Do Most White Women Desire A Black Man?

Over the pass couple of days there's been a lot of conversation concerning the relationship between Pat Vanderschaaf whose white and Xavier Crawford whose black. Most people believe that there's a very personal and intimate relationship between these two adults. Other than the abuse what's wrong with her having herself a young sex toy?

I was in a conversation with someone today concerning this subject and the statement was made that weather or not a white woman acts on it or not, every white woman has thought about how it would be to be sexed by a black man. Not knowing weather this is true or not I knew that this is the place to get true reactions.

In Memphis you see many interracial couples where a white woman is on the arms of a black man. Some white women have been known to say that there's nothing that a white man can do for them. They feel that the black man having endured the hardships of slavery is a much stronger man than the white male.

Some white women have went as far as to say that the lovemaking of a black man is much more intense and naughty than that of the white male, That he takes his white woman and treats her with tender loving care. but if the statement that every white woman has had lust in her loins for the touch of a black man, Where does this emotion come from that makes her lone for that which she knows is taboo to the white male.

History has shown us how the white man took advantage of the black woman who was his slave. Creeping down in the middle of the night and forcing himself on this woman as her children and in some cases her husband looked on. Many times the black slave women allowed her body to be a container for the nasty sperm of a man that didn't even think that she was human just to save the lives of her sons and husbands. When Black America looks at the many shades of black that we have we are reminded of the hurt that the white male placed upon our women.

But while the master was lying and telling his white white that he was "Just going for a walk" she knew that he was laying with the black slave that he had found favor in, She knew that the fair skinned maid living in the house was in fact her husband's slave child. So the white women started taking walks herself and many times would sat back and observed the strength of the black male slave. How large his arms were from the labor that he daily performed. She even found herself gazing at his man hood with her mouth watering, her heart pounding, and moistness between her thighs. She found herself longing and lusting to be taken and pounded with every inch of his manhood until she became dizzy and passed out from satisfaction.

So today is that very same thing happening? does the white woman feel that she can right the wrongs of slavery by having a black man? Every time she lays in his arms is she saying " forgive us for doing you and your people so wrong"? Or have we arrived to a point where love and lust is color blind?

I'm told that the X-man called into a local radio show this morning, And told the host that Pat's husband had told her that if she didn't get that "Nigger" out of her house, He wasn't giving her any more money. But why would Claire Vanderschaaf be so jealous? Is he laying back wondering how this black man is making his ex-wife feel? Is he wondering if Xavier is making Pat do things that she wouldn't do with him? Or is the thought of his money being spent on his wife's nigger lover more than he can stand.Is his friends laughing at him, knowing that this is not her first black man?

But how does the white male feel when he sees the source of his race's future with a black man. Does he feel that if this continues that he as a race will soon become extinct? he knows that when he looks at a child with a white mother and a black father that his race's numbers has just dropped on the population roles, Because one drop of black blood makes one black.

So does the white woman who has never been with a black man close her eyes at night and wonder how it feels to be made love to from the top of her head to the tingling of her toes and every spot in between while laying next to her white husband or boyfriend? Does she wonder if reported size of the black male penis is fact or fiction? Does the white male become insecure when he sees his white woman walking hand in hand with a black man.

Pat Vanderschaaf has the right to love whoever she pleases, If her choice is a black man that's her choice. If she feels that she wants to pay for her pleasure that also is her choice. Believe me she's not the only white woman of fame in Memphis with a black man. there are several that I have heard of in the last couple of days that would totally shock you if you knew just how kinky and wild they are when they get away from their white stuffed up,money grabbing husbands. While their powerful husbands are in the board room,They're laying on a board feeling the power of a black man.

WELCOME TO BLACK HISTORY MONTH,THERE'S MORE LIKE THIS TO COME.

Is Tom Marshall The Answer To Rickey Peete's Prayer?

City Councilman Rickey Peete along with Councilman Edmund Ford are under indictment for using there office as councilmen to influence a city project that put several thousand dollars in each of their pockets.

Peete who has been down this road before having served time for accepting a bribe of $1,000 in the 80's is facing many years in Federal Prison.

So I'm sure that away from the camera's and the crowd, That smile that he always wears turns into a frown. Peete is known for his massive ego, but I'm willing to bet that he's being praying to a much higher power than himself asking for a way out of this situation that could not only break him, but cause him to lose his wife and home, And put him away for a long time. THAN ALONG COMES TOM MARSHALL.

Marshall is also a city councilman,in fact he's been on the council for 20 years. And doing the whole time that he's been on the council,he's had a contract with Memphis City Schools as a consultant. In his job as consultant he has made millions of dollars for himself and his company. The City Council approves and supplies Memphis City Schools with a portion of their yearly budget. The same budget that pays Marshall as a consultant. As a building consultant Marshall designs school buildings for the system. If a new school is to be built on City property Marshall the Councilman sits on the body that has to approve selling the land that Marshall will make money off of. One would think that this is a clear case of conflict of interest.

Most recently Marshall the consultant served on the Advisory Committee for the building of three new schools. H&M Construction of Jackson Tennessee was awarded the contract even though they didn't receive the highest scores. Fellow republican and former Shelby County Commissioner Bruce Thompson served as a consultant for H&M for an undisclosed amount of money to help them get the contract.

Thompson who grew up and went to school in the Jackson area,lobbied school board members in fact he called one member for a meeting that that member says she didn't know what he wanted to meet about, where he brought along a surprise guest in the person of Kirby Salton who Thompson was using as the black face for H&M. By his own admission Marshall stated that Thompson called him and told him that he had put together a good team.

Why did Thompson call Marshall to tell him about his team?Was this to let Marshall know that he had what he needed to get the contract for his client? Was Marshall and Thompson in on making sure that H&M Construction received the contract?

I was told by Jimmie Tucker who served on the Selection Committee that choose H&M even though all five members of the committee had given the best scores to Turner Universal of Nashville the highest scores,that the only reason that H&M was chosen was because they had received a bad reference from one company that Turner had done business with. I was supplied with the references and their comments, And found that the company that Tucker was speaking of, New South High School in Franklin Tennessee, that did discuss some problems that they stated that Turner overcame.

But in reading the reference sheet on H&M,Clark County Schools in Athens Georgia made reference to Jim Campbell President of H&M saying " Needed a little more physical presence, had a call to Jesus meeting and everything is OK now". So it appears to me that both companies had one problem with a client that was overcame. Bottom line someone at Memphis City Schools wanted H&M to have the contract. So the question must be asks since he serves on the body that approves the budget, sold the land to the system, and served on the committee that recommends the contractor,Is there a conflict and since the System knows of his influence on the council when such matter come up, Is he using that influence to make millions from taxpayers?

But back to Peete, unless the federal government indicts Marshall on the same charges they're going to have a hard time selecting a jury. How can they prosecute Peete and Edmund Ford for using their offices and not indict Marshall? The only difference is that Peete and Ford took thousands while Marshall for 20 years has taken millions. I'm sure that lawyers for both men will use this matter in their defense.

I received a call to meet with someone who is very politically connected on yesterday,and I was told that there is a group of blacks in high places that's thinking of asking the U.S. attorney in Washington to look at whats going on in Shelby county where only black poli-trick-ans are being indicted. Not that they agree with anyone doing wrong, but it appears that whites who com mitt the same crimes are being given a free ride.

Yes Rickey maybe God does hear the prayers of fools and babies. And we know you ain't no baby.

Was Xavier Crawford Vanderschaaf's Stud For Hire

Let's be honest, The so called abuse of Pat Vanderschaaf by Xavier Crawford is total "BULLSHIT" and will never see the inside of a court room. Why? Because upon cross examination while under oath she would have to admit that she and Crawford were lovers, And perhaps she was paying for his affections. Let me give you what the CA and no other media has given you.

Not only do I have the official police report that all the other medias have, But I have something that they don't have that sheds a little more light on this case of "LOVE GONE BAD" In my possession is a copy of investigated report,(Visions SQL Master Name Data) that gives the complete narrative of what really went on.

As reported there were two separate incidents. On January 18,2007 between 6:00pm and 11:30 pm the first incident took place but was not reported until the NEXT DAY January 19th. At the time that the report was taken two police officers responded to a Simple Assault on Beachwood in the Windermere Condominiums. Vanderschaaf told police that Xavier Crawford had "Conned" her into allowing him to move in with her because he was having marital problems with his wife. At the time of the report Crawford had been living with her for over a year.

How could Crawford "Con" her for over a year? If she didn't want him there why hadn't see called the police to have him removed? Simple because she wanted him there. she claimed on this first incident that he had verbally and physically abused her and poured beer on her head. The report goes on to state that she ran from the house and went to her sisters house on Choctaw.

I noticed also in the first incident that she states in the report that she was hit, slapped,and punched, But needed no medical attention. So we are to believe that a man 6"2 250 lbs with a heavy build could do all this to her and she needs no medical attention. I don't think so. The report states that there had been verbal threats to harm or kill her or her family 1-2 times prior. So if this is the case why are they still living together? Simple in my opinion X-Man was her lover and he was putting something on her old ass that she liked and didn't want to give up.
More than likely it had been a while since she had had a man that could not only turn her on but turn her out, And not being the best looking woman in the world she was glad to pay for it. I've been hearing all day about alleged affairs with other black men,including several black poli-trick-ans. So I think that what we have here is a clear case of a woman in love with a man who has no love for nothing but her money. And at her age if she's crazy enough to fall prey to a young black stud why should any one else get mad?

But lets look at Saturdays case, On 1/27/07 at about 1:58 Officers again responded to a Simple Assault/DV at the address on Beachwood. Vanderschaaf told the officers that earlier that morning,a friend Rose Bogan came to her house regarding a dog. she went on to state that when she opened the door for Bogan that's when Crawford came in the house. She states that crawford grabbed the back of her neck and began threatening to kill her. Vanderschaaf stated that Crawford became angry because she wouldn't go to the bank and get him some money. She goes on to say then Crawford and Bogan left the house.

Now the question is what role was Bogan playing? Why did she come to the door first? Had Pat put him out and changed the locks,and he needed Bogan to front for him until the door opened? Or did she know that both of them were at the door? My biggest question in all of this has been With her wealth why is she living in Raleigh? From what I saw on TV tonight it doesn't appear to be the best of neighborhoods( But I'll know in the morning when I go there with camera in hand). The police report goes on to state thatVanderschaaf didn't want medical attention and signed a Hold harmless agreement. The report states that she is in fear and wanted a Police report on file for a Order of Protection.

The narrative report takes the saga a little farther. The investigator writes that he attempted to contact Vanderschaaf on several occasions regarding report #0701009395 which is the first incident. Apparently after not being able to contact her the investigator spoke with a Officer Mark Miller who is a personal friend of her family on 1/23/07 Miller gave the investigator a cell number to make contact. the cell number was passed on to the case officer Sgt Carson who also couldn't make contact with Vanderschaaf.

On 1/27/07 the second report was filed. On Monday 1/29/07, Officer Mark Miller came to the Domestic office stating that Pat wished to talk regarding the reports. later that day Vanderschaaf did make contact with the investigator. She was advised regarding warrants and protective orders. Vanderschaaf advised the investigator that she was confused at this point and did not know what to do. the investigator advised her that she could think it over and then decide.

Vanderschaaf has also told police according to this report that Crawford had taken several of her checks,forged her name and cashed them. The checks were on the Bank of Bartlett. she states that she's working with Kevin,from the bank and that she is signing fraud affidavits on the checks.

I think that Vanderschaaf is somewhat, awwwww,whats the word for it? CRAZY. first of all what is she doing with a 36 year old unemployed black man? And with her money why from what I saw on Tv living in poor housing? Why is she confused about what to do if there is no personal relationship with Crawford ? Is she a lonely sex starved women who after love wherever she can get it? What did Crawford do to her to mess up her mine so?

It is my belief that the X-MAN was her live in stud that she was paying for his services. I believe that either he grew tired of her,or she was paying the way that she had in the past. I know that this may shock you but she's not along. there are rumors of other well to do white women in Memphis who are paying black men for their sexual services. there are even rumors that some of these black men have even married these women for their money.

And if you're wondering why Vanderscaaf would have to pay, lets again be honest take a good look at the picture and you can see why. Maybe Crawford wanted a raise and she wasn't willing to pay. Some one might want to ask Crawford why should she pay you. His answer would likely be " Have you been to the store lately, The price of beef has went up"

Police Director's Home Security System Does Belong To Taxpayers

In December I made reference to the high tech security system at the home of Police Director Larry Godwin's home. It was and still is that all the citizens of this community are in danger of being victims of crime and that the director should not have a security system at his home at the expense of taxpayers. I asked City Council persons Myron Lowery and Carol Chumney to look into this matter and let me know if I was right in my thinking that the system was in fact city property.

At a council meeting several weeks ago Godwin was present in the chamber when Chumney walked in,She mentioned to me that she would e-mail him about my concerns. I stated to her why e-mail him there he stands. reluctantly she walked over to him with what I felt was fear and told him "Thaddeus Matthews wants to know about your security system at your home" Godwin told her that she would have to check with the City Attorney on that matter, And I have not heard from her since. And she wants to be mayor.

But Myron and I have had several conversations on the matter and he promised that he would get me an answer from Sara Hall. Today hall e-mailed Lowery with her response,And like I thought the system next door belong to the City of Memphis. Here's a copy of the e-mail sent to Councilman Lowery:


City of
Memphis Inter-Office Memorandum
TO: Myron Lowery, City Council Committee/Chair of the Public Safety Committee
FROM: Sara L. Hall, City Attorney
DATE: January 30, 2007
SUBJECT: Security Camera at Residence of Police Director Larry Godwin
I am writing in response to your inquiry concerning security cameras at Police Director Larry Godwin’s residence. The Organized Crime Unit of the Memphis Police Department installed security cameras at Police Director Larry Godwin’s residence around March/April 2005. The equipment and maintenance fees were less than $10,000 for this system.

The decision was made to install these cameras based on concerns for the safety of Director Godwin and his family and the recognition that the 24-hour nature of his job would require Director Godwin to engage in confidential discussions with MPD, local and federal officials from his home. Especially during the past 24 months, Director Godwin has been a high profile leader in the war on crime, drugs and gangs in our community and he is clearly viewed as a threat to this element of society.

Approximately 18 months after the cameras were installed, the City began upgrading and standardizing surveillance equipment in various departments and precincts throughout MPD. The equipment located at Director Godwin’s residence was upgraded late in 2006 to meet the standard and to allow for more streamlined management and maintenance of the system. The cost of the equipment upgrade in 2006 was less than $5,000.
The wooden fence surrounding Director Godwin’s residence was paid for by Director Godwin. No City dollars were used to build or raise the height of this fence.
If you have questions or concerns, please let me know.

SLH:bm


So as citizens of this city who also fear for their lives continue to worry about their well beings. We have a police director that instead of purchasing a system for himself, He allows those who have to worry pay for his security.

By the way there's a rumor circulating in the department that Godwin has found a job in another city

History Repeats Itself With Pat Vanderschaaf

As we prepare for Black History Month, History again repeats itself. There was a time in history that white woman wanted the thrill of having a Black man for her sex slave.But knowing that this was taboo especially among White males, The White woman had to keep her sexual relationship with her Mandingo a secret,And if she was caught she would cry rape.

Even though no rape has taken place I believe that this is what has happened between 63 year old former City Council woman Pat VanderSchaaf and 36 year old Former Memphis football star Xavier Crawford.

Vanderschaaf filed a complaint with the police department alleging that the man known as the X-Man assaulted her in her home. She states that on Saturday Crawford grabbed the back of her neck and threatened to kill her if she called the police. She told police he was angry because she wouldn't go to the bank and get him some money.

But here's what gets me, A week earlier in another complaint she told police that Crawford had verbally and physically abused her,Including pouring beer on her head. Why was Crawford at her home on Saturday if he abused her a week earlier? Because in my opinion they were lovers. I think that Crawford had grown tired of being the boy toy of a old ugly white woman and wanted out, And that she threaten to "Cry Fire" if he left her.

VanderSchaaf told police that Crawford "conned" her into letting him move into her Raleigh condo last year because he was having marital problems. Does she really believe that the public is going to fall for this. Did he con her or was his sex so good to him that she wanted him with her all the time? Was she the reason behind his marital problems? Was there a relationship going on between the two of them and she asked him to leave his wife? When he grabbed the back of her neck were they having rough sex? And can you really blame him for wanting to get paid after having sex with a woman that looks like a cross between Phyllis Diller and Lucille Ball?

Let me say this, It doesn't matter to me who one finds to love,or have good sex with. no matter what the color. Black men have always wanted to have a White woman at least once in their lives and if love comes out of it that's great. Likewise White women have always wondered how it feels to be in the arm of a strong black man,And many have given up white men after "Going Black".

So Xavier found him a White woman with some money, And thought that he could find happiness and money, But he grew tired of pro badly looking at her with her close off,Or she wanted what she had been paying for for free. Either way Vanderschaaf in my opinion this case is not about abuse but about a woman being scorned.

By the way X-Man having a appetite for white woman is pro badly in his genes, His father at one time was a professional wrestler who wore a white mask and tights, And wrestle under the name "Snow man".

Question Of The Day: Is There Any Council Member That Should Be Re-elected

This year we have the chance to make a change in City Government. Most of the conversation has been on replacing Willie Herenton as mayor, But what do you think about the City Council? Is there anyone there that you trust? Who do you think is doing a great job. Would you vote for Edmund Ford Jr. to replace his father? Who would you like to see run to replace the council. Joe Brown stated that council members should be paid $125,000.00 to stay honest,What do you think?

City And County Students Should Not Be Denied The Use Of The Coliseum For Graduation

As I was leaving The Memphis City School's Office tonight I received a call from city Councilman Myron Lowery on a matter that he's looking into for me, I related that at the meeting the fact that Memphis city Schools may not be able to use the Mid-South Coliseum for it's planned 11 graduations came up for discussion.

I stated to him that there is no reason that this facility should not be used for the graduation of students for not only Memphis City Schools but Shelby County Schools as well. Lowery stated that "I was singing to the choir" because he also feels that students should be able to use this building for the greatest day of their lives thus far. Lowery states that he will ask Council chairman Tom Marshall to place the use of the Coliseum back in committee. One would think that with all the money that Marshall has made from Memphis city Schools that he would leave the fight for it's students.

The Coliseum is set to close at the end of October,being $1,000,000.00 in the hole,and expected to lose $400,000.00 this year. But should this be a reason to deny students a place to proudly walk down the aisle in their cap and gowns? The County government is not helping with the operating cost of the building,so the city wants to close it up.

If the building must close,Our poli-trick-ans should at least allow students to use the facility this year. Board members have been bombarded with calls from parents concerned about the invitations that they have already paid for with the Coliseum listed as the place of graduation. Since it's not the fault of parents that poli-trick-ans have no concern for anyone but themselves,whose going to pay for the new invitations? many parents had to struggle to pay for the invitations the first time and would create a hardship for many parents if they are forced to purchase them a second time.

Parents and students should not be strung along, they should be told whats going to happen to their special day. School Board member Kenneth Whalum Jr. stated that his son is not going to Desoto County to graduate that he expects his son to graduate here in Memphis. Whalum also recommended that the city should make sure if the Coliseum is going to close that the FEDEX FORUM should be made available at the same cost as the Coliseum. I totally agree with Whalum our students should graduate here in Memphis if not in the Coliseum,than the forum.

All citizens of Memphis and Shelby County should contact there City Council person along with their County Commissioner and tell them to do the right thing,To forget about money and make sure that students who against all odds have made it to graduation day. Even if this is the last year think about the parents that have fought to keep their children in school and have spent their hard earned money for a day that many of them never saw. City and County leaders make Rickey Peete out of a lie, he stated in a committee meeting on this subject " It's all about the money" We know that's what Rickey is all about, But what about you?

If The School Board Buys a $31,000.00 Power Scrubber From Charter Commission Member George Brown, Would That Be A Conflict Of Interest For Him?

Former Judge and former School Board member George Brown who was elected to the Charter Commission last year wants to do business with Memphis City Schools. Michael Goar,Chief Operating Officer for Memphis City schools recommended to the School Board tonight in their Capital Investment Committee meeting that they purchase a Power Scrubber from Brown's janitorial service for $31,000,00.

Now I don't know what a Power Scrubber is, But I'm told that it's a piece of equipment used to scrub floors. But the bigger issue is that Brown who is the owner of Memphis Chemical and janitorial Supply is an elected official of the city. With all the conversation about poli-trick-ans doing business with companies that they may have a conflict of interest with,should the board award him a contract.

As a member of the Charter Commission he will be a part of a group that could change the way the city Council does business with Memphis City schools. Memphis serves as the taxing authority for the system, And the Charter Commission could make a recommendation to the voters that could affect that taxing power. Also with Charter members being able to serve on both the commission and the School board as in the case of Sharon Webb this could also cause a conflict. But just the fact that he's an elected official official of the city doing business with a City agency could also be a conflict.

So what do you think should the school board do business with Brown? Is there a conflict of interest on Brown's part? Should this elected official be able to benefit from taxpayer's dollars?

Johnson's Staff Wants The School Board To Pay $81,200 For Garbage bags And $54,500 For Ketchup

As I sat tonight at the School Board's Capital Investment Committee Meeting I was amazed at some of the items that Carol Johnson's staff is recommending to the board to approve for purchase at their next full meeting on February5,2007.

