Congrats to Chief Nietert

Congratulations to South Euclid Policy Chief Kevin Nietert, who has been sworn in as President of the County Police Chiefs Association last week. This is another merit for South Euclid’s police department, which has been singled out for effective, compassionate service. It’s a far cry from the shenanigans coming from Cleveland’s Police Department. They make a practice of hiring cops who’ve been fired from other departments, like Timothy Loehmann who shot Tamir Rice. Then the CPD and their flatulent obese union president Steve Loomis try to sweep the story under the rug. Contrast that with South Euclid’s Police Department which is a model of openness. Which regularly posts officers’ body camera videos to their facebook page.


But you wouldn’t believe it based on one disgruntled resident: Charles Turner. Turner is a Vietnam veteran and retired University Heights cop. Turner regularly protests outside city hall and speaks at city council meetings. I should say “blathers on” at meetings. Even meeting regulars who are critical of the Welo administration roll their eyes when Turner approaches the mic. He’s been repeating the same story at meetings and in the media for the past 2 years. Turner claims that Chief Nietert ordered a cop to use a South Euclid squad car to harass him by pursuing him at 60mph on Mayfield Road. Turner has been unable to produce any witnesses or a single piece of objective evidence to corroborate his story. This despite the fact that he regularly stands near the corner of Mayfield and Green and also at City Hall holding signs accusing the Chief of police brutality and Mayor Welo as being unfair to veterans. Turner also posts on Cleveland.com as Citycrew and chuckthecop. He even created dialogs between them as if anyone believes that Citycrew and chuckthecop are two different people. Still no one has come forward to support Turner’s claims. That’s because the incident never took place except in his troubled mind. Of course since South Euclid is the location of two Purple Heart Homes with a third on the way Turner’s accusations about Mayor Welo and veterans are easily refuted. Chief Nietert has declined to comment on Turner’s charges. Mutual friends tell me he doesn’t have the heart to bring negative publicity to an obvious victim of mental illness who wants to inflict his delusions on the rest of us.

Baltimore

We are disgusted by the rioting in Baltimore. It accomplishes nothing positive. When we view footage of buildings aflame and cops being assaulted it makes us all the more grateful that we live in Cleveland. Police brutality should be condemned and addressed. That will happen in Baltimore and in Cleveland. But unlike Baltimore the citizens of Cleveland know how to protest peacefully without riots. The rioters are "lawless f---ing animals".

FLASH: Heights drug-dealing Activist cops plea, gets slap on wrist

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After over a year vowing he would fight drug trafficking charges to the bitter end Garry Kanter agreed to a plea bargain in exchange for a reduced sentence. Garry was caught in early 2013 with 59 marijuana plants and 5 pounds of hash oil. Not even someone with Garry’s insatiable appetites is capable of smoking that much pot on his own so this was clearly a case of “intent to distribute.”

Nancy Margaret Russo who’s known as one of the most passive aggressive mood swingers to ever sit in a judge’s seat accepted the plea and was nice enough to give Garry a slap on the wrist.

In exchange for his guilty plea, Kanter had to turn in 3 cell phones, 2 digital scales and a gun. Again, if he didn’t “intend to distribute” the pot he wouldn’t have been weighing it so carefully. Garry will be under probation for 1 year and can only use his car for business related driving. I hope Garry understands that business driving does not refer to the “business” he was just forcibly retired from. But I hope he can find a steady job and pay down all those credit card and tax debts he’s run up. See for yourself at the County Court Database. Maybe it’s time to reestablish debtors prisons?

GK's stash

Who carries 3 cell phones, 2 digital scales, and a gun? And who had to surrender them as part of a plea bargain? And why has the PD not reported on this?

Answers to follow sometime after 9/22.

Douchebag of the year: Edmund Aviv

It almost seems like piling on to comment on this case which has made national headlines. But here goes. Going back to at least 1997, Edmund Aviv of 887 Trebisky Road engaged in a pattern of harassing his next door neighbors. Why? Because the Prughs, a white couple, had adopted disabled children who happen to be black. He spat on the mother (legally that’s assault), called her “monkey momma”, built a contraption to spew kerosene laced air toward their house (because he didn’t like the April-Fresh smell of Downy that came from the Prugh’s house), smeared dog crap on their car and wheelchair ramp, and cut down shrubbery in their yard.

