to close his hotel.Jain said he was requesting police records on several properties around Peoria that would paint a different picture of the property. Almost everyone dismissed Jain's comments. Angela Norton, senior vice president of Mid-American Management Corp., the company that manages Villa Bordeaux Apartments, certainly did."I think this is just a tactic to create a distraction," Norton told me. "We have no issue with the city of Peoria. They like us."

The city of Peoria must like Villa Bordeaux, based on what the police records Jain obtained say. Jain gave me a copy of his Freedom of Information Act request for police activity at several different locations around Peoria from 2003 to 2005. The police verified what I have is what they sent. It is interesting reading. The 30-page report covers:

the Grandview Hotel;
the Town House Motel, 1519 N. Knoxville;
Knoxville Manor, 4809 N. Knoxville;
Villa Bordeaux, 5250 N. Knoxville;
the Deluxe Motel, 5712 N. Knoxville; and
Kings Inn, 2626 W. Lake.

When you count up all arrests - or at least visits by the police with the potential for arrest:

the Grandview has 69.
The Town House has 37 incidents.
Knoxville Manor has 13 incidents.
Villa Bordeaux has 166 incidents.
The Deluxe Motel has 44 incidents.
And, finally, King's Inn checks in with 57 incidents.

But take out abandoned car calls and arrests, or potential arrests, for retail theft and other non-violent crime, and the numbers fall greatly. When one looks only at crimes involving violence, sex and drugs, a very different picture emerges.

The Grandview has 20 incidents.
The Town House has 18 incidents.
Knoxville Manor has two incidents.
Villa Bordeaux has 59 incidents.
The Deluxe Motel has 24 incidents.
And Kings Inn has 41 incidents.

This means Villa Bordeaux, the Deluxe Motel and Kings Inn have worse records than the Grandview. A neighbor, after I shared some of these numbers, told me it was not fair to compare the Grandview to apartment complexes. I beg to differ. Many of the Grandview's residents live there as if their room is an apartment.

Jain, following his lawyer's advice, would not talk about the results. No one is claiming the Grandview is a slice of heaven. The neighbors still have reason to be up in arms. But let's give Jain his due. He knew what he was talking about. The Grandview is not the worst place in the city when it comes to generating police activity. The Grandview, however, does have the worst public relations.

Finding Jain was correct on the above point, I decided to check out another of his claims. The city's lawsuit, seeking to close the Grandview, states that on Feb. 8, 2005, police arrested Leonard Watson after smelling a strong odor of cannabis coming from his room. Watson was arrested for possessing crack and cannabis.

On March 3, Jain was notified by the city that he was in danger of his property being listed as an aggravated, chronic nuisance property, a label that allows the city to take action to close the troubled location. In the meantime, Watson found his way back to the Grandview.

On March 31, 2005 the police executed another search warrant of Watson's room. The police found evidence of drug use. But, here's the kicker. A visit to the Peoria County Courthouse April 20 revealed there are no pending charges against Watson, just what Jain had said.

Sonni Williams, the city attorney prosecuting Jain, said that probably means the state's attorney declined to charge Watson based on the evidence.

Wait a minute.There are no charges pending against Watson, yet Jain is being prosecuted for alleged complicity in Watson's alleged criminal activity by renting him a room a second time. But the state, by its lack of action, said Watson had done nothing worthy of criminal charges.

Williams explains."Our burden of proof is by a preponderance of the evidence, not the high burden of a criminal case," Williams said. "We don't have to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt (to close the Grandview)."

OK, I'm starting to get it. It looks from here like the city was not as interested in prosecuting Watson as it was finding a way to get to Jain. What the city did was go after the guy who rented a room to an alleged drug dealer who has no charges pending. Jain operated under the notion that Watson was innocent until proven guilty. The city may well win in a court of law and in the court of public opinion. But, if I am right, everyone happy about this better smile while holding their noses because the ends here do not justify the means.

dbartels@timestoday.com 692-6600 ext. 212

Chase Ingersoll: countersuit against City of Peoria

2005-04-27T19:23:00.000-05:00

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE TENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OF ILLINOIS

PEORIA COUNTY

CITY OF PEORIA, et al. )

)

Plaintiffs )

)

vs. ) Case No. 05 CH 115

)

CHASE INGERSOLL, )

)

Defendant. )

COUNTER COMPLAINT FOR RESTRAINING ORDER

COUNT 1 – City of Peoria

INTERFERENCE WITH CONTRACT

NOW COMES CHASE INGERSOLL, Defendant/Counter Plaintiff, by his attorney Gary Morris, and for COUNT 1 of his Counter-Complaint for Restraining Order, state as follows:

1. On or about May 1996, Detective Joe Youngman, and other unknown Officers of the Peoria Police Department arrested and interrogated Nikia Perry in regards to the murder of Marshall Dunnigan Jr.

2. Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff entered into an agreement with Samenthal and then Nikia Perry to act as Attorney for Nikia Perry.

3. Detective Joe Youngman, and other unknown Officers of the Peoria Police Department threatened to rescind “a deal” as to charges relating to his arrest that they said they were going to give Nikia Perry, if he did not discharge Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff as his attorney.

