A COMPLAINT AGAINST CITY ATTORNEY

Riverside Ward 4 Councilman Paul Davis informed The Truth Publication that City Attorney Greg Priamos had not authority to direct Police Officer Nick Sahagun to stop a speaker if he/she goes over the 3-minutes limit. Officer Sahagun so declared in his report, regarding the incident involving Karen Wright, affirmed Davis. City officials are investigating the case (who are they?) What would happen to CA Priamos if he gave instructions to Officer Sahagun?

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"We Endorse You and You Always Be Innocent."

The same people who are endorsing William Baily for Mayor at the Riverside Unified School District "found out" that the mayoral candidate didn't do anything wrong during a class calling "crazy ladies" to the women who regularly speak at the City Council meetings. Bailey is a teacher at Poly High School. Activist Viviam Moreno filed the complaint and another one with the city on November 16. (Same result.)

THE RIVERSIDE CITY COUNCIL OF TODAY

We cannot cover the sun with a finger. There is bad blood at the Riverside City government between officials and numerous opponents. The Karen Wright incident has made things worse. It will have a tail. Inside the same dais there are lots of frictions and resentments between Council members. Steve Adams and Chris MacArthur were endorsing Ed Adkison. There is a cold war between Councilman Paul Davis and City Attorney Greg Priamos.

The Mayor endorsed Bailey and so Gardner, Melendrez, and Paul Davis. Opponents to the government are against Bailey. Melendrez has a son in the RPD Department, so never expects any criticism against it. Nancy Hart, who is retiring, refused to give an opinion. Adams and Davis are like oil and water because Davis endorsed John Brandriff. Gardner will back up Bailey, no matter what. Bailey will face lots of troubles to handle his new job because his lack of experience, although we wish him the best. The City Council is not a very good sight, there is too much blood in the supper. Sooner or later the balloon will explode.

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See in this edition an exclusive interview with Mayor Ron Loveridge, saying Sayonara to City Hall. At the very end of this edition, after the subtitle "Don't Kid Yourself," there are jokes about limited speaking time at different scenarios. It's funny. This edition has 14 pages.

AFTER THE MAYORAL ELECTION. Riverside City Clerk Colleen Nicol informs, " The tentative schedule for administering the oath of office to the new Mayor is December 11, depending of the completion of the election canvass by the Registrar. It is up to the Mayor Loveridge to be present or not."

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COMMUNICATE FROM RIVERSIDE MAYOR LOVERIDGE AND CHIEF OF POLICE DIAZ

Since TV Channel 11 presented a one side of the story about the incident that took place at the Riverside City Council meeting of October 23, 2012, Mayor Ron Loveridge and Chief of Police Sergio Diaz released a Communicate through the Intergovernmental & Communication Officer, which includes the new protocol that will be enforced at the City Council meetings.

THE MAYOR CALLS FOR DECORUM

Ron Loveridge, Riverside
Mayor for 18 years, will
retire in November 2012.

Mayor Ron Loveridge, a proponent for open governance, is working with City Manager Scott Barber and Chief of Police Sergio Diaz to clarify the roles and responsibilities of elected officials and staff in carrying out the decorum rules at public meetings. This follows an incident this Tuesday involving a regular speaker at Riverside City Council meetings.

The Riverside Police Department is preparing a draft policy to provide response guidelines for the police personnel that staff City Council meetings.

The new protocol gives the meeting chair, generally the Mayor or Mayor Pro Term, the sole authority to have someone removed from a meeting for violations of decorum. Security issues will be handled by the Police Department. Mayor Loveridge said, “The City Council and I continue to encourage public comment as part of our open process”. He also stated that it wouldn’t have been appropriate to intervene on Tuesday once the officers took over the situation and that “We stand behind the officer”.

Chief of Police Sergio Diaz is
protecting his Department.

Chief Diaz said he is recommending that the protocol include specific language the presiding officer would read to let the speaker and police officers know what steps would be taken if the disruption continues.

The incident that prompted the new rule occurred at an October 23 City Council meeting during the evening session. A City Council regular who routinely disrupts the Council meetings by exceeding speaking times and violates other meeting rules, such as shouting from the audience or talking on a cell phone, refused again on this day to comply with the rules and failed to cooperate with repeated – more than 16 - requests by the Mayor to bring her comments to a close. She also refused to comply with requests by a police officer to take her seat and then to step outside that ultimately resulted in her arrest and a misdemeanor citation.

The speaker was released within approximately 15 minutes. She spoke 6 times on October 23 and despite her allegation that she was being censored, she was allowed to speak 2 additional times following her citation. The clarification of protocol will help maintain decorum at the meetings and allow the Mayor and Council more time to focus on business issues.

