A New Fullerton the Orange County District by Stephan Baxter and They Did So Without Making Any Threats
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Courtesy of the Local History Room, Fullerton Public Library COMMUNITY CALENDAR Page 13-15 % Fullerton Ob server FULLERTON’S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS • Est.1978 (printed on 20% recycledecycled paper)pa • Year 34 #13 • AUGUST 2012 Candidates Pull Papers for November City Council Election There will be three open city council seats in the Nov. 6, 2012 election. Current Mayor Pro tern Bruce Whitaker and new Councilmember Travis Kiger will be running for re-election. Mayor Sharon Quirk-Silva is stepping down to run for the 65th State Assembly seat against incumbent Chris Norby. The last day to file for a council run is August 10th (or five more days if the Mayor decides not to run.) So far challengers include: Vivian “Kitty” Jaramillo, Jane Rands, Barry Levinson, Matthew Hakim, Jennifer Fitzgerald, Rick Alvarez, Jan Flory and recently recalled Don Bankhead. For updated info see “Nov. Election” under Elections on the City Clerk’s page at www.cityofifullerton.com. 911 Audio & Transcript Released Over objections by the OCDA, Fullerton City Council unanimously voted to release the audio and transcript of the July 5, 2010, 911 call which brought police to the transportation center in search of Kelly Thomas. The Officer Tim Gibert and Corporal Eric Bridges acted professionally in preventing a homeless man from call from a Slidebar employee says that endangering him self and others by repeatedly walking into traffic. Meanwhile the Kelly Thomas Memorial OCDA Seeks Cell Kelly was pulling on car handles in the Concert was starting up at the Plaza. Photo by Josufi R. Fotography [email protected] Phone Recordings of parking lot. Go to www.cityoffuller- ton.com for the materials. Anaheim Shooting A New Fullerton The Orange County District by Stephan Baxter and they did so without making any threats. Attorney's Office is seeking witness Despite his outward appearance, and incoher es of an officer-involved shooting in On Saturday July 7th, I stopped and had ent responses, they treated him with the same Anaheim on July 21, 2012. lunch with a friend at a restaurant on Harbor respect all of us should expect. There were no Anyone who witnessed the inci Blvd. right before the Kelly Thomas Memorial insults, and they did not toy with him the way dent, is in possession of cell phone Concert was starting. As we were finishing up Manual Ramos and Joe Wolfe had a year ago videos, other video recordings, or I noticed that a patrol car was parked in front, with Kelly Thomas. still photographs, or has additional blocking traffic on Harbor, and that a some Soon several others from the concert ran information is asked to leave a mes what delusional man, who by appearance over to see what was going on. Since we were sage on the District Attorney seemed to be homeless, was being asked to holding a concert in response to the.encounter Special Investigations hotline at return to the sidewalk. The man's behavior between Kelly Thomas and six police officers a (714) 347-8544. made him a danger to himself and perhaps year previous, one which had far less probable The media and public will be others, so the police had every right to detain cause than this one, and one which led to notified at the end of the investiga him. A witness told me that he was walking Kelly's death, it was very strange to see this tion and the findings and legal con into traffic, getting angry at cars, and bother now. Our group, which now numbered about clusions will be available at ing others who passed by. I went and sat down five, did not say anything and we stayed out of www.orangecounryda.com. about 10 - 15 feet away to see how this the way. What we saw were two professionals Related articles on page 3 encounter would unfold. The cops did not doing their job, and doing it well. No one got look pleased that I was watching, but they also hurt and the man was detained, as he should KCET Films Forum did not tell me to move away. Had they done have been. Hopefully he got help, but if all so I would not be writing the following. they did was arrest him, at least he was no on Local Art Show The suspect did not cooperate initially, but longer trying to fight traffic. KCET’s Art Bound filmed a cross section of Fullerton community they got him to calm down by speaking softly Continued on page 10 members and artists invited by Art City Ends Employment of T hree O fficers Involved in With an Agenda to discuss the meaning and purpose of the Kelly Kelly T homas Beating: Ramos, Cicinelli, and W olfe Thomas art show