Michael Goar,Chief Operating Officer for Memphis City Schools is asking the board to purchase 800 cases of garbage bags at a cost $81,200.00. School board Commissioners wanted to know what was so special about garbage bags that the system needs to pay such a large amount for them,Especially when they had a bid that was half the cost.

Goar went on to state how special these garbage bags were, How large they were,How thick they were,And how much garbage the bags would hold. I thought that he was preparing to do a commercial audition for Hefty. Why would Goar and his staff want to waste taxpayers money on such a trashy subject?

And if that wasn't bad enough Goar recommended that the board approve the purchase of 5,400 cases of ketchup at a cost of $54,500. He stated that it had to have certain ingredients and sugar levels. Does Goar think that the students in Memphis City schools all use name brand catsup at home? Hell,I don't care about the name on the bottle i just want ketchup,And so does most people.

Now if the School board approves this we need to put them in a garbage bag and drown them in ketchup.

It's time For Carol Johnson To Tell Us What's Really Going On

It's time for the $210,000 a year lady to tell us what's really going on with contracts at Memphis City Schools. No matter what consultants say or do the buck starts and stops at Carol Johnson's office. With the questions surrounding howH&M Construction Company of Jackson Tennessee got the contract to build three new schools when they didn't get the highest scores need to be answered.

This community also needs to know from Johnson the real role City Councilman Tom Marshall played as a consultant,An was it his idea to ad on specifications to Manassas High School that costs the H&M to go over budget $3,000,000. Why did her staff give chose H&M over Turner Universal of Nashville who received the highest score. I was told on Friday by an official of the school system that a decision was made to ad more seats to the school gym,and to ad on to the Vocational building. My question is why didn't her staff see the need for the seats and the ad on in the initial proposal.

While many would love to lay whatever happens in Memphis City Schools at the feet of the school board,This matter is clearly a staff decision. By state law the school board has no power over the day to day operations of the system. And by that same law the only employee of the board is Carol Johnson,So the board is totally unable to supervise or question school employees.

The bids are sent out by her staff and received back in. It's up to her staff to make sure before the cost of building a school goes before the board that they have defined all the needs of the school that is to be built. The Selection Committee that decides who's to build the school are staff members,And the advisors are under the supervision of Johnson.

After her staff makes the decision as to who will be the contractor, Carol Johnson makes that recommendation to the board for approval. The board normally goes with whatever Johnson recommends,because none of the board members are experts in any kind of construction. There are some questions that need to be asked and maybe they will get asked tomorrow(Monday) at 5:30 pm in room 218 when the board will be having a CIP meeting. I have asked school board member Wanda Halbert to ask Johnson about this project. And I'm sure for $210,000 a year she has some answers,And I'll be there to hear them.

H&M Construction Went Over Budget By $3,000,000

I noticed that the CA followed the story I reported first several days ago concerning the fact that H&M construction Company did not receive the highest scores that the Memphis City School's staff uses to award contracts. In fact the Selection Committee of Lavon Alston, James Bacchus, Ken Ruby, Ann Terrell,And Clair Jones,All gave the highest scores to Turner Universal of Nashville the highest score. In fact one member wrote "BEST QUALIFIED" beside Turner's name on their "Construction Management Comparative Analysis" sheet'


So why was H&M Construction awarded the contract? Was it because they had the lowest bid of $ 46,618.911 compared to Turner's bid of $52,656,894? The system states that while the cost factor is very important, knowing that the you have the builder is just as important. When I look at the bids of the other top contenders I notice that their bids are all comparative. Heery International of Nashville $51,937,508, Flintco-Bricks of Memphis $50,384,923, Montgomery Martin of Memphis $51,610,094, W.G.Yates of Philidephia Ms $64,206,927, Zellner/Caroma/SMS of Memphis $49,989,840.

One thing that the CA forgot to tell you was that H&M went over budget by $3,000,000. It seems that after the contract was award there were new specifications added to the building of Manassas High School. Why wasn't these specs included in the original proposal And who thought that these changes were needed? When I asked School board member Wanda Halbert to check into it she was told by a staff member that they thought that Tom Marshall had requested the changes. Halbert has asked the staff to full the minutes of the meeting where the request was made.

Was the bid of H&M bidded low because they knew that they had a friend who served as an advisor to the Selection Committee. The same friend that was also a friend to their consultant Former County Commissioner Bruce Thompson. The CA reported last Sunday that Marshall stated that Thompson called him and told him that he had put a winning team in place. Why did Thompson make this call to Marshall? Did Marshall get a cut of the deal? Did he as an advisor recommend H&M to the Selection Committee because he and Thompson were working together?

The biggest question is if Marshall recommended the change to Manassas who gave him the authority to make those changes after the board had already awarded the contract. Before the school board votes on any project the staff who along with their professional staff that deals with construction makes the recommendation to the board. It's a normal process by which if Carol Johnson's staff recommends something the board goes along with it. It's my thought that the board who is elected by the people should not always follow Johnson's lead but look into matters themselves when it comes to spending taxpayers money. But if you know nothing about construction I guess you follow the suggestions of those who know.

So If Marshall and Thompson were working together on this deal I wonder how much they really made? Hey Tom if you really want to prove how much you care about ethics, And really want to cleanse your soul give back the %5 million.

Is Tom Marshall Prepping To Become The Great White Hope?

It's well known in many areas of the white community that the thinking is that Memphis has failed under the leadership of Black poli-trick-ans. The white support for Willie Herenton has eroded, Two present city councilman are under indictment, In it's corruption stings only Blacks have been indicted by the FBI, Crime is at a all time high especially in black communities,And many whites will blame this plight on Black leadership.

So many in the white community have said"Something has to be done, We have to find some new leaders" Is this saying that we need to find some whites to replace the Black leadership that has destroyed this city?

So is this the reason that Marshall has suddenly gotten a political conscience? Marshall spoke out against the pension of Gale Jones Carson, knowing that it was the City Council that made the rule that allowed Carson to be able to receive the pension. But just a few years ago he was trying to get the retirement time from the city to be eight years.

Marshall himself has doubled dipped from taxpayers for a number of years, Receiving an income from Memphis City Schools,And the City Council, All coming out of the pockets of taxpayers. The $5 million that he received as a consultant for the school systems beats whatever Carson will ever receive. And this hype about him being so concerned about ethics that he would give up a potential $1.4 million from the system this year is just that,HYPE. Marshall is well aware that the state is requiring local governments to have ethic laws in place by the early summer,And that the state is advising against any public official having contracts with those governments.

So what we have here is Marshall telling the white community "I'm the one to change Memphis,I'm the one who will give up millions just to make Memphis a better place" The rumor has been around for months that he wants to be mayor,And now all this ethics conversation from him is just his signal to the white community that he's "THE GREAT WHITE HOPE".

But what Marshall has to remember is that no white can win the mayor's seat in Memphis without Black support. And the black community will want to know what have you ever done for us? The answer will come back "NOTHING". While I would love to see a change in the office of mayor,Tom Marshall is not the one.

When we look at his consulting contract with Memphis City Schools And we look at the contract given to H&M Construction company I am not so sure that he was not the reason that Bruce Thompson was able to get a large consulting fee from the company. The CA reported last Sunday that Thompson called Marshall and told him that he had his team together.Why was this call made? Maybe because Marshall served as an advisor to the Selection Committee that was awarding the contract. And even though H&M didn't have the best scores they received the contract anyway. Is it possible that Marshall and Thompson cut a deal?

Marshall needs to understand that if he enters the mayor's race, He will have a hard hill to climb,And that there will be an all out effort in the black community to make sure that he falls off that hill. I totally agree that this city needs a change in it's leadership including changing the members of the city council, But not with the likes of Marshall who has served on the council for 20 years and has been a part of the problem, So what makes him want to be the solution now?

Shelby County Health Department Needs To Get On Their Job

The Willow Oakes Apartments on Ketchum at one time was populated totally by blacks. Now it's a novelty to see a black in this complex located near the old Army Depot. The complex is now 99% Hispanic or Mexican,Maybe this why many County codes are being violated.

As you enter this complex you see various food stands set selling hot food. Many of this stands are the backs seats of car,Or the back of pickup truck,or vans. There are 100ft cords running to apartment buildings giving them power to keep their food warming devices going.

There a blatant county code violations,Such as having hot and cold running water, eating out of pots, And most of all no health cards or food permits. Why has the County allowed this practice to go on? The apartment complex knows whats going on and allows this illegal acts to go on.

Many apartment complexes are marketing to Hispanics and Mexicans,where they are allowed to move in without credit checks as those who are Americans are required to do. This is totally unfair to others who need housing but have credit problems. Maybe the Shelby County Health Department will say that they didn't know that these apartment complexes were allowing these illegal foods stands to operate,But now they know. These apartment complexes should be made to shut down this stands and fined if the practice continue. If Hispanics and Mexicans want to be in this country they should not be allowed to just make American money and send it back home. They should be made to operate businesses and pay taxes,Because that's surely the American way.

Prescott Place Apartments Allowing Illegal Mexican Business

As you enter the Prescott Place Apartments on Steve Street you will see Mexicans in Business. They're selling clothing,food,And DVD's. All this business is without business a license.

The van seem in the pictures was loaded with DVD's and CD's and electronic devices,All being sold without the benefit of sales tax.

Why is the city and county allowing Mexicans to get away with what Americans can't. When I approached the man doing the selling and asked if he had a business license he stated "What I do is none of your business" When I replied that as an American I have to pay taxes,he stated "That's your problem".

As I went farther into the complex right in front of the office there was a van selling hot food out of it. Apparently they were heating the food in an apartment and bringing it out to the van. Again no health card or food permit. I asked a security guard about what was going on and if he was aware that what was going on was illegal. He replied that the management would run some off but allowed others to stay. I asked was it possible that the management was receiving kickbacks from the sales,To which he just laughed. Now that our local poli-trick-ans know what going on I wonder if they're do anything about it?

Is Tom Marshall Posturing To Run For Mayor?

In this mornings CA,City Councilman Tom Marshall is upset over the fact that Gale Jones Carson used a city law that the City Council put in place years ago,that would allow her to receive a pension from the city while working for MLG&W. Jones has not broken any law but is taking advantage of a law created by the council.

Since this is not a new law, And goes back before the tenure of Willie Herenton Why hasn't Marshall addressed this issue before,Because he didn't care. Marshall's new found religion on ethics is total BULLSHIT, He's posturing himself to run against Willie Herenton for Mayor of Memphis.

It is my belief that Marshall wants the white community where Herenton has lost a base of support,to believe that we have allowed the black community to lead Memphis and look how they've ran it into the ground,But like Superman I'll fly in and save the day.

There are some media outlets that want to paint Marshall as a great guy because he gave up a proposed $1.4 million dollar contract with Memphis City Schools. Those outlets want you to believe that Marshall put the concerns of the citizens before making millions, Again BULLSHIT. Marshall knew that with the new ethic laws coming down from the state in which the city of Memphis must also have in place by state law by the early summer,that he could not remain on the council and have a contract with Memphis City Schools.

When we look at the consultant deal that former County Commissioner Bruce Thompson had with H&M Construction Company to build three city schools, Marshall is right in the middle of Thompson's deal. Thompson who perhaps made $2,000,000 in consulting fees called Marshall and told him "I think I've put together a good team" Why was this call made to Marshall? Because Thompson knew that Marshall served as an advisor to the selection committee that would be awarding the $46,618,911 contract. Documentation from the board shows that the selection committee didn't think that H&M was the most qualified to build the schools but awarded them the contract anyway.

The company that the five member selection committee thought was the best was Turner Universal of Nashville Tennessee. The bid of Turner and every other Construction company that placed a bid on the project was slightly higher than H&M's which doesn't make much difference because some within the the school system state that H&M went over budget by $3,000,000 I'm waiting for confirmation from the system today on that issue. So was a deal cut between Marshall and Thompson to make sure H&M got the contract?

It's time for many of the present Council persons to retire,not seek re-election, Or just be voted out. And Tom Marshall is one of those persons.

Tom Marshall Had The Power To Recommend H&M Construction Company For His Friend Bruce,Even Though They Were Not Best Qualified To Build The Schools

Today I received the information from Memphis City Schools I requested concerning the building of three schools,And the contract that was given to H&M Construction Company which is the company that paid Bruce Thompson and undisclosed amount to help them win that contract.

I have not had time to analyze all the information but just in the short period of time that I've had to look the paper work over I've been enlightened. The contracts are not just awarded to the lowest bidder,but by the company that receives the best scores in 5 areas.Past Performance as a CM "At Risk",Key Personnel, Local/Small contractor Experience,Project Approach,And response to Questionnaire. Each of these categories have a maximum number of points that add up to 100. The company with the highest points of a possible 100 should be the company awarded the contract.

Even though H&M had the lowest bid at $46,618,911 of which I'm trying to confirm the rumor that they went over by $3,000,000 there scores were not the highest of the 7 top companies that were finalist. The company that was given the highest scores by all 5 persons on the selection committee was Turner International of Nashville Tennessee. In fact on a sheet entitled "Construction Management Comparative Analysis" one of the selectors wrote BEST QUALIFIED next to Turner Universal name. The bid from this company was $ 52,656,894.

While Turner's bid is higher,if H&M went over the bid by $3,000,000 and they're not the best qualified company to build the schools this community cold lose in the long run,by having to make repairs and spending money for the schools that would not have had to be paid with a better company building the schools.

I also understand now why Thompson called Tom Marshall to inform him that he had put a good team together, Marshall was one of four advisers to the Selection Committee. Along with Marshall as advisers were Dedrick Brittenum,Jimmie Tucker,And Leonard Myers. So Thompson called his friend Marshall because he knew that Marshall was a part of the selection process and could recommend H&M the company that was paying him as a consultant.

Well I've got some more reading to do,More to come this weekend.

City Council To Blame For Brittenum's Conflict Of Interest

When you want to blame someone for the conflict of interest that prevails around Councilman Dedrick Brittenum,you have no farther to look than the rest of the City Council. Brittenum was appointed to the council in November of 2005 to replace Janet Hooks. Dedrick submitted a resume and was interviewed by the council before his selection.

Brittenum was no stranger to the members of the council,with them knowing fully well that he represents Memphis City Schools in some of there legal concerns. The council should have thanked him for wanting to serve his community but not given him the nod of approval.

Tom "Holier than Thou"Marshall knew better than the rest since both Brittenum and Marshall had worked together on projects for Memphis City School. In fact today as I was reading some information received from the system concerning the bid process by which H&M Construction received their contract to build three schools,I reviewed a sign in list entitled "MCS Construction Management Pre-proposal Meeting" that had been sent by fax by Marshall that listed Brittenum being present at the October 8,2005 meeting representing the law firm of Farris Mathews. Not only that Marshall and Brittenum served on the advisory committee for the building of the schools. So this whole ethics concern by Marshall is just his way of posturing for a run for the mayor's office or to clean up a mess he's made.

It is the job of the City Council to represent the citizens concerns for this city, But in most cases we see them servicing there own interests. The council knew that selecting Brittenum was a conflict but did not care. It's time to send a massive message to each and every one of them. YOUR SERVICES ARE NO LONGER NEEDED.

Recusal Denys Citizens Representation

In the mornings CA another City Council person has been found to have a conflict of interest that's making his law firm thousands of dollars. This is just another case where it seems that poli-trick-ans are making money at the expense of taxpayers.

In the case of Dedrick and his law firm the contract with Memphis City Schools did exist prior to his becoming a council member, But he knew that his being on the council and working directly as a legal representative for the system was a conflict.

While he and other poli-trick-ans often recuse themselves on votes that concern their conflicts, Recusals deny the communities of which they represent,Representation. The citizens elect people to go to the various offices to represent the interests of their communities, not to enrich themselves,or to deny them a voice because of enrichment.

When poli-trick-ans recuse themselves from a vote on a issue,they deny the community a vote on that issue. When Dedrick recuses himself on a vote concerning the budget of Memphis City Schools the people who live in his district have been left out of the process of having their concerns about the budget met.

Poli-trick-ans do the community a disservice when they are placed in a position where they can not vote of issues concerning this city, And those persons should not be in office. Full disclosure of business concerns should be given to the districts that poli-trick-ans represent to assure the people living in those areas that they will have a voice concerning all issues.

This year the citizens of Memphis will have the chance to change the entire look of the council. Maybe it's time to remove every person presently serving themselves, Opps, I mean the people with persons who have no business ties,and connections to developers. I believe that it's a chance worth taking.

Things That Make You Go Hmmmmm

Former County Commissioner Bruce Thompson finished Freed-Hardeman University in 1981. This happens to be the location of H&M Construction Company, the company that paid Thompson an unknown amount to be their consultant in garnering the contract to build three schools for Memphis City Schools.

In 2002 Freed- Hardeman broke ground to build the Brown-Kopel Business Center, One of the architects and builders was H&M. Is this just a coincidence that there is a connection between Thompson and H&M? The CA reported that Jim Campbell President of H&M was introduced to Thompson by minority contractor Kirby Salton stating "You ain't going no where without minority participation" What puzzles me is, Why would Salton who is a minority contractor himself need Thompson to introduce Campbell to other minority contractors?

Secondly I'm wondering how Salton from Orange Mound got involved with H&M. H&M only needed Salton as a black face to get the contract. My theory is that Thompson has a relationship with H&M and put this whole deal together including providing Salton as the needed black face,And lobbying the School board members for their votes. This is the reason I believe that he called Tom Marshall and said " He had put together a winning team".

I also believe that Thompson used Michael Hooks Sr. to go after the school board vote of Michael Hooks Jr. I also believe that the reason that the Fed's started looking at Thompson was because Hooks Sr made him a part of a song. What do you think?

The Reflecting And Soul Searching Of A County Commissioner

Shelby County Commissioner Deidre Malone says that even though County Attorney Brian Khun stated that there was no conflict of interest in her excepting a four month contract for marketing and public relations with H&M Construction company of Jackson Tennessee,Reflecting back she should not have excepted the contract.

Even though she feels that she has done nothing wrong,She says that "If you have to ask for a legal opinion, maybe that's a signal not to get involved".

Malone who is the President and CEO of The Carter Malone Group with such clients as The Church Of God In Christ International,excepted the contract after Memphis City School's board had awarded the contract to H&M. The contract was to render marketing and public relation services for four months at a fee of $5,000 per month. The article in the CA would lead you to believe that the retainer fee of $20,000 was for a reception,Which is totally untrue.

There is no one any harder on poli-trick-ans in the area than me, But right is right,and fair is fair. I will attack them with venom when I think they are wrong, But I will also stand with them when they're right. I agree with Malone that if you have to ask,something is wrong. But Malone says that this experience has been an eye opening event that will never happen again. If more poli-trick-ans would do more soul searching and reflecting than there would not be so many facing prison.

Halbert Says That Meeting With Thompson Was So Short And Unimportant,That She Forgot That The Meeting Took Place

Speaking today with school board member Wanda Halbert concerning her meeting with former County Commissioner Bruce Thompson and Kirby Salton a subcontractor for H&M Construction Company, She stated that the reason that she does not remember much from that meeting is because after seeing Salton present she only stayed at the meeting for a short period of time,In fact only to drink a cup of coffee.

Halbert said that the reason she met with Thompson was because it was not uncommon in the pre Tennessee Waltz days for elected official to meet each other out of political courtesy. She went on to state that when Thompson called she had never met him and assumed that he wanted to talk about Memphis City Schools.

Halbert who took along a female friend to meet Thompson says that she was totally surprised with the presence of Salton. She says that Thompson introduced him and told her that he brought Salton along so that he could tell her about his company. Wanda says she did not discuss anything with him concerning H&M or anything concerning Salton building a school.

But she says that she did address with him the fact that it disheartens her to see minority contractors always thinking that they need a prime (white) builder to get a contract. She states that she told him that minority contractors should pool their resources and bid as a group of one to win contracts from the board. She states that she only stayed the short period of time that she did stay because she didn't want to be rude. She says that the meeting was so short and unimportant that she had really forgotten that the meeting ever took place.

Halbert states that no conversation about her voting for H&M came up. She also stated that had she been asked to do anything dishonest she probably would have forgotten that she was a lady and cussed his ass out. And I'm sure the FBI knows how well she can cuss, from the tape they have of her when they tried unsuccessfully to make her a part of their sting......All, Ya'll didn't know about that did you?

Don't Let Kevin Gallagher Fool You

Tomorrow is election day for three candidates for State Senate District 30 the seat formally held by Steve Cohen. The candidates for the seat are Robert Spence,Beverly Marrerro,And Kevin Gallagher.

Gallagher who stated that he was not running for the seat,will have his name on the ballot which legally makes him a candidate. But I think Gallagher is playing a trick on both the district and Marrero.

Today while driving through Midtown I was surprised to see campaign signs in several yards. Why would a guy thats not running for office have political signs placed in yards? has Gallagher been lying all the time?Is Gallagher hoping to make Marrero drop her guard and instead of supporting her,hes working to get votes himself?

Gallagher has stated that he pulled out of the campaign because both he and Marrero were pulling support from the same pool. Which means that he doesn't want to split the white vote so Spence could win the race. But maybe he changed his mind knowing that he's still on the ballot he could work in Marrero's camp knowing her plans,and use those plans against her to win the race for himself. So to those of you in his pool you have a choice tomorrow,Vote for either Gallagher or Marrero because they are both in the race.