4. Detective Joe Youngman, and other unknown Officers of the Peoria Police Department falsely stated to Nikia and Samenthal Perry that her [Samenthal Perry’s] life was in danger due to the representation by Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff.

5. The threatening actions of Detective Joe Youngman and unknown Peoria Police Department Officers caused Nikia Perry to discharge Defendant/Counter Plaintiff.

6. The threatening actions of Detective Joe Youngman and unknown Peoria Police Department Officers caused Nikia Perry to claim that: he had not authorized Defendant/Counter Plaintiff to release publicly the information that Nikia Perry was cooperating with the Police, and that Nikia Perry had given a videotaped confession.

WHEREFORE based upon the foregoing, Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff requests that this court grant him a restraining order against the City of Peoria.

COUNT 2 – City of Peoria

HARASSMENT

NOW COMES CHASE INGERSOLL, Defendant/Counter Plaintiff, by his attorney Gary Morris, and for COUNT 2 of his Counter-Complaint for Restraining Order, and states as follows:

1. On or about March 1997 Mayor Jim Maloof of the City of Peoria, voted in favor of a purchase of real estate by the City of Peoria.

2. At that time, Jim Maloof Realty received a commission for the sale of the real estate that was purchased by the City.

3. When the purchase of the real estate was discussed by the City Council, Mayor Jim Maloof did not disclose his interest in the sale/purchase of said real estate.

4. When the purchase of the real estate was voted upon by the Peoria City Council, Jim Maloof did not abstain from voting on the purchase of the real estate by the City of Peoria.

5. Jim Maloof failure to disclose and failure to abstain from voting was a violation of the following Illinois Statutes: 50 ILCS 105/3 and 65 ILCS 5/3.1-55-10.

6. Defendant/Counter Plaintiff, requested to the Corporation Counsel and Chief of Police of the City of Peoria, that Mayor Maloof be arrested and charged with a violation of 50 ILCS 105/3 and 65 ILCS 5/3.1-55-10.

7. Despite the presentation of documented evidence and request of Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff the City of Peoria would not file such charges because they were made by Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff.

8. Agents of the City of Peoria, its attorneys and members of the Peoria Police Department swear to uphold the Constitution of the State of Illinois and the Laws of the State of Illinois.

9. As such they failed to uphold the law in that they took no action in regards to Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff’s complaint.

10. These actins by the City of Peoria were intended to harass Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff.

WHEREFORE based upon the foregoing, Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff requests that this court grant him a restraining order against the City of Peoria.

COUNT 3 – City of Peoria

FALSE ARREST

NOW COMES CHASE INGERSOLL, Defendant/Counter Plaintiff, by his attorney Gary Morris, and for COUNT 3 of his Counter-Complaint for Restraining Order, state as follows:

1. On or about September of 1998, unknown members of the Peoria Police Department reported that Defendant/Counter Plaintiff was the owner or manger of a property at 612 W. Richmond.

2. At no time was Defendant/Counter Plaintiff, the owner or manager of said property.

3. In the Police Departments report, the officers falsely conspired to allege that the premises were dangerous to the health and safety of persons on the premises;

4. At no time did the Peoria Police Department notify Defendant/Counter Plaintiff that there was any problem with the premises.

5. When Defendant/Counter Plaintiff was finally picked up by the Police, Defendant/Counter Plaintiff advised the Police truthfully of his lack of ownership, management or other responsibility, but Officer Russell demanded “proof” that Defendant Counter Plaintiff did not own the property.

6. Per City of Peoria Criminal Procedure, in a Criminal Housing Management violation, the person was to be issued a ticket, with a notice to appear.

7. Despite this procedure, Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff was arrested and sent to the Peoria County Jail.

8. The Criminal Housing Complaint was handled by the Peoria Police Department with the intent to harass and intimidate the Defendant/Counter Plaintiff.

WHEREFORE based upon the foregoing, Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff requests that this court grant him a restraining order against the City of Peoria.

COUNT 4 – City of Peoria

MALICIOUS PROSECUTION

NOW COMES CHASE INGERSOLL, Defendant/Counter Plaintiff, by his attorney Gary Morris, and for COUNT 4 of his Counter-Complaint for Restraining Order, state as follows:

1. On or about September 1999, Peoria Code Enforcement Officer, Glenda Williams filed a Complaints before the Administrative Hearing Officer against the Defendant/Counter Plaintiff for Housing Code Violations in existence on the property commonly known as 1520 N. Bigelow.

2. At no time prior to the issuing of the complaint was the Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff the owner of such property, or in possession or control of it.

3. At all times prior to and at the issuance of the complaint, the property was in foreclosure and possessed and controlled by the Mortgagee and Mortgagor, Associated Bank.

4. At all times, the property had numerous code violations.

6. The City of Peoria failed to investigate this false information.

7. Upon receiving false information that Chase Ingersoll was the owner of the property, unknown persons in the City of Peoria, directed Glenda Williams to issue a Housing Violation Notice against Chase Ingersoll.