on July 16th. The Acting Fullerton Police Chief Dan Hughes terminated it does not legally preclude anoth- event took place in the PAS Gallery confirmed that the employment status of er agency from hiring an officer if he or she on W. Santa Fe where the show was Corporal Jay Cicinelli ended with the City of meets the State’s requirements for all police held. To see the 16-minute film go Fullerton, effective July 20, 2012. officers in the state.” to http://www.kcet.org/arts/art- Chief Hughes previously announced that bound/watch/#featured. the employment of two other officers involved in the Kelly Thomas incident has ended. Father’s Lawsuit Charges City for Death of Son Manuel Ramos’ employment ended effective Ron Thomas, father of Kelly Thomas Wolfe, Jay Cicinelli, Kenton Hampton, July 3, 2012 and Joseph Wolfe’s ended effec who died five days after being beaten by James Blatney, and Kevin Craig. tive July 16, 2012. Chief Hughes said the sta six Fullerton police officers, filed a law Citing numerous examples of past offi tus of the other officers involved in this inci suit against the City of Fullerton in cer corruption and lack of consequences dent remains unchanged. He declined to dis Superior Court claiming wrongful death, for misbehavior, the lawsuit contends cuss any proposed discipline or the findings of negligence, assault and battery, supervi that a culture has been built up allowing an internal investigation saying he must follow sor liability, Monell Claim and violation such incidents. State employment laws pertaining to person of civil rights, on July 5, 2012. Attorneys The lawsuit states that over the years, nel issues. Mardirossian & Assoc, are handling the officers who alerted upper management Asked if these officers could simply apply at case. Defendants include former police of corruption within the forte were another police department, City Attorney Chiefs Michael Sellers and Pat McKinley, demoted or fired and that bad actors Richard Jones said, “Without offering a per DOES 1-50, and the six officers involved were therefore given a green light to mis sonal view of any of the officers, if an officer is in the beating: Manuel Ramos, Joseph behave without fear of reprimand. Courtesy of the Local History Room, Fullerton Public Library Page 2 Fullerton O bs ERVER COMMUNITY OPINIONS c o n t in u e d pa g e io August 2012 A Flawed Policy Considered for ^^^Fullerton O ut of M y M ind Police Chief Appointment by Vince Buck by Jon Dobrer © 2012 At a special meeting on July 24, This is potentially a fraught situa- [email protected] the City Council voted on a first tion. No one can tell a police chief reading to directly appoint the what to do in a timely fashion (i.e. The Fullerton Observer Community police chief. Bad idea. Doug Chaffee come back from vacation and be the Newspaper, founded by Ralph and Natalie Kennedy and a group of friends in 1978, is Mitt Romney: had campaigned on this idea so it public face in a difficult situation). staffed by local citizen volunteers who create, was reasonable that the Council In fact, no one person can tell the publish, and distribute the paper throughout A Rapid Cycler? address it (unlike the fireworks ban police chief to do anything; only 3 our community. referendum which was unmentioned council members acting at a Council This venture is a not-for-profit one with As I have been watching the rapid cyclers on the during the campaign). And it was a meeting can do that (perhaps behind all ad and subscription revenues plowed back into maintaining and improving our inde Tours de France, it occurred to me that maybe Mitt good campaign issue suggesting that closed doors, but not in policy situa pendent, non-partisan, non-sectarian com Romney wouldn't be so bad a president after all. Fie the police department would be tions where the meeting must be munity newspaper. is clearly intelligent, and his record indicates a cer placed under closer supervision. open and the item agendized). Our purpose is to inform Fullerton resi tain political pragmatism—a flexibility that some However, I would * argue that the Where there are disagreements dents about the institutions and other socie read as lack of moral center, but that's not a gener opposite is the case. Previously the between the manager and chief we tal forces which most impact their lives, so that they may be empowered to participate ous interpretation. police chief was theoretically may see public arguments and duel in constructive ways to keep and make these He was not a bad or ideological governor of appointed by and reported to the ing press releases. There are many private and public entities serve all residents Massachusetts.