 

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Ward 4 Councilman Paul Davis Speaks Out About the Incident Involving Speaker Karen Wright

Ward 4 Riverside Councilman Paul Davis responded to The Truth Publication an inquiry about the incident involving public speaker Karen Wright.  He was at the dais then and witnessed the whole episode.

COUNCILMAN PAUL DAVIS: Exclusive
comments about the handcuffing of  Public
Speaker Karen Wright that he witnessed.

Salvador, nice to hear from you. I hope that your health is getting better, and you can join us again soon.

 Thank you for the inquiry and your interest in the occurrence with Ms. Karen Wright at the November 23, 2012 daytime and evening Council Meetings. I must preface this response with a statement that I do not condone nor condemn the actions of either Ms. Wright or the Police officer(s) involved. I am simply to relay what I saw and heard, prior to and after this unfortunate incident.

During the afternoon session of the Council Meeting and in most prior meetings, Ms. Wright had consistently disregarded the rules of conduct and had been previously warned that her continued actions will not be tolerated. Since Ms. Wright has a clear issue with authority and believes that no rules apply to her, she has taken it upon herself to discover how far she can push the limits of the rules established and administered by the Mayor.

This occasion was no different with a few real serious exceptions. During the evening session of the Riverside City Council Meeting, Ms. Wright had spoken and her time limit had expired. During her speaking period she was as she normally had been, very outspoken, which I support her ability to say what she wants exercising her First Amendment Rights. However, after her time had expired and the Mayor had Thanked her for speaking, telling her that her time had expired, she proceeded to become rather louder and even more belligerent and engage the Mayor in a less than cordial manner.

 After less than a minute of her continuing her rant, an officer approached her and asked her to calm down and to have a seat. She disregarded the officers request and proceeded to march towards the area where the City Management Staff sits, stating that she was going to put in her speaking cards, for the speech she just gave, into the bin. Which, under the rules, is to be submitted prior to speaking and she never does, since Ms. Wright states that she keeps her notes upon herself and needs them to speak.

The officer again told her that she needs to be calm, take her seat and she ignored him. At that time, the officer directed her to return to her seat and Ms. Wright turned and began to advance towards where she had been sitting. Ms. Wright then uttered some choice words to the officer, which may have been directed towards the council. He then told her to step outside, since she was clearly disrupting the meeting and she chose to continue to ignore him. The officer then took her right arm at the elbow and told her that she needs to accompany him outside. Ms. Wright then jerked her arm away from the officer, stating something to the effect that she needed to get her things and for him not to touch her.

At that time she also decided to sit down, on the floor, just outside the Dais entrance door and near her seat, with her hands not visible from my vantage point. Ms. Wright began to holler that her rights are being violated and would not comply with the officers orders to stand up and exit the meeting chambers. During that time the officer applied handcuffs to Ms. Wright and later took them off, after assisting Ms. Wright to her feet. She was then led outside where she was cited for her disrupting a public meeting. Ms. Wright later returned to the chambers, but a slight change in her demeanor.

Many have asked why the members of the Mayor, Council, or city Staff, did not take any actions to stop the officer from his actions. As a matter of law, no person has the authority to interfere with the lawful order or actions of a Police Officer performing his duties. By doing so, you would be in violation and you will be held for Obstruction of Justice, and be subject to severe penalty. If the officer felt that he observed her not complying with the established rules of a Public Meeting and after being warned, that person fails to comply, he has the authority to take the appropriate actions he feels necessary to resolve the issue before him. In this case, he did so, and no person has the authority to tell him otherwise and would not be appropriate to do so. The officers Captain was present and involved with the situation, during the entire incident. If that officer acted outside the scope of his authorities, then it is incumbent upon the Internal Affairs and Police Chief to effect the necessary corrections.

We as the elected body, do not have any authority to get involved in any way, by State Law and the Charter of this city. Ms. Wright has and will enjoy the ability to speak her mind at any Public Meeting and I will always support this. However, to maintain decorum and civility, the rules that have been established must be adhered to. Ms. Wright is aware of this, as I have personally, spoken to her about her conduct at past Council and other meetings, Public and otherwise. She chooses to ignore such pleads to maintain composure and decorum and carry on in the manner she does. Unfortunately for Ms. Wright, on this occasion, the officer felt that she had clearly stepped beyond the established line and took the actions he felt was necessary.

I hope this helps you to understand the incident and actions taken last Tuesday and look to you for your comments and this situation. This is simply my recollection of the events and may not be shared as the same from others.