8. Glenda Williams was directed to maliciously file and prosecute the complaint against Chase Ingersoll for the purposes of harassing him.

9. The Administrative Housing Case filed in 1999 against Chase Ingersoll concerning 1520 N.. Bigelow was dismissed.

WHEREFORE based upon the foregoing, Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff requests that this court grant him a restraining order against the City of Peoria.

COUNT 5 – City of Peoria

MALICIOUS PROSECUTION

NOW COMES CHASE INGERSOLL, Defendant/Counter Plaintiff, by his attorney Gary Morris, and for COUNT 5 of his Counter-Complaint for Restraining Order, state as follows:

2. At no time prior to the issuing of the complaint was the Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff the owner of such property, or in possession or control of it.

3. At all times prior to and at the issuance of the complaint, the property was owned by Margaret Davidson.

4. At all times, the property had numerous code violations.

6. The City of Peoria failed to investigate this false information.

8. Glenda Williams was directed to maliciously file and prosecute the complaint against Chase Ingersoll for the purposes of harassing him.

9. The Administrative Housing Case filed in 1999 against Chase Ingersoll concerning 501 W. Armstrong was dismissed.

WHEREFORE based upon the foregoing, Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff requests that this court grant him a restraining order against the City of Peoria.

COUNT 6 – City of Peoria

FALSE ARREST & FALSE IMPRISONMENT & MALICIOUS PROSECUTION

NOW COMES CHASE INGERSOLL, Defendant/Counter Plaintiff, by his attorney Gary Morris, and for COUNT 6 of his Counter-Complaint for Restraining Order, state as follows:

1. On or about October 2001, Defendant/Counter Plaintiff observed an under aged person, by the name of Isaiah. Foster, on Morgan Street, driving a stolen vehicle.

2. Pursuant to the Illinois Citizens Arrest statute, Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff apprehended Mr. Foster.

3. Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff immediately made several calls to the Peoria Police Department to come and take custody of Mr. Foster.

4. When the first Police Officer arrived, he and Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff began looking for the stolen vehicle.

5. Upon the arrival of a second, unknown female police officer, Defendant/Counter Plaintiff was arrested for disorderly conduct, battery of the child and false imprisonment of the child.

6. The unknown female police officer was directed by Lt. Marshall Dunnigan Sr. of the Peoria Police Department.

7. Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff was taken to the Peoria County Jail and imprisoned.

8. The above charges against Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff were never filed by the Peoria County State’s Attorney.

9. The actions of the City of Peoria and its agents were intended to harass and threaten the Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff.

WHEREFORE based upon the foregoing, Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff requests that this court grant him a restraining order against the City of Peoria.

COUNT 7 – City of Peoria

FAILURE TO INVESTIGATE HOUSING VIOLATIONS

NOW COMES CHASE INGERSOLL, Defendant/Counter Plaintiff, by his attorney Gary Morris, and for COUNT 7 of his Counter-Complaint for Restraining Order, state as follows:

1. On or about February 2002, Defendant/Counter Plaintiff, filed with the Code Enforcement Manager Bob Meiner more than 200 written complaints regarding code violations in existence on more than 200 properties in the City of Peoria.

2. Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff requested of City of Peoria Inspection Department Officials Billy Ambrose, Bob Meiner and John Kunski that he receive a report back on the status of such complaints.

3. The City of Peoria took no action was taken in regards to the complaints.

4. It is the policy of the City of Peoria to respond to Citizen complaints of code violations and to inspect the property for code violations when it is identified by address.

5. Despite the professed policy the City of Peoria willfully failed to respond to the complaints of the Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff.

6. It was the intent of the City of Peoria to harass and intimidate the Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff, by demonstrating that it would not apply the housing court procedures to others, the way it would to Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff, whom it did not favor.

WHEREFORE based upon the foregoing, Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff requests that this court grant him a restraining order against the City of Peoria.

COUNT 8 – City of Peoria

THREAT AND INTIMIDATION

NOW COMES CHASE INGERSOLL, Defendant/Counter Plaintiff, by his attorney Gary Morris, and for COUNT 8 of his Counter-Complaint for Restraining Order, state as follows:

1. On or about 2002 Defendant/Counter Plaintiff received reports from Marie Little and Mary Washington that a prostitute known as “Peaches” was operating out of a house on Linn Street.

2. Shortly thereafter Defendant/Counter Plaintiff observed a woman fitting the description provided by Mary and Marie, sitting on a porch on Linn Street.

3. As Defendant/Counter Plaintiff drove by slowly, the woman approached and propositioned Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff for the performance of a sexual act.

4. Immediately after being propositions, Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff cell-phoned the Peoria Police Department to meet him at Peaches address on Linn Street.

5. Despite a detailed statement of Defendant/Counter Plaintiff that Peaches had solicited him, and the corroborating statements of Marie Little and Mary Washington and another neighbor, the Police Officer in charge would not arrest “Peaches”.

