The following article was printed on page 2 in the Mid-December 2015 Fullerton Observer, which is edited by Sharon Kennedy.
Setting The Record Straight Concerning the Articles About Me in the Fullerton Observer’s Early November 2014 Edition by Barry Levinson
In the following remarks I will set the record straight concerning the Fullerton Observer’s inaccurate reporting of an alleged misdemeanor assault and battery incident in the lobby of City Hall August 19, 2014, during the Fullerton City Council meeting. Despite the fact that this incident never occurred, the Fullerton Police Department attempted to build a case against me. There were statements that were made in the Fullerton Observer that unfairly and inaccurately taint my good reputation.
The facts are these:
a. The Orange County District Attorney declined to prosecute the misdemeanor assault and battery charges presented by the FPD for lack of evidence on October 20, 2014.
b. On October 21, 2014 during the Fullerton Council meeting the alleged victim, Ms. Grisenti, when asked by Council member Flory to verify that I touched her stated that she could not remember. It is important to know that the city videotape of the city hall lobby was not available at that meeting and its’ existence was ignored during this supposed investigation. Finally, when the tape was later produced by the city, it clearly showed that the allegations were false.
The Fullerton Observer article about the alleged incident concerning Ms. Grisenti was a three-page story beginning on the front page. The headline read “City Commissioner Questioned for Alleged Assault at City Hall”. However, on Page 4 as the story continued the headline read, “City Commissioner Questioned in Assault” and then again on Page 16 as the story concluded the headline read, “City Commissioner Assault”. My attorney asked specifically that the Fullerton Observer provide a retraction of those obvious errors but Ms. Kennedy instead chose to continue to support her original reporting by stating the following: “The report did not accuse Mr. Levinson of any wrong doing, was not intended to harm Mr. Levinson, and was merely a report of police investigation and allegations.” Ms. Kennedy went on to state as follows: “The editor of the Fullerton Observer stands by the report in the November 2014 paper…”. The latter two headlines clearly states that it was an assault by me, when Ms. Kennedy knew that all charges were dropped for lack of evidence.
The Fullerton Observer in the same edition published an article written by former council member and FSD teacher Pam Keller entitled, “Failure to Act on Bully at City Hall”. In the article, Ms. Keller made an outrageous and totally unsubstantiated comment that stated: “Barry Levinson has a history of bad behavior in the community and at City Council meetings.” No evidence, no proof – just unmitigated character assassination by Ms. Keller.
Ms. Pam Keller
Any news story with unsubstantiated negative claims is not a story fit to be in any newspaper.
Ms. Keller stated at council on October 21, 2014 that she received a copy of the entire police report earlier that day. I only received a copy of the police report approximately 4 hours before the start of that council session. Why and how did a private citizen get an advanced copy of my police report?
Fullerton Police Chief Dan Hughes
Publishing a local newspaper is a noble endeavor. My sincere hope is that the Fullerton Observer recognizes that words were used, i.e. bully, bad behavior, Commissioner Assault, etc. that obviously have a negative impact on my reputation. The erroneous reporting of this incident greatly harmed my family as well. In the future they should be more careful when using such words.
Accuracy in reporting is a sacred bond between the editor and the reader. Words do matter and since a primary goal of any newspaper is to inform their readers, accuracy is essential for it to do its’ job well.
My reputation is extremely important to me. I take great care in providing accurate information whether in the articles I write for the fullertoninformer.com or fullertontaxpayers.org and speaking before the city council. I do care about my reputation and newspapers should always be vigilant to not intentionally or even unintentionally write one word that inaccurately harms that reputation.
Epilogue:
Question: Why did the Fullerton Observer’s Sharon Kennedy continue to 100% support her newspaper reports concerning me in the Observer Response on the bottom of page 1 of the Early October 2015 edition? It is clear based on just the facts alone that there were indeed numerous inaccuracies/errors/misstatements.
Question: As already asked by me above, why did former Fullerton city council member and FSD teacher Pam Keller, a private citizen with no involvement in the alleged incident receive from the FPD a complete copy of my police report before the general public and maybe even before I received my copy of the report?
Lastly, I wish I could have more good things to say about our City of Fullerton government and those that work very closely to support them when they are wrong. However, I have to deal with the facts, as they are, nothing more and nothing less. After all, complements should always be both sincere and well deserved.
I do want to wish all the good people of Fullerton as well as all my friends and family a wonderful Christmas and a joyous, prosperous, healthy and blessed 2016. After all the birth of Jesus signals the beginning of good things to come for the entire world to share. As we usher in another anniversary of his birth, I am optimistic that more and more people starting in 2016 will accept the compassion and morals that Jesus represents.
