by Barry Levinson
Barry Levinson
Not surprisingly when I spoke at Fullerton city council Tuesday night (October 7, 2014) about the federal lawsuit recently filed against a former FPD detective for actions starting in late 2012 through well into 2013, Police Chief Dan Hughes kept looking away from me or had his head down.
You tawkin’ ’bout me?
Maybe he was embarrassed or upset that once again the alleged depravity of another one of his long-time officers and his department as well was exposed to the citizens of this city at a city council meeting.
Here you have former detective Ronald Bair, a defendant in a federal civil case of alleged crimes including sexual crimes committed under color of authority. In addition, the lawsuit alleges that his FPD bosses inappropriately handled the compliant filed against that Fullerton police detective by the female plaintiff with the Fullerton Police Department. What is worse is that it all allegedly happened under the newly “reformed” Fullerton Police Department. However, Mayor Doug Chaffee, Councilwoman Fitzgerald and Flory I guess, do not have a problem with this alleged commission of multiple acts of depravity, bullying, perjury, abuse and sexual abuse under FPD authority against this woman. This woman was in a shelter for abused women.
Blue shirted Doug Chaffee donning FPD bootlicking garb during a police union worship service circa 2012
I heart FPD
Nothing like a man in a uniform
No not a question or statement or even a whimper from Doug, Jennifer, or Jan at the last council meeting on that topic. I wonder if all the participants in the last Women’s Conference they attended would appreciate their total silence on this matter.
Also. they have been eerily silent on the well publicized allegations by several arrested Kelly Thomas protesters (10 I believe) who said that an FPD officer taunted them with the potentially deadly physical threat that they would have their F#@CKING FACES SMASHED IN. This goes way back to January 18, 2014. Ladies and gentlemen, also not a whimper on this subject from Police Chief Hughes, Councilmembers Fitzgerald and Flory either, since it was agendized by Councilmember Whitaker 4 or 5 months ago. Where is their collective concern about those 10 people both men and women?
This is what the FPD did to Kelly Thomas. Is this what the officers planned to do to to the protesters in custody in the FPD paddy wagon?
But what Ms. Fitzgerald and Ms. Flory felt morally compelled to talk about on the city council dais was my alleged behavior prior to the completion of a so-called police investigation. I know I have done nothing wrong except upset Joe Felz, Dan Hughes, Jennifer Fitzgerald, Jan Flory and Doug Chaffee with my continued attention to the shortcomings of this city government. As the old saying goes, “you do not mess with mother nature”. It goes doubly that you do not mess with this city government. I was told by the two detectives that an assault compliant was filed with the police allegedly taking place in the lobby of city hall during the August 19, 2014 Fullerton council meeting. I can say categorically that I did not touch, threaten, gesture or impede the progress of this person. The complaint is false and baseless. I do not know for sure the exact language of the complaint because the City Attorney, the City Manager and the Police Chief all refused to provide me with a copy of this complaint filed against me by a contractor of the city. The person is not a constituent as Ms. Flory stated at the last council meeting.
As the strings are pulled, the nose grows. Hey that rhimes. Name that dummy.
I would like to point out that Ms. Fitzgerald has always been a staunch supporter of former Police Chief Pat McKinley and current Police Chief Dan Hughes.
Pat Mckinley circa 2011
That is also true for Ms. Flory, Mr. Felz, Mr. Hughes and Mr. Chaffee.
A bust of Jan Flory named “a strong, older woman”
Felz
Chaffee -your three minutes are up
I do not recall any of them ever making any negative comments about the conduct of those 6 officers involved in the Kelly Thomas beating death. They all protect the police department and its leadership.
Ms. Fitzgerald and her allies are trying very hard in my opinion to silence me by character assassination.
My family and I have been subjected to harassment and intimidation by the city carried out by its police department for the past several months. This I believe is a grave misuse of police resources. (Remember 6 officers going to Pasadena to arrest one local person, A. J. Redkey for a non-violent misdemeanor.)
https://thefullertoninformer.com/paybacks-a-bitch-on-the-streets-of-pasadena/
I also believe that Ms. Fitzgerald has a conflict of interest by being a Fullerton council member and at the same time being Vice President for a very influential Southern California government consultant firm. I call for her to either step down from the council or quit her Vice President position with that consultant firm. She can’t serve two opposing masters in my opinion.
Red or green depending on the day of the week. Now trans fat free.
She frequently states that she”loves” Fullerton but apparently hates people like me, whose only crime is that I tell the truth. Again, where is her outrage over the civil lawsuit I discussed earlier filed against former Fullerton Detective Ronald Bair and the female plaintiff’s very, very serious allegations of corruption in the Fullerton Police Department itself?
In my opinion, the city is run like a very closed and secretive club for the betterment of the members of that club and their friends only.
Recognize any of these cats?
This is very, very sad. I have spent almost 5 years working very hard to make this city a better place for the citizens of Fullerton. The more I have learned and the more I have paid close attention to the actions of our city government the more sickened and disgusted I have become however. I pledge to continue to stand up for truth and my fellow Fullertonians. I urge continued support for Councilmember Whitaker and I urge the reelection of Mayor Pro-Tem Sebourn as the first steps to taking back our city.
I would suggest that Ms. Fitzgerald and Ms. Flory both have a whole lot of explaining to do to the Fullerton public for their totally inappropriate and strictly politically driven behavior. Ms. Fitzgerald and her allies have gone way too far even for them this time.