Let's Find Out What Really Happened

In an effort to find out what truly went on in the awarding of the $46.7 million dollar contract to H&M I have requested under the Tennessee Open Records Act all the documentation on the Bidding process for the building of the three Memphis City Schools in question. Here is a copy of the e-mail sent this morning.

Renee, this e-mail is per our brief discussion. I am requesting all the bid information on the building of Manassas high School,White Station Middle,and Binghamton Elementary schools. Along with this information I am also requesting the names of all companies that submitted bids along with there scores. I would like to know the names of the staff persons who submitted H&M Construction to the board for approval, and what board members were a part of the selection process.

I am also requesting a copy of the contract between Memphis City Schools and H&M. I also need clarification on Tom Marshall's position with Memphis city Schools,As to if there is a contract that has not of yet been fulfilled, if the proposed $1.$ million that was slated to go to his company is a part of an existing contract that has not been service,or if all ties have been presently cut and he's receiving any monies at all from the system. I will be so grateful if you will make sure that the proper departments are aware of the Tennessee Open Records Act.

Thanks in advance

Thaddeus Matthews
Contact number (901) 949-3000



Here's the confirmation from Memphis City Schools that they received my request:

Hi Mr. Matthews,This is just confirmation that I am in receipt of your email. Thank you.Renee Malone, ManagerCommunications, Marketing & DevelopmentMemphis City Schools(901) 416-0486 office(901) 416-5472 faxmalonerenee@mcsk12.netEvery Child. Every Day. College Bound.

County Attorney Gives Malone The Okay To Do Business With H&M Construction

READ THE LETTER FROM SHELBY COUNTY ATTORNEY BRIAN KHUN....... Download
click on download,than click open.

I was awaken this morning by my cell phone ringing to tell me that the CA was reporting that Shelby County Commissioner Deidre Malone had taken $20,000 from Bruce Thompson to hold a reception for minority contractors at a downtown eatery. Before I could read the article I received a call from a political insider who had already spoken with Malone. I was asked to speak with Malone before posting my comments based on what was in the morning paper.

Deidre Malone who is President and CEO of the Carter Malone Group,a Public Relations and Marketing firm gave me a call. I stated to her that in reading the CA it appeared that she had held a very high price dinner at a BBQ joint. I was told by Malone that the $20,000 in question was a retainer fee by H&M Construction company of Jackson Tennessee to handle their marketing and public relations.

The contract which was from January of 2005-may of 2005 was a four month contract where her firm was paid $5,000 per month for not only just public relations and marketing, But also for company strategy,Crisis communications, And to coordinate a reception where minority subcontractors and key business leaders to meet the leadership team of H&M. She also stated to me that before entering into the contract with H&M she wanted to make sure that there was no conflict of interest involved. So she sought the legal opinion of the County attorney Brian Khun, And that Khun had given her a detailed opinion that there was no conflict at all.

I went to Malone's office to get a copy of the letter for myself,which i did. I wanted to be sure that what I was being told by Malone was in fact the truth. In reading the letter dated January 14, 2005,I must come to the conclusion that Khun did in fact state that there was no conflict of interest in Malone's role as Commissioner and owner of The Carter Malone Group.

In the letter which the CA has a copy of but didn't feel the needed of going into, Brian Khun writes "I do not feel that this would be a violation of any state or County conflict of interest provision". This sentence along tells Malone that the legal opinion of the county was that she was within her rights to do business with H&M.

The letter recognized the fact that the job of County Commissioner is a part time job and that most Commissioners have full-time employment. In reading the letter we find that this opinion by Khun is not a broad opinion meant for any other issue than the H&M issue, For it says "In This Instance" it should be recognized that both the Memphis City Schools and the Memphis City Government are ran by independently elected boards and administration that have no connection with Shelby County Commissioners. Khun goes on to tell her that she is not a member of the legislative body of either of the boards.

Khun continues by telling Malone that the only relationship that a County Commissioner has even remotely with the City School System and/or the City of Memphis is in the adoption of a budget of the County School System where dollars are shared automatically and by law under the ADA statues.

Some have commented that Bruce Thompson has stated that he also had a letter from Khun telling him that there was no conflict in his being a consultant. But in reading what Khun had to say in the CA, Khun states that Thompson did not give him all the facts of the matter,But this is not said of Malone.

Please read the letter for yourself, In reading the letter you will come to the same conclusion that Malone had the okay from the county to do business with H&M. While I agree with some who have stated that Malone should have put the minority contractors with H&M as a part of her elective office. Where that may be true she has a right to have a business of her own,and make a living in her field.

Malone who as a former TV reporter for WMC-TV has been in business a number of years working out a a downtown location in SouthBluffs,And she has the right to have whoever she chooses as a client. But Malone should make sure that if there's something in the community that needs to be done to uplift the community she should be a part of it and no price.

As much as I attack poli-trick-ans I must say what I feel is right, But to attack her and she followed the proper procedures is wrong. In looking at this letter Malone did what she was suppose to do as Commissioner,And that is to get the legal opinion of the County Attorney,And if that attorney gives an opinion based on the law stating that there is no conflict, than she's cleared of the conflict of interest drama.

I asked Malone how the CA knew about her contract with H&M she stated that she was told by the reporter that a anonymous call was received. More than likely Bruce Thompson trying to make the community look else where than at him. I must ad that Malone received no money from Thompson,But was paid by H&M. And as far as her vote in July of 2005 she voted because she had been told there was no conflict,And what she was voting on was more than just the building of schools but the $205 million dollar captialization funding of Memphis City Schools that entails dozens of issues involving the system.

Pop Quiz: Who Owns This Building And Whats Inside?

This is such a nice building close to Downtown memphis, In fact it's real close to Beale Street. It's such a nice building that it's being watched so that no crooks break in and steal what may be on the inside.

Bruce Thompson Could Have Made Over $2 Million Dollars As A Consultant

Since Bruce Thompson doesn't want to tell how much he made as a consultant for H&M Construction Company of Jackson Tennessee,The company he helped to win a $46.7 million contract from Memphis City Schools to build three schools,I thought I would check around and see whats the going rate for a consultant who aids a company in receiving so much money.

I'm told by those who know that the going rate is about 5% of the contract. In Thompson's case 5% of $46.7 million is $2,335,000.00. No wonder he took a chance at going to prison, By maybe rigging the deal between H&M and Memphis City Schools.

Let's connect some dots. Thompson is from the Jackson Tennessee area, having lived 11 miles from Jackson and attending Freed-Hardaman School. Coming from the area what is his relationship with H&M? Is he friends with Jim Campbell President of the company? Did Thompson conspire to rig the process and make millions using someone that he knew?

How did this Jackson company know about the bid,did the system publish the announcement in a Jackson newspaper? Is the statement from Campbell that Kirby Salton introduced him to Thompson the true or a cover story? If Campbell already knew Salton whose a minority contractor, Why would he need Thompson to introduce him to minority contractors? Didn't Salton know other minority contractors?.

Is it possible that Thompson told Campbell that for 5% he could guarantee him the contract? Then Thompson makes a call to City Councilman Tom Marshall, Who is the building consultant for the school system at the time to find out what needs to be done to win the contract. Is it possible that Marshall tells him about the process,And also tells him that he will recommend H&M to Carol Johnson and her staff if he can get his team together,which would be the minority contractor and the needed votes from school board members.

Is it possible that at this time Thompson starts to lobby School board members including Wanda Halbert and Sara Lewis? Is it also possible that being a member of the County Commission he approached Michael Hooks Sr. about his son Michael Hooks Jr. Who was a board member at the time. Is it also possible that Mike Sr. has given Thompson up to the Fed's?

We know that Thompson made a call to Marshall telling him that he had his team in place. Did he mean that he had his votes lined up on the School board? The CA is receiving anonymous calls pointing them to other people who may have been involved, Could it be Thompson as the anonymous caller trying to divert attention from himself?

The City of Memphis Board of education should tell H&M that they will never do business with them again unless they report the payment received by Thompson. Board members should be up in arms demanding to know for themselves, And making sure that this community has not been taken for a ride by another corrupt poli-trick-an. But that won't happen,Because that calls for doing the right thing.

Bruce Thompson And His Minority Contractor Met With School Board Member Wanda Halbert

Former County Commissioner Bruce Thompson who seems to have used his office to influence a contract worth $46.7 million for a Jackson Tennessee Construction Company may have tried to lobby a City of Memphis School Board member. After rumors of Thompson's involvement in being a consultant for H&M Construction and being very evasive about how much he was paid for his services,I contacted School Board member Wanda Halbert to get her take on Thompson and his contract.

Halbert made me aware that the school board has nothing to do with the bid process, That job belongs solely to Carol Johnson and her staff. The staff publishes the bids in area publications,And once those bids are received by the staff a scoring system is put in place and the vendor with the best score is recommended to the board for it's vote. Even though the Supt. and her staff makes a recommendation it's up to the board to approve or look further.

While in conversation with Halbert I asked her point blank had Bruce Thompson tried to influence her vote. Her answer to me was "No,But we did have a meeting" I asked what was the meeting in reference to. She states that in the out of the blue call to meet from Thompson she didn't know what to expect. Upon arriving at the meeting spot Thompson had Kirby Salton the minority contractor used by H&M with him.

Halbert states that she did not know what Thompson wanted when he called for the meeting. This is where I have a problem with that answer,I never meet with anyone and not know the reason for meeting,But Halbert states that she had no idea what Thompson wanted. I asked her was the conversation with Thompson and Salton before or after the board's vote to give H&M the contract,To which she answered"I don't remember the time lines" She stated that she had never met Thompson and thought that he just wanted to meet and get to know each other and discuss business that the school board has with the county.

I asked "What did Thompson have to say about about Salton being present?" She replied that Thompson said " He just wants to tell you about his business" Halbert states that there was no conversation about her vote. But I must wonder for what reason would Thompson bring Salton to meet Halbert but to talk about her vote.

Wanda and I have been friends for over 20 years but she knows I pull no punches, or play favorites,I have a problem with her not remembering when her meeting with Thompson took place,And weather or not it was before or after the board voted to award H&M with the contract. I don't understand going to a meeting and not knowing what the meeting is all about.Neither do I understand being surprised by someone who is a vendor for the school system being at the meeting.

This community needs a full disclosure from the Carol Johnson and the board in reference to who all submitted bids to build the three schools in question, There scores, Who were the persons who recommended H&M for approval, And the votes of the board members. Wanda may not have done anything wrong, But her answers just don't sound good, Especially when she tells me she doesn't remember when the vote took place

Godwin Checking The Departments Computers To See Whose coming To This Site

I received a call from one of my sources within the Memphis Police department telling me that Director Larry Godwin has ordered his computer personnel to check and upload from the departments computers to see whose coming to this site. I'm told that he's concerned about what officers are blogging about him here. So you guys at MPD watch yourselves.

Deidre Says She's Got Her Big Girl Shoes On.

I decided to sleep in late this morning,But my cell kept ringing. So after seeing that it was going to be impossible to rest I got up to check the several messages that had been left. The messages were all asking the same question, Have you read the mornings paper, Deidre Malone took a $20,000 from Bruce Thompson.

Before I could actually read the article,I received a call from a very well connected political advocate, who knows Malone well. I was told by this person that the story was only partly true and that there were parts of the issue left out of the CA.

I was told that the $20,000 did not come from Thompson but H&M the construction company out of Jackson Tennessee that was awarded the contract to build three new schools for Memphis City Schools. I was also told that the $20,000 was a fee paid not for Malone's vote on the commission, But for a fee for her company. Malone is the president and CEO of the Carter Malone Group, A public relation and marketing firm.

I was further told that Malone had advised County Attorney Brien Khun prior to doing business with H&M of her potential involvement with this company,and wanted to know if there was a conflict. I was told that Khun in a very detailed letter gave Malone the okay to do business with the Jackson Tennessee firm. I was asked to reserve my opinion until I saw the letter and had spoken with Malone.

Deidre did give me a call, and basically stated the very same things that the contact had stated. But she says that the $20,000 was not just for one dinner,But was a 4 month retainer for marketing and other public relations for H&M. She states that Thompson did in fact approach her stating that H&M needed a public relations firm to handle putting together a strategy to meet with minority contractors,And to make themselves known in the community. H&m was paying $5,000 per a 4 month period for the services of The Carter Malone Group. This amount is a standard in the business. Malone states that at no time did she receive any money from Bruce Thompson but that her relationship in this matter was solely with H&M Construction.

I am reserving my comments about this issue until after my meeting with her this morning. She states that she has a very detailed letter from Khun telling her it was okay to do business with H&M,And that it was okay to vote on the issue of building the schools. Malone has assured me that she will give me a copy of that letter and I will post it here this evening. Malone also knows that if I perceive that she's dirty I will treat her like any other poli-trick-an, But if the County Attorney gave her the okay as a business person to work with H&M then that's another issue. If what she says is true there was no conflict.

There's Corruption On Beale Street Ask Rickey Peete And John Elkington

These pictures prove that someone on Beale Street is scared that the fed's are looking into dealings on the Street.

The persons in the pictures loaded the truck and trailer twicw with hundreds of file boxes and went just a short distance to store them. Even if they are moved the feds have their pictures so they know who to question.

It's time to TAP,TAP,TAP, And DOT,DOT,DOT on Beale Street.

By the way there's a picture that I have not shown yet.HMMMM

I Wonder If The Fed's Knew About The Moving Of These Files On Beale Street?

These are pictures of files being moved out of 152 Beale Street I was contacted by a person who says that he/she was a part of the corrupt act going on in this building where drugs and women can be purchased for a price.

Maybe JohnElkington can Tell Us what's going on.

Why Isn't Black History Taught In Our Schools?

I received a very interestin e-mail from one of my viewers who keeps me up to date on a lot of interesting issues. After reading it I thought it would make for stimulating and controversial conversation:


On 01/10/04 I emailed Rep. Joe Towns my representative for assistance in researching a state law (that would require the school systems in Tennessee to teach Black History) that was passed, and I never heard anything from him. So I researched and found the law myself.

Once I found that law, I emailed a school board member about the law and I have not been able to find that response in my file. 1 year 1 month later I emailed Joe towns again on 02/12/05 and it is now 01/21/06 and I still haven't heard from the representative.

Mr. WW Herenton was school superintendent at the time, and he failed to implement this new law in the MCS system, but opted for something called multi culturism. This is not Black History, we have always been taught the history of others, but not Black History. From that day forward I never supported Mr. Herenton in any of his political ambitions, because he had failed the Black Community in my eye sight. We had a School Board Member that in a Parent Patrol Meeting with myself and other dads at Hillcrest High School kept harping about school uniforms versus Black History in the school system, well....they are wearing the uniforms and look at the violence in the system.

This is the Law that was passed by the Tennessee Legislature, my question to those that oppose Black History month and thought that years ago school uniforms would stop kids from ripping each other off, that hasn't happened.

But maybe, just maybe if these little ones knew the truth about their ancestors, we would not have a lot of the problems that we have now. I know on a personal note, that I wouldn't want to bring shame on my ancestors, by committing some foolish act.

Thank you Stephanie Gatewood for such a speedy response from all of those Commissioners that I made the inquiry too at MCS board, they have failed to respond as of this time and date.

Thank You
M. Hayes
Memphis

Here is that law:

http://198.187.128.12/tennessee/lpext.dll?f=templates&fn=fs-main.htm&2.0

Source:
Tennessee Code : TITLE 49 EDUCATION : CHAPTER 6 ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION : PART 10 CURRICULUM GENERALLY :

49-6-1006. Black history and culture.

(a) The course of instruction in all public schools should include, at some appropriate grade level or levels, as determined by the local board of education, courses and content designed to educate children in black history and culture and the contribution of black people to the history and development of this country and of the world. The general assembly finds that the goal of curriculum shall include the history, heritage, culture, experience and ultimate destiny of all social, ethnic, gender and national groups and individuals, and that such are represented as interdependent, interactive and complimentary. The state board of education shall include multicultural diversity when developing frameworks and curricula to be taught at appropriate grade levels kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12).
(b) The commissioner of education shall annually advise all school district boards of education of the provisions of this section.
(c) The study materials used in the course of instruction authorized by this section shall follow the state board of education's guidelines concerning pornography.

[Acts 1972, ch. 799, §§ 1-3; 1974, ch. 654, § 117; T.C.A., § 49-1927; Acts 1992, ch. 535, § 54.]

It's Time To See The Picture In Black And White

If the Federal Government does not soon show that it has a interest in white as well as black corruption, The government will find it hard to find black jurors to sat on it's juries in there federal corruption cases. It will be impossible to try black officials with and all white jury, Not only would these cases end up going all the way to the Supreme Court,Bit it could cause civil unrest.

The law states that those who have been indicted have a right to br tried by a "Jury of there Peers" And a all white jury would not suit the bill. Many blacks in this community who have grown tired of black poli-trick-ans using the black community to fatten their pockets while giving little or no service, supported the federal Government in their move to squash these bugs who have preyed on us. But we also felt that the government was prepared to deal fairly.

I for one support the taking down of corrupt leaders, But I know that all the corruption is not black. I know that whatever illegal and self serving acts our black poli-trick-ans have done, Are acts that they learned from their white counterparts. For many years blacks had no role in government, and corruption was taking place, so when blacks started to walk the same halls as white poli-trick-ans and saw how they were able to make more money under the table than on top they wanted to be just like the white power broker.

Does this make their acts right, No, But just like I and others know that, So does the government. The black community will not support long the governments turning it's back to the corruption of white poli-trick-ans while it constantly indicts blacks.

There are those who want us to believe that Tom Marshall's giving up $1.4 million in school contracts is noble. But it's not, Why would a man who has been on the council 20 years, who will receive a pension no matter what stay on the council for $30,000 and give up millions? Maybe because if the fed's are coming after him it's easier to clean up his mess from the iside than from the outside. Or maybe marshall is posturing himself with the white community to run for mayor of the city.

The Acts of former County Commissioner Bruce Thompson that have been revealed show a blatant act of using ones office for financial gain. In fact if we look close enough we will see a federal violation called "Bid rigging". Thompson refuses to tell how much money he made as a consultant for H$M out of Jackson Tennessee. But he takes a company that has no minorities working for it, Finds a local minority construction company to join in with them so that they can get the contract, Calls Marshall who is the consultant for building the schools that are to be built by H&M and tells him I've got the team together.

Why was this call to Marshall needed? Did Marshall and thompson conspire to make sure H&M was awarded the contract? Did Marshall and Thompson use their two votes of approval of the school systems budget as leverage with Carol johnson and her staff?

When will we see an indictment coming down on Rusty Hyneman who John Ford got a $50,000 watch from to save him millions on a state deal,who also signed for a car for Edmund Ford, And gave Rickey Peete a house for just $1.00? When will the fed's go after John Elkington who has violated a federal contract by not paying the Beale Street Developement Corporation,And the City Of Memphis.

When will William H. Thomas who used Joe Cooper to bribe Edmund Ford And Rickey Peete be indicted? This is the same man that had Cooper looking for mules to carry drugs in and out of Mexico,And has cars driven by drug dealers registered to his office on Sanderlin. And why did the Fed's give Cooper a pass on charges?

This is not about racism, But about what is right, the federal government will find it very hard to prosecute John Ford who stated he took money as a consultant if Bruce Thompson is allowed to go free. Ford will be able to scream racism if this occurs. John it seems did the very same thing that Thompson has done,But many will want to hang john ford just because he's John. But that will not set well with many in the black community and it will give the appearance that a government that has a history of being unfair to blacks,Is at it again. I'm not saying that the federal government should give any black man special treatment,but I am saying the government should and must be fair.

John, Your Good Thang Is About To Come To A End

John Elkington is probably having sleepless nights wondering what was on Rickey Peete's computer. I' hearing that he's reading this site every morning wondering what I'm going to say next.

John is wondering if the FBI is going to raid his office looking to see how he has stolen funds from Beale Street. He's wondering with all the alleged misdeeds that have taken place if Rickey is going to tell how they have cut up hundreds of thousands of dollars in sponsorship money.

Elkington is wondering if the Fed's will want to know how he's living in nearly a million dollar home but yet has fail to follow the guidelines of a federal contract,Where he's to pay BSDC and the City of Memphis. Plus he must be wondering if the Fed's will seek to find out if the various properties listed in the name of Performa was purchased with Beale Street funds.

Elkington must be wondering if the Fed's are investigating the alleged acts that suppose to be taken place at 152 Beale and wondering if as landlord what role is he playing and what is his cut of illegal monies. Because surely if sex, drugs and women are running rampant in the three story,three club building Elkington is getting his part. He must be wondering also if the rest of "The Beale Street Mafia" is upset with him for bringing so much attention to them.

John let me let you in on something ,A person who at one time was a part of the operation of the "Beale Street Mafia" that also alerted me to the fact that hundreds of files were swiftly being moved to prevent the Fed's from getting to them, is ready to talk,and your name keeps coming up. Here's something else John you are wondering about, You're wondering if I took the pictures of the files being removed,weather I know where they presently are and if the FBI knows and is watching the location that is not far from downtown .

Well John you won't have to wonder long,Rickey is a little upset with you for taking his office and for leading the push to also take his job. You may wonder how Rickey knows, Well some of your so-called friends are doing you just like you did Rickey,Setting you up for a fall. So John you need to be careful who you talk to on Beale, the walls has ears That loved to talk to me, and they're talking to Rickey also.