Barry Levinson
#1 by Anonymous on December 21, 2015 - 3:51 pm
Ah. I see. So Mr. Levinson is falsely accused of assault and that makes it perfectly ok for Mr Levinson to accuse the police of racial profiling and assault without a spec of proof. Now there is some some sound logic! Notice how he has yet to respond to the above post related to this specific incident … the man who prides himself on being well informed before speaking publicly. I’ll ask again: Tell us Barry. What did you know about the incident involving the African American man before you decided to make public statements about it? Here’s my prediction. He’ll either acuse me of being a police union hack or he’ll just change the subject. Guaranteed he won’t answer the question.
#2 by Fullerton Lover on December 21, 2015 - 4:47 pm
As I recall from this city council meeting, this woman claimed was VERY upset that her husband was Tasered by the FPD while cleaning graffiti from the apartment that he worked at.
I guess my question would be to anonymous, is how would anyone, including yourself, have access to her husband’s prior arrest record?
There is only one agency in town that I know that would be able to this man’s access prior arrests and convictions, and it isn’t the Parks and Recreation department!
#3 by Anonymous on December 21, 2015 - 5:20 pm
Fullerton cops maime frame and kill. They even do it on camera and get away with it.
#4 by Anonymous on December 21, 2015 - 10:44 pm
Anonymous the truth will set you free. Try it sometime.
#5 by Joe Imbriano on December 21, 2015 - 10:56 pm
Barry didn’t try to put the thug cops in jail like the thug cops that tried to frame him and put him in jail. I was the one who did the interview and posted the article. The woman shows up at council with accusations that didn’t resonate with Jan and Jenn, you know the two that are so sympathetic to the plight of the afflicted when it is politically expedient, so she was interviewed. Where is the dash cam video by the way?
#6 by Anonymous on December 22, 2015 - 9:33 am
So you interviewed a woman who just happened to show up at a council meeting to say her boyfriend was tasered by the cops on MLK Day and just decided to take her at her word without knowledge of what actually happened. Then you write your own commentary and post it with your video on your website. If you are going to accuse police officers of assault, you better be sure you have looked into her accusations before making public accusations yourself. Why did her boyfriend plead guilty to resisting arrest? By the way, FPD doesn’t use dash cams.
#7 by Fullerton Lover on December 22, 2015 - 10:20 am
For the record, resisting arrest is a misdemeanor and is defined as resisting, obstructing, or delaying a law enforcement officer in the performance of his/her duty.
Example: You have been speeding on the highway and an officer pulls over your vehicle. After some questions by the police officer, he attempts to search your vehicle. You protest the search believing its not warranted, and the police officer threatens to arrest you if you do not sit calmly. You continue to assert your rights and the police officer attempts to arrest you but you refuse to be handcuffed. Under this scenario you would be resisting arrest under California law.
Not a very high standard to get this conviction under the circumstances.
As I recall, the fellow that was arrested, was understandably a little indignant that the police arrived on the scene as if they were confronting a gang banger spray painting on an apartment wall, as opposed to a black man that worked at the apartments, who was in the act of CLEANING the graffiti as part of his job as a maintenance man EMPLOYED by the apartment complex.
Big difference huh?
#8 by Anonymous on December 22, 2015 - 3:04 pm
Why dont they use dash cams? Ok where is the body cam footage? Here is the article where she is accusing them and Joe reports on her “allegations”. https://thefullertoninformer.com/more-allegations-of-fpd-police-brutality-involving-an-epileptic-man-who-was-repeatedly-tazed-in-front-of-his-9-and-11-year-old-children/
#9 by Virtually on December 23, 2015 - 10:01 am
Virtually every single allegation made by the woman, and Joe, in that so-called report are flat-out lies. Every single one.
Joe and Barry’s hatred for law enforcement is obvious.
#10 by Specifically on December 23, 2015 - 10:19 am
What gave it away?
Could you see the cue cards that Joe was holding up coercing the mother to say that her husband’s 9 and 11 year old children stood by and watched their Father get Tasered by the police?
Or was it the part where you can over hear Barry Levinson whispering in the woman’s ear to not to forget to include the part about where the two little girls tried to ask the Fullerton police officers to quit hurting their Father?
#11 by Anonymous on December 23, 2015 - 12:36 pm
You are defending killers; you are defending the defenseless.