Do Ms. Fitzgerald and Ms. Flory who also attacked me at council, believe that action should be taken against me or for that matter anyone before there is any proof that anything inappropriate even happened? Even before the so-called police investigation of this baseless complaint against me is completed.
Does Mayor Chaffee who supported Council Member Fitzgerald in requesting that the City Council agendize a discussion to consider removing me from the Parks and Recreation Committee (where I now serve as Chairman appointed by Council member Bruce Whitaker) believe that he too should be judge, jury and executioner without any charges being brought against me? I guess the answer is yes. After all it was the mean and vindictive Council member Doug Chaffee who went out of his way to slander me back at the December 18, 2012 council meeting when the council was ratifying several direct appointments including my own. Mayor Chaffee at that meeting said the following: “I’m sorry I would not support Mr. Levinson. I have reports that he has been very disruptive and is not a good choice? Ladies and gentlemen that was pure character assassination in the form of slandering my good name with no attempt to back up his scurrilous comments about me.
If there were any truth to Mr. Chaffee’s statement would my fellow Park and Recreation Committee members unanimously vote to make me Chair of that committee a month or two later?
Ms. Flory as an attorney knows that their actions are reckless, outrageous and very possibly a violation of my civil rights. Both these council members joined in on the ongoing harassment, intimidation and violation of my civil rights. The fact is that Ms. Flory, as an attorney should no better. Is any of this fair and objective ladies and gentlemen? The answer is obviously no.
This so-called investigation is now almost 2 months old and still not completed although City Manager Joe Felz told Councilmember Whitaker that the investigation would be completed by the end of September 2013. This phony complaint investigation should have been completed in a day (August 20) by reviewing the city’s videotape or in a week (August 27) by the long route by interviewing witnesses. It took the police, exactly four weeks before they attempted to make any contact with me in person or by phone. The day they (2 detectives) first came to my house unannounced was September 16, the day of the council meeting. They waited until the next council meeting 3 weeks later on October 7 to contact a witness I provided to the city. If this is not intentional intimidation and harassment, I do not know what would constitute that claim in my opinion. Our Orange County District Attorney and the Federal Bureau of Investigation should investigate the city’s tactics as well.
I believe this intimidation and harassment has two purposes. The first purpose is to try to keep me away from these important council meetings right before the November elections. The second purpose is pure character assassination because they are very concerned that I might choose to run for council in 2016 or beyond.
You can’t keep a good man down
I remember in 2012, Ms. Flory spoke before the council and told Councilmember Kiger that his mother obviously did not breast-feed him. What a crass and totally inappropriate comment to make to anyone about one’s mother? Later that year she defeated Travis Kiger by 29 votes. Therefore, I am not surprised that both Ms. Fitzgerald and Ms. Flory are once again lowering themselves to this level.
I can honestly say that I have consistently stood up for all Fullertonians since 2010. I hope now you will take the time to stand up for me and the rights of all citizens to be treated in a fair and even handed way by our city. I would again suggest that Councilmember Fitzgerald has a choice she needs to make very soon. Either Ms. Fitzgerald stops being a highly paid, political consultant as Vice President of Pringle and Associates with all that it entails or she resigns her position on the council. Like I stated above, she can’t serve two very different masters to the best of her ability with two very different agendas.
I urge all of you who live in Southern California to attend the next Fullerton City Council meeting. It takes place on Tuesday, October 21, 2014 starting at 6:30 PM. Ladies and gentlemen make no mistake that this is a political witch-hunt against me because I was a political opponent of both Ms. Flory and Ms. Fitzgerald in the November 2012 council election and I have the courage to partake of my 1st Amendment rights under the United States Constitution.
Approximately 7,500 Fullerton citizens believed in me enough to cast their precious vote for me in that election. I ask that as many of you as possible come to the next Fullerton city council meeting on Tuesday October 21 at 6:30pm to express you outrage over this obvious misuse and abuse of power by our leaders. I would also urge that you call City Manager Joe Felz 714-738-6310 or email him at CityManager@ci.fullerton.ca.us; City Police Chief Dan Hughes at 714-738-6825 or 714-738-6840; Councilmembers Jennifer Fitzgerald and Jan Flory at 714-738-6311 or email them at council@cityoffullerton.com to express your outrage and demand that this injustice perpetrated against my family and me be stopped immediately.
God bless and I pray for a time real soon that Fullerton can once again be proud of its city government. Please remember the following:
That all evil needs to triumph are for good men (and women) to do nothing. Edmond Burke.
The further a society drifts from truth the more it will hate those who speak it. George Orwell.
Thank you all for your attention.
Barry Levinson
Fullerton
Parks and Recreation Chair and
Former Candidate for Fullerton City Council
#1 by Fullerton's Conscience on November 15, 2014 - 2:38 pm
Jennifer Fitzgerald is the Vice-President of former Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle’s consultant company called Curt Pringle & Associates.
The OC Register, Op Ed, in the Sunday November 2, 2014 paper had a front page article about Pringle: “Deception, distortion mark the strategies, often successful of political strongmen in two of O.C.’s major cities.” One of the two men they are referring to is former Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle. It goes on to say that Pringle is “running a shameful smear campaign against Mayor Tom Tait – the one member of the Anaheim City Council who has spoken out against alarmingly lucrative deals lobbied for by Pringle.”
Does this sound familiar with Chaffee, Fitzgerald and Flory’s behavior towards those who speak out? Can Ms. Fitzgerald serve as Vice President for one of the most influential consulting firms dealing with local Orange County governments for their many powerful clients and then represent the city of Fullerton without the appearance of a major conflict of interest?