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LACH’S LOUNGE IN THE CROSSFIRE ONCE MORE

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BY DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY OCT. 7, 2017) — In the glorified Trashcan that has become the city of Pittsfield, a tree falling in the forest with no one there to hear is heard by everyone. Conversely, gunfire, gangs, drug activity, and scumbags with firearms can engage in mayhem and murder, and “official” Pittsfield becomes as deaf as Balance Rock. Actually, BR in its basalt stability makes more sense in its abiding presence than all of Pittsfield’s deaf-and-dumb “leadership” combined.

Killing by cop? It vanishes without a trace. A bystander gunned down and murdered by a flurry of bullets on Dewey Ave.? It didn’t happen. That, in effect, is what  The Lovely Linda “Trashcan” Tyer and “acting” PPD chief Mike “The Spin” Wynn told-in-the-untelling the justifiably nervous, scared, and deflated residents of Benigno Numine. Neither addressed the two most recent gun killings in any way that could be considered responsible. The best these two incompetents could muster? Tyer’s pathetic Facebook Lamentations and Wynn’s hiding behind the short skirts of the District Attorney’s bald, wormy press release.

As bad as this appears, the reality reveals a worse truth. The day after the Dewey Avenue killing, PPD and Staties raced all over town, sirens shrieking and bar lights aflash, responding to multiple reports of gunfire. We hear there were “at least four.” There may have been more. And while were at it, what was that helicopter doing buzzing over North Street and the West Side on Wednesday afternoon? And what were those all-too-familiar “pop-pop-pops” emanating from behind the old Dewey Park off of Linden Street the day after the murder? What? You didn’t hear about those? Right. That’s because They Never Happened. The City Is Too “Dynamic And Vibrant” for such things. Don’t believe us? Just go on Facebook and ask the mayor.

Not even THE PLANET can detail all of this, so how about another recent shooting and near death you haven’t heard about?

Venture back with us, loved ones, to Sept. 10, less than a month ago in real time but an eternity in PST — Pittsfield Standard Time. Enter with us if you will the greasy, rotgut haven known as Lach’s Lounge. Sorry. It’s Re-Lach’s Lounge, a technicality, perhaps, apparently observed to open up a fresh set of books. This, we imagine, comes in handy when dealing with state and local licensing authorities. Not familiar with Re-Lach’s? Good for you. It establishes your common sense and decent taste.

Lach’s (allow THE PLANET to drop the ridiculous “Re” as too North Korean): Yeah, the barroom with the Giant Germ as doorman, the one within a short, booze-fueled, bullet-riddled stagger from city hall, the Corner Office, and PPD HQ. Yeah, the ill-lit dump on upper Fenn Street that The Suits have labeled “hands off,” so the fairy tale goes, for having political protection worth, oh, say a figurative $2,000 a month in protection.

THE PLANET calls it figurative because we can say categorically that 20 unmarked $100 bills ARE NOT stuffed into an envelope on the 30th or 31st each month, ARE NOT dutifully collected by a bar regular, and ARE NOT then delivered to Someone Important (SI), a non-existent but generous old chap who will sometimes NOT see fit to let the underlings sniff a Franklin or two. Why, that sort of thing DOES NOT happen anywhere in the snow-white lilly-land of Pittsfield, just as there ARE NO barrooms that police know are dealing drugs, prostitution, illegal gambling, and other assorted activities of the night.

Right?

But wait until you hear about the earthquake mag 7.2 involving Lach’s that Certain Officials would rather you not know about. That’s coming in tomorrow’s edition. We’ll also reveal the ground temblor that took place on  Oct. 3.  Now for a little inside baseball of the type we typically do not share. THE PLANET hopes that the tantalizing clues in our long preamble will “persuade” The Boring Broadsheet to overnight grow a pair and miracle a news story for its dwindling readership prior to you reading about it here. We know for a fact they know about this incident.

That’s the least we can do for our journalistic brethren. Of course, if they take the hint and run the story, they will give us no credit. Actually, that’s the best thing the failing newspaper could do for us.

In any case, should The BB fail to rise to the challenge, and even if it takes us on (since if they do, you will likely received the Suits-approved sanitized version), you will want to read THE PLANET‘s Weekend Edition tomorrow.

We name names.


“First, do no harm”Hippocrates

“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”

LOVE TO ALL.

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Jonathan Melle
Jonathan Melle
6 years ago

Pittsfield politics news:
* Trash cans mayoral photo-op
* Murder by shooting on Dewey Avenue
* Pending sale of 40 pieces of art in NYC by the Berkshire Museum backed by Jimmy Ruberto and Tricia Farley-Bouvier
* The lovely Linda Tyer’s slogans of “Vibrant” and “Dynamic” to describe Pittsfield’s cultural renaissance
* A municipal budget at the tax levy ceiling with record municipal debts that place Pittsfield on the road towards fiscal insolvency
* BMC Nurses strike and hospital lock-out
* Pittsfield politics campaign season for City Council seats
* Glowing reviews for the well paid Pittsfield Superintendent
* A special election for 1st Berkshire State Representative in Northern Berkshire County with John Barrett III leading in campaign fundraising
* Country Curtains shuttering its doors with hundreds of local workers losing their jobs, while their State Represenative, William “Smitty” Pignatelli voted for his own legislative pay raise earlier this year
* A recent Boston Globe news article detailing the economic inequalities in Pittsfield and throughout Berkshire County

dusty
dusty
6 years ago

So the BB says that the school committee has once again given “high marks” to its superintendent of schools. But once again the city s lipstick on a pig approach to education fails to fool those on the front lines as the teachers, city councilors and school committee members steer their own children out of town for their education, as anyone who loves their kids would.