John, Rickey knows you set him up last week, by tipping off the CA about the sent letter,And the fact that he was parked on Beale. He knows that you had a CA photographer waiting to catch him coming out of his office, To shame him on the front page of the paper. John I'm hearing from sources that Rickey is going to tell all he knows about you and your Beale Street dealings. I'm also sure that the FBI made copies of the pictures of files being taken out of 152 Beale, And probably want to know where those files are and whats in them.

You have lied to people all across this country as though you developed Beale Street. You have been ran out of many cities because even though you lied about how you developed the street you were unable to duplicate the success of the street anywhere you went. You were ran out of Cincinnati because of your racial comments about the Chinese. You have kept monies that does not belong to you and more than likely used them for your own purposes. But as the Blues song says " Your Good Thang Is about To come to a End" Your wondering days will soon be over Rickey is going to get even with you and others on the street. Maybe y'all can share a group cell And sing the Beale Street Blues.

Bruce Thompson has made it hard for you, because the Fed's know now that white corruption must also be addressed.

If Bruce Thompson Is Not Indicted Others Must Go Free

Rickey Peete, Edmund Ford,John Ford,Katheryn Bowers, Are under federal indictments Roscoe Dixon is in Prison and Michael Hooks Sr. is on his way, All for using their elected offices to enrich themselves. Yes there deeds are criminal,And yes they deserve punishment,But only if they have not been picked out to be picked on.

It's beginning to appear that the federal government is only concerned about the misdeeds of Black elected officials and turning their heads to white elected officials who are as guilty as the black officials. I have saluted the FBI in their effort to end corruption of public official who the community has placed there trust in,But now I am becoming concerned about how others are not being TAP,TAP,TAP'ed,And DOT,DOT, DOTED,

Maybe the government has plans to indict William H. Thomas who was the developer who was willing to bribe Peete and Ford,Who also had drug dealers cars registered to his address. Maybe the government has plans to indict Rusty Hyneman for his various roles with poli-trick-ans including giving John Ford a Rolex to help him save millions. I've heard that the Fed's are looking into the dealings of Beale Street, But how long does it take to indict when the person is white? Is the government more careful when whites are involved? Hey, What about Jim Rout?

But if the Fed's allow Bruce Thompson to go without indictment something is mighty wrong. It was rumored after the Tennessee Waltz sting that the FBI was looking at former County Commissioner Bruce Thompson. It was also rumored that in February of last year he received a target letter from the FBI telling him that he was under investigation. Many felt that this was the reason that he did not run for re-election after serving only one term.

It appears according to the CA that Thompson is as guilty of using his elected office for his financial gain as anyone under indictment or on their way, Or in prison. It appears that Thompson worked as a paid private consultant in 2004 and 2005,Helping a Jackson Tenn, construction company land a very lucrative contract to build three new Memphis city schools. Thompson was working for H&M Company of Jackson which won a $46.7million contract. But the former Commissioner does not want to tell how much he was paid.

A representative of H&M states according to the CA, that Thompson matched them with minority subcontractors which gave them a edge since the Board of Education wants minorities involved in receiving contracts. Because the Shelby county Commission approves city school construction record show that Thompson recused himself from voting on the issue. But what is not known is how many votes were lined up by Thompson for the vote of approval,Or if he gave any Commissioner money for their votes.

While Thompson is saying that he did not use his office for leverage to gain the contract,We know that the job of a paid consultant is to make deals work for their clients,And what value would Thompson been to the Jackson firm if he had not been an elected official? Why would they hire him if he hadn't guaranteed them that he had the pull and the connections to win them the contract?The President of H&M,Jim Campbell wants the public to think that he didn't know what was going on,He states that "I just assumed everybody knew he was a commissioner" We did and so did Campbell.

To cover their tracks they asked County Attorney Brian Kuhn for a legal opinion,without giving him all the facts. this was to make it appear that he had the county's okay to be a paid consultant for H&M. This company had unsuccessfully bid for the contract to build the three new schools in early 2004,But when the school board fired the winner and reopened the bids Campbell saw his opportunity. But what should be asked here is why was the first winner fired,And if Thompson used his influence with school board members to get the first winner fired.

The selection criteria gave preference to using local minority subcontractors, So what Campbell needed being from out of the city was a black firm to front for him. A black construction firm that he could hire so that he could say that a minority firm would be the builder. Campbell states that he was introduced to Thompson as someone with the capacity to line up key players. What we have to remember here is that to line up the key players, Thompson had to line up the votes for the winning of the contract. Isn't that a elected official using his elected office to garner a contract for someone paying him?

Campbell states that minority contractor Kirby Salton approached him in the summer of 2004 and introduced him to Thompson.Campbell was told by Salton That he was not going to get anywhere without minority participation,And that Thompson would be effective in helping them to hook up,And connect with minority contractors. City Councilman Tom Marshall who at the time had a contract with the school system as a construction consultant states that he received a call from Thompson stating that he thought he had put together a winning team

Marshall goes on to state that Thompson told him he had put H&M together with a minority contractor. But Why did Thompson call Marshall? Not only does the county have to vote on the building of the schools, But so does the City Council. Did Thompson call Marshall to line up support on the council for the building of the schools,And since it's apparent he had and inside track on the building of schools want Marshall to push H&M with the school system and the board? As a construction consultant for the system wouldn't the board look to him for the best builder?

H&M refuses to tell how much they paid Thompson stating that they paid him out of their management fee, But was that management fee money paid to them from taxpayer's money to build the schools,If so the amount they paid him is public information. The standard pay for consulting for the purpose of acquiring a contract is about 5%. If this is the percentage that was paid to Thompson his commission based on the $4.7million is $235,000.00. But whatever the amount of pay,It was paid while he was an elected official. And there is no way he didn't use his office to acquire the contract for H&M. And we must look at not only him but Tom Marshall,And members of the School board.

The school board voted in December 2004 to award H&M and its minority contractor Salton Fox Construction Company. They were selected over six competitors. Are we to believe that the other companies didn't know that that needed minority participation? What were the bids of these other companies? Was H&M the lowest bidder,Or were they given the contract because of the political influence of Bruce Thompson and Tom Marshall? It's probably hard to vote against two persons who have to vote on your budget.

The statement by former school board member Sara Lewis doesn't help Thompson much. Lewis says she's close to Him and refers to him as "My Son" So wouldn't a mother help her son make money? Because a good son will share with his mother.

When John Ford read the mornings paper he had to jump for joy,Because Bruce Thompson has just given him a way out, If the FBI does not indict him. John has claimed that he was a consultant and that the $800,000.00 he received was from his consulting services. The money that John is seen stuffing in his pockets is his consulting fee for sponsoring the bill for the Tennessee Waltz sting. There is no difference in what John did and what Bruce Thompson has done.

If the Fed's don't indict Thompson how can they prosecute Rickey Peete and Edmund Ford for using their influence for financial gain? If the Fed's don't indict Thompson how can they continue to hold Roscoe in prison or send Michael hooks Sr. to prison? If the black elected officials are guilty of using their offices to fatten their pockets Bruce Thompson has just become the poster child for white corruption. And if he thinks that he's done nothing wrong why is he being so evasive? BY THE WAY I WONDER HOW MUCH CCA PAID HIM TO PUSH TO PRIVATIZE THE SHELBY COUNTY JAIL?

It's time to TAP,TAP,TAP, on Bruce Thompson's door,And Dot his ass off in handcuffs to the Federal building to face federal corruption charges or let the rest go free.

POINT OF INFORMATION: School board members only vote on the recommendation of the Supt. and her staff. The bids are placed in the newspaper and then received by Carol Johnson's staff. Then there is a screening process to see which company has the highest score, For example there are requirements that the school system is looking for as for as a construction company is concerned and the company thats able to come closet to the requirements is generally choosen by the Supt and her staff. The entire board may never know what other companies submit a bid,because the staff has chosen who THEY think is best for the job.

Than the Supt. and her staff presents their findings to the School Board for approval. So the question must be asked was there a deal cut at Carol Johnson's level? Is it possible that Johnson who needed the votes of both Marshall and Thompson gave them what they wanted to get her budget approved? Where some school board members could be involved, The buck starts with the $210,000.00 lady in charge.

.

Robert Spence Responses To The Hate Of A Child Rapist

Robert Spence's Response to Richard Field's letter“NO ONE IS SUCH A LIAR AS THE INDIGNANT MAN”Nietzsche, “Beyond Good and Evil”Dear Friends and Neighbors:

You may have been the recipient of a hate-filled letter from Richard Fields purportedly informing you of the danger of electing me to the State Senate from District 30 and seeking your vote for my opponent in the Democratic primary. Since the release of this pox on each of us, my family and I have been humbled by the overwhelming response from so many of you expressing your sadness that we had been attacked in such a vicious way and rejecting the obvious unmitigated lies – and for this we are extremely grateful and forever in your debt.

It is disheartening that those of us who seek to elevate and uplift our community and have an honest and open debate regarding the real problems that confront our daily lives – record crime, the spiraling cost of health care, the absence of a living wage for many and providing a quality education for our children – to devote precious resources and time to address unsavory and completely false accusations lodged by people motivated by hate and whose livelihood is totally dependent upon their ability to create rancor and division among us. Unfortunately, the type of attack spewed forth upon me and my family has become all too common in the political arena.

Time and time again good, hard-working men and women who seek public office are routinely and unfairly vilified by mean-spirited people who on many occasions, as is the case here, cannot even cast a vote in the election. The people who launch these attacks often believe that they can cleverly cloak their true malevolent motives in some benevolent purpose. For instance, we saw it in the alleged “whitewater” investigation of Bill and Hillary Clinton by attorney Ken Starr and the Republican controlled Congress. We saw it again during the 2004 presidential election when the “swift-boat” folks published lies all over this country assailing the military record of John Kerry. The one common theme throughout each of these attacks and many others is that the people doing the attacking have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.

A status quo which, in our community, is unfortunately becoming synonymous with corruption. One of the lessons I have taught my children, as you perhaps have taught yours, is to have the courage of their convictions. My convictions, faith and hopes for this City are strong. I believe that we can elect public servants who place the public’s interest ahead of their personal interest; I believe we can solve the challenges preventing us from providing healthcare to all children and the uninsurable; I believe we can provide a quality public education to our children that equips them to one day lead this City; and I believe that our City has its best days ahead.It is said that you have to “answer a fool according to his folly.” So here is a brief response to the allegations.

During my tenure as City Attorney, Fields harbored the mistaken illusion that his “support” of my appointment to that position entitled him to freebies, gifts and favorable dealings from the City. He was wrong. When he came with his hand out, I sent him away empty handed. Ultimately, because of his repeated unethical requests, and frankly, his unstable behavior, I was forced to call building security and permanently ban him from my office. The decision I made not to allow Fields to use the City for his own distorted purposes and to not pay him for work he had not earned was the right decision.

The City Attorney’s office was not for sale when I had the privilege of leading it. That was my conviction then and it is my conviction now.Fields claims that I am dangerous because of “bad legal advice.” The obvious question is: How would Fields know what legal advice I have ever given to a client? Lawyers give privileged and confidential advice to clients. Since Fields has never been my client and I refused to hire him as a lawyer for the City, he knows absolutely nothing about the private discussions I have had with clients. Therefore, his claim that he “knows” what legal advice I have given clients is a total and complete fabrication.Additionally, the specific accusations he makes in his letter are either out-right lies, half-truths, or fabrications.

1) When I was the City Attorney I did not lose the BellSouth litigation – I WON IT; 2) I had not been appointed as the City Attorney when the Cook Convention Center expansion project began and had no involvement in selecting the architect or making the architectural contract; 3) When I retired from the City I had already been in private practice for almost twenty (20) years and I did not solicit any legal work from the City – the City sought the legal services of my law firm; and 4) I had no direct involvement in the construction of the garage at the FedEx Forum, as it was built by the Public Building Authority and the State of Tennessee.

Because I have demonstrated the highest ethical standards throughout my legal career, I serve as a hearing panel member on the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility and have the responsibility of policing other lawyers to ensure that they adhere to the ethical standards that govern the practice of law in this state. Fields intentionally neglected to tell you this.Fields is correct about one thing. If the voters of Senate District 30 give me the privilege of serving them as their Senator, Richard Fields and others of his ilk should be very afraid – afraid that backroom political dealings to manipulate elections in District 30 to benefit their own self interest over public good will be over; afraid that the spigot of dollars and other favors will be turned off; afraid that the unfettered access they have enjoyed in the past will be denied; afraid that more men and women of good character and high moral values will run for public office; and afraid that an honest day’s pay will require an honest day’s work.

Again, I wish you had not been subjected to the illogical rantings of Fields and that this diversion had not occurred. However, it did afford me the opportunity to have this heart-to-heart discussion with you and to show you that the undersigned highly respected attorneys are just a few of those willing to attest to my integrity and character in the practice of law in the great State of Tennessee. May God continue to bless each of you.Sincerely,Robert L. J. Spence, Jr.

Attorneys for Robert Spence Bill AndersonJames Curry Florence JohnsonJerome PayneLenal Anderson, Jr. Melanie H. CurryChristopher JonesReid R. PhillipsJeff Atchley Peter J. DausterLes JonesJerry O. PotterDanese Banks Michael G. DerrickMalandria KingMichael RaffertyRichard D. BennettMarc DiazKaren S. KoplonJeffrey S. RosenblumMichelle L. Betserai Gerald F. EasterJeannie KosciolekSteffen SchreinerWilliam BomarAlex C. ElderSandra Loy Teresa J. SigmonPatti C. Bowlan Shannon ElseaMilton Magee George E. Skouteris, Jr.Virginia P. Bozeman John M. FarrisGeorge W. MaidenMichael C. SkouterisLouis P. Britt IIGaylan C. FitzpatrickReed L. MalkinEdward StantonRetired Judge George BrownW. Bradley GilmerJonathan T. MartinChristopher L. Taylor John R. Cannon, JrRegina GuyBruce McMullenCarrie C. ThomasCharles E. Carpenter, Sr.William H. Haltom, Jr. Warren McWhirter Nikki TinkerKeith Carlton W. Timothy Hayes, Jr. Michael Montesi Shannon ToonMiriam L. Clemons Gwen Hewitt Charles F. Morrow Bradley E. TrammellChristopher H. CrainGina Higgins Evan Nahmias Allan WadeSam L. Crain, Jr. Curtis Johnson Brandi Parrish William B. Walk, Jr.Chandley Crawford John A. Irvine Lori H. Patterson Charles G. WalkerArt Wells Scott Willhite Ricky WilkinsStacey WinklerLang WisemanKristina A. Woo Gregory A. ZiskindRob B. C. Hale

REMEMBER RICHARD FIELDS ACCORDING TO A POLICE REPORT AND THE TESTIMONY OF ADRIANNE HALE STATES THAT FIELDS WAS PAYING HER FOR PERVERTED SEX WHEN SHE WAS 16 YEARS OLD.

Was Rickey Peete Setup By John Elkington,Is There No Honor Among Thieves?

Rickey Peete has been had and betrayed by those he help to enrich on Beale Street. John Elkington the lease manager for the properties on Beale has announced that the Beale street Merchants Association will be losing their office space in March.

But why is Elkington making this move, is it because he needs the office space? Is it because the Merchants don't need an office, Or is it to serve the bidding of Willie Herenton and make Peete pay for even thinking about running for mayor?

Elkington who has lied for years about what his role really was on Beale Street has a close relationship with Herenton. So close that Elkington sent a letter to the mayor telling him that the Beale Street Development Corporation was no longer needed,And that the city would be better served if the Historic District would be sold. The mayor knows the Elkington and his company Performa does not have the authority to sell anything on the street. In fact the City of Memphis can not sell anything on the street without the consent of BSDC. According to the documents that supplied the funding for the development of the Beale Street Historic District the city And BSDC are co-grantees of the properties. In fact nothing can be built on the street without the approval of BSDC.

Elkington who is a real estate agent would stand to make millions in commissions if he was able to sell the district that is now worth over $55 million dollars, And I wonder how much he would kick back to Herenton for giving him the contract to be the agent to sell the properties? With Rickey Peete out of the way he would not have to be cut in on the deal.

Elkington does not need the office space,this is just a way that he thinks that he can get rid of Peete. Rickey think about this,your contract as director of the Merchants Association ends in April and since more than likely your contract will not be renewed,Why didn't Elkington just wait until your contract ended to make his announcement? Because the man you thought was your friend on the street wanted to set you up to make you like worse than you already do.

Think about it, the CA already knew about the letter that was sent, but how? because it was leaked to them. Rickey how do you think that the photographer from the CA was there waiting for you to come out? And where did the leak come from? Not just Elkington but City Hall. Think about this,Who replaced Gale Jones Carson as the mayor's Executive Assistant? That's right,Toni Holman Elkington's Vice President of marketing for Performa.

It's well known that Holman is completely loyal to Elkington. In fact she didn't apply for the job, my sources tell me that Herenton called Elkington and asked him if Holman could come to work for him. now Elkington has a contact in city hall that can not only get him all the information he needs, But can push the agenda of selling Beale Street with the mayor. Rickey you have been had by the very person that you help to enrich by bringing corporate sponsorships to the street. I'm sure you even helped him get the lease on Handy park for just ONE DOLLAR A YEAR.

Rickey Peete who called himself the "Godfather" had been known to say "Willie Herenton may be the mayor,But I'm the one you have to come to if you want to get anything done" If Beale Street was to be sold are we to believe that Herenton would not get a broker's fee from the person who would buy the district? But if Peete was still involved he would want a cut to.

Peete must also wonder since Joe Cooper had involvement on Beale Street if Cooper is not a part of a massive plan to get him out of the way because he knows to much and because he's greedy, And would want a share of the gold at the end of the rainbow. But did Elkington make his move to soon? It's now very possible that the plans of Herenton and Elkington could fall through. If Peete knows anything about the alleged money laundering that is supposed to be taking place out of 152 Beale which is next door to the Merchant's office,I'm sure he will sing very loudly.

Elkingtom might have just sealed the fate of himself and others on the street, Because as crooked and greedy as Peete is,He' no dummy. I'm sure that he kept records not just on his dealings but the dealings of others. Could it be since "The Beale Street Mafia" may be under the eyes of the FBI and Peete's office is right next door,They want him gone so that he does not see or hear anything that he shouldn't hear. We know something is up since this group moved hundreds of boxes of files on last week.

The ball is now in Peete hand,he faces a lot of time in a federal prison.But he could probably cut some of that time by giving the Fed's a bigger bone to chew on then him. Elkington's excuse of ousting Peete and his office space because he wants to save the image of Beale Street is just another lie, He wants Peete out of the way,Plus he needs to clean up the image I have made of him by showing that he works for a black company and that he's not really in control of Beale Street.

Willie Herenton has not approved the budget of BSDC for the 16 years that he has been in office, But I have documentation that will show that he had four companies in mind to take over the street in 1992. Neither has the city made Elkington pay BSDC.It is my feeling that Elkington and Herenton want to destroy BSDC so that they can take over the street and sell it,And that they knew Rickey would want a piece of the pie so they're doing whatever it takes to get their slice and Peete's to.

John Elkington who was just a law clerk for Wyeth Chandler when the development of Beale Street started has become very wealthy but how? How many times has he used the leases as collateral for his various projects around the country? Where are the secret bank accounts? I'm sure Ricky knows and all of the information is probably in the computers that the Fed's took out of his office and home. What dark secrets is Elkington hiding,Ricky knows? Whose been getting kickbacks from events on the street? Rickey knows, If there is money laundering, drug dealing and other illegal acts going on on Beale Street,Rickey knows.

Rickey if your sink is sinking don't drown by yourself, Take the rest of the rats down with you

The First President Of the United States Was A Black Man

Let me start black history month a few weeks early. Barack Obama has plans of running for President of the United States, But will he be the first Black President or the 8th Black President? I know this posting will stir controversty but George Washington was not the first President of the U.S. Let's take a look at history.

A "Black" Man, A Moor, John Hanson Was the First President of the United States! 1781-1782 A.D.??? George Washington was really the 8th President of the United States! George Washington was not the first President of the United States. In fact, the first President of the United States was one John Hanson. Don't go checking the encyclopedia for this guy's name - he is one of those great men that are lost to history. If you're extremely lucky, you may actually find a brief mention of his name. The new country was actually formed on March 1, 1781 with the adoption of The Articles of Confederation. This document was actually proposed on June 11, 1776, but not agreed upon by Congress until November 15, 1777. Maryland refused to sign this document until Virginia and New York ceded their western lands (Maryland was afraid that these states would gain too much power in the new government from such large amounts of land). Once the signing took place in 1781, a President was needed to run the country. John Hanson was chosen unanimously by Congress (which included George Washington). In fact, all the other potential candidates refused to run against him, as he was a major player in the revolution and an extremely influential member of Congress. As the first President, Hanson had quite the shoes to fill. No one had ever been President and the role was poorly defined. His actions in office would set precedent for all future Presidents. He took office just as the Revolutionary War ended. Almost immediately, the troops demanded to be paid. As would be expected after any long war, there were no funds to meet the salaries. As a result, the soldiers threatened to overthrow the new government and put Washington on the throne as a monarch. All the members of Congress ran for their lives, leaving Hanson as the only guy left running the government. He somehow managed to calm the troops down and hold the country together. If he had failed, the government would have fallen almost immediately and everyone would have been bowing to King Washington. In fact, Hanson sent 800 pounds of sterling siliver by his brother Samuel Hanson to George Washington to provide the troops with shoes. Hanson, as President, ordered all foreign troops off American soil, as well as the removal of all foreign flags. This was quite the feat, considering the fact that so many European countries had a stake in the United States since the days following Columbus. Hanson established the Great Seal of the United States, which all Presidents have since been required to use on all official documents. President Hanson also established the first Treasury Department, the first Secretary of War, and the first Foreign Affairs Department. Lastly, he declared that the fourth Thursday of every November was to be Thanksgiving Day, which is still true today. The Articles of Confederation only allowed a President to serve a one year term during any three year period, so Hanson actually accomplished quite a bit in such little time. Six other presidents were elected after him - Elias Boudinot (1783), Thomas Mifflin (1784), Richard Henry Lee (1785), Nathan Gorman (1786), Arthur St. Clair (1787), and Cyrus Griffin (1788) - all prior to Washington taking office. So what happened? Why don't we ever hear about the first seven Presidents of the United States? It's quite simple - The Articles of Confederation didn't work well. The individual states had too much power and nothing could be agreed upon. A new doctrine needed to be written - something we know as the Constitution. And that leads us to the end of our story. George Washington was definitely not the first President of the United States. He was the first President of the United States under the Constitution we follow today. And the first seven Presidents are forgotten in history.

