ALL ARE WELCOME! or THE FATE OF THE KAPANSKIS: FROM WELCOME MAT to DOOR MATS
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION APRIL 29-MAY 1, 2022) — Now that we have put the topic of moral, morbid obesity behind us, THE PLANET turns to another topic. The topic is on of welcome. We found our inspiration on Elm Street.
In front of the dazzling-pink Sacred Heart Church, a sign reads: “All Are Welcome!”
It made us laugh. “All” means everyone. No exceptions. Fits nicely with the definition of “catholic” (small “c”) that THE PLANET learned long ago: Universal. Encompassing everyone. In other words, “all.” Then we thought of the official Catholic (big “C”) doctrine on Communion (Big “C”). Only baptized Catholics (big “C”) “welcome.”
If you’re a Protestant, Jew, Muslim, Hindi, Buddhist, or nothing, if you’re anything else other than a baptized Catholic (Big “C”), you’re not officially welcome. You can’t tongue that tasteless wafer. Of course, the policy’s easy to skirt. Just pretend to be a Big “C” then get in line with the rest when Communion (Big “C”) comes around during Mass. Actual Jesus, not the “transubstantiated” version of Big “C,” would Welcome All! This makes lawn the sign a lie.
———- ooo ———-
All of which leads THE PLANET to wonder how “welcome” are ordinary, hard-working, taxpaying, law-abiding citizens inside city hall and inside city business?
Answer: NOT VERY.
We ventured to City Hall on serious bid-ness Wednesday. The back door, which has been open to the public since Peter Arlos was knee high to Ptolemy, now only admits employees. The poor schleps — decent, ordinary citizens — can’t even use the service entrance! The Fenn Street door has been locked to the public since the Great San Francisco Earthquake.
Wait. It gets better.
The front door, long the Gates of Paradise for folks needing entrance to city hall, is “exit only.” Amazingly, the entrance is now an exit, the perfect symbol for the up-is-down, Tyer-led bonfire of the vanities. This sends the message that elected and appointed officials can’t wait to get rid of you if, God forbid, you should ever manage to break into the building. Makes one think they’re trying to hide something.
All of this nonsense, which mayor Linda Tyer could stop in two seconds, forces everyone to walk the 15-mile of ugly, aluminum ramp to enter the building.
The piece de resistance the sign that greets you when you finally get inside. If you are not roughed up by the guards or shot from the secret gun towers, you run into this sign: “We’re not keeping you out. We’re keeping the heat in.”
False advertising.
They most certainly want to keep you out. As for keeping in, it’s not heat — Tyer, Marchetti, White and the rest of the cruds and duds can’t stand the heat. It refers to the “hot air” that issues forth every time they give The Kapanskis another barbed broomstick up the bum.
———- ooo ———-
The next big one that’s coming is Tyer’s Fakerama presented under the fictitious title of “FY23 Municipal Budget.” It’s more like “FY23 Robbery.” The two Pee Pees, the city council’s “backbone,” will praise Fakerama for the manner in which it will take care of The Special Interests and screw The Kapanskis. These two micromen wouldn’t dare cross their bitch goddess.
Tyer-Marchetti-White. Biden-Harris-Pelosi. Sometimes you don’t have to see weakness. You can sense and smell it.
Good Lord. That’s what passes for this once-proud’s city “vibrant, dynamic, DIE” heads of state. More like heads of knuckle.
Want an example of their arrogance and “Screw You” attitude to the public.
Tuesday night’s city council meeting was prefaced by this “Welcome All” notice:
Pursuant to Governor Baker’s March 12, 2020 Order Suspending Certain Provisions of the Open Meeting Law, G.L. c. 30A, §18, and state and federal orders and guidance imposing strict limits on the number of people that may gather in one place, this meeting of the City Council will be conducted exclusively via remote participation. For this meeting, members of the public who wish to watch the meeting may do so on PCTV. No in-person attendance of members of the public will be permitted, but every effort will be made to ensure that the public can adequately access the proceedings in real time, via technological means. In the event that we are unable to do so, despite best efforts, we will post on the City’s website an audio or video recording, transcript, or other comprehensive record of proceedings as soon as possible after the meeting.
For those hard of hearing, Tyer & Company is telling y’all: STAY THE FORD AWAY & SHUT THE FRICK UP! LET US DO OUR HANDIWORK IN PRIVATE WHILE WE AGAIN ROB YOU BLIND.
THE PLANET knows it, The Kapanskis know it, and you know it.
Have a great weekend, everybody.
————————————————————————————————–
“Ambition is a lust that is never quenched but grows more inflamed and madder by enjoyment” — Thomas Otway.
LOVE TO ALL.
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This place has really become a disappointment. Dan your writing this week has been at tremendous disappointment.
I for one have lost interest in this place.