Wilson
Wilson
Reply to  dusty
6 years ago

That quote of Tyer saying that her only concern was that McCandless could exhaust himself was hilarious, Pittsfield has the mayor it deserves

dusty
dusty
Reply to  Wilson
6 years ago

Exhaust himself? He has a ton of vacation time and the summer off. Not to mention many assistants to assistants to assistants doing much of his job for him. Poor baby.

SisterGoldenHair
SisterGoldenHair
6 years ago

Come on down and relax at Lachs’. Have a shot and a beer. Gunshot that is. Oh wait, it can’t be – crime is down 18 percent under Tyer.

dusty
dusty
Reply to  SisterGoldenHair
6 years ago

Down 17 1/2% as a half point is deducted for every murder.

Pat
Pat
6 years ago

People know how bad the crime is in this city. What do locals hope to gain by being so secretive about everything? They say they want help in solving the crime, but there is no official press conference held to make that statement for all to hear. Instead we get a face book message and a press release. Those two tactics really don’t do anything to engage help from the public. This is not transparency and the silence from the city officials is not acceptable on this and so many other issues.

By pretending that all is well in the city; such an attitude only encourages more crime and violence because it’s like the problem is never officially acknowledged. In order to solve a problem you have to acknowledge that it exists. Just like poverty in the city was never acknowledged while it was growing out of control, the same thing is happening with crime and violence.

Still wondering
Still wondering
6 years ago

I can guess who the money is going to. He was generally acknowledged to be one the two most corrupt people in the city. The other one died just a few years ago.(Who incidentally skimmed between 3 to 5 million from a local service organization.)

Thomas More
Thomas More
6 years ago

Balance Rock is limestone.

The school committee
The school committee
6 years ago

The Mayor is not wired to see problems she cant do anything about.She prays they go away so Walmart will move from Coltsville to the hood.Cant wait to walk from Elm street to the really super Walmart on East street.

The school committee
The school committee
6 years ago

I wonder how much Walmart wants if Hancock Shaker got 450k,Museum got 400k for AC,Covonti Trash got 650k .I cant wait to see Walmart from Elm street car wash

The school committee
The school committee
6 years ago

Eberwien will soon be a superintendant of LeeLenox and then the wheels will come off that school system.All the older male teachers can kiss their careers goodbye

Tricksie
Tricksie
Reply to  The school committee
6 years ago

yes and all the young female teachers can kiss….we’ve seen this play before in Pitts so we know how it ends….

The school committee
The school committee
6 years ago

Pittsfield is a vibrant, dynamic community of low wages,low self esteem, low intelligence but is dealing and allowing gangsters to run the Cify

GhostRider
GhostRider
6 years ago

Re Lachs? Should be Ex Lachs!!!

SisterGoldenHair
SisterGoldenHair
6 years ago

If the licensing board had any balls it would have been ex lach’s long ago, but no, let’s just give em another slap on the wrist.

Wild in the Sreets
Wild in the Sreets
6 years ago

Lach n load.

Two Cents
Two Cents
Reply to  Wild in the Sreets
6 years ago

Lach, Stock and Barrel…Let’s keep it going!!

H
H
6 years ago

Phelps Lachs out Nurses.

amandaWell
amandaWell
6 years ago

We might as well root against the Sawx to keep this Mayoral Feel Good momentum at bay.Poor Papi.

The school committee
The school committee
6 years ago

No shots fired today,yet.Kids.will sleeo great in the hood

Bill Q
Bill Q
Reply to  The school committee
6 years ago

Barnum and Bailey wants their outfit back.

dusty
dusty
6 years ago

Ah gee, what channel did Spectrum say the Red Sox playoff game would be on again?

OH. Not on Spectrum? Thanks again assholes.

Dilly Dally
Dilly Dally
6 years ago

Games on 306, pray for rain.

Radar
Radar
6 years ago

I can attest to the fact that since James Dominguez was murdered in the Lach’s parking lot last year, the security there has taken security seriously. It’s consistently enforced and monitored. It is not without its “holes” but let’s face it – if someone wants to cause harm bad enough, they will find a way…

Lach’s recent appearance before the licensing board was necessary for the superficial appearance of being proactive in the fight against crime, but it wasn’t a valid complaint. The bar was closed, everyone had left, and the shooting took place on a different property.

The interesting observation here is that the police station is 100 yards from Lachs. The property abutting Lachs is a city owned parking lot. Guess how many times I have ever seen a cop car parked in that lot between 12:30 and 1:30, when the bar closes. ZERO. NONE. EVER.

Today I witnessed at least 5 uniformed cops stationed on the BMC property while nurses were locked out. Protecting and patrolling that situation while nurses walked around smiling, waving and stopping at the 20 foot buffet table situated on the city sidewalk offering lunch and other conveniences.

But in a parking lot 300 feet from the police station, where a man was murdered execution style across the street from city hall, and another man was shot five times a few weeks ago, where the patrons are considered so troublesome that people want the bar shut down…not a police patrol in sight…

If this doesn’t tell you whose safety is important to the city, and whose isn’t, I don’t know what would…

Pat
Pat
Reply to  Radar
6 years ago

Wow. Unbelievable that the area by Lach’s isn’t patrolled after all the crimes that have happened there.

mi
mi
6 years ago

Nice post, Radar. Lached right onto it!

jake E. Lee
jake E. Lee
6 years ago

Why is Merrill road getting re black topped again? Wasn’t it just done about 5 yrs ago? I am pretty sure that there are a plethora of more needy road in the pitts than need to be redone