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 - 9:58 pm
An arrest report and a person’s criminal record are public information genius. Dude’s name was published in the newspaper. It took all of about 5 minutes to find out he did two terms in prison, and had a conviction for firearms posession. And while he was not writing graffiti, he was ID’d by the woman who called the police to report a person writing graffiti. If he didnt behave like a jackass to the responding officer, who was merely trying to assess the situation, the situation would have been straightened otesolved in about two minutes and everyone would have gone on with their day
#2 by Fullerton Lover on December 22, 2015 - 7:20 am
The woman who spoke at that Council meeting was the man’s wife. She was a manager at McDonalds, on Brookhurst south of Orangethorpe.
I do not know, and neither did the police, of any previous criminal record of the man who was tased repeatedly for cleaning up graffiti at the apartment where he lived
If they have ex-post facto found “dirt” about him, how would that justify their treatment of him prior to learning any details? These “after the fact” justifications for coarse and abusive treatment should be completely discounted.
The job of police officers is to efficiently detain or arrest suspects without escalated drama and conflict. Choosing to punish someone suspected of a crime is corrupt practice since it is not the responsibility nor is it even allowable for cops to mete out punishment.
#3 by Fullerton Lover on December 22, 2015 - 7:36 am
I don’t believe the “dude’s name” was ever published by the Fullerton Observer.
#4 by Fullerton Lover on December 22, 2015 - 8:30 am
You know I’ve honestly been giving your comment some thought. Your remarks made me want to go back and research the old editions of the Fullerton Observer to ascertain whether or not the man whose wife was claiming he was Tasered while cleaning graffiti from the apartment where he worked and also lived.
I noticed this letter to the Fullerton Observer from “J.M.F.” of Fullerton commending the Editor for printing their front page article which in essence, smeared the character of our Parks and Recreation Commissioner, Barry Levinson.
Fair
Thank you for the very complete and
fair coverage of the Levinson affair. It is a
constant reminder to me of what a great
service you do to our city every single
month.
JMF Fullerton
http://media.wix.com/ugd/50dca9_53db346493354e2b82249b3e7f7688be.pdf
Hmmm I wondered. Who here in Fullerton would take the time to write a letter to the Fullerton Observer’s leftist Editor Sharon Kennedy, with the initials J.M.F. that lives here in Fullerton?
Does anyone else think that it might be the same woman that also advertises her legal services through the Fullerton Observer like City Councilwoman Jan M. Flory?
http://www.ci.fullerton.ca.us/gov/citycouncil/janflory.asp
#5 by Anonymous on December 22, 2015 - 10:48 am
Fullerton Lover, resisting arrest can most definitely be prosecuted as a felony. Bone up on your knowledge of criminal law.
#6 by Fullerton Lover on December 22, 2015 - 11:04 am
I didn’t say that resisting arrest couldn’t be prosecuted as a felony.
Was this man charged and convicted of a felony resisting arrest charge?
Please provide whatever documents that you have to verify what you say is true.
#7 by Anonymous on December 22, 2015 - 11:08 am
You have to have probable cause Anonymous to arrest anyone. But the FPD does not play by the rules, never have and under Dan Hughes never will! POBAR allows for Corrupt Policing. We have example after example after example to show that too many FPD officers are criminals themselves preying on the citizens of Fullerton. Ramos, Cincinelli, Wolfe, Bair, Rincon, etc. etc. etc. The last two preying on women while on duty. Great job Dan Hughes. I believe all of these moral midgets are your direct reports. The FPD is so, so bad that when I now see a FPD police car, I immediately feel much less safe. For a thug, is a thug, is a thug and the fact you also have a badge only makes it more dangerous for the average Fullerton citizen.
#8 by Anonymous on December 22, 2015 - 12:32 pm
OC Superior Court
Case Number: 15NM01192
Vernon Lee Jackson
#9 by Fullerton Lover on December 22, 2015 - 1:15 pm
Thanks for the assistance in setting the record straight.
https://ocapps.occourts.org/Vision_PublicNS/Case.do#formAnchor
According to OC court records, I think we can BOTH agree, based on these court records, that Mr. Jackson was in fact charged with a MISDEMEANOR count of resisting arrest.
After ten different appearances in the OC court system, (how much did that cost us as residents) Mr. Jackson, did in fact plead guilty to resisting arrest, and received a slap on the wrist sentence by the Judge of three years of informal probation.
Thanks again for your help.
#10 by Anonymous on December 22, 2015 - 4:20 pm
The point is this: Imbriano and Levinson trot out an African American woman and make it sound as though a cop just decided to show up and I saw a black man on Martin Luther King day for no reason. When it couldn’t be further from the truth.
#11 by Anonymous on December 22, 2015 - 4:54 pm
What makes you think Imbriano and Levinson put her up to this whole thing? Just curious.
#12 by Fullerton Lover on December 22, 2015 - 5:16 pm
That was also my question!