6. When Defendant/Counter Plaintiff, demanded that the Peoria Police Officer explain why he would not arrest “Peaches”, the Officer threatened to arrest Defendant/Counter Plaintiff for solicitation.

7. The false threat to arrest was intended to harass and intimidate Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff was intended to interfere with Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff’s right to make a Citizens Arrest.

WHEREFORE based upon the foregoing, Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff requests that this court grant him a restraining order against the City of Peoria.

COUNT 9 – City of Peoria

HARASSMENT

NOW COMES CHASE INGERSOLL, Defendant/Counter Plaintiff, by his attorney Gary Morris, and for COUNT 9 of his Counter-Complaint for Restraining Order, state as follows:

1. Illinois Statute 725 ILCS 5/103‑7, mandates the duty of the Chief of Police to post the provisions of Sections 103‑2, 103‑3, 103‑4, 109‑1, 110‑2, 110‑4, and sub‑parts (a) and (b) of Sections 110‑7 and 113‑3 of this Code, punishable in accordance with Section 33‑3 of the "Criminal Code of 1961" approved July 28, 1961, as heretofore and hereafter amended.

Sec. 103‑7. Posting notice of rights.

Every sheriff, chief of police or other person who is in charge of any jail, police station or other building where persons under arrest are held in custody pending investigation, bail or other criminal proceedings, shall post in every room, other than cells, of such buildings where persons are held in custody, in conspicuous places where it may be seen and read by persons in custody and others, a poster, printed in large type, containing a verbatim copy in the English language of the provisions of Sections 103‑2, 103‑3, 103‑4, 109‑1, 110‑2, 110‑4, and sub‑parts (a) and (b) of Sections 110‑7 and 113‑3 of this Code. Each person who is in charge of any courthouse or other building in which any trial of an offense is conducted shall post in each room primarily used for such trials and in each room in which defendants are confined or wait, pending trial, in conspicuous places where it may be seen and read by persons in custody and others, a poster, printed in large type, containing a verbatim copy in the English language of the provisions of Sections 103‑6, 113‑1, 113‑4 and 115‑1 and of subparts (a) and (b) of Section 113‑3 of this Code.

(725 ILCS 5/103‑8) (from Ch. 38, par. 103‑8)

Sec. 103‑8. Mandatory duty of officers.

Any peace officer who intentionally prevents the exercise by an accused of any right conferred by this Article or who intentionally fails to perform any act required of him by this Article shall be guilty of official misconduct and may be punished in accordance with Section 33‑3 of the "Criminal Code of 1961" approved July 28, 1961, as heretofore and hereafter amended.

2. On or about March 2002, Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff informed City of Peoria and its agents Mayor Ransberg and Corporation Council to the City, Randy Ray, and Police Chief Stenson that Chief Stenson was in violation of this statute.

3. At all times, Chief Stenson had failed to post the required notice of defendant’s rights anywhere in the police station as required by Illinois Law.

4. Despite Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff complaints, the City of Peoria filed to comply with the law.

5. The flaunting non-compliance with the law by the agents of the City of Peoria was intended to harass the Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff.

WHEREFORE based upon the foregoing, Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff requests that this court grant him a restraining order against the City of Peoria.

COUNT 10 – City of Peoria

VIOLATING FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND DEPRIVATION OF RIGHT TO PETITION GOVERNMENT FOR REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES

NOW COMES CHASE INGERSOLL, Defendant/Counter Plaintiff, by his attorney Gary Morris, and for COUNT 10 of his Counter-Complaint for Restraining Order, state as follows:

1. Throughout 2004 Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff sent emails to the Peoria City Council Members, Mayor, and City of Peoria personnel.

2. These emails included but were not limited to a discussion of the use of City vehicles for a public official’s private purposes.

3. Another email sent by Defendant/Counter Plaintiff concerned an armed robbery by the relative of a public official.

4. Another email concerned the alleged criminal activity of other public officials’ relatives.

5. Defendant’s emails requested that City employees provide him with additional information on these incidents and any other incidents regarding the mis-behavior of public officials.

6. Upon information and belief, it was at the direction of City Manager, that email communications from Defendant/Counter Plaintiff were blocked.

7. Blocking the Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff’s emails were designed to harass him and frustrate his efforts to exercise his constitutional rights to petition government for redress of grievances.

WHEREFORE based upon the foregoing, Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff requests that this court grant him a restraining order against the City of Peoria.

COUNT 11 – City of Peoria

INTERFERING WITH CONTRACT

NOW COMES CHASE INGERSOLL, Defendant/Counter Plaintiff, by his attorney Gary Morris, and for COUNT 11 of his Counter-Complaint for Restraining Order, state as follows:

1. On or about December 2004, pursuant to an agreement with the owner of the property known as 1108 E. Virginia, the Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff filed an Amended Registration, designating Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff’s office as the registered agent for the property 1108 E Virginia.

2. Despite the Amended Registration, the City of Peoria refused to serve the Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff with notice of a housing court case filed against the property in January of 2005.

3. Without notice to the Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff the City of Peoria Housing Court held a hearing on the property in February of 2005.