Is Modern America Ready For A Black President?

CHECK THIS SITE OUT..............http://www.barackobama.com/

has this country reached a point where a black man can be elected President? Would you vote for Obama? If you're a democrat would you consider Obama over Hillery Clinton? If you're white what's your view on a black man leading you?

Emmitt Ford Says Doretha Gooden Forged His Name To Steal Church Property For Developer

When it comes to whose at fault for stealing property from Fellowship Church Of God In Christ, which now is in the hands of developer William H. Thomas, Emmitt Ford says that Doretha Gooden forged his name.

Doretha Clay Gooden who was secretary of Fellowship COGIC,and a alleged love interest of Dr.James Ford now finds herself facing criminal and civil charges for her role in stealing property from The Tennessee Headquarters Jurisdiction Of The Church Of God In Christ.There is no doubt that Gooden is guilty of fraud,A quit claim deed that she prepared in 2001,bares her signature transferring property at 3481 Steve Road into her name. This is the property behind the Rickey Peete,Edmund Ford indictments. She also lies about being Assistant Pastor of the church. The document also shows how she conspired with Emmitt Ford brother of James who signed his name as trustee of the church. COGIC official state that Emmitt Ford has never been a trustee and had no authority to sign any document for Fellowship. And the church has no women pastors at all.

Also a quit claim correction deed was filed in January of last year. It would appear that both Gooden and Emmitt Ford conspired to steal this parcel of property. Sources close to this matter are saying that Gooden is stating that out of the reported $45,000.00 received from William H. Thomas,she only received $35,000.00 and that the balance of $15,000.00 went to maintenance of the property. Yeah right.But what is it that made this woman risk her freedom for a dead man,was it greed or wanting to hold on to something that belong to her lover? Is Doretha Gooden a pawn? Did Emmitt Ford convince her to join him in stealing this property? How much money did she give to Emmitt? What is her relationship to William H.Thomas? Did Thomas convince her to steal the land?

Emmitt Ford who has hired an attorney is now stating according to legal counsel for Fellowship C.O.G.I.C Jay Bailey saying that Doretha Gooden forged his signature. He states that in taking care of his sick brothers affairs he signed a lot of documents, But the signature shown on the Quit claim deed is not his. He further states that when the correction deed was signed Gooden along with William H.Thomas and another attorney came to him with Gooden stating that his signature was needed to correct a document that he had signed right after his brother's death,Which he states he signed. Ford also states he received no money from the transaction.

Jay Bailey has been instructed by Bishop J.O.Patterson Jr. Presiding Bishop of the Tennessee Headquarters Jurisdiction to file criminal charges against Gooden, Thomas, And Ford, who all have hired lawyers. The church has every intent in recovering the property that they only realized that they owned by way of this blog. The church is prepared to to use all measures at it's disposal to regain the property that this small church needs to his finance needed rehab work on the South Memphis Church.

If what Emmitt Ford says is true, Developer William H. Thomas knew that he was committing fraud. Thomas knew that the property was owned By Fellowship C.O.G.I.C and conspired with Gooden to gain the Steve road property by fraud. Thomas had plans to use the property for the purpose of building billboards. This is the reason that Peete and Ford pushed for the property to be zoned commercial. Thomas only purpose for the land was for his own benefit. I happen to know that the church will not have to suffer financial lost,There's another company that's not just wanting to buy the land for billboard purposes but wants to help the people living in the heavy Black and Latino community by building a Quality Day care center for the children of the area.

How much damage will local authorities allow Thomas to create? While Ricky Peete,And Edmund Ford are captains of their own deeds,Thomas was the one using Joe cooper to buy influence from the poli-trick-ans. I have been trying to find a picture of him to post,but can't find one anywhere,But a source called and told me that Thomas is to have surgery tomorrow at a local hospital. I wonder if I could go to his room with my camera and get a picture?

Beverly Marrero Endorsed By Child Rapist

Child rapist Attorney Richard Fields is up to his old tricks of attacking a black running for political office. Fields has done a mass mailing telling the citizens of State Senate District 30 not to vote for Robert Spence. While I am not endorsing anyone in this race,I feel that I again must deal with "Freaky Richie" As to who he really is and what he stands for.

During the judicial races of last year this man who was having sex with a minor who states in a police report that he likes to have his booty played with, Attacked only blacks who were running for judgeship's. In many cases he only told half truths,and in other cases he outright lied. Fields who took out a full page ad in the CA spoke of the bankruptcy of blacks who were running without giving ever mentioning the white candidates who had filed bankruptcy in the past.

He spoke of things in the past of several black candidates that he found to be bad, But didn't mention that a sitting judge had been charged with sexual harassment and barred from teaching law at the U of M for sexual harassment of students. This Civil rights attorney went on a racist tirade against blacks running for office. At a meeting where the Shelby County Democratic Party was meeting to pick a new chairperson, he circulated a e-mail that he knew was a lie against a black attorney that was running against the white chairperson. In that e-mail he stated that the attorney was on probation for substance abuse,which is a lie,And by the way this attorney plans to run again and promises to sue anyone who sends out that information.

Richard Fields who has made his money off of blacks is on a mission to destroy black men. Is this because as stated by then 16 year old Adrianne Hale, Fields like dildo's stuck up his ass? And he has a fear of real men who would be disgusted by his sexual perversion of sleeping with little black girls and having them stick objects up his ass.

But his latest rant includes a ad in this week's Memphis Flyer,And mail outs to citizens of district 30. in his ad he speaks of how he has championed black candidates for political offices. He goes on to mention the decisions that Spence made as City attorney that he feels were bad and gives examples. But he does not mention why Marrero would be a better choice,neither does he tell the community that like Jake Ford she has a GED. A GED is not bad but it became a reason for many of Marrero followers not to vote for Jake.

But I guess what really got me was the part of the ad where Fields states " In my own opinion Robert L. J. Spence Jr.'s character is flawed" This from a man who took advantage of a 16 year old child,This from a man who had this child sticking dildo's up his ass. How is he able to speak about some one Else's character? Anyone that this rapist (Sex with a minor is statutory rape) endorses should not receive a vote. If Marrero allows this "sick puppy" to endorse, support and work in her campaign she's endorsing the abuse of children.

HERE'S A SUMMARY OF WHAT HAPPEN WITH 16 YEAR OLD ADRIANNE HALE AS REPORTED BY A CITY OF MEMPHIS POLICE REPORT, THIS STORY WAS WRITTEN BY ME I N JULY OF LAST YEAR.

16 year old Adrienne Hale grew up in a area of north Memphis that had a high crime rate and low employment.Yet this child who at the time had no criminal record wanted to work. In fact she had two jobs,Domino's Pizza and the Commercial Appeal. She had no transportation so she had to walk to her jobs.While walking down Orleans St. To work one day, with her friend Wa Wa, a man watering his garden called her over and started talking to her. I wonder what he said to make her stop? Did he say "pretty little black girl come here?" Or maybe he said "hey baby girl you want to make some real money?" Whatever he said she stopped.Adrienne goes inside his house to the patio and talk for a while, than this man takes her upstairs to his bedroom an has sex with her. What was the conversation on the patio about? Was he convincing her to have sex with him? Was he telling this child that he could give her more money than see could make at Domino's if she made him feel good? Why did this grown man stop this child and convince her to have sex with him?The man is Attorney Richard Fields,noted civil rights attorney. Who had made a name for himself fighting for the rights of blacks,fighting to keep blacks from being abused by a white system in America that had at one time allowed white men to rape and abuse black women and young black girls for their sexual pleasure. The context of what is being said on this posting comes from a public document belonging to the City of Memphis Police department.Adrienne states that Richard would call her at home to come over two or three times a week to have sex. And sometimes she would take her girlfriend "juicy" over, because he like having sex with two girls. What did Fields do with these two girls in bed? Did he introduce them to girl on girl sex? Did Richard Fields turn these Children into his own sex slaves? Did he ruined there young lives just to cure his lustful desires?The police asked Adrienne in the report if their relationship was just sexual,she replied yes. Could this be the reason that this young girl has been in and out of jail? Did she come to think that she was suppose to be used and abused? Here she was being taken advantage of by this man who represents justice,but yet he was treating her very unjust.She states in the report that she couldn't cash her mother's SSI check, so he deposited it into his account and after a week he paid her. My question is why did she need to cash her mother's check? Where was her mother? Why would Fields deposit this woman's check into his account? Wasn't that against the law? Why didn't he take the mother to the bank? Did this young girl turn to crime because she was taught by fields?Adrienne stated that Fields would give her $50 each time he had sex with her.Did fields introduced this child to whoredom? Some have stated that she was a Ho. But if she became a "Ho" remember who turned her out. Remember how Richard Fields took advantage of a poor child from North Memphis.The police asked her to describe the type of sex she had with Fields.She replys,"fucking and Sucking, on the bed, in the shower" Then she states that he liked having his booty played with too. What did she do to his booty? Did he want her to stick her finger in it? Or take some other object and put in it? Or maybe she put on a strap on and mounted him. I don't know, but there's only so many ways that a booty can be played with.In the previous post many of you tried to take up for Richard, but stop and think, this child had never been to jail prior to meeting Fields. And even if she had approached him, he was suppose to know that what he was doing was wrong. If what the police report says is true Richard fields broke the law.But greater than that he destroyed the life of a child. What damage has he caused this now young women? Will she ever be able to lead a productive life after being traumatized by this Fields? Fields I know that you were upset about the previous post, and I want you to be, because while you're digging into the lives of judicial candidates, you should be digging a hole to bury your sick ass in.

LISTEN TO MY INTERVIEW WITH ADRIANNE HALE........http://www.audioblogger.com/media/109020/387366.mp3

Godwin Had The City's System At His Home Prior To Firing The 30 Year Captains

On today I will be receiving the report from Myron Lowery on why Police Director Larry Godwin has a security system as the taxpayers expense. What does Larry have to fear? Some are saying that as director he needs security, Maybe so but he should do like the rest of us who have security systems, Pay for it. Here's a comment that was posted on the site that I have researched and found to be true:

Thad, the security system was installed in Godwin's home before he demoted the Captains and before he was approved to be the director. He was only acting director, then he moved from Bartlett to the home on Wesley Woods, he was acting director for 3 months, during this time is when he had Lt. Blum install the alarm system on the backs of taxpayers. The alarm system was installed way before he demoted the captains, and launched his attack on black officers, and way before the so-call threats against him. Check with the country register on the date when he purchased the house and you will see that the city alarm was intalled when he was acting director and before he demoted the Captains.

What has Godwin done that has him scared? Or was the system just a chance to get something free on the back of taxpayers? Who would want to hurt him? No other police director has ever been harmed, So what makes Larry feel as though the Bogey man is going to get him?

My Sources Say Child Rape Suspect Is The Husband Of Judge Joyce Brofitt

A very reliable source is telling me that Judge Joyce Brofitt and child rape suspect Wayne Logan are man and wife. While reports are claiming that Brofitt is the girlfriend of Logan, My source states that the couple were secretly wedded last year.

The child sex case involving Shelby County employee Wayne Logan and a woman who allegedly allowed him to have sex with her daughter may be growing. A woman claiming to have connections to the case told a local TV station there is at least one other girl who was victimized. Logan, an assistant manager in the Shelby County Sherriff’s Department, has pleaded not guilty to charges he had sex with an eight-year old girl, and paid her mother to allow it. The mother has been charged with solicitation of rape.

In court proceedings today Logan’s bail was lowered to $75,000.00, and a new judge was assigned to the case. Former Rutherford County Judge Steven Davis will oversee the case, because of concerns expressed by Shelby County Judges. They were worried about appearances because of Logan's relationship with Judge Broffit. After today’s bail hearing one woman expressed outrage. She claims she knows of another girl who was allegedly victimized. Concerning the original eight-year old and this second alleged victim she told the TV station, They’ve been molested and raped, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let this man and this woman get away with what they did to these kids…I can’t believe they would let this pervert out”. Memphis police have only said they continue to investigate the case, and that they might anticipate other allegations, but they have not commented on this woman’s allegations.

Logan's attorney Leslie Ballin says his client is innocent. “What I heard was there was information. To me that doesn’t mean anything. We’ll defend the case as it stands. We’ll defend any case that comes along”. Ballin made his statement before the new accusation came up The girl's mother has also been charged, and pleaded not guilty to solicitation of rape. Both she and Logan remain in custody

Godwin Tells Chumney That The Security System At His Home Was Not His Idea

On Monday night I called City council members Myron Lowery and Carol Chumney to ask them to investigate as to weather or not the security system at Police Director Larry Godwin's home is city property. Both council members stated that they would check with Myron stating that he would have an answer by Thursday.

On yesterday (Tuesday) in the City Council Chambers Chumney did in fact ask Godwin who was present in the chamber about the system. The meeting started and I didn't get the results of her question until she called me this morning.

Chumney states that Godwin told her to contact the City Attorney's office,And that the system at his home was not his idea. Now we do at least know that I was right in my belief that the system is the property of taxpayers,because had he paid for it he could have just told her so. But whose idea is it to give the director of police a security system when citizens are being killed in this city daily? When Godwin says that Chumney needs to ask the City Attorney who works for the mayor,Is he saying that Willie Herenton who has 24 hour per day protection gave him the okay?

The director must answer to the taxpayers as to why he has a security system supplied by the citizens of Memphis. What does the director of Police have to fear? And when will the rest of the community receive their systems?

Tom Marshall Here's Something For You To Check On, Is It Ethical For The Citizens To Provide The Police Director With A Security System?

Who Is Madeline Cooper Taylor, And Why Was She Appointed To The City Council?

The process by which Madeline Cooper Taylor was selected to serve out the term of Tajuan Stout Mitchell was not fair at all. Those who were seeking the appointment were told of a deadline two weeks ago where if they were interested to have there resumes in.

Those who had submitted their resumes were,radio talk show host Jennings Bernard, Businessman Ike Griffith, And Coleman Thompson of the Recovery Center in South Memphis, Businessman Ed Stanton,And School Board member Patrice Robinson.

Robinson pulled her name out of consideration last week,And Ed Stanton pulled out his name last night. Which left Jennings,Thompson, And Griffith in the running seeing that there resumes were submitted by the requested deadline. There were several other resumes submitted but they missed the deadline. One would think that the appointment would come down to these three,But it didn't. Council Chairman Tom Marshall decided to reopen the process and to allow those who still wanted the appointment to be considered.

Whats unfair is the fact that a deadline is sat,And only does who followed the request of the council should have been considered. But since the chairman and the council didn't see someone that they could run over, Or they saw someone who would fight for the people the rules were changed.

the people of Memphis need someone who will fight for them. I'd never heard of Mrs. Taylor until today. I understand that she works for the NAACP, A group that was good in it's day but does nothing for black people in Memphis now. Where has she been, What issues has she addressed? Why was she appointed? Will she fight for the community or become another token puppet? Time will tell. But Jennings Bernard stated that he will be a candidate for the seat in August,And he will start today (Wednesday) campaigning on his radio show,"Realtalk" which is heard daily from 3-4 on AM 1600 WMQM. But with all the rumbling I'm hearing no council member in the black community will go unopposed.

There are already those who are planning to run for most of those seats, I will give those names real soon. Myron Lowery and E.C. Jones may be in for big surprises.

30 year Captain Asked To give Up His Gun At City Hall

Robert Gill who is one of the 30 year captains demoted or fired by Police Director Larry Godwin after 33 years of service, submitted his name as a candidate for appointment to the Memphis City Council to serve out the term of Tajuan Stout Mitchell. In his interview he was asked weather or not he was still on the force. This was asked because his resume stated that he was presently a police officer,And city employees can not serve on the Council.

Gill responded be saying he didn't know if he was still on the force or not. He stated that he had been off for a year sick and that he received a separation notice from the city. He was than asked if he was still receiving a check, And he replied "Not since last month"

But it was what happened downstairs in the council chambers that caught my eye. Gill was sitting up front in the middle seating section of the council chambers, Larry Godwin was sitting on the right side behind me, When Gerald Thornton and investigator in City Attorney Sara Hall's office came in and went up front to the Sergeant at arms of the Council who is a police officer. After a brief conversation Thornton went over to Gill and ask him to come with him. The Sergeant of Arms also went out with them.

Apparently Gill had his service weapon on, which is not allowed in City Hall or the Chamber by and off duty officer. He was asked to take off his weapon,which he did and gave it to the police officers who secure the front entrance of City Hall,And returned to the chamber. Thornton then returned to the chamber and winked at Godwin before going over to chat with him. I guess Godwin didn't want to be in the same room with a man he fired after 33 years of service who happened to have a gun.

Godwin Can't Carry His Fence Around With Him Everywhere He Goes

This morning I went out and measured the height of Director Larry Godwin's fence, And the height is 8 ft high. I contacted Code Enforcement to see what the City code says about fencing. The height of a fence in Germantown can only be 6ft,But in the city of Memphis a fence can be built up to 8ft. I also asked about the rough side placing my home versus facing his,And I was told that while the proper thing to do is to place the rough side facing your own property there is no ordinance that requires it.

But I still find it strange that Godwin would rebuild a fence on just one side and have that side higher than the other side of his yard. As you can perhaps see from the photo that the fence on the south side of his yard is only 6ft. in height. So what was the urgency to build a fence in the pouring rain the Saturday before the new year? And why just on one side.

I have come to the conclusion that the Director has a problem with me, Why? maybe because I have been vocal against his boss Willie Herenton,Or maybe because I have spoke out against the crime in Memphis which in my opinion has been poorly fought, Or maybe it's because I have allowed a forum for police officers to voice their discontent about the department.

The director needs to understand that he is a public figure and that the citizens have a right to voice their concerns about how the police department is ran, and also about there concerns of not becoming a victim of crime. If this upsets him then "Tough Titty". Who cares how he personally feels? he has a job to do and if he's not able to do that job then the mayor needs to find someone who can.

I must also wonder if the fence was built because he now has a black neighbor,Or because of what I might see and report? And why would the director of police be concerned about what I say on a website? I did see Lt. Ed Vidulich of the Harbor Patrol,And two other police officers remove the old fencing while on duty. Vidulich was wearing his gun and badge along with his black T-shirt that reads "Harbor Patrol". Checking his work schedule he works days.

The use of police personnel to do the private moving of Godwin's fence while those officers were on duty is a violation of the City Charter. I am still checking into weather the security cameras surrounding his home is the property of the city. If it is who gave him the authorization to place the equipment on an in his home. Why should citizens who are fearful of staying in their homes pay for a security system at the director of Police's home?

I have asked Myron Lowery to check into this matter,And he promised to have an answer by Thursday. I spoke with Carol Chumney last night,And she promised to asked the director,But in the Council Chamber today as she walked in, She stated to me that she would send Godwin an e-mail. I stated to her "There's Godwin standing right there" She stated "Maybe I need to send him a e-mail" I responded by asking her why did she need to send an e-mail when he's in the room,surely you're not scared? She went over to him and I could hear her say was "Thaddeus Matthews wants to know about your cameras" I couldn't hear his response,And I have not been able to contact her so far tonight.

I wondered when I first moved to this neighborhood several months ago why the director would not speak when he saw me getting in one of my cars, Or turn his head if he saw me coming out of the house. Than I realized that maybe the mayor told him not to have any conversations with me,And you know you have to do what your boss tells you to do. But director I'm not concerned about what goes on in your house. If you want to have wild freak parties and run around your yard naked, that's find. But I do wonder if you have a problem with black men and if that's the reason for the fence?

By the way today at the Council meeting he was sitting on the second row on the end,And I came and sat on that same row on the other end,I wonder why he got up and moved to the next row. Mr. Director you can't carry that fence everywhere you go, Hate and racism is a heavy load to constantly carry.

What Should John Do?

John Ford's trial has been reset to April,But should he save the taxpayers some money and give a guilty plea? View the FBI tape of Ford taking money from Tim Willis and let us know if John has a chance of getting off.

THE FBI TAPE...http://tinyurl.com/sr4ru

Is The Police Director Breaking The Law?

You would think that since Police director Larry Godwin was in the fence building business that he would know how to properly build one.

It is my thought that first of all the height of the fence is in violation of the City ordinance, Secondly the fence is built backwards. The smooth side of the fence should be facing my yard. Thirdly why did he leave concrete on the ground in my yard?