The Prughs took Aviv to court at least four times. Yet this jerk continued his disgusting behavior. South Euclid’s Judge Gayle Williams-Byers was fed up enough to sentence Aviv to 100 hours of community service, anger management classes, counselling at the Diversity Center of Cleveland, 15 days in jail, and 5 hours holding the sign as seen at this link. It remains to be seen whether Aviv will change his behavior in the long term. But at least the judge gave him the good sound spanking he’s so richly deserved.

For those who think this sentence was too harsh, you should go to the South Euclid court’s website and look through Aviv's prior case history.

1997: Aggravated menacing - fined $250 and suspended 60-day sentence.
1999: Disorderly Conduct - fined $200.
2011: Destruction of neighbor's property (trees) - fined $200.

The above doesn’t include a case for curfew violation which may be related to a previous sentence, and running 49 in a 35 zone that appears unrelated to this case.

It's obvious that the piddling sentences that were passed down by the previous judge were ineffective. Edmund Aviv continued his pattern of sick behavior. There comes a time when you have to say "enough." Judge Williams-Byers has said just that. I think her sentence was appropriate. Back in the founders' day, this d-bag would have been put in the stockade with tomatoes thrown at him by an angry crowd. So by those standards the sentence seems pretty lenient. I'm sure that neighborhood will become a lot more pleasant while Aviv serves his time in jail.

When I look at this creep’s mug, I'm reminded of the dearly departed John Demjanjuk. But with hair. Aviv’s as much of an embarrassment to South Euclid as Demjanjuk was to Seven Hills. Maybe more since there are plenty in Seven Hills who still defend Ivan the Terrible. And that’s why we name Edmund Aviv Douchebag for 2014.

Fran Mentch in JAIL

Convicted of assault in the infamous hair-pulling case. We note that the facebook posts defending Fran Mentch's actions and claiming she was on trial for being an "activist" have been taken down.

Fran Mentch's Pity Party

Everyone’s favorite activist Fran Mentch has issued a new fatwa:

“I am on trial on Tuesday for being an activist. I am one of many who asked the Cuyahoga County Public Library Board and the director Sari Feldman to be fiscally responsible and respectful of the community's wishes and not sell Telling Mansion.”

Her mouthpiece at the Save the Telling Mansion as the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Public Library repeated Fran’s lie: “Fran Mentch is being tried for being an activist.”

It’s the old Goebells Nazi propaganda tactic again. Take a lie repeat it ad infinitum, and people will eventually believe it.

But not so fast.

Fran Mentch is not on trial for being an “activist”. She’s on trial for assault. How do I know that? Simple. There are plenty of other activists who tried to stop the library from moving. Some of them were reasonable. Some were almost as obnoxious as Fran. Are any of them on trial? No. Why? Because they didn’t stroll over and yank Sari Feldman’s hair like a playground bully. Fran knows she did it. The Parma cop Fran confessed to knows Fran did it. Sari Feldman certainly knows Fran did it. So why not simply plead guilty, pay the fine, and get on with the rest of her life?

Fran is pushing this case for one reason. She has a martyr complex and craves the attention. Fran doesn’t gain attention by accomplishment. Fran gains attention by having temper tantrums when her latest cause fails, which is always. I guess I’m feeding her craving by devoting this post to her. So be it. The fools who follow Fran like the Pied Piper along with low information voters need to be reminded about what a loon this chick is.

Lighten up Frances. You’re not above the law. Hopefully the jury will recognize that. The Fran Mentch's and Garry Kanter's of this world do a disservice to their own causes and the concept of committed citizenship. They are angry birds of a feather than need to flock together. Straight to the slammer.

Shots fired at Brush

There was a shooting at Brush High School in Lyndhurst Tuesday night. As someone who went to Brush and saw my kids graduate from there, this news is very upsetting. Even when I was a student at Brush, there were rough edges there. Not that it could be compared with Heights High which was so dangerous there was a drawing of someone carrying a knife on their yearbook. In my day, it was mostly the druggies and jocks who caused the problems.

Probably no high school is devoid of problems. Of course, the incident Tuesday night made the papers and the other media. And then everyone had to chime in. Isn’t it interesting how the usual trolls at Cleveland.com used a shooting in Lyndhurst to jump on the “bash South Euclid” bandwagon?