5. At said hearing the City of Peoria Housing Court Judge Tom Higgins defaulted the owner of the property and issued a fine against the property in the amount of $1600.00.

6. The fine and excessive amount were issued in an effort by the City of Peoria to harass and interfere with Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff’s lease contract and operation of the property.

WHEREFORE based upon the foregoing, Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff requests that this court grant him a restraining order against the City of Peoria.

COUNT 12 – Sonni Williams and Tom Higgins

DEPRIVATION OF DUE PROCESS RIGHTS

NOW COMES CHASE INGERSOLL, Defendant/Counter Plaintiff, by his attorney Gary Morris, and for COUNT 12 of his Counter-Complaint for Restraining Order, state as follows:

l. On or about March 2005 Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff as agent for the owner of the property and in possession of a leasehold interest, filed a MOTION TO RECONSIDER the $1,600.00 fine issued against the property known as 1108 E. Virginia.

2. At the administrative hearing at hearing, City Attorney Sonni Williams and City Hearing Officer, Thomas Higgins, conspired to deprive Defendant/Counter Plaintiff of his rights under the City Ordinance to appear and present evidence in that hearing.

3. City Attorney Sonni Williams and City Hearing Officer, Thomas Higgins, knew or should have know that Defendant/Counter Plaintiff had “standing” to appear and present evidence in that hearing.

4. City Attorney Sonni Williams and City Hearing Officer, Thomas Higgins, knew or should have know that Defendant/Counter Plaintiff also had a right to go on the record and have the proceeding recorded.

5. Despite knowledge of Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff’s standing and rights, Williams stood there and laughed while Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff’s requested a hearing and to submit documents related to the repair of the property.

6. At no time did Williams and Higgins provide the Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff with a hearing.

7. Despite knowledge of Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff’s standing and rights, upon information and belief, Higgins and Williams conspired to bring in a police officer to have the Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff removed from the premises and to thereby deprive Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff of his right to appear and present evidence at a hearing.

8. These actions were taken by Higgins and Williams with the intent to harass, intimidate and interfere with the lease contract of Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff

WHEREFORE based upon the foregoing, Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff requests that this court grant him a restraining order against the City of Peoria.

COUNT 13 – Randy Oliver, Sonni Williams and Tom Higgins

CONSPIRACY TO HARRASS AND INTIMIDATE

NOW COMES CHASE INGERSOLL, Defendant/Counter Plaintiff, by his attorney Gary Morris, and for COUNT 13 of his Counter-Complaint for Restraining Order, state as follows:

1. On or about March 2005, Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff’s notified the City Manager Randy Oliver of improper conduct of Thomas Higgins and Sonni Williams in the Housing Court.

2. City Manager with deliberate indifference to Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff’s complaint refused to do anything about that conduct.

3. On or about March 2005, Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff’s notified the City of Peoria Mayor and City Council of improper conduct of Thomas Higgins and Sonni Williams in the Housing Court and City Manager Oliver’s deliberate indifference to a complaint regarding that conduct.

4. On or about March 2005 Plaintiff published public complaints to the City Council and Mayor regarding the unlawful and improper conduct of Higgins, Williams and Oliver.

5. On or about March 2005 Plaintiff publicly satirized the conduct of Higgins and Williams and their relationship with Oliver.

6. On or about March 2005 Randy Oliver, Sonni Williams, Tomas Higgins and other unknown parties, conspired to maliciously harass and intimidate Defendant/Counter Plaintiff .

7. On or about March 2005 Tomas Higgins, Sonni Williams and Randy Oliver of the City of Peoria, filed affidavits against Defendant/Counter Plaintiff.

8. These affidavits deliberately omitted mentioning any the improper conduct of the Williams and Higgins in denying Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff a hearing.

9. The omission was intended to portray the Defendant/Counter Plaintiff to the public in a false light.

10. The deliberate omission of improper conduct, was intended to facilitate the obtaining of a Restraining Order against the Defendant/Counter Plaintiff .

WHEREFORE based upon the foregoing, Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff requests that this court grant him a restraining order against Randy Oliver, Tom Higgins and Soni Williams.

By:___________________________________ Dated:________________________

Attorney Gary Morris on behalf of

Defendant/Counter-Plaintiff Chase Ingersoll

A Piece in the Eye

2005-04-13T08:33:00.000-05:00

Years ago I had heard the story of how a police officer pulled a weapon on somone in City Hall. The crime? The person may have have engaged in a "nooner" with someone in their department, who was the object of this police officer's offections.

The juicy details that I failed to hear until last night is that the police officer, stalked the interloper into the restroom where the officer pulled their weapon, stuck it in the face of the interloper and instructed, "..STAY AWAY FROM MY........MAN!"

Of course the word got out, and the officer was given 24 hours to submit their resignation or be terminated. But before the 24 hours was up, the Police Officer declared an "injury". I don't have any more than a vague recollection of seeing some paperwork on this, or pehaps a case that made it into the appellate recorder, but the officer was not fired, and of course there was no criminal charges or restraining order against her.