I think Dans never been better.
You can always go to Melle’s blog
“Melle’s blog” admires and enjoys reading the awesome PlanetValenti blog.
The fictional/proverbial Mary Jane & Joe Kapanski are being asked to pay $73,018,262.00 – not including all of the costs of the public-school budget that are hidden in the city side of the fiscal year 2023 municipal operating budget – for Level 5 public schools in Pittsfield for the 2022 – 2023 academic year. Mayor Linda Tyer and School Committee Chair Bill Cameron are charging taxpayers top dollar for their failing public school district that is among the worst performing public-school districts in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Shame on Pittsfield politics, once again!
Pittsfield School Committee OKs $72M Fiscal 2023 Budget / iBerkshires.com – The Berkshires online guide to events, news and Berkshire County community information.
Failure of the city council and school committee to reign in costs. Continued declining enrollment yet no elementary schools have been shuttered.
All true. AND it is NEVER going to get better but WILL DEFINITELY get worse. If you stay in Pittsfield, Ma you will continue to turn over ever increasing amounts of your paycheck to an inept, failing, do not give a shit government. Unless you have money you just don’t need for your children’s upbringing you really should follow the literally thousands of Pittsfield out the door and to a more friendly place. Check your options today! Just do it.
And you matter how?
But you’re the first person on the board, even ahead of Jonathan. I think your boner is showing.
I assume you are referring to Pittsfield
So local government is still operating on COVID time. So ridiculous. Can’t they just sit six feet apart? The far left doesn’t really want public participation in their reimagining of government. Just as Biden created a “Ministry of Truth” Department today which has the sole purpose of rooting out lies as determined by big government and run by a woman who did nothing but spread lies to make the Biden administration look good. It’s doubtful that Biden came up with this idea. More likely it came from the people pulling the strings behind the scenes in Washington as Biden’s faculties continue to slide, but it does show that now truth is under attack in this country. The only role of the public in the future will be to believe, without question, what big government is telling them is the truth.
And add the zoom nonsense. Zoom has zero validity,unwatchable and a great deal boring.And go Macericks,
Pittsfield schools have had a failure of leadership.It is not the kids and not the teachers.We can start with Carm getting a 10,000,000 grant.He then hired Jake Eberwien to spend it and they opened the 2nd street jail and rehired Howard Eberwien to run it.Jake then hired many unqualified people into principle positions and then went all DATA on the school committee to show them how improved our schools were.The money was flowing and the fix was in.Eberwien turned us into a scam.He had to leave and we were stuck with all the BS left behind.It is imbedded. forever as Joe Curtis continues down a failed road and here you are…….The Pittsfield schools need to be completely rebuilt. Pittsfield has enough money with no leadership.They won’t pay cafeteria workers a living wage.They won’t pay teacher assistants a living wage and they won’t pay custodians a living wage……The school department needs a overhaul…….Tyer needs to fill potholes paint street lines,sweep streets every 3 weeks and put brand new sidewalks in.She also needs to turn up street lights down town.The unintended consequences of a bike lane downtown appears to be no cars go there anymore killing business…….Who trust Tyer,Marchetti White to spend 52 million dollars
This is so spot on. Every word!!!
Biden also saying yesterday that when your children are in school, they are the children of the teachers and they can really do what they please with them. If they want to indoctrinate them into using a language of buzzwords describing sexuality and gender, then so be it. It will create a secret language that only they and their activist teachers will understand. Parents will be left out of this sexuality indoctrination process that will confuse young impressionable children about their sexual identity. Big government owns your children when they are in school according to Biden and parents have no say in what they are being taught.
Ignorant lie.The President of the United States never said the school teachers can do whatever they want with kids.Anoth absolute lie…….The 1/6/2021 bipartisan investigation will go public on 6/9/2021……this is the investigation as to what happened on the most recent deadly attack on the United States….what has come out is incredibly scary
“The party that doesn’t believe in borders, the differences between men and women, a baby’s right to be born, etc. Wants to control what is and isn’t “disinformation” online” – Rep Paul Gosar
“The government is creating a misinformation governance board. Who else did something like that? Oh I remember, the Nazi’s. And there’s some data showing some interesting things going on post-@elonmusk’s Twitter takeover! — Steven Crowder (@scrowder) April 28, 2022
Said the party that believes in Russias style government let by the executioner Putin.Trump just loves those strongmen…Weird DoDon
Fools are easily led astray like cattle and sheep.
Missing your border collie yet TSC?
The Ministey of Truth. And it’s not a joke. My God man, where is the uproar from the useLess democrats? And the see you next Tuesday they put in charge is the queen of Disinformation.
Just like in Germany. Nobody said anything and cowered in fear while Hitler became more and more powerful. That nobody can see the communist influence in this country and its intentional weakening effect on our society is frightening and people need to speak out and work against it.