It’s doubly amusing because the shooting at Brush had NO CONNECTION with South Euclid, other than the fact that it was a South Euclid patrol car that was hit by the bullet. The two teen thugs who’ve been charged were from CLEVELAND and MAPLE HEIGHTS. They had a dispute with the third teen, another 17 year old from Cleveland, over a girl. We fought over girls in my day but it never involved weapons and usually took place in the baseball field behind the Methodist Church on Green Road.

Remember this: the worst school shootings over the last 20 years have been in so-called “safe” suburbs like Chardon, Littleton, and Newtown. We can only be grateful that no one at Brush was injured Tuesday night. To all of you who’ve abandoned South Euclid remember this: Don’t think you’re safe because you live in some white bread town like Mentor, Beachwood, or Strongsville. This kind of thing happens when and where you least expect it.

FLASH: Heights "activist" busted for pot

Garry Kanter, house flipper and self-proclaimed voice of the people was busted by Heights cops and a DEA task force on March 20. It's nice to know Heights cops can occasionally be called upon to do more than write speeding tickets. As for Kanter, this is no ordinary marijuana bust. There were "allegedly" 59 pot plants in his home and 5 pounds of hash oil. This is obviously more than is needed for "personal use" even for someone of Garry's...proportions. This is drug trafficking.

Doubtless Garry will accuse Mitchell Scnheider, Jane Goodman, Georgine Welo, David Miller and probably me of planting the 59 pot plants and tipping the police.

Is the cell phone law enforced?

Why bother having laws when they’re not being enforced?

This summer, I saw Fran Mentch in her lime green Kia Soul make an illegal right on red at Green and Mayfield while yakking on her cell phone, then I witnessed her blow through the stop light at Mayfield and Victory while doing same. This woman has so little respect for the law it’s not surprising what she did.

But others should know better.

Saturday, I saw Doctor David Miller pulling into South Euclid’s Harvest Fest in his Honda pilot - talking on his cell phone. That’s right, one of the people who passed the law making it illegal to use your cell phone while driving was breaking the law he voted for. At this rate, Miller can be expected to run for Congress soon.

Just yesterday, returning home from church, my wife and I saw a black Chevy Suburban pass us on Mayfield Road. There was a woman with three kids inside. The right rear door handle popped out of its socket and was left hanging by a wire. A young girl who couldn’t possibly be older than seven popped her head out of the window, leaning on her lower chest, and put the handle back in place. By her expertise it appeared she had done this numerous times before. The woman who we presume to be the mother did not notice as she was too busy talking on her cell phone. The child was not wearing a seat belt. Ironically there were Romney and pro-life bumper stickers on the woman’s car. I guess it’s true what they say about pro-lifers’ concerns beginning at conception and ending at birth.

Of course, I’d call the South Euclid Police Department and report this behavior. But I can’t because it’s illegal to use your cell phone while driving!

FLASH: Candidate Liptow Busted

Perennial city council candidate and angry-man Jerome "Joe" Liptow, known for his rants at city council meetings, South Euclid Oversight, and the Sun Messenger, was caught driving under suspension while returning from Monday's City Council meeting. Read the Sun's full report here:

http://blog.cleveland.com/sunmessenger/2011/08/possible_candidate_for_south_e.html

Not noted in the news report is that Liptow's home on Anderson Road is at most a ten minute walk from City Hall. Why did Liptow, who touts himself as an environmentalist and defender of nature against Mitch Schneider, have to drive to and from the meeting? Knowing him, he probably drove that big gas-guzzling ugly red Ford Expedition too.

According to the report Liptow is under a 12 point suspension. No wonder he's so vocal in his opposition to traffic cameras.

More on the "flash-mob" phenomenon and thugs

Please read the article at this link.

http://heightsobserver.org/read/2011/07/13/emotions-run-high-at-community-forum-on-youth-issues

My Comments: First, Lewis Pollis is a very impressive young reporter. Now, onto the moment at the meeting that really got my hackles up:

In what was perhaps the tensest moment of the evening, Kathy Wray Coleman was booed by the audience for her assertion that the new curfew laws are “targeting the black community.” She said the curfew violates the 14th Amendment and suggested that, next, “we will have to ride in the back of the bus.”