I know that when I first heard the story, I found it unbelievable, but it came from someone who worked in City Hall at the time. The source with the juicy details of the cornering in the Ladies Room, is not necessarily as reliable, because he heard it second hand, but his descriptions, did not contradict any of the facts that I heard from the original source years ago, who was still on good terms with the Teplitzs.

But you have to wonder about a guy that would marry a woman like that and what he's suffered all of these years. But the behavior over the years adds up as she was never held accountable for the lethal threats and intimidation that she made that day. I have no problem claiming that in another time or place, given the opportunity, the Teplitz's of the world would have been the Saddams, Hitlers, Pol Pots and Stalins. Marcella and Jack, have been as brutal and bullying, from their inside positions as they thought they could get away with. The only reason they have not had my body dumped in the river, is that they know that I would defend myself and that they know that there are still enough people out there who would defend themselves and others.

Really there are just too many nice people in this town. And they are too nice to too many bullies. I don't think they are cowards, they just actually believe in the principal of turning the other cheek, not realizing that if you don't slap a bully back....they are going to repeat the behavior against other innocent people.

Thanks Peoria....a week ago, you slapped the Bullies back!

Rather Not Be There

2005-04-13T08:08:00.000-05:00

That was the look I would attribute to the Three Defeateds at the Tuesday night policy session. I thought they looked like they'd rather not be there, while Ardis just pushed his chair back and glowed like an expectant mother.

The newly electeds were in the bleachers and that had to make it even more uncomfortable, but here is what others are saying, but no-one has yet to publish.

The Teplitz victory party was at Dr. Vegas on Columbia Terrace. But interestingly, unlike the Van Auken party, there was no television or radio playing. But after 9:00 pm one of the fashionably late supporters arrived and expressed their condolensces to Marcella. He promptly received a tongue lashing from the Witch of Wandolph Woanoke, who could not believe that he was telling her the truth.

Later, the Warlock of Wandolph Woanoke, was calling the media and threatening to sue. Exactly what for......it wasn't clear to me, but remember, this is a man who put his hands around the throat of someone at a neighborhood association....who disagreed with him. Oh yeah, and his wife would then call the police and allege that her Choker Husband's Chokee, was stalking her, every time that she saw the Chokee in her neighborhood. The local police officer was concerned for the Choker's spouse until another officer pointed out that the the Chokee owns property in the neighborhood.

But the question on everyone's mind, is where is an obese 60ish drinker with high blood pressure going to get health insurance, now that his wife is no longer on the public dole. Yes, that is the real gravey of a City Council job........the pay is low......but the health insurance....PRICELESS.

So on that Tuesday, there was weeping and wailing and knashing of teeth. But a week later, when asked, the Witch of WW, is said to have remarked that she feels like she just got out of prison. When the reporter then question her rationale for attempting a re-election.........why she slapped him so hard that he hasn't stuttered a single sylable since....just kidding! But you know she wanted to!

So she feels like she just got out of prison..............good, then she knows how all the people who were afraid to not put her sign in their yard felt. I and one neighbor were not so emasculated. We had signs for Barbara, and after the way Teplitz's have played with me and my wife over the years, I guess there was not much left she could do.

The question on everyone's mind, is where the Witch and Warlock of Wandolph Woanoke are going to land their broomsticks and how they are going to fill their boiling kettle now that Hansel and Grettle Taxpayer have escaped their clutches.

I have to think, that in addition to getting out of the Correctional Facilty refered to as the City Council, you'd think that she'd want out of a neighborhood, where she is probably loathed more than Chase Ingersoll. I'm guessing that their is a golden parachute somewhere, courtesy of Methodist Medical Center, or Med Tec. But you never know, she may have just been getting used by people with nicer personalities who were more skilled at being manipulative, who now have no use for their hatchet gal who could not get re-elected.

City Manager has voice of cotton plantation foreman of past.

2005-03-29T15:43:00.000-06:00

So claims a local woman who grew up on a cotton plantation in the deep South. Said she was at a meeting and when she heard Oliver's voice and tone toward a particular group of people, she was reminded of a time when she was five years old and the plantation manager would come out on his horse and yell at the Negros (they were called that back then...and that was what they wanted to be called back then) for not pickin' 'nough cott'n fass 'nough.

She was also bent, because there was a perfectly tallented young man down in Florida, who after being spurned by Peoria for the City Manager's post, because he only had "county" experience, was then hired by Orlando. But I guess the hiring of Oliver makes sense, if you take a look at Ransberg. Do you think that he would hire a young, energetic, up and coming African American to run his company? No. He'd get a company man, someone who would know how to put the whip to the workers (in this case the tax-payers) , rather than someone with a personality.....and decent looks......who would steal the Porky Pig Ringmaster of the Horseshoe show.

I think that even more importantly, a young, talented black person (and this includes a message to the school board) would get Peoria beyond the divide that seems to separate the older, civil rights generation of blacks from a segment of their white counterparts. Get someone who is under 40 and race is just not going to be the driving factor, and they would be liked by both sides of the 50-70 somethings. The problem is finding someone so credentialed who has not been snapped up by some other town. I recall someone I went to school with...Calvin Butler. But as an attorney, he is probably over qualified and overpaid working for Donnelly. But perhaps we could get someone like him, if Caterpillar would promise him an executive job and a salary with stock options after 4-5 years of service to the City.

