See bottom of story for update.
By: Diane Benjamin
Remember when City hall was packed with people wanting citizens to oversee the Police? Remember this new Board supposedly only had the power to review cases after all other remedy within the Police Department was exhausted?
The Public Safety Community Review Board was the first wedge jammed between citizens and the Bloomington Police Department. This Board has met every month this year. Agendas are posted, but to find minutes you have to read the packets. All of the packets aren’t posted, so neither are the minutes: http://www.cityblm.org/government/advanced-components/documents/-folder-1604
This Board did draft a brochure: http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=16008
The Ordinance creating this Board stated the Council must approve brochures etc. The draft copy was created in either February or March, I don’t remember it coming to the Council for approval.
See the original documentation creating this Board – PDF page 120: http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=14322
Diana Hauman was the only Alderman to vote against it.
This Board can second guess what the police do and suggest better ways for them to operate.
The Welcoming Ordinance can tie the hands of the police.
This is who was behind creating the Board:
The same groups are behind the Welcoming Ordinance.
I found an interesting statement by Chief Heffner in the January minutes: PDF page 8 http://www.cityblm.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=15804
The PSCRB is a solution in search of a problem.
So is the Welcoming Ordinance.
The FAR left groups above are attempting to run Bloomington and Normal themselves. Normal gave them more power. Bloomington has already empowered them with the PSCRB. The Welcoming Ordinance will further usurp the power of the elected and the police charged with protecting all citizens.
Utopia is close. Next will be: illegals voting, subsidized housing, $15 minimum wage
Because the Council allowed this Board to be created, Bloomington citizens are now paying employees to attend meetings and a lawyer from Springfield. You will also pay for whatever they plan to print and distribution costs.
Community Organizing is the new democracy, I bet a lot of officers can’t wait to retire.
The writer of this comment is a member of Black Lives Matter Blono and an employee of the YWCA. She works with kids, do you wonder what she is teaching them? I do!
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I am deeply concerned about the statements of the YWCA president Latson towards the police after it appears one if his employees (Porter) openly states police lives do not matter.
How can you complain about a police officer sharing his own personal opinion but ignore your own employee (Porter) doing the same?
Diane, any chance you can reach out to Latson to get his response to the statements of a YWCA employee that police lives do not matter? Using his logic about the police, do we assume no YWCA employees value police lives?
http://wglt.org/post/emails-detective-severs-ties-ywca-over-police-board-black-lives-matter
The Y is too far left now to influence or reason with.
And remember–when you contribute to the United Way, you are funding them!
Don’t fall for the United Way scam–cut out the middle man. Do your homework, pick your charitable organizations and contribute directly.
Latson is a joke. The Y has lost its collective mind. There’s no compromise or healthy debate with this organization. Mind where your donations go, folks. Defunding (i.e. donation declines) are likely the only check against their ideology at this point.
Anyone who is connected to social media can see the verbal attacks against the BPD and Police in general. There has been a lot of chatter related to the Welcoming Ordinance against the BPD—that they are not trustworthy like the Normal Police.
The activists just don’t recognize the divisiveness they are generating. Who can be trusted? Not someone who accuses me of being a racist. Not someone who belittles those who protect and serve.
The YWCA does not respond.
Revenge of the (far leftist) nerds.
This is SO FAR OUT THERE to even think that, let alone put it on the INTERNET! WHAT kind of radicals is the mayor and council backing anyway? SCARY!!!
Folks, the groups that Diane listed are effectively in control of what business the City is taking up, day-in and day-out. Tari and the Council are pandering to a bunch of pressure groups, while State Farm continues to relocate people and downsize through attrition and other means. (By the way, more downsizing to come real soon.) Workforce participation levels are down, tax receipts are down, hotel occupancy is below 45% (hat tip, GLT), and “for sale” signs are popping up all over the place. I think it’s really telling to see where our government’s priorities lie. Tari and the Council are a bunch of cowards that don’t have the guts to admit our local economy is ailing, let alone attempt to address the issue.
They can’t even stop pension spiking! More on that in a few minutes.