Bill Swain from Revolution Books agreed with Coleman, calling the curfew “totally racist” and “an actual Jim Crow.”



Swain is an avowed Communist. So he wants mobs, public disorder and violence because it will further damage America's "evil" capitalist system. His agenda is transparent and I will leave him alone for now.

But matters are not helped when we have people like Kathy Wray Coleman turing the flash-mob problem into a race issue. For her to say that the curfew is just a foot in the door to putting African-Americans in the “back of the bus” is a slap at the memory of Rosa Parks and others who faced real discrimination. Uncivil behavior by unruly mobs of youths is not a racial issue – it is an issue of conduct and it is driven by bad and inattentive parenting. If any of you think thug behavior is a “black” problem, pay a visit to Parma and see the white thugs hanging around Pearl and Ridge Roads.

The curfew is not perfect, and it seems to me that Cleveland Heights leaders are trying to find their way through a difficult situation. They will undoubtedly tinker with the curfew until the right balance is found. If a law is well intentioned but not perfect, the right solution is to improve the law – not throw it out. The Constitution has been amended time and again over the centuries for the same reason.

I wish the Heights council the best of luck. Because lack of respect for adult authority is a disease and it will spread to neighboring communities.

South Euclid Police Prevent a Flash Mob

A few weeks ago I posted about the recent “flash-mob” at the Coventry Street Fair. Cleveland Heights police were caught unaware as the mob of youthful thugs formed and ruined the last hour of the event.

What a contrast in South Euclid, where our police department proactively shut down a “flash-mob” before it could form in Bexley Park. Part of that was by monitoring social media like Facebook and Twitter. The youth behind the mob event, Malik Wallington, wound up moving it to Cleveland.

Here’s a link to the Cleveland Heights Patch article on the averted Bexley incident. Take note of the anti-South Euclid Police comments, no doubt from hippy-dippy Heightsters.


http://clevelandheights.patch.com/articles/park-closing-follows-flash-mob-rumors

The South Euclid police department has come under a lot of criticism from the anti-traffic camera crowd, from South Euclid Oversight, and opposition candidates like Michael Fortner. But I’d like to take this moment to congratulate them on a job well done. None of the above mentioned entities have praised their efforts here – but you can bet your bottom tax dollar they would have been the first on the bandwagon if a disruptive event had taken place.

Hoards of Heights thugs spoil Coventry Street Fair

For those few of you who haven’t heard, a “flash mob” of youths disrupted the Coventry Street Fair on Sunday. This is the second time this has happened in two years. This is another black eye on Cleveland Heights’ reputation as a safe community for kids and adults. That reputation is now long in the past. Last year, there were two incidents at Severance Center: one in the walkway that cuts through the strip, the other at Walmart which involved dozens of kids riding bikes in the store. This is one of many serious incidents at Severance going back decades, including a shooting in the food court that brought about the closure and tear down of the original mall.

Defensive Heightsters are claiming the youths responsible were not from the Heights. How do they know that? Did they personally card each offender? Geography dictates that the majority of the youths involved were local. Especially on a Sunday when the buses weren’t operating on a full schedule.

Coventry used to be a charming bohemian neighborhood. I remember seeing students play hackey-sack on the corner of Coventry and Euclid Heights Boulevard in the 80s. But in the 90s, the neighborhood changed from the artsy area it was to a commercial more generic place. The movie theater closed. A new corner building was built and chain restaurants moved into the neighborhood. The area has lost much of its charm, not all of it but most of it, and this can be seen by the type of people who walk the streets. Urban thugs. When I say “thugs” that is not a code word for “black.” Thuggery comes in all colors. Just take a look at Parma to see that.

Part of the problem is Cleveland Heights’ police force. They spend too much time watching for speeders and issuing parking tickets before the meters expire. But assaults at Nighttown and Coventry are overlooked, rape kits are not examined, innocent dogs are euthanized. There is a serious mix up of priorities in that city. Cleveland Heights has been going down the tubes for 20 years and we can only pray it doesn’t take South Euclid and other nearby communities with it.

That’s why I have to laugh when some claim that Oakwood Commons will bring more thugs to the area. Bring them here? They already are here! Rioting at Severance, and now at Coventry two years in a row! Cleveland Heights: get your cops out of their cars and walking the streets and shopping centers. Get your priorities in order!