Generating Revenue from Affordable Housing

2005-03-29T07:26:00.000-06:00

Somoene once said to me that Peoria's low income housing program is to allow a slum crack house on the block that for some reason, the city can do nothing about. As evidence, I give you the following addresses where drugs dealing was rampant, that the City could do nothing about:

905 NE Madison
1120 N Flora
1122 N Flora
1715 N Bigelow
1000 NE Perry
1004 NE Perry
1010 NE Perry
401 NE Monroe
512 Wayne
804 NE Perry
Taft
Warner
Harrison

And where the City has been able to do something about the criminal element, it usually involves boarding up the property, where it then sits, collecting trash, limbs as the paint peals and shingles weather, until you can see the holes in the roof. So now we don't have the criminal activity on the premises, but what are the odds that because of the neglect, the property when unboarded, will remain low income and high crime.

"Low income" most often means....low skills and low character.

So even when the crime is gone, people with higher skills and higher character, seem to sense that the block with the neglected house is not the place that they want to invest. And, if they ask the people who own homes on the block, they will probably be given additional reasons not to invest. And the main reason is code enforcement.

Older houses, may be inexpensive to buy, but they are expensive to heat and expensive to maintain. Hope that you find one that is not, but frequently when you purchase an older home in Peoria, you will find any number of repairs that "meet code" but in the long run damaged the property. The most frequent is is as a result of peeling paint. The owner was cited for peeling paint, so he sided the property, putting up insulation, then vinyl or aluminum. Problem.....moisture underneath.....from the gutter or soffit that the inspector did not see, so underneath the new siding, the old wood is trapping the moisture, cannot breath and is rotting and termite infested. The more discriminating buyer is going to notice this. The poor chump with a low income home ownership program is not. They are going to see bright new, insulated siding. But in several years, they are going to have expensive soffit and gutter repair. They'll get a cheap job that looks bad and still won't solve the problem with the moisture and termite damage, so having learned their lesson, they'' try and buy a new home in a subdivision, while they let the one in the 'hood, go back to the bank.

I've seen this happen.

The other problem is the children. Nice people have nice kids. Nice people are not going to let their children hang out with bad kids. But 7 hours a day, the bad kids that they would not let inside their home, get to sit next to their kid in a classroom, distracting their child and reuqiring that the teacher spend all of their time dealing with the bad kid, rather than teaching. So those with skills and work ethic, scrape together every penny that they can and move to a subdivision where their kids can ride their bikes in the streets without dodging hoopties and bullets, and where they can have the kids that sit next to their child in the classroom, sit next to their child at the dinner table.

I've seen this happen.

DIRTY LITTLE SECRET

Have you ever looked at a real estate tax bill? How much revenue does a $50k house generate for the city of Peoria? On a $1000.00 tax bill, Dist 150 is going to take half. The rest is divided up between about a dozen taxing bodies. The City of Peoria receives approximately $50.00 of revenue or approximately one, onethousandth of the fair market price. Keep in mind, that for a $15k house, taking the owner occupant exemption, the property is completely exempt from real estate taxes. The upshot is that the City of Peoria has thousands of "low income" properties, for which it must provide all kinds of services, but is not getting any money. So the bureaucratic motivation is to try and find ways to extract revenue from these properties, or find ways to eliminate them.

And the way to eliminate them is inspections and housing court. Inspect them and require the wrong kind of improvements, which are beyond the value of any property in a neighborhood with crime. If the owner does not comply, which they can't comply....if they could they would not have bought such an old cheap house in the first place, issue a fine against the owner. If the owner does not pay, turn it over to collection, which will only add further insult to their credit score, making it harder for them to buy or rent a home in a nicer neighborhood.

Oh, and if they don't pay the fine, get a writ of body attachment and have them picked up on a bench warrant. If they want to bond out, put up the amount of the fine as bond.

You'd think that after 10 years of this, they'd have run all of the bad guys out of town. But unfortunately they have run off many people who were actually trying. They ran them off to Bartonville, Hanna City, Kickappo, Mossville and the Heights. Which is why a tiny two bedroom in the Heights will rent for $600.00 per month, when in Peoria twice as much house will rent for less. For proof, look at the new schools they have built in the Heights. If their is such a demand for rental property, think what it is to buy homes. But the Heights does not need to gouge its residences with a fraudulent housing court, because their neighborhoods have market value and they have essential city services, law abiding neighbors and a city hall that is not so bankrupt from spending money the wrong way that it has to dream up new ways to screw people out of their money and property.

Perhaps the City should get a restraining order against these clowns and the people who rented to them.

2005-03-26T17:14:00.000-06:00

As in the Peoria Journal Start on Friday, March 25, 2005 I have added the names of the owners of record of the property and public information as to their addresses and telephone numbers....who are presumably the people who rented to these clowns.