I will be making a visit to Code enforcement on tomorrow morning to file a complaint. Did Godwin think that just because he's the police director that he could get away with building a fence any way that he wanted,Probably so, But he's wrong. If the height of the fence is in violation I expect the city to force him to tear it down.

I have also wonder why the director felt the need to build a high fence to divide our yards. He already had a fence as you can see from the picture with the gate. The height of his fence all the way round his yard was the height of the gate. The only portion of the fence that was replaced was the portion on my side. Maybe the white neighbors on the other side are not a threat to his political well being. Or maybe he just wanted to separate himself from his black neighbor.

Concerning the security camera that I believe is city property,I spoke this afternoon with Council members Myron Lowery and Carol Chumney. I have asked them to investigate as to weather or not the system belongs to the city. And if it does who authorize the director to place a system that was purchase with taxpayer money on his home. Myron states that he will have an answer by Thursday,And Chumney stated that she will ask him outright if the system belongs to the city. By the way the use of police personnel to move his old fence while on duty is a violation of the City Charter.

Memphis Could Receive A Political Makeover This Year

My sources in City Hall tel me that City Council member Deadrick Brittenum will announce maybe as soon as tomorrow that he will not be seeking to be elected to the position that he was appointed to last year after the resignation of Janet Hooks.

His departure will open up at least four positions on the council. Surely Rickey Re-Peete and Edmund Ford will not seek re-election,since they are under indictment for peddling their office's for money. In fact it's rumored that Edmund Ford has plans to run his son Edmund Ford Jr. for the seat he presently holds.

The seats of Carol Chumney will also be opened since she's running for city mayor. E.C. Jones had stated that he was resigning this month,But I don't think that is going to happen. School Board member Stephanie Gatewood has plans to run either against Jones or run if the seat is open. There is also a rumbling that Myron Lowery will also get a run for his council seat,If he doesn't decide to run for mayor. The person that has plans of running could give Myron a run for his money.

So this year could be a great year for Memphis politics with a new City Council and hopefully a new mayor.

Are The Citizens Of Memphis Paying For The Security System At Police Director Larry Godwin's Home?

At the time of this posting there have been 11 murders in 14 days. Just a few days ago a elderly man was broken into by an "Animal" that took the time to pry window guards off of a window to get to the wheelchair bound man.

The elderly man did the right thing an shot the criminal twice in the head. But not just the elderly but most people who live in the City of Memphis have a fear of being the next victim.

But as taxpayers are we getting the protection that we deserve? We have a mayor that couldn't find money to give police officers a raise,but he wants the citizens of Memphis to invest in another wasteland. He would rather spend $30 million dollars on a stadium than to invest in police officers and means of protecting the citizens of this community.

But why should he be concerned about crime,he has body guards surrounding him 24 hours a day, Sleeping quarters for those guards at his home,And a squad car parked at his gates. All of this protection is made for by the very ones who feel the least secure. I had always heard that Police Director Larry Godwin had high tech security cameras at his home installed by the police department. Recently I moved next door to Godwin and I noticed right away that these cameras exist.

As you can see in the picture the cameras on Godwins home didn't come from Radio Shack, But are in fact high tech. I wonder who authorize him if the cameras are City property to have them installed? Did the mayor give him the okay to install the equipment that belongs to the city,Or did he take it upon himself to use city property as though he paid for it. I will be sending pictures to all City council members asking them to investigate.

When I moved next door to Godwin he had a regular 6ft. fence surrounding his home, but several weeks ago he installed a 10 ft fence, Not around his home but just on the side that divides his home from mine's. Is the Director paranoid? I wonder why he didn't replace the fence on the other side of his yard? Could it be that his neighbors on that side are white? Or could it just be because of who he may think I am?

What goes on in his yard is not my concern,If he and his family want to run around his yard naked and have wild orgies that's his business. But if he has security system at his home provided by the citizens of Memphis,That's my business. And if the city is passing out security systems I'm sure that elderly man in Orange Mound would love to have one.

What Would King Think Of Black Leadership In Memphis

In the city where Martin Luther King Jr. lost his life,Tomorrow there will be marches and great speeches,But I have to wonder for what? Have blacks realized the dream of King? If we had then we as a race would not be killing each other on a daily basis.

The biggest threat that blacks have in this city is other blacks. Our problem is not the white man,In many cases we know how some of our white brothers feel about us. That feeling is something that we as a race have adjusted to realizing that the day that many of them would love to see reappear will never happen again.

The day of black men hanging in trees because they stood up to a white man is gone. There are many of us who would fight to the death before we would allow those days to come again.

But in this city our marching tomorrow will be in vain because we as a race have not learned how to live together. We have not learned how keep money in our communities,We have not learned how to elect black leaders who will stand the course,And stand for whats right. We have not learned how to hold our leaders accountable to the people who placed them in office.

In this city we have elected a black mayor who does not give a damn about the people who placed him in office. He has bowed to the white power brokers in this city and given them everything that they've wanted. On new year's day in his speech he thanked the 3000 whites who voted for him,and he's been kissing their asses every since he was elected.

But Mr. mayor what about the crime in the black community? What about you walking through the streets urging black men to lay down their guns and pick up a book. Why not walk door to door like you did when you wanted to be elected the first time assuring the elderly that you will do what has to be done to make them feel save. But that will never happen because the black community has allowed him to become comfortable in office,The newspapers and others say that he's unbeatable. But they all forgot about the power of a people who when they get enough will rise up and fight. But when will be get enough?

We live in a city where blacks would rather build churches than lives, a city with over 3000 black churches where it seems that the Gospel is falling on death ears. Because if we truly believed in the word of God we wouldn't just sat back and allow destruction to take place in our communities.

So our marching tomorrow is just a show,A day to take off, A day to pretend that we care about our communities. Because if we believed that "In justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." We would demand that the Federal government would yes lock up blacks who violate the trust of the community, But also lock up whites who are corrupt.

If we are to "Overcome" we can not wait for whites to make our changes for us, We can't even wait for black leaders to make that change. We must make that change for ourselves. And we can start this year but electing blacks to office in this city that will not just build up downtown,But will build us all of this city. We must not elect a mayor who does not fight crime and would rather build a stadium than put the money where its needed.

And when we rid ourselves of Herenton and the City council, we can say Free At last,Free at last, Thank God almighty, We're free at last.

THE MOUNTAINTOP SPEECH.......http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_agUA-htonQ

Coming Tomorrow: In A City Where Citizens Fear For Their Lives, Why Are We Paying For Security For The Mayor And Police Director?

While the citizens of Memphis are fearful to walk the streets of Memphis,The mayor has body guards and a squad car parked at his gates at his home. The Police Director has high tech security cameras all around his house,Which I have heard was installed by the police department. If this is true,Who authorized him to use taxpayer's dollars for his own benefit?
I'll show you pictures of the cameras,And I will be asking Council members to check into this matter.

More Moving Day Pics From Beale Street

Rickey Re-Peete Forgets To Make Court Appearance

An indicted Memphis City Council member pleaded not guilty to corruption charges Wednesday morning in federal court.Edmund Ford and fellow Council member Rickey Re- Peete are charged with taking payoffs from lobbyist Joe Cooper in exchange for support in a billboard case presented to City Council. The cases against Ford and Peete were developed by the government as part of Operation Main Street Sweeper.

Rickey Re-Peete was also scheduled to appear in court but did not show up, saying he was not aware the hearing was to take place. His arraignment was postponed until January 17th. Seems as though Peete needs to hire a new attorney,If his present attorney doesn't know when to appear in court he certainly won't be able to defend Peete.

But then Handel Durham who represents Peete may know that this case is hopeless and decided not to appear. But one would think that Peete would keep up with his court date himself. But maybe the reason that Peete forgot about his court date,is because he was helping the "Beale Street Mafia" move their files. His Mercedes Kompressor was parked outside 152 Beale the whole time the files were being moved.

Should Herman And Carol Get Together And Chose Whose Best To Lead Memphis?

Carol Chumney has already announced her intentions of running for Mayor of Memphis. Herman Morris will very soon make his official announcement for the same job. But who will make the better candidate?

If the intention is to ousted Willie Herenton do you think that these two should sit down and figure out who has the better chance of winning. Morris will have competing funds to run a strong race against Herenton,In fact his organization has been in place since last spring.

Morris and Chumney have the strogest names of those who are planning to run for mayor. Some think that Myron Lowery may enter the race,but he told me that he would not run against Herenton. But I happen to know for a fact that he needs to focus on his council seat, Because there's a strong chance that he will have a very strong opponet running against him. John Willingham has his eyes also on the mayor's job,But he has no chance of beating the current mayor he would fair better running for City Council.

Say are saying that Herenton is unbeatable,That he will win the fight without taking a punch. I will admit beating him is no cake walk but it can happen if the race is not pack with "Mayor wanna be's". In fact a race between Herenton and Morris could cause the mayor some big problems because the money will be in place along with corporate support,And a solid choice for those who want to send Willie packing

The Willie And Mark Show

Mark Luttrell wants to spend millions on a new jail,Willie Herenton wants to spend millions on a new stadium,But the question should be where is the money suppose to come from. The taxpayers of this County spent over $250 million dollars for a building for basketball players who hardly win a game to play. This same building puts no money into the coffers of the city or county,In fact our poli-trick-ans gave the owner first right of refusal on any acts coming into the city. Also the taxpayers built a parking garage for this building that lost a whole floor and over $20 million dollars while being built.

What has to take place in this community for citizens to say "enough is enough,When do we tell these political tricksters to stop spending our money like it belongs to them. We can't find money to give police and fire personnel a raise but Willie wants to find money to build a stadium. If the county who reinstate the old "Work House" project where inmates had to work,We could lessen the population of 201 poplar. Neither of these projects need to go forward until the city and county gets a handle on its spending.

Willie and Mark must know that to build these two projects,That there would have to be an increase in property taxes. Where are poor people suppose to keep getting money to fund the nonsense projects of self serving poli-trick-ans. By the way don't we still have a balance on the Pyramid?

Tom Marshall Gives Up MillionsFor Public Service, Or Is He Trying To Avoid An Investigation

Can you believe it? Just when you think there is no conscience or moral fiber in a poli-trick-ans body along comes a guy who turns down millions for public service. Earlier today City Councilman Tom Marshall called it quits as a consultant for Memphis City Schools.

Marshall says that he's making a point for ethics, And that he wants to lead by example. Marshall's company made nearly 5 million dollars between 2003-2006, And to walk away from that and the $1.4 million that he would have received this year from Memphis City School takes a lot of courage. There's not many who would give up millions just to serve on the Shitty,I mean city City council

Why do you think Marshall gave up his lucrative contract was it just for public opinion or for some other reason. What rules of ethic do you think that Cohen should line up for approval by the council. Do you think that Marshall has his eyes on becoming the next mayor of Memphis.

Do you think that the entire council should be replaced, Do you trust the members of the council? Do you think that their financials should be investigated prior to them being sworn in for service? Should a person be elected that has a business that does business business with city

What rules would you like to see put in place to keep the council on the right path? Now that Marshall has given up his lucrative contract, What do you think of him now?

But I must wonder why would Marshall give up millions for $30,000 a year,Is there something else going on in his mind,Like trying to avoid an investigation.

Memphis Police Have A New Program Where They Will Build You A Security Fence And With Guns On Remove Your Old One

Several months ago I moved to the Cordova area and ended up having Police Director Larry Godwin as my next door neighbor. Goodwin and I have had only one conversation,And for some reason when he sees me he makes it his business to avoid me. When my wife and I moved into our new home Godwin had a regular 6ft fence around his home But on the Saturday before the new year I woke to see Godwin and several men building a new fence.

What I found strange about the fence building was that it was pouring rain. After the fence was built I noticed that the new fence was 10 feet high,And that he didn't place the fence around his entire home just on the side that divides his yard from mine. I wonder what the director may think that I may see?

On the Tuesday morning after New Year's I decided not to leave home early as I do most days. I sat here in my office with my shades open and watched as the director got into his city car and left. About a couple of hours later a truck with a trailer pulled in front of Godwin's home,And an unmarked 96-97 blue Taurus police car parked in front of my home. Several police officers dressed in their police gear got out and started to remove from the director's yard the wood left from the old fence.

I went outside and one of the officers with a shirt that was labeled "Harbor Patrol" spoke and said "Good morning Mr. Matthews" I asked how did he know who I was,He stated "Everyone knows you" Which made me wonder what conversations the director has had about me with his officers. But what concerns me is not the fact that the director who has a fence completely around his home decided that he needed to only place a 10 ft fence between his home and mine,But the fact that he had police officers on duty removing wood from his home.

With all the crime in Memphis why would the director have officers working personally for him at his home? I know it's a new program where if you need a fence built to protect you from crime you can call the police,And they will build you a fence even in the rain. And since criminals may steal your wood from your old fence,The police will send officers with guns and handcuffs to remove your old fence for you. I wonder if this is one of the programs that Godwin picked up in New York?

Roscoe Dixon Realizes That He's In Prison

A handwritten plea from Roscoe Dixon, sent in December from his cell at the Oakdale Correctional Center in Louisiana, proved fruitless. Federal Magistrate Jon McCalla denied Dixon's request to be released pending his appeal of his federal bribery trial.

In his letter, Dixon - who was sentenced to five years behind bars - describes overcrowding conditions which have, according to his letter, left him in solitary confinement until space becomes available. He has "to eat the same food as those who are in 'the hole,' is what his letter from prison states. If Dixon is being treated as every one else in solitary, He's locked down for 23 hours per day. But isn't solitary confinement punishment? Should Dixon be in solitary if he has not done anything to be punished?

I'm sure by now Dixon wishes that he had shown some remorse for the crime that has taken him from glory to the dark lonely walls of prison. It's my prediction that Dixon will rethink his options and give up to the Fed's someone of interest to lessen his sentence or change his conditions.

Cohen's Office Disclaims Endorsement Of Beverly Marrero.

The official word coming out of the office of Congressman Steve Cohen is that he is not endorsing Beverly Marrero or any other candidate for his old State senate seat. This statement was given to me by Cohen's Senior Advisor in the Memphis office, Randy Wade.

Wade states that the Congressman will play no role,make no calls,or appearances in the behalf of any candidate. Cohen is aware that e-mails were sent out by political consultant David Upton stating that he would be attending a fund raiser for Beverly Marrero on last night. Cohen was not in the city and did not give Upton the permission to send out any invitations using his name. The Congressman has asked Upton not to use his name in any form that would appear to give the appearance of an endorsement in this race. Cohen states that his focus and full attention is on being the best Congressman from the 9th Congressional District.

John Willingham Tells Me That If I'm Not With Him,I'm Against Him

I received a call from former County Commissioner John Willingham this morning to tell me that he is considering running for Mayor of Memphis. He stated that there are no republicans in the race,So he thinks that he has a chance. Willingham who was out matched by Herenton in 2003 by a 3 to 1 margin,feels that because he received 30,000 votes in last year's race for County Mayor that that gives him a shot.

John and I have known each other for several years, And I considered him a friend until today when he became upset when as a friend I told him the truth, He can not beat Willie Herenton. But Willingham didn't want to hear the truth,He pushed me to say that I would support him. I told him that's it's to early to even talk about support when I don't know who all will be in the race. At this point he wanted to know if I would give him my vote,I told him no because he can not win and giving him a vote is a wasted vote. At this point he told me "If Youre Not With Me,You're Against Me"

But John must remember I don't owe him anything.He's never did anything for me at all, But I stood with him in 2003 when he ran against Herenton. I met with him on many ocassions to discuss issues in the community. I brought him on my radio shows on several occassions. So I don't owe him a damn thing, And if our co called friendship relied on me telling him a lie, The hell with him.

Willingham has admitted to me numerous times that he has taken information on local poli-trick-ans including Willie Herenton, and Jim Rout to the FBI for investigation. But if he knows something that this community needs to know why didn't he go public? As a member of the County Commission he should be able to tell us how an entire floor came up missing in the FedEX Forum's garage. Tell us John who changed the blueprint.

The republican party refused to endorse him for County Mayor, Why? As one member of the party told me today They think he's fickled. If his party will not support him why does he think that he can beat Herenton? Why is he crazy enough to think that even though he received 30,000 votes in the County mayor's race that he will get all those votes. He only received 25,000 votes when he ran against Herenton in 2003.

He does not have the money or organization to beat herenton,Neither does he have a enough of a relationship with the black community to win. Making hand made signs and passing out BBQ as he did in 2003 will not impress anyone to vote for him. I thought that friends could disagree on politics and still remain friends, But it appears that John just needed a black face to appear with him. Willingham since the RECALL has been trying to get me to give him the list of names and addresses of those who signed the petitions,So that he would have a base to start his campaign with,Which I never did and would not do.

John you made the statement that if I'm not with you,I'm against you. Well I'm not with you,And if you run for mayor you will see just how much I can be against you.

Is All The Political Corruption In Shelby County Black?

We've seen the FBI do a great job in going after political corruption In Shelby County. They caught Roscoe Dixon,Barry Myers, John Ford, Katheryn Bowers,Rickey Peete,Calvin Anderson,Shep Wilbun,And Edmund Ford,Did I forget anyone?

The one thing that you will notice about all those names is that they are black. If those who have been caught selling their influence to satisfy their greed are guilty they should get whatever the law allows for their crimes against the community.

But I must ask Where are the whites who are involved in political corruption? Yes I got Joe Cooper, But what about William Thomas, And Rusty Hyneman? What about the happenings on Beale Street Where Federal dollars are not being accounted for? What about those involved in the millions missing from the FEDEX Forum Garage? Shouldn't the members of the PBA be investigated? What about Jim Rout? It's Time for some of the Dot,Dot,Dots, To Tap,Tap, Tap, on the door of white corruption.

If Jake Was Considered A Dummy For Having A G.E.D. What Does That Make Marrero?

During the race for the 9th Congressional district race,Much was said about the G.E.D. of Jake Ford by many who commented on this blog site. But I have noticed that some of those very same commenter's have nothing to say of a negative nature concerning the G.E.D. of Beverly Marrero.

So I must ask Is there a double standard? Oh yes others are now saying that it was not just Jake's G.E.D. But it was his attitude, His background, And the fact that he had no history of community service. So please tell me what Marrerro has done sine becoming a state Representative. Who has she helped? What bills has she sponsored?

Yes it's no doubt that Robert Spence has connections to Willie Herenton,And yes he has made money as a City Attorney,But isn't that what an attorney does? And if he represents the City is it not his job to do what the mayor wants. I will be the first to admit that I have not agreed with all that Spence has done in his role as City attorney. But I not seen anything that would impress me with Marrerro either.

Will the mainstream media play up the fact that Marrerro has a GED like they did for Jake Ford,Or is it okay for her because she's white,And connected to power brokers like Henry Turley? My quest in this race is only fairness. If it was so bad that Jake had a G.E.D. then it's just as bad for Marrerro to have one.

Information That You Need Before Purchasing A" BUY HERE PAY HERE" Car

Being in the Repo business for the past 14 years,I have repossessed thousands of cars,trucks,vans, rigs, and motorcycles. That being said I would consider myself an expert on how auto finance takes place. Year after year I see people waste there income tax checks at lots that take their money and sell them junk. I also see people that don't know anything about finance charges pay up to 40% interest on worthless vehicles.

I specialize in the "PAY HERE-BUY HERE LOTS" these lots finance their own cars and bad credit is no problem. What I am about to share with you will save you money and the hurt of buying a car today and walking tonight. What you are about to read has never been shared with you at all.

PAY HERE-BUY HERE LOTS, are normally called TOTE THE NOTE LOTS. These lots require no credit checks,Your down payment is your credit. But here are some things to beware of in purchasing a car from one of these lots. If the lot looks like a junk yard, What do you think you will be purchasing? A Junk Car. Remember that the car dealer only cares about one thing, YOUR MONEY. So be prepared to save yourself.

These cars are sold "AS IS", which means that you agree to purchase the car in whatever shape that it's in. There is no "Lemon Law" on these cars, Your signing of the "AS IS AGREEMENT" means that you have had the chance to have the car checked out,And you're agreeing to purchase the car ."AS IS But it's worth $40-$60 to take the car to a shop and have it checked out by a reputable mechanic. If the dealer does not want you to take the car out to be checked prior to purchase, LEAVE THAT LOT.

One of the questions that should be asked first is "Do You Guarantee That This Car Will Pass Inspection?" If the dealer says no LEAVE THAT LOT. If the dealer says yes and does not want that fact stated on the contract,LEAVE THAT LOT.

Now you've selected the car you want,And it's time to talk about finance and payments. Remember again the smile on the face of the dealer is just his knowledge of the fact that you are about to be a victim. Carry with you the "BLUE BOOK" which will let you know exactly how much a car is worth. In most cases the down payment is what the dealer has in the car, So if your down is $2500.00 You can bet that the dealer doesn't have much more than that in the car.

While you know that the dealer is going to make a profit,Don't allow yourself to be a victim of the dealer's greed. Ask about the finance charges, And know that 30-40% is excessive. If when your deal is explained to you and the price of a 5-10 year old year car is higher than it's price when the car was brand new,LEAVE THAT LOT. If you know that your credit is fair tell the dealer to run your credit,And ask that your interest be reduced. In a lot of cases the dealer will have no way to run your credit,if that is the case,LEAVE THAT LOT if you think that you're paying to much in interest.