Paul Davis
Council member - Ward 4
City of Riverside.
______________________________________

CURIOUS STATISTICS REPORTED BY BLOGGER: This edition has had so far 357 hits in the U.S., 34 in Russia, 17 in China, 11 in Sweden, 4 in Mexico, 3 in Germany, 3 in South Africa, 2 in Spain, 2 in France, 2 in the United Kingdom. (!!!!!!!!). This report has greatly surprised us. The Truth is getting more than 3,000 hits every month.

______________________________________

"I have a question for Mr. Davis. If the city council thinks what happened was officer-initiated and appropriate behavior then why did the mayor tell the Los Angeles Times that the city government is changing that policy and having an expulsion at the discretion of the city council/mayor and not the police? I think the city's preparing its defense and the first thing it does is find city employees to throw under the bus." --- Mary Shelton, Five Before Midnight.

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PETIT EDITORIAL

Admitting Karen Wright has been violating the speaker rules at the City Council meetings, methods of persuasion should have been used before taking the drastic measure of handcuffing and citing her. She wouldn't have been confronting the police is she were told, "we are going to arrest you, if you don't behave." We could disagree with many things she say and do at the chamber, but we have to recognize that she is a dedicated activist deeply involved in city matters.

Public speakers at the City Council meetings are volunteers who don't earn any money, but dedicate their time and efforts to express their opinions in our free country. Rules have to be respected, but also restrain and smart tactics have to be used by the authorities. This one shows Ms Wright on the floor while being handcuffed. The Truth Publication Online states its strongest protest for this action against a woman who is disable and wasn't threatening anybody. The silent and complicity of the members of the dais before this human aberration is very worrisome.

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Speaker at Council Meeting Handcuffed



Photo sent to The Truth Publication Online by Donald Gallegos,
showing the moment when Karen Wright was handcuffed while
being on her knees on the floor of the City Council chamber.

Regular speaker at the Riverside City Council meetings Karen Wright was escorted and handcuffed by the police on October 23, after she kept talking over the 3-minutes speaking rule. To call her attention was fine, but to handcuff her was outrageous, regrettable. Karen was taken to a police car and cited for "disrupting a public meeting," and was given a citation to appear in court. Minutes later, she was allowed to return to the chamber. Handcuffed? Gosh! First time such treatment has been used in the history of the Riverside Council meetings. What a grotesque and disgusting scene! City Attorney Greg Priamos denied he directed Officer Nick Sahagun to arrest Ms Wright at the chamber. (Photos by the web site http://www.thirtymilesofcorruption.com)

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IN THIS EDITION

 

Bank of America is sued by the U.S. for $1 billion for allegedly
selling bad loans to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

* A novel inspired from the real life.
* President Obama writes to The Truth.
* The Riverside election for Mayor.
* The capture of a cop killer.
* Loveridge says sayonara to City Hall.

* Mitt Romney's cruelty to his dog.
* The power of the mind.
* Riverside deals with Communists.

* Many more interesting stories.

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AN APPEAL TO GOOD HEARTS

There is a very old lady living at Mount Rubidoux Manor, who is totally disable and urgently needs an electric chair. Please call (951) 536-6437 for more details.

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A NOVEL IN THE TRUTH PUBLICATION

While our publisher recovers his health, The Truth Publication Online will publish a novel based on realities of life and personal episodes of the characters, including the story of a touching romance. The whole drama ended in the City of Riverside.

THE NIGHT WAS LEFT BEHIND
by El Vate.

Charter 1


Tony was 24 years old when he met for the first time a beautiful girl by name Amparo, 19. The encounter took place at a modest party in the neighborhood of Tony. She was dancing with another man and he with another young woman.

But, at the rhythm of tropical musical notes, they were not concentrating on their partners. Their eyes were crossing the air looking at each other like the moon watches the earth intensively.

Eventually, they will see each other again because she was taking classes close to Tony's home. The mutual attraction was evident. She was tall, with a pretty green eyes and a curvaceous body. He was also tall, elegant, with a gorgeous black hair.

A romance between the two was just a matter of time. They could not imagine the marvels of love, the happiness and the tragedies that were waiting for them, as the moon waits every night to caresses the flowers of our garden.

But black clouds were appearing in the horizon, threatening love and freedom. Who could have imagined the whole drama will end up in the political arena of Riverside, California?

Chapter II

Tony and Amparo were very happy. She was a teacher at an elementary school and he was a reporter for an important newspaper. But something was interfering with the couple lives: Amparo's mom.

Amparo's mom was a very possessive person. She kept treating her daughter as a child. Every day she was showing up at the home of the couple, even making many calls during the honeymoon. It was a selfish and destructive intrusion, affecting the lives of Tony and his wife.