#12 by Barry Levinson on December 23, 2015 - 1:51 pm
One more time I must set the record straight. My two biggest heroes in my life were and still are my deceased dad and his brother. Both of them career NYC police officers. They wore the NYC police officer’s uniform with pride and dignity. They went to work everyday with one goal in mind, which was to serve and protect the public. They were great police officers who always honorably performed their jobs.
The only police officers I do not care for are the ones that tarnish the good reputation of all the fine police officers throughout this country.
#13 by Anonymous on December 23, 2015 - 1:54 pm
You mean like the ones who brutally murdered Kelly Thomas and the ones who covered up for the murderers?
#14 by Anonymous on December 24, 2015 - 11:58 am
Yeah right. Whatever
Barry, you’re pretty much known as a cop hater around town. You are from NY?? Thought you were from Massachusetts. Isn’t that where you filed BK?
#15 by Barry Levinson on December 24, 2015 - 2:13 pm
I only lived in Massachusetts while attending school. I have never filed for or even contemplated filing for bankruptcy in my entire life.
Anonymous you symbolize the very worst in society. You are totally devoid of any ethics. You disgust me and I would not be surprised if you disgust yourself as well.
I can only hope that one day your identity will be exposed and then you will be held accountable for all your lies.
#16 by Anonymous on December 25, 2015 - 8:13 pm
Devoid of ethics … Certainly a topic you know about sir. And you and Joe post anonymously all the time on this site and you darn well know it.
#17 by Anonymous on December 26, 2015 - 7:33 am
It is you who is devoid of ethics sir or madam. Kindly provide the proof of your allegations and link to it here. You know I cannot wait for the election season. It is gonna get real good this time. The lid is gonna come all the way off the pot. You cannot stop this machine because it answers to no one.
#18 by Anon on December 26, 2015 - 12:46 pm
You work to spread lies and misinformation. You belong on another site.
#19 by Joe Imbriano on December 26, 2015 - 6:58 pm
No these people belong here because the status quo requires lies and disinformation to continue the raping of the taxpayers just so they can keep getting drunk, keep fattening up and go on their pathetic vacations to escape reality, and ratchet up the triglycerides for the statins all just so they can ignore the fact that their children and grandchildren are being sterilized by the wireless in the schools and by the wireless presents they just bought them for all Christmas.
#20 by Fullerton Lover on December 26, 2015 - 8:16 pm
Joe,
I wondered when I was reading this article…
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-attorney-general-carson-mayor-robles-suit-20151223-story.html
… if this would apply to the sanctimonious city councilwoman who synonymously secured a Vice-President position at Curt Pringle and Associates when elected to the Fullerton City Council…
http://curtpringle.com/
…and as of this past month is Fullerton’s new Mayor!
http://www.cityoffullerton.com/gov/citycouncil/jenniferfitzgerald.asp
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-attorney-general-carson-mayor-robles-suit-20151223-story.html
#21 by Fitzpringle and FJUHSD Bond Committee? on December 27, 2015 - 4:49 pm
Isn’t there a conflict of interest with Fitzpringle serving three masters? City of Fullerton, FJUHSD Bond Chairperson, & Pringle and Associates?
Yes, there most definitely is.
#22 by Fullerton Lover on December 27, 2015 - 9:27 pm
Jennifer Fitzgerald (CL7 Communications/Owner), (Zip code: 92832) $5000 to GENERATION NEXT FEDERAL PAC on 04/26/06
http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacgave2.php?cycle=2006&cmte=C00392795
Read more: http://www.city-data.com/elec2/06/elec-FULLERTON-CA-06.html#ixzz3vaeS5umF
#23 by Ha! on December 24, 2015 - 12:57 pm
New York police officers??? NYPD was one of the most corrupt LE agencies in the country for decades!
#24 by Anon on December 24, 2015 - 7:13 pm
Of course not all police officers are corrupt, not in NYC and not in Fullerton.
Do everyone a favor and stop making such stupid comments.
#25 by streets on December 24, 2015 - 11:12 am
Are you kidding? After 10 doctor vistits you ask why did he plead guilty? Well what the heck were his options? Jail time? Was he coerced? Of course he was. Duh. Don’t you know how things go down? They drag you in, wear you down and get you to sign your life away. That’s what happened to this guy who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is lucky they didn’t kill him too like they killed Kelly.
#26 by Reality Is..... on December 23, 2015 - 4:29 pm
Aren’t all bad guys innocent and just misunderstood? Don’t all family members always no matter what claim innocence and police abuse? Jesus.