Pay your sales taxes at the time you purchase the car,And not later because if you miss you will be repoed. The law does not allow a dealer to repossess your car for sales taxes because the law feels that the dealer should get the taxes on the front end,And you can't be repoed for what you owe the state that the dealer should have collected. But the dealer gets around this law by changing the wording on the contract.

For example you purchase a car for $13,000.00, And the sales taxes is $1,500.00 But after paying the down payment that the dealer wants you can only pay $1,000.00 on the taxes. That leaves you with a balance of $500 that is owed to the state. What the dealer does is state on the contract that you have a "DEFERRED PAYMENT" of $500.00. And even though your first note is not due, If you miss the "DEFERRED PAYMENT" you will be repossessed. Why because the contract does not state that this is a balance on the sales tax, but that it's a DEFERRED PAYMENT". Dealers get away with this practice because they know that you do not know any better. If you are repossessed for this reason you should hire an attorney.

Another reason that dealers perform this practice is because, If you pay the down payment and you're repossess for not paying all of your taxes,The dealer gets to keep your down payment and the money you paid for taxes,All as profit. The sales taxes are never reported because the car was never registered,Thus the state never knows that they are owed taxes.

Car lots also charge you a document fee,This fee is what you pay them to fill out the paperwork to sell you a car. That's right they charge you to fill out the paperwork that's about to make them money. In most cases the "DOCUMENT FEE" is over $200.00 You must make the decision as to weather you want to pay this charge. You should also ask to see the title to the car so that you will know weather or not you will be able to register the car.

In many cases the dealer took possession of the car without fully paying the wholesaler, Who holds the title until paid.Which means that he's waiting on your money to pay his debt. If the dealer is not willing to show you the title LEAVE THAT LOT.

This information that I have shared with you is vital if you are about to take your income tax money and buy a used car. Also remember that the prices skyrocket during this season, So if you can wait a few months when the business slows down you can get a better deal. Do not be impressed by flashy TV commercials, check out several lots before making your purchase. And if the down payment is crazy low,You are in trouble. And ladies take a man with you, a dealer loves to see a woman along,Because he feels that you're a easy victim.

Make sure before signing a contract with a note lot that you fully understand what you're signing. Turn the contract over and read the back,And ask questions if there is something that you do not understand. Also understand that Tennessee is a RIGHT TO REPO STATE, Which means no court orders are needed for a lien holder to take possession of their car. There is no grace period except what is given by the dealer. Your car can be repossessed at anytime after you miss your note,Including the same day.

Another point,get the VIN NUMBER off the car and run a CAR MAX history on the car. Do not take the word of a dealer about it's history. Remember their business is to take your money. There are reputable dealers that I could recommend, But I will only recommend by e-mail.

I hope that I have helped you to be able to make a better decision. If you take this information and use it you will not be ripped off.

Spence Could Defeat Gallagher And Marrero By Playing It Smart And Getting His Vote Out

In a State Senate district that is 77% white many feel that Robert Spence who is black has no chance to win the seat formerly held by Congressman Steve Cohen.

At first glance I felt the same,Until I started looking at the forest and not just the trees. The election to be held later this month is a "Special Election",Which means that the turnout will be low. So no matter what the racial makeup is of the district,The winner will be the one who can turn out the voters. Orange Mound a heavy populated black neighborhood is in the district,If Spence is able to get voters in this area to the polls early he could win.

Another factor that works in Spence's favor is the fact that Kevin Gallagher's name even though he pulled out will still be on the ballot. Gallagher pulled out of the race after the deadline, So many whites seeing his name will think that he is still a candidate. This could very well split the white vote. To be perfectly honest with his name on the ballot Gallagher is still a candidate. No matter weather he says he's out of the race or not if he was to receive the most votes he would become senator.

So if Spence was to campaign on the premise that there are three candidates in the race instead of two, using both there names on his advertisements he creates a three way race instead of two,Which works to his advantage. Plus if he makes it known that Gallagher and Marrero spoke against the fact that Jake Ford had a G.E.D., But Marrero herself has one, Spence will cause a stir in the black community that will generate votes.

So in the scheme of things if the white vote has to be split between Gallagher and Marrero And Spence carries his vote to the polls by the busloads, And concentrates on early voting he can defeat Gallagher and Marrero.

Remember Barbara Swearengen Holt In Your Prayers

Condolences to City Council woman Barbara Swearengen Holt in the lost of her brother Clarence Swearengen. Funeral Services are Friday at 11am at Hill's Chapel Baptist Church in Raleigh.

Tom Marshall Makes Millions Off Taxpayers,And Sees No Conflict

So City Councilman Tom Marshall wants as the new chairman of the council a set of ethic laws that will make the council members stay above board in their dealings. These laws would prevent members of the council from doing those things that allow them to get rich off the backs of the taxpayer.

But I guess those laws will not apply to him. It seems that Marshall is making millions as a architect and consultant for Memphis City Schools. He and his partner Jimmie Tucker have two very lucrative contracts with both the school system and the school board.

Since 2003 Marshall and Tucker has garnered nearly $5million dollars in architectural consulting contracts. As the chairman of the council,Marshall will lead the group that has to approve the $834 million dollar budget for Memphis City Schools. Are we to believe that even though he says that he does not vote on school matters that he's not going to make sure that whatever monies the system needs,they will get?

Marshall says that he's the poster child for how to handle conflict of interest matters, He says you just disclosed it,And don't participate in voting on any issues that pertain to the issue in conflict. That sounds good but Marshall has influence with other council members. I saw that first hand several weeks ago when the council decided to oust Reginald French after they had voted to reappoint him to the Alcohol Board. After Councilman Brent Taylor did not vote with them to not appoint, Marshall.Jack Sammons and Taylor left out and went in the backroom behind their seats. When they came back in Taylor had changed his mind stating that he wanted to reconsider,because he didn't know what he was voting for.

This also brings to mind the statement Edmund Ford made in his influence indictment "I'll get you the seven votes or make someone walk out" So we know that just because you don't vote doesn't mean they you can't line up the votes.

This matter is a clear picture of conflict of interest,where Marshall should make up his mind weather he wants the $30,000.00 a year as a council person,Or the millions he's making as a consultant. In addition to the $4.84 million that Marshall has received in fiscal year 2003-2006 from Memphis City Schools, The system has already budgeted $500,000 for fiscal year 2007. In all the system has Marshall set to receive $1.5 million.

Marshall who lives in a $593,000 home states that the numbers are deceiving "I think there is a perception that I am making a killing" He must not know what a killing is. He goes on to say that that the $4.84 million doesn't represent what his income truly is, he says "Its just pass through money". Wouldn't each of us like that much money to just pass through our hands?

Do you think that the Board uses Marshall because of his 20 years of influence on the council? Should Memphis City Schools look for another architectural consultant? Should Marshall make a choice on weather he wants to be a council member or a consultant? If he's being paid millions for his influence whats the difference in him and Rickey Re-Peete and Edmund Ford?

And while we're on the subject of "Conflict of interest" How can any council member support Patrice Robinson to replace Tajuan Mitchell, When she makes In the neighborhood of $80,000 working for MLG&W. How are we to expect her to vote against her boss Joseph Lee, In fact how can she become her boss's boss? As a council member she would have to approve there budget, also the council approves the president and the board members. Robinson is also another clear case of Conflict of Interest. Any Council member that votes for her does not care about ethics at all.

Edmund Ford Jr. For City Council?

Even before Edmund Ford was indicted there were rumors that he would not be seeking re-election to be able to spend more time at his funeral home. Now that he has been indicted that rumor is really running rampant. But the person that it's rumored that Edmund wants to pass his political mantel on to,Is his son Edmund Ford Jr.

While Ed Jr. is a nice fellow, He has no community service experience. No longer is just being a Ford good enough,The black community must start holding it's poli-trick-ans accountable and stop just voting for a name or a family. I don't think that the mood of the community black or white will accept another Ford who thinks that he's entitled just because his daddy thinks so.

Was the CA Saying That We Didn't Do Well Enough With Our Murders In 2006?

The headline in the Commercial Appeal local news appeared to be more like a cheer leaders call for a higher number in 2007. I was somewhat confused by the headline, Because it gave the impression that we could do better. Well it seems we're off to a good start.

Rickey There'll Always Be A Place For You On Beale Street

Rickey Don't Go To Prison Alone, Tell On John Elkington And About The Corruption On Beale Street.

Is Rickey About To Lose His Job?

I got word today from a Beale Street Merchant that indicted Council member Rickey Re-Peete is begging the group to keep his job. Peete's contract with the Beale Street Merchant's Association as it's Executive Director is stated to end at the end of March.

Peete who makes over $100,000.00 as Director wants the organization to give him another contract. But he's of no use to them now. The contacts that he has used in the past to bring dollars to the street want nothing to do with him,And no one is willing to meet alone with him. One merchant stated that the FBI may be following him,and he may try to set someone up to save himself.

Peete who has lead a very flashy life needs his job because he's going to have a high attorney fee,plus he's going to try to maintain his lifestyle. And it's going to be hard on his $32,000.00 a year job on the council. But I expect the Merchant Group to oust him in march.

Buts lets see if we can help Mr. Re-Peete out. What jobs do you know that's available for a person like Rickey who needs to take care of his wife and fancy cars? I'm sure he'll be grateful for whatever help you can give.

City Tells BSDC That It Wants To TERMINATE Them

Tonight ActionNews5 dealt with a story that was broke here. In the story it was confirmed by City Attorney J.Michael Fletcher,that the city wants Beale Street Development Corporation of of the picture,so that the city can deal with Performa,The company owned by John Elkington.

What ActionNews5 didn't reveal was that the city can not just oust BSDC, because they signed a 52 year lease with the city in the 80's that's still good still for another 28 years.

While the City attorney would love to cut BSDC out,and just deal with Performa,They can't because the city has no contract with the management company. John Elkington and his company work for BSDC, not the City of Memphis. The city is out of order in dealing with Performa,And I'm sure that BSDC will seek tort relief from the city.

Neither the city or Elkington has paid BSDC in 25 years, So how is this organization suppose to be able to handle the affairs of it's business? This is just a takeover plot by the Herenton administration to take over the street that now is valued at over $55,000,000.00 and use corrupt businessmen as their partners.

The city states that they own the property in the Beale Street Historic District,That's partly true because the city had to match funds that BSDC acquired for the revitalization of Beale Street, which they did not have,So the city pledged the land which was valued at $714,000.00 According to the contract which I have a copy of the terms of receiving the Federal funding made BSDC and the City of Memphis co-grantees to all funds which made BSDC part owners of Beale Street.

If this was not so why was the signature of Randel Catron needed to build the FedEx Forum on Beale Street property. If the City was the sole owner why did they need Catron? the Herenton Administration is setting up smoking mirrors, so that they can take control of Beale Street. I have in my position all the contracts and letters involved in this matter and I can tell you that the city has no power over BSDC, For example in the memorandum Of understanding signed October 31,1979 between the city and BSDC it reads:

The Beale Street Development Corporation is a non-profit corporation completely separate from the dictates of the City of Memphis except within the legal relationship established under the lease agreement.

The city has no legal rights to be be in any meetings with Elkington, because Elkington has only control given him by BSDC,And for the city to be meeting with him is further proof that the city along with Elkington is up to no good.

In a letter received today by John Candy attorney for BSDC,From the City of Memphis the city tells him that they desire to terminate the lease between Beale street Development Corporation and the City of Memphis and revise the lease under which Performa operates. In other words we want BSDC gone so that we can work with Performa without you.

What this community needs to understand is if the city thought that they had a legal leg to stand on they would have gotten rid of BSDC long ago. But they thought that Randel Catron and his board would take $175,000.00 for property that's valued at $55,000,000.00 and run. But that's not the case BSDC is ready to do to court and let a judge read the contracts thats binding between the city and themselves. But Catron states that BSDC is in the fight to stay All they want is for the city and Elkington to pay them their back pay and abide by the contracts.

SARA HALL REMEMBER THAT I HAVE A COPY OF THE CONTRACTS SO YOU WANT BE ABLE TO PAINT A FALSE PICTURE

Patrice Robinson For City Council? Hell Naw.

Rumors have been circulating since Tajuan Stout Mitchell resigned from the City Council that there were those in Herenton's administration that wanted Mitchell to be replaced with School Board member Patrice Robinson. Well just before the noon cut off today she turned in her resume.

City attorney's along with attorneys for MLG&W where Robinson is employed are said to have been scrambling to make sure that as an employee of the power company that she could be appointed to the council. But according to the city charter if appointed she would have to give up her seat on the school board.

But why would the Herenton administration be concerned about Robinson being on the council? Is it because that they know that she can be counted on to go along. Is it because with the madness of spending $30 million for a football stadium,She can be counted on to support the foolishness of the mayor? What has Robinson done as a school board member that would make her think that the community wants her on the council?

How as an employee can she support the citizens of Memphis against high rates from MLG&W, Or Joseph Lee needing another $89,000 a year speech writer, Or anything that the community wants to fight the company for when her boss is not the people but the President of MLG&W? What benefit will she bring to the council. Do we need another Herenton crony on the council?

Its rumored that many of the white council members are gearing up to give her their support,But will the citizens of their various districts go along with there supporting a person who would probably be a Herenton crony and vote for the waste of $30 million dollars.

What has she done on the school board to change the course of education for our children? What battle has he lead to make sure our children in Memphis City Schools have the tools needed to graduate and go to college? Will she be a strong voice for the community, Or a yes woman for Herenton? If she's not Herenton's choice why was the attorney's for both the city and MLG&W already aware that she would be seeking the job? It's backroom politics as usual.Call your Council person and say hell naw, to Patrice Robinson for City Council,. Let her prove her worth first on the School Board where she's been elected President this year.

Is It True That Beverly Marrero Has Only A G.E.D.?

This was a race I had no intentions of getting in,I only wanted Congressman Cohen to stay true to his word and not endorse a candidate to replace him in the State Senate. As my previous post stated I have a problem when white democrats want the support of blacks,But are unwilling to do the same and at some point a white democrat will have to be targeted so that white democrats will stop taking the black vote for granted.

While I am no fan of Robert Spence's politics,I think that if he's qualified to run then he has that right to do just that. While I had no plans to throw the support of this site behind either candidate I was alarmed that many comments were solely against Spence. I saw where someone used my site to go to another blog for the purpose of discrediting Spence,So I said maybe I need to even the odds and look at Beverly Marrero.

I made a few calls, And I'm told that Marrero has only a G.E.D. wait a minute that can't be the case. Here we have supporters of Steve Cohen wanting to support someone with a G.E.D. after they including myself bashed Jake Ford for having a G.E.D. Surely if this is true Marrero is not qualified to be in the state senate. If a G.E.D. was not good enough for Jake Ford,It's not good enough for Beverly Marrero. Well I guess I just got involved. By the way I made another call to a white democrat that's in the know, Asking him about Marrero,And here's the info he sent me:

Things you should know about Marrero
1 No that's not her name she said it was a husband or two ago,s name and she liked the way it made her sound like she had some Latino or Italian blood.
2 Marrero has bankrupted a business a bookstore that Henry Turley helped her get so she could run it. And I heard at least one other store was bankrupted by her in Florida. Probably not in her name.
3 Her connection to Turley, is she was shacked up with Turley back in the 70's and she even told me her daughter even called Turley dad, because she didn't get to see or know her real father that well.
4 Beverly Robinson grew up in south Memphis going to Southside and dropping out but later getting a G.E.D. and even attended U.T. but flunked out and was mainly there to party.
5 Beverly's Father is old as Methuselah and still lives in Byhalia Ms. She talks to him about once a week she told me.
6 Beverly is no spring chicken herself I think she is sixty five or six or seven and should think about retiring instead of starting a new career.
Even though I think we should use our senior citizens more as consulting and special advisers it has to be hard to keep up with all of the extended sessions. I hear she don't come to many evening sessions in the house.
7 Beverly Robinson does not know her own District 89, she told me she did not go past East Parkway except on rare occasions to go to T J Max on Summer to buy hats. When she was told that was in her district she could not believe it? There are many parts of her district that she has never been to, and doesn't plan on going! How can she expect to represent the much larger Senate District 30?
8 Beverly has no campaign team just a few Cohen crony's and a few women's groups who want women elected. I don't have a problem with women being elected in fact I'm for that but with the facts are she was pushed by Katherine Bowers and Lois DeBerry and Henri Brooks when she originally ran for district 89 in the special election of dist. 89. Kevin Gallagher backed out of running in 2003,Did Cohen get him out as well?
9 Why has Steve pushed Marrero so strongly ? One rumor has the fact that while dog sitting she discovered some of Cohen's deepest darkest secrets
And maybe black mailing him. There are others that include a debt owed to Henry Turley who has helped him on and off the record for years, if Henry wanted something then all he had to do is go to Steve and he would jump.
10Marrero ware's hats not to try to bring back the fashion but instead to cover the fact that she is actually almost bald on top and would be embarrassed if her hat accidentally came off at an event.
Things you should know about Kevin Gallagher
1 why did Kevin say at the democratic women's Christmas party he was running for Senate no matter what anyone said: and wasn't dropping out?
2 Kevin dropped out for Marrero once before was this another Steve Cohen Tactic ? Was he promised something then and what about now?
3 Kevin is known as a good campaigner but still has problems getting the job done. Kevin actually ran some campaigns in Missouri, but why would he not decide to run with or without Steve Cohen's endorsement?
4 Bobby Lanier, Roscoe Dixon, Tom Jones, Susan Adler Thorp and Kevin were at one time all working together this may not seem important but did he learn about any improprieties and not report them ? Anyone whom worked as closely as these people did probably know a lot about one another.
5 Kevin as recently as one year ago or so lived in Raleigh but was persuaded some how to move just down the road from Steve Cohen
What occurred that caused this move he had already left or was leaving the county mayors office?
6 why did Kevin Gallagher tell people in High Point Terrace that he lived there when he wanted to run back in 2003 He had people sign his petition
After he told them he lived around the corner? Was he trying to trick them?
7 Kevin was over heard saying that the voters were stupid to have elected Vernon Johnson a known crook over him and his connections and that the people didn't know who they were voting for.
8 It is apparent that Steve Cohen must have talked to Kevin what did he offer Kevin to drop out ? Did he sell out for something good
9 If Kevin knew how Marrero has no idea about where the district is, except for midtown why did he allow her to run? Marrero doesn't know any schools or neighborhoods how can she effectively serve?
10 does this mean Kevin is apart of the good ole boy system he is friends with Matt Kuhn, Bobby Lanier, worked for A.C. Worked with Roscoe and John Ford in the past along with Jim Strickland, Deidra Malone and bent over for Steve Cohen.

Cohen Must Remember Who Brought Him To The Dance

Steve Cohen will be sworn in today as the congressman from the 9th Congressional District,Relieving the Ford family from their reign of this office for 32 years. But it's very important if he wants to be more than a one term congressman to remember how he got there.

Cohen could not have won without African American support,In fact many blacks including me supported him over a black candidate. The blacks that supported Cohen supported him based on the fact that after 32 years of the Fords pretty much things remained the same,And Jake Ford was just not the one to replace Harold Jr.

Cohen must now prove that he has the interest of the black community at heart, His office must provide service,And he must be assessable to the community. If he does not than he will be a one term congressman.

The race for his former State Senate seat is a contest he needs to stay out of. He has indicated that he will endorse Beverly Marrero over Robert Spence. His endorsement is not needed and will guarantee a severe battle in two years. While I am not completely sold on Spence neither am I with Marrero,and the decision as to who will go to the senate should be left to the residents of the district and not by a poli-trick-an.

Cohen stated to me that he was not going to get involved in this race, And for him to do anything else I would consider a lie. Like many of us in the black community who grew tired of the Fords handpicking their replacements,Cohen will not be allowed to do it either. His job is congress not the state senate. And if he does come out in support of Marrero, he will lose some of the black support that he has acquired,and insure a fierce battle to oust him in two years.

Why? because it seems that in Shelby County White democrats want the pleasure of black democrats supporting them, But don't want to give blacks that same pleasure. And I would consider Cohen's telling me that he was not getting involved in this race, And then after he gets elected supports Marrero over Spence a slap in the face. Both candidates need to prove their worth to the citizens of the district,Without the endorsement of Cohen. Let them be elected on their merits and not by the nod of a poli-trick-an.

If white democrats want to continue to get the black vote for their white candidates, Then white democrats had best learn how to support black candidates that are qualified for the positions that they are running for, Or a white candidate will be targeted,And if Cohen makes the wrong choices It will be him.

End Of The Road For The Fords

Today ends the 32 year reign of the Ford family controlling the 9th Congressional District. Tomorrow morning in Washington Steve Cohen will be sworn in as congressman. Harold Ford Sr served for 22 years,and he passed the seat on to his son Harold Jr. Who served for 10 years. The reign of terror of this family has ended on the national level.

But many are questioning as to wheater Cohen will be just a one term congressman. It's well known that Nikkie Tinker is gearing up to run in 2 years. Cohen will have to prove to the black community that he indeed has it's interest at heart,And show it through his service.

It is also in his best interest to stay out of the race for the state senate seat and not endorse anyone to replace him there. His sole interest should be on what he intends to do in Washington. His endorsement of a replacement for his old seat will give the appearance of him trying to put a machine in place, And that will not go over well in the black community.