But we are speaking up right now about Donald Trump has his cult trying to take over America. We have slowed him down but as you can see he is still trying. We are in just as much danger right now as is Ukraine but you refuse to see it Pat.
The crime of a would be Authoritarian starts to be exposed at public hearings on June 9th and the word is it will scare you into how close we came to a Putin style goverment.It will expose you to how close we are to a Trump 2nd attack on America’s democracy.
Hillary, Xiden, Sotero, and the DNC were spying on American citizens. This also included spying on a sitting president. This was long before 1/6/21.
This doesn’t concern you, but people trespassing in the Capitol does?
Of course it doesnt concern him. He’s a Communist.
TDS has your brain TSC.
How is life in America going with the installed demented turnip?
Nothings built, nothings back, nothings better.
Price of food/gasoline? Biden/democrats did that!
“I immediately call for the release of all text messages sent to and from Barack Obama’s Chief of Staff during their attempt to overturn the 2016 Presidential Election. They spied on my campaign, they spied on my transition team, and they even spied on the White House while I was in the Oval Office. They did everything they could to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power, and stop the “Will of the People” with their Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, Mueller Scam, and more. I wonder what the texts would reveal? Unlike my Chief of Staff, which show patriotic Americans concerned about illegal and massive Election Fraud in 2020, I say bad things would be revealed.” -DJT 4/29/2022
The 2000 Mules documentary movie, the fake news/MSM is trying to hush up, makes it debut TSC.
You should watch it.
PS is there anybody in the Biden regime who is not batshit crazy?
Marjorie Taylor Greene..oops sorry, no, she is one of Trumps turnips
“Naming weirdo, lunatic Nina Jankowicz as Disinformation Czar is like putting Colonel Sanders in charge of chicken safety.”
“NEWLY SURFACED VIDEO Shows Biden’s Nutjob Ministry of Truth Director Singing About Who to F**k to Enhance Her Career”
THC, give it another try after you rest your brain.
Will they really come out and tell us about how the DON Pelosi orchestrated 1/6? Who were the 20+ FBI instigators in the crowd, esp the group that came down from MI? Why would Pelosi deny a request from the sitting President for the Guard to be called up? Still haven’t heard these questions nor answers, why? Of course nothing on Ray Epps nor megaphone man? Who took down the fence before the rally ended? TDS I am sure these questions bother you as well,ha,ha!
I agree with you Dan. Society needs to open up and get back to the way it was before the Chinese/Fauci Flu found its way to our shores. Seeing how the Flu returned to China I wonder if our illegitimate and Ho stopped all transportation to and from China? As for the school committee saying that their budget had to increase by $7 million due to contracts well trim the fat and close unneeded schools to increase the budget by $0. You don’t need school’s running with less than 10 kids in a class and yes it is happening. Also Pittsfield has shrunk to where it only needs 1 Superintendent. As for the (un)welcome sign the city puts out, if you don’t believe it just talk to one of our so called leaders and take the opposite stance, see where hat gets you!
How many kids go to school in Pittsfield? Divide that number into $73 million and how much is it costing to educate each child? FOR ONE GODDAMN YEAR!
SUCKING
$73 million is just the openers. Add the cost of health insurance, OPEBs, and maintenance, and you’re probably talking $130 million. Not an exaggeration. Anyone serious about righting the nearly-sunk municipal ship through lower taxes through cost cuts (something that MUST be done to prevent financial meltdown) starts with the school department. Unfortunately, we don’t see anyone, least of all in the corner office or aspiring to the corner office, who has the honesty and courage to do this. A rough guess on per-pupil cost? Probably $27,000 per student per year … and for what? To learn nothing, get passed on through with honors, and obtain a meaningless diploma. This is the kind of student trending into college now, which is why many colleges are worthless. They want fannies in seat for full tuition. It’s O-V-A-H. This is the optimist’s view, the one who has the courage to see thing as they are.
So how much does it cost to go to UMass for one year?
30k
So for your kid to get a second rate education in a Pittsfield grade school you are paying almost as much as a state college? Holy shit man is that cost effective? But of course in Pittsfield they toss in a free lunch so there is that perk.
Imagine it would be cheaper if we just school choices every student to neighboring districts. 5,000×6,000 is only $30 million
SERIOUSLY!!!… We would save about 20 grand per child. Why isn’t Kerwood all over this? Or Marchetti?
(notice I did not mention the mayor because obviously, spending other peoples money means nothing to her)
If you really want to know how welcome “all” are at Sacred Heart go in as a gay couple and ask to get married.
I’m not so sure all are welcome.
Nor should they be. Marriage is between a man and woman.
And sex should be be between adults but for years the Catholic Church allowed and covered up priests having not only sex with children but boys.