Making the story short, Amparo's mom moved to the couple's home, and a few months later her husband too, Amparo's father. Tony and Amparo's privacy was history. Nevertheless, they loved each other very much and tried to deal with the situation.

Unfortunately, politics affects the lives of people for good or for bad. A terrible thing happened in the country: Communism took over power, erasing freedom, happiness and well being. Democracy became tyranny. Happiness transform to sadness. Life translated to death.

Then, what happened to Amparo and Tony's marriage?

Chapter III

This story has several messages, one of them is about the damage that parents make on their grown sons and daughters when they treat them as if they still were infants. There have been thousands of jokes about "mothers-in-law," but in this case the joke is not funny at all because what happened to the marriage of Tony and Amparo.

Yes, some times jokes become reality. Just read the following "jokes":

I haven't spoken to my mother-in-law for two years. We haven't quarreled. I just don't like to interrupt her.

What is the worst thing an emergency doctor can tell you after admitting your mother-in-law?

"Sir, we were able to save her."

The clock fell off the wall. If it was a minute sooner, it would have hit my mother-in-law. The clock was always slow.

Well, being honest, Tony and Amparo's marriage troubles cannot be credited to her parents intrusion per say. Actually, it was the change in the political structure of the country the main cause of the end of a great romance

Tony became an activist against the dictatorship. His life was reduced to zero and had no choice but to leave the country. Amparo's mother threatened her to commit suicide if she decided to come to the U.S. with her husband.  Tony's life was in danger, and one day he could managed to escape the country in an American ship that was ankled in a harbor.

Amparo opted to stay in the country with her parents, afraid of her mother's threats to kill herself. What a selfish behavior of the young woman's mother!

(Chapter IV)

Imagine for a second what is to be in a foreign country not knowing its language, being broke, and having no connections at all. Only a very strong character could survive those circumstances.

The ship where Tony escaped from his country arrived at a Florida harbor. Tony and about two hundred more refugees were taken to Miami, where the Police and Jewish people rejected the new arrivals. Police were totally biased and abusive, and Jewish were telling them, "Go back to your country."

Tony saw public bathrooms with signs, "For white people only." It was the year 1962. As always, it is just to mention exceptions. Of course, the Miami of today is not the one of the past. The refugees has made of the city a properous one, thanks to their hard work and wisdom.

Not a pretty sight, anyhow.

So, Tony went to New York, a crazy town with very tall buildings, where people are always in a hurry and nobody trust anybody. A very dangerous and liberal town. At that time, Tony was having breakfast, lunch and dinner around three o'clock in the afternoon: a hot dog and coffee with milk. In winter, temperature goes below 30 degrees.

But New York is an amazing city. No matter its millions of residents and tourists, a job could be found to provide food and shelter to a person in need, washing dishes, paling snow, cleaning buildings, whatever. Tony's heart was broken to pieces.

Huge surprises were waiting for Tony in the Big Apple, some good, some bad.

(Chapter V.)

The International Rescue Committee helped refugees who were concentrating in Miami, a town with a very poor economic situation in the 1960s. So, the IRC started to allocate refugees in other cities.

"I cannot believe this is
happening to me."

Being in Manhattan, the IRC provided to Tony a week paid in a hotel and found a job for him. A heavy used coat was given to him, for protection from the very cold winter in the Big Apple. The hotel had a common bath, and neighbors with blue eyes were amazed that Tony took a shower every day, instead once a week as them.

Tony was recommended to a small factory in Queens, and there he went not without falling several times on the iced streets because he didn't have the special rubber shoes to walk on ice. Finally, Tony had a job. The factory made envelopes out of disposal papers.

A worker was assigned to train Tony in one machine. He was learning fast, but three hours after starting he was called to the office by the owner, who told him, "I'm very sorry but I have to let you go. I cannot explain why."  All the workers at the factory were "Puertorricans," and they didn't want to have a co-worker from another origin.

There was Tony, with a 3-hour check in his pocket, about $17.00, having two days left to live in the hotel. A very tough situation. The IRC committed to find just one job to the refugees. After that, they were on their own in the middle of a huge and cold monster.

What happened to Tony next, who was missing his wife, his relatives and friends, his career,? The fact to be young give you stamina to overcome the great challenges of life. And that's exactly was what Tony did.

(To be continued.)

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A Truth Bigger Than the Universe

You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you. Sri Ram

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THANKS, DEAR FRIENDS

Thanks to all the good friends, who have been concerned about my health. I will be okay in a few weeks, ready to keep fighting for the cause of freedom and justice.
THE PUBLISHER.

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INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT

Unrest of spirit is a mark of life; one problem after another presents itself and in the solving of them we can find our greatest pleasure.
Karl Menninger

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