Beale Street Development Says No To The City's Offer Of $175,000.00

In the city's attempt to take over the Beale Street Historic District, The city offered Beale Street Development Corporation $175,000.00 to take control of the leases of properties on the street. BSDC contractually has control of Beale Street for 52 years, And nothing can be built on the street without the okay of BSDC. Before the FedEx Forum could be built Randel Catron Executive Director of BSDC had to sign off so that the property could be used.

In a letter to the mayor on last year John Elkington told Herenton that there was no further use for BSDC and that he desired to sell the street. The strange thing about this is that neither Elkington or the city can sell the street as long as BSDC has control of the leases. Elkington has no contract with the city at all concerning Beale Street and was out of line to send the mayor a letter concerning the matter.

Informed sources are telling me that the present value of the Beale Street Historic District is in the neighborhood of $55,000,000.00, But yet the city wants to pay BSDC a mere $175,000.00. Whatever worth Beale street has today is do solely to the efforts of this black organization's desire to give life to the street after whites left the area for what they thought would be the new mecca, East Memphis.

Catron has asked the attorney for BSDC to contact the city to let them know that all negotiations are off,And that they will not sell out.Catron states that the reporter from the CA that plans to do this story stated that people want to know why at over 70 years of age he wants to hold on,And not take the money an run. Catron reminded the reporter of the fact that in acquiring the funding for the street that the Economic Development Administration gave BSDC a mandate.

The mandate clearly states that BSDC has been mandated by the federal Government to promote black enterprise and maintain the black community's historical and cultural significance on Beale Street. To promote minority participation advancing African Americans into the mainstream of the American economy. To establish a loan pool for blacks to acquire financial assistance and to assist in packaging their projects. To develop a public Interpretive Center/Program which accurately depicts the African American history in the Beale Street Historic District and it's environs.

So to all that don't understand their are some things that mean more to a true black man than money. Catron who marched with Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. knows that if he gives up and gives in, The street that whites once stayed away from will become a solely white ran enterprise. This is not about racism but about history. The history of a people who after spending their lives having nothing will not sell out for nickles and dimes.

What that reporter must understand is that all black men can't be bought,and that even though the block where black men once were sold still remains in downtown Memphis, There are those of us that would die before we allow a white man or a black man to own us. Beale Street carries the history of blacks in this city and can not be purchased for a mere $175,000.00.

it Seems That If John Elkington's Mouth Is Moving He's Lieing

John Elkington What about this?






November 6, 2006
Developers, officials to tour Farish St. today
Project delayed by funds, environmental workBy Kathleen Baydalakbaydala@clarionledger.com
Developers and Jackson officials today will tour Farish Street, where construction of a planned entertainment district so far has failed to launch.
Representatives of Performa, the Memphis-based development firm credited for the creation of Beale Street, have contended delays on the Farish Street project were because of snags in securing funding, bureaucratic delays in the development process and unforeseen environmental work. Performa initially began work in July 2005 and estimated the project would be completed by April 2006.
Representatives with Performa did not return calls for comment.
In August, Performa CEO John Elkington assured the council that his company had secured loans for the project. He also said he was working out a deal with the Mississippi Development Authority that would allow construction of the entertainment district to start first and then the apartment portion.
MDA is requiring Performa to build an upscale apartment complex, in addition to the entertainment district, in order to get state-backed loans.
Council President Ben Allen said developers will lead the tour explaining to city officials "brick-by-brick" the work that will be done and when.
But other council members said they feel it's time for the city to find another development company.
Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes, who last month proposed a resolution urging the Jackson Redevelopment Authority to fire Performa if physical work did not begin by mid-November, said he fears that the delays have killed the project's momentum. He also said competition with the Old Capital Green project would hurt Farish Street's chance of succeeding.
"A lot of people are saying Old Capital Green will become a reality before Farish Street. Then, we'll have a situation where instead of Farish Street being a big attraction, it will be Old Capital Green," Stokes said.
In 1995, the Jackson Redevelopment Authority issued a request for proposals for development of an entertainment district along two blocks of the historic street. In 2002, JRA signed a contract with Performa to do the work.
Zack Taylor, attorney for JRA, had urged council members not to pass the resolution because finding a new development company could further delay the project at least a couple of years. Stokes pulled his proposed resolution saying he wants to hear what Performa has to say.

And John What About This Lie?


In 1983, Elkington took a big gulp and signed a 52-year lease on the boarded-up, sagging Beale Street Historic District. Efforts to revive the street had begun 10 years earlier, with the formation of Beale Street Development Corp. But the street's outlook remained dismal despite the group's attempt to lease existing space and find new tenants. Elkington took over fresh from his success of converting the former Lenox School in Midtown into condominiums.
"I didn't take the road traveled. I like the road less traveled," Elkington says. "That's the way I am. I'd rather do hard things than easy things. But this was a lot harder than I thought it'd be."
Soon after leasing Beale Street, Elkington's financial partner decided to quit the real estate business, forcing Elkington to quickly reorganize and re-evaluate the company, while still trying to keep a languishing Beale Street alive.
"I had to be like the plate spinner on the 'Ed Sullivan Show,'" he says. "This (Beale Street) represents so much of the culture and history and fiber and soul of this city. It was a very trying time. Looking back, I'm not sure if it wouldn't have been better to develop out on Poplar and I-240 (referring to the economic corridor along Poplar that has long been sought-after space for developers)."
Initial construction on Beale Street cost $14.2 million, with $8 million from the federal government and the rest from the city, county and state. It didn't see a profit from revenue until 1991, the year B.B. King and his associates opened a club at the southeast corner of Beale and Second.
This year, Elkington said Beale should bear more than $22 million in revenues. And, with the Hard Rock Cafe, Elvis Presley's Memphis, Pat O'Brien's and Buddy Guy's Legends coming to Beale within the next year, he predicts sales will top $30 million next year.
The district has paid back more than $30 million in tax revenue during the past 15 years to the city, county and state, Elkington says, and with 1.9 million visitors predicted last year alone, it will contribute more than its share of revenue in the future.
And while Beale Street finally was removed from the endangered status list by the National Park Service last year, many hurdles still must be jumped.
When a site is put on the list, it's "big trouble," Cecil MiKithan, chief of the National Register Programs Division in Atlanta, said last June in an article in The Commercial Appeal. The designation means that whatever made that site "historic" is deteriorating to the point where it could be damaged irreversibly and lost forever.
Crime remains a problem in the district, even though a police sub-station sits in the middle of Beale Street and surveillance cameras continuously monitor adjacent parking lots.
Then there are the critics. The ones who say Beale Street could have been redeveloped quicker, better, differently. The ones who say that a lot of things have been promised, but never delivered.
"I don't care what people think. I don't care about that. The critics are not the ones who count. It's the people who are down there trying to make things work. I know what it is and I know what it took," Elkington says.
"I've been beat-up so bad, I've got so much scar tissue, it makes no difference anymore," he continues. "I mean our big controversy this week is that some employee accused the executive director (Rickey Peete) of (the Beale Street Merchant's Association) of sexual harassment. Well, you know, it's just another day at work. It's unfortunate, so we've got to face the problem."
(A formal harassment complaint against Peete was filed by an employee of a Beale Street establishment in early June.)
What about the critics who say that revitalizing Downtown is and always will be a pesky problem? The growth Downtown in the past five years has been great, particularly in the Pinch District and around Peabody Place. The number of people living Downtown has increased dramatically as well. But many developers will continue to look westward. A handful say Downtown's day is near. Elkington stands among them.
***Rising from the river
Downtown, Elkington contends, started going downhill in 1965. Memphians were still reeling from the assassination of President Kennedy in Dallas two years earlier. Then, in 1968, Martin Luther King Jr., who was in Memphis on behalf of striking sanitation workers, was assassinated right at the city's doorstep. All that stood for goodness and prosperity during that era evaporated, including once-thriving Downtown commerce.
"It's an enormous job (revitalizing Downtown). There's always so much hype about it," Elkington says.
"Look, here's the reality about Downtown," he adds. "There's 3 million square feet of vacant space. That's not a healthy situation.
"Only one or two developers have really dedicated themselves to Downtown - Jack Belz and Henry Turley. Both have taken great risk. But people don't applaud developers. They just think, 'Oh man, he's making money.'"
Elkington talks passionately about revitalizing Downtown - what it will take and how close it is - and views Beale Street as a cog in the wheel that finally will get Downtown moving forward.
Memphis is a relatively poor city, in terms of private development dollars, and city, county and state allocations, Elkington says. Despite these odds, he adds, "We have probably put in $1 billion in and around this community in public money. That is very rare. You don't see that kind of money put in most cities. But we've made a real public commitment through four mayors to rebuild Downtown.
"And now, as we go into the millennium, it is starting to work."
Young people are flocking Downtown. Plans for a baseball stadium at Union and Third are in the planning stages. The Gibson Guitar Factory, which will be located south of Beale, between Third and Fourth, is moving in. Then, too, there's the Breckenridge Brewery. Peabody Place. The Pinch District. The list keeps growing.
"I think the rising tide lifts boats," Elkington says. "I'm here to help people. I don't get jealous if Jack Belz gets the Breckenridge Brewery. I want to do anything I can to get people to locate downtown."
Elkington, at last, feels secure that Beale Street has grown enough to sustain itself. Now, he feels it's time to step aside and let the second generation take over.
Keeping the vision
Last October, Elkington announced he was "stepping back" from his role as Performa's CEO. Somewhat indicative of his nature, however, he never mentioned a specific "stepping back" date, saying instead that he wanted to first complete several projects.
Until that time comes, he keeps a tattered sheet of yellow paper in his planning book. They're like the scrolls to Elkington, as they contain the list of everything he wants to accomplish. "I've had this for four or five years. We wanted Pat O'Brien's, Hard Rock. We want a sports bar here. We want a hotel in the area. We wanted to get Buddy Guy. A lot of them we've finished. Those are the things that are kind of at the end."
Elkington says he'll step down as chief executive by the end of the year and hand over day-to-day operations to a new management team. They'll be less entrepreneurial and more management-minded.
"I'm not divorcing myself. It (Beale Street) is like a child - you don't leave your child. My role will be to keep the vision, and that's to have big commerce, no (racial) barriers and the best music on Beale Street."
He'll remain on the board of directors and undoubtedly will continue to be a tireless advocate for Beale Street.
He also wants to start an artists' commission project, a sort of musicians' mentor program for budding blues artists. After all, he says, that's the way the street unofficially operated during its heyday when musicians had regular nighttime "9-5" gigs. Today, many artists are working two or three jobs to support their music but are barely making ends meet.
Elkington and his Performa crew also plan to take the Beale Street show on the road to other cities like Columbus, Ga., and Jackson, Miss., that hope to redevelop their Downtown areas into similar urban entertainment districts.
"There's not a week that goes by where we don't get someone from San Francisco or Kansas City or Chicago who wants to see how this happened because this is a very tough neighborhood here and it makes it kind of difficult to really do things," Elkington says.
"We had to invent an industry here. No one would have created this, or knew how to, 15 years ago. We're right at the cutting-edge."
Clearly, Elkington is proud of Beale Street. There's still work to be done, but he views change as a sure sign that things are headed in the right direction.
When he looks back upon his 14 years with Beale Street he admits the path was sometimes a bit bumpy. "I've been through the fire. It cost me a lot of money. It cost me a lot of opportunities. It cost me a lot of difficult things because anytime your name, reputation and your money is on something like this, there is a drawback, there is a potential danger in that."
Sometimes, however, taking the road less traveled leads to a destination far greater than what old, familiar territory offers. As he heads into his 15th year with Beale Street, Elkington indeed has found a prosperous new road and proved the critics wrong.

Elkington did not sign the leases, BSDC did, He has a sublease from BCDC. The funding of Beale street was already in place when Elkington came on board. He had nothing at all to do with the funding of Beale Street. Elkington is a liar that does not want whites to know that he works for a black organization. He sells his company around the country on this lie.

JOHN ALL THE CITIES THAT YOU'RE DOING BUSINESS WITH ARE RECEIVING COPIES OF MY REPORTS ALONG WITH NATIONAL MEDIAS. BY THE WAY WHO DID PEETE SEXUALLY HARASS?

Is Playa Willie Trying To Play Memphis?

I wonder who told Willie that a stadium was needed? Are we to think that this was his idea? Where does he propose that the $30 million will come from? We already have a $250 million burden called the Fedex Forum, built for a basketball team that can't even play the game. Is Willie crazy enough to think that a community that couldn't get funding for it's fire and police personnel will give their okay for this waste of taxpayer money?

This is election year,And any lie he can tell that he thinks will get votes, he will tell. What message do you want to send to any council member who signs on to this political trick that's being played by "Playa Willie"?

Is the Mainstream Media Concerned About White Corruption?

The mainstream media was very quick to jump on the indictments of Roscoe Dixon, Katheryn Bowers, John Ford, and Edmund Ford, But as of yet has failed to report the corruption on Beale Street.

The CA has had the same information that I have for several months but has failed to report the going on's of the historic district. Today the daily newspaper met with Randel Catron Executive Director of Beale Street Development and promises to do a story on Friday. One of the Ca's concerns was that I had broke the story before them. They should not be concerned about me beating them in breaking this story, But concern about giving this corruption story the same coverage as they have given to other corruption stories. Why has the daily sat on this story for several months?

When you look at the facts and the documented information it's easy to see that something is wrong on Beale Street. John Elkington has been ousted out of several cities, will the CA report that? There has been problems with Elkington not paying his bills in those cities.Will the CA report that? Elkington has violated his contract with BSDC, Will the CA report that? Elkington Has a ownership role in the new garage anjoined to the Westin Hotel .Will the CA report that?

Elkington according to the same documents that the CA has has used Beale Street funds on his other projects, Will the CA report that?

John Elkington has lied and tried to take over Beale Street. In a letter dated July 24,1996 To Rick Masson then City of Memphis CAO Elkington tells Masson "To Continue The Success Of Beale Street,I Propose That The City Deed The Property Over To Me". John your greatest fear was met when a black man was able to read the Bullshit that you are shoveling, and now is on a mission to expose you.

I will be reading the CA's story but I wonder if they will tell the whole truth or bow to the pressures of white power brokers who only want to expose black corruption. Corruption is wrong no matter who does it, But its time that the so called mainstream media and the Fed's turn the heat not only on black corruption but white who are corrupt as well.

The CA does not want Catron to speak to anyone else, But Action News5 recorded the story on last week., I hope that nothing scares them away from exposing the Corruption on Beale Street. Maybe we'll label it BEALE GATE.

Myron Lowery's Response To My Asking Him To Look Into The Problems Of Beale Street

On Sunday i sent an e-mail to City Council man Myron Lowery asking him to look into the injustice that the Beale Street Development Corporation is receiving. Here is his response to me:

TM:

This is a lot of information.

We will talk soon about this.

Thanks. Take care.

Myron Lowery
Memphis City Council Member


Damn, Myron I expected more from you

It's Time For The FBI To Investiagate John Elkington And How He Does Business On Beale Street.

The more I read the paper work on Beale Street Development Corporation which I acquired through the Tennessee Open Records Act, The more I'm amazed at how John Elkington and his company Performa have been allowed to violate contracts that were guide lined by the Federal government.

According to documents belonging to the City of Memphis and signed by Roland McElrath in 1986, Elkington firm which at that time was called Beale Street Management had $4,281.00 in Beale Street District funds seized by the courts from it's escrow funds. The money was seized to satisfy a legal judgement against Elkington and the Keltner group, The parent company at that time of Beale Street Management. The City's documents state that the funds were never repaid.

That same document shows that Hunter's Ridge Properties,a real estate development affiliated with Elkington and Beale Street management received loans totalling $1,972.00 from the funds of the Beale Street District. There are no provisions in the lease that Elkington has with Beale Street Development Corporation, the company that hires him and holds the leases on all the property on Beale Street for 52 years, that authorizes loans of Beale Street funds to a third party.

There is talk on Beale that the new garage adjoining the new Westin Hotel, may have Elkington has a owner,and that the leases were used as collateral for the loan to build it. First of all his agreement with BSDC does not allow him to use the leases without their permission. I'm told by Randal Catron the Executive director of BSDC that that permission has never been given,Which is a violation of a Federal Contract between BSDC and the funding agency.

I received a anonymous e-mail that stated that the FBI may want to look at his involvement with Batersville Bank, where its alleged that he has used the leases to acquire funding for another project. His lease does allow him to use the leases for loans pertaining to Beale street if those loans are paid in full in 45 days.

It's suspected that He's using the leases as collateral to fund his projects around the country,Its time for the FBI to take a look at his business practices and see how the governments money is being spent. Another question that must be asked is why would he give Rickey Peete A $3,000.00 campaign contribution.

Peete who is the Executive Director of the Beale Street Merchants Association has fought BSDC on every hand. Was the $3,000 a bribe or a payment to Peete to make sure by using the agencies of the city to try to shut BSDC down. It makes me wonder after Code Enforcement, Abd several other city agencies that control weather a business stays open or not all attacked BSDC on the same day.

The FBI should seized the records of Elkington and find out if his company which operates out of a $1.00 per year office has taken monies belonging to the Federal government, the city of Memphis, and BSDC has been used for his own gain.

HEY JOHN WHAT ABOUT THIS:

PRESS RELEASE Tuesday, October 28, 2003 City Responds to Red River District Foreclosure Officials with Flint Company (Flintco) of Tulsa, Oklahoma, have foreclosed on the Red River District in Shreveport. Flintco and Memphis-based developer John Elkington were partners in the entertainment district, but Flint officials tell us they were forced to take action after receiving none of Elkington’s promised payments. Neither has Elkington responded to the City of Shreveport’s repeated requests for payments on a $5 million HUD loan. "It had become simply a waiting game," says Mayor Keith Hightower. "We knew this was going to happen, because Elkington wasn’t paying anyone for anything. The City has never received one penny, even though the district has been open for more than a year. We are glad this has happened. As far as we are concerned, it is a good thing." The reason the city is pleased with the Elkington foreclosure is that now Flintco can come in and manage and market the district full time. Flintco tells the city they are also committed to lowering the Red River District’s sky-high rents to amounts that are not so burdensome that businesses are unable to survive. For example, Polyester’s current $30,000-per-month rent will soon drop by more than one-half. Many of the businesses have complained about high rents and the lack of marketing needed to drive customers their way. Flintco, as mortgagee in the so-called first position, was the only entity able to foreclose. As a second mortgage holder, the City of Shreveport could not have initiated foreclosure. The City and Flintco are currently working out a deal that will allow the city to recoup, through rents and the eventual sale of the District, most or all of its’ loan. That is another reason the foreclosure is seen as a positive. "Yes, our loan ‘goes away’," says Mayor Hightower. "But we’re not being paid anything right now on it, and haven’t been since the beginning. We feel we have a much better chance of recouping our investment with Flintco at the helm." For more media information, contact Liz Swaine at 673-5084. ------------------------------
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City Council Woman to Marry.

City Council woman Barbara Swearingan Holt and Pastor Albert Ware will wed On March the 3rd at Pentecostal Temple Church of God In Christ. I have jumped on her in the past and probably will in the future, But I hope her great happiness in her new marriage. Her new initials will be, B.WARE.

Willie Wants To Stay On The Wall,So Did Humpety Dumpety

I watched the Mayor's state of the city address by way of the internet. The mayor who still states that god has chosen him to lead memphis took a Sunday morning text of '"On The Wall".

But I guess the mayor felt like preaching after Brandon Porter pastor of Greater Community Temple went into his preaching tune and moan while he was just suppose to pray.

Willie poured it on thick, he spoke of how much he loves the Lord, And how the Lord has chosen him to lead this city,And how he like the prophet Nehemiah must stay on the wall.

The mayor says that he told the Lord after Harold Ford Sr. would not run for mayor 16 years, " Send Me I'll Go". He went on to state that he's on the wall so why should he come down.

The mayor states that as he drives through the streets of Memphis he sees blighted neighborhoods,And that he wants to spend $50 million for blight removal. Well,thanks Willie for finally leaving downtown and having a look at how many of those who placed you in office live. But why now? Why has this plan taken 15 years? Oh I forgot you're running for office,and you want the poor to think that finally "You Give a Damn".

The mayor went on to say that he wants to spend $30 million to build a new state of the art football stadium. For what? And where is the money suppose to come from? Isn't this the same mayor that couldn't find funds to give fire and police men and woman a raise. Why do we need a stadium when we just built a stadium for a basketball team who can't even win a game.

What we got this morning was the same mayoral bullshit as always. I wonder who told Willie that a stadium is needed? Any council member who goes along with this madness needs to be targeted as a traitor of the people and needs to know that spending money on this senseless project will mean that whoever runs against them will be elected to replace them.

Myron's Brunch All Fun,And No Politics

I attended the New Year's brunch hosted by City Councilman Myron Lowery. It was an occasion of all fun and no talk of politics. Money was raised and prizes were given.

There was only a limited number of elected officials among the several hundred in attendance. In fact the only elected officials I saw were City Council persons Barbara S. Holt and Tom Marshall. School Board member Stephanie Gatewood was also present,who confirmed to me that she will be a candidate for city Council against E.C. Jones.

Myron Lowery as you can see in the photo joined the "Peace makers" as they song "My Girl". And 80 plus year old community activist Johnnie Mae Peters dance her heart out. Recording artists Bobby Rush ,and Sheba Potts-Wright entertained the crowd. It was a festive occasion that I really enjoyed attending. And the Chitterlings were great.