Joe first met this woman in the foyer of a city hall meeting that she was at to air her grievances to the City Council about the manner in which her husband was treated by the Fullerton police in front of their then 11 year old daughter.
Anybody that knows Joe Imbriano, knows that he is ALWAYS packing a video camera.
I can tell you unequivocally that Joe, Barry, or any body or any thing other than the conduct of the FPD, caused this woman to step forward to be heard by the City Council during the public comments portion of the meeting that night.
The rich irony was that the man and his wife were both black, and the city council meeting just happened to occur on Martin Luther King Day.
Shame on an Italian like Imbriano and a Jew like Levinson for listening to her side of the story!
(sarcasm is the lowest form of witticism, which is why I seldom “trot it out” ; )
Only in Fullerton.
#13 by Anonymous on December 23, 2015 - 10:09 am
First of all, the man was the woman’s boyfriend, not husband.
Trust me, there is no way in hell that this woman, on her own, just decided to show up at a council meeting and accuse a police officer of an assault on MLK Day … no way in hell. And Joe knows it.
And to your point about Joe toting a video camera everywhere he goes:
True! He does exactly that!
Yet, when he was asked by police if he would show them his recording of Levinson’s alleged assault of the ATT rep in the lobby, he refused.
Believe me, if Joe’s video showed no altercation between Levinson and the ATT rep, he would have posted the video would have posted the video all over the place.
Joe is full of crap and he knows it.
#14 by Anonymous on December 23, 2015 - 11:59 am
Oh believe me. Joe and Barry absolutely knew this woman was going to show up at the council meeting that night. It was all very orchestrated.
And what a crack-up. A anonymous poster calling another anonymous poster to use his/her real name if they are going to make defaming comments.
Truth is that 99 percent of the posters on this site, including Joe, use pseudonyms or just post as “anonymous” and fire off defaming comments all the time.
But when the comments are made about Joe or Barry, we are cowards if we don’t ID ourselves.
Funny!
#15 by Barry Levinson on December 23, 2015 - 1:38 pm
Anonymous says “Oh believe me, Joe and Barry absolutely know this woman was going to show up at the council that night. It was all very orchestrated.” Either provide proof that I orchestrated this or stop saying things that you know are not true.
If you want to see something orchestrated, go to the October 21, City of Fullerton Council video to witness an orchestrated attempt to assassinate my good name.
Now consider what Anonymous expects the reader to accept as follows:
We are asked to believe someone (Anonymous) who refuses to give us his/her name.
I can just see Anonymous putting his invisible right hand on a bible stating, I Anonymous do solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me (whoever I am) God.
It is so sad that you are both so morally deficient as to regularly try to misinform the readers and that you are so bad at doing it.
Merry Christmas Anonymous. You truly are this websites gift from heaven.
#16 by Fullerton Lover on December 23, 2015 - 7:26 pm
And to your point about Joe toting a video camera everywhere he goes:
True! He does exactly that!
“Yet, when he was asked by police if he would show them his recording of Levinson’s alleged assault of the ATT rep in the lobby, he refused.
Believe me, if Joe’s video showed no altercation between Levinson and the ATT rep, he would have posted the video would have posted the video all over the place.
Joe is full of crap and he knows it.”
For the record, let’s review what the Miranda warning tells us all, and then ask yourself, what what a prudent person would do?
“Anything said, to the police, can and WILL be used AGAINST you…not for you….AGAINST you”
Capiche?
#17 by Reality Is..... on December 23, 2015 - 4:32 pm
Reasonable suspicion to make contact and probable cause for the contact. Then the guy goes wild and wants to fight the cops. Someone calls on someone doing something, the cops have plenty of cause to make the contact. What happens after that is usually up to the person being contacted. I would never have an issue with a cop contacting me. This clown and Kelly did have an issue and they dictated how it went from there.
#18 by Reality Is..... on December 23, 2015 - 4:30 pm
Resisting arrest will never be a felony. Nice try. Assaulting a police officer can be a felony if significant injuries.
#19 by Anonymous on December 22, 2015 - 10:53 am
Fullerton Lover I guess JMF is intellectually and morally challenged in the PC vernacular.
In plain English, JMF is morally bankrupt and intellectually very dishonest. If JMF is Ms. Flory, please note that she shared her law offices for many years with a convicted sex offender. Please remember this Fullerton voters when Ms. Flory runs for reelection. Why is this not brought out when she is featured at all the local Woman’s Conferences? Ms. Flory is a real piece of work and not worthy to represent the city of Fullerton.
#20 by Anonymous on December 22, 2015 - 11:56 am
Could it stand for John Murray Flory?
#21 by Fullerton Lover on December 22, 2015 - 12:58 pm
This guy gives me the creeps!
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-murray-6359b150
#22 by Sid on December 28, 2015 - 8:33 am
Of course it was Jan Flory. Look at the cover as Joe pointed out. Nice work Barry. Sorry you had to go through all this.
#23 by Reality Is..... on December 23, 2015 - 4:29 pm
and he probably pled no contest right?