West Bluff man shot outside his home

PEORIA - A Peoria man was shot outside his West Bluff home Thursday by his neighbor, police said.

Peoria police responded to the victim's home, 1609 N. Bigelow St., (record owners FOSTER, JAMES E ; FOSTER, DIANE M

Diane Foster

3705 N Millbrook Rd
Peoria, IL 61615-4174

Tel.: (309) 686-1502

about 5:45 p.m. and found he had been shot in the buttocks.

The victim was not identified by police. His injury was not life-threatening, police said.

The victim's neighbor ( 1607 N Bigelow....owner: PATCH, DAVID E

David Patch

204 Castle Dr
Dunlap, IL 61525-9758

Tel.: (309) 243-8692

fled the scene before police arrived and had not been arrested late Thursday.

Sounds all too familiar

2005-03-26T11:39:00.000-06:00

http://peoriapundit.com/mt/

Fearfulness on the part of bureaucrats appears to be more contagious than a SARS flu virus. Seems that this flu is spread, by people who know their rights and understand the responsibilities of government bureaucrats to do something rather than sit around and think up ways to screw people that they do not like.

I've suffered wrongful arrest by the city of Peoria on two occassions. In the first instance, I complained to the city and the owner of a property, about people that were creating a nuisance and tearing up the property. The thanks that I received.....the people in the property, tore it up more, called the police and alleged that I was the owner or manager....and an all points bulletin was put out to arrest Chase Ingersoll on site.

Interestingly, over all the years and all of the slumlords that have ever slapped paint on a property, not in one instance has there to this day ever been a charge filed, or an arrest made of anyone on this charge, other than Chase Ingersoll.

But the story gets better. When detained, I pointed out to the officer that I did not own or manage the property, and advised them the name of the owner and the manager. So the officers contacted a Sargeant who ordered them to arrest me. I asked Sargeant Russel, what evidence he had that I owned or managed the place. He asked me for proof I did not own or manage it. I responded that he then should show me hid evidence that he did not own or manage the premises and that I would then know what to show him.

But such logic does not work on Sargeant Russel when he is doing his best impersonation of the Queen of Hearts. So I was shipped off to county jail, on a charge where normal proceedure is to issue a ticket with a notice to appear. But when I got to the jail things got even more interesting. Somehow on the computers in the jail, it stated that I had a previous conviction for criminal housing management. The result is that if you have a previous conviction, the second arrest is now a felony charge, not a misdemeanor. So because the charge was "erroneously" bumped to a felony, I was not allowed to post bond, and was held in jail overnight.

The next morning, an attorney called the bonding court attorney in the Peoria County States Attroneys office, who determined indeed that I had no such previous conviction and he immediately had me released on a PR Bond, and notice to appear. No charges were ever filed.

Likewise a couple of years later, about a month after 9-11. I observed an underage person driving a stolen vehicle, so I gave chase on foot, because the driver door was open, and the car was moving slowly, because he was too short to reach the accelerator and at the same time see over the dashboard. Upon my pursuit and shouting, he jumped out of the car and left it to another "shorty to drive". I grabbed the escaper and put handcuffs on him and called the police from my cellphone to inform them of the situation and to have them locate the stolen vehicle and other children.

But I had to call the police department four or five times, an let the cuffed child go as the natives began coming out of their crack houses and displaying their displeasure at the white guy trying to bring some law abiding civilization to their ghetto. Finally an officer appeared, and he and I began a search for the vehicle. But then a Sargeant showed up and she began screaming for me to put my hands on the vehicle and she ordered me to be arrested. The neighborhood officer was apologetic, but he had to follow orders.

I was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, battery and unlawful restraint, a felony which again required my being held overnight without bond. Again the States Attorneys office the next morning released me on a PR and no charges were ever filed.

Two years later, the City of Peoria, which would never acknowledge that a citizen is allowed pursuant to the Citizens Arrest Statute, allowed to aprehend and use all necessary and reasonable force....to detain someone who they obseverve commiting a crime, awarded a commendation to two women who apprehended a burglar at Northwoods Mall. My question to Corporation Counsel Rany Ray was, "...where is my commendation for arresting a child driving a stolen vehicle..." His response was that I would receive it on the 12th........the 12th of never. What a funny guy. He'll spend time in purgatory for that comment. But maybe his purgatory is being a whore for the city and having an office next to another bureaucratic whore - Sonni Williams.

Sources indicated to me that the original intent of the City Legal Department was to have me arrested on this last occasion, but the police department told them to get lost. I had already mentioned to someone to have bail money ready, because of the City's past track record of unlawfully arresting and violating my civil rights.

This time around the City is using your tax dollars to try and set me up in another fashion. I have no doubt in my mind that their hope, in abtaining a restraining order, is to try and then entrap me into a violation of that order so that they can bypass a jury of 12 citizens and have a Judicial Officer just toss me in jail for an extended period. Oh and even if that doesn't happen, they can perhaps think that their are enough "sheeple" out their who feel sorry for them, having to live in such fear of all of the crazy people out there from whom they are protecting the public.