Can you say hypocrites?
Do we live in a free country? Why does anyone give a crap is a couple of same sex people get married? It’s not my thing and it’s really none of my business either.
You can be with whomever you choose. I don’t care if you have sex with a tree. But you can’t marry it
Why? Because you say so or someone’s religion says so. Everyone does not believe in the rules put out by organized religion or should they have to. If people want to believe in those rules they have that right. They just don’t have the right to force it upon others.
In your mind you can be with a tree just don’t tell me it’s marriage
“Trust the Science”……..
boys have a penis, girls have a vagina
Preach!
Agreed, but that being said, all marriage really is is a contract between two people with tax benefits, insurance benefits and other rights.
Still trying to figure out why government is involved in marriages. It is a relationship between 2 consenting adults so why get involved?
To make men and women responsible to each other and to any children they might have.
I don’t care if you “marry” a farm animal, but don’t force that BS on a church, nor tell children it’s normal/OK.
You are missing the point. Don’t put up a big sign say All Welcome when it clearly is not true.
That has never happened….get woke and learn things…..Gay marriage is not about the church….wake up.
“Baaaa, baaaaa, baaaaa………where’s the border collie, the big bad wolf is coming…….”
And your point?
I think my point was crystal clear.
Marriage is between a female and a male, if you want civil unions have at it.
Gay marriage is not a religious recognition. It is a legal right to be recognized and buy property and have healthcare ect.It is legal business recognition as Trump humper get distracted by their religious beliefs and a gay business license…..Trump humping is exausting
It is not a legal right.
YES it is.The Supreme Court in ma. said if you dont want gay people married you need to make a law against it.They legally have the same right as all the great straight married people have.Dopey straight guys get married 3 or 4 times because they are really fn smart.Gay people can do that too…get Woke
They can say what they want but it is not a right
Hi Dan. I went to city hall yesterday and felt very welcome. I was paying my real estate taxes!!!!
I was also puzzled by the locked door in the back. I usually use the drop box but thought I would venture inside. Bumped into Matt Kerwood and had a collegial chat. The handicap button at the top of the ramp was not working. I reported it today.
I’d conversate with you if no one else would talk to me.
Thanks, CV! Good to hear from you.
F*ck Linda and C*ck Barry
can I say that on here? no long winded rants
You DID say it. Now can we put it to music?
TYLER STREET ROTARY may be closed to all traffic…use side streets
Only a fool traverses Tyler Street
Yeah that rotary is dangerous also.
It is going to have very narrow lanes, on short curves. Not trucker or big bus friendly. Lots of islands for flowers and plants that will make tons of money for the citys plant vendor. And who did we say that was again? Mr Cha Ching maybe?
And it sure was convenient that that house that was in the way burned down. Just as the blueprints were coming off the printing press.
Only if you dont yield
FIZZ, you called it. Ricky’s Rumpus Rotary is closed. Traffic diverted to Westminster Street, which clogs up to the intersection of Springside. A true Pittsfield mess. Goes great with Tyler’s torn-up sidewalks, derelict buildings, and Hess Forest. And did you ever wonder, with all the millions they’ve spent on Tyler these past few years, why the street looks so bad?
Drivers beware!! In trying to traverse Ricky Rumpus’s bike lane debacle on Elm Street early this morning, low and behold, who comes flying by dodging in between cars, no other than Ricky Rumpus riding one of the Birdy Scooters. He had absolutely no regards to vehicles or traffic. This is also how he behaves when riding his bike to work. Few questions. Does Ricky have to pay for this scooter? Was this scooter gifted to him? Does he have to pay the whole time he has it at home over night? Are other City employees taking them home? Does the City pay the tab? If a driver hits him while he is dodging cars or riding between car lanes on the hill by Bencivenga Funeral home, who is at fault? If a driver’s car get’s damaged by him, who do you sue, Ricky, City of Pittsfield or the Birdy Company? Why does this City employee not have to follow traffic rules? Evidently just another DA Andrea who also does not have to follow rules. Also, does anyone know who the City employee’s spouse is that is the so-called “caretaker” of these Birdy’s?
Who is Rumpus? and it cost 24 bucks per hour according to the pr
Was he the one riding on the wrong side jumping off the curb on the bridge into oncoming traffic? I thought that was just part of Ricky’s Rumpass…I missed the biker and oncoming car by inches, I think I scored mega points for it!! Personally I would stay off of East St by the auto mile, my internal systems haven’t recuperated since my mistaken choice to drive that stretch. I think that beats Tamarack road easily
Shirl, yes that was him. Also, agree with you about East Street. The City has attempted to fix that area of road at least five times so far this year, there are usually 5 or 6 City Workers lazily standing there for this task, each has their own City vehicle. Wonder how much tax money has been spent so far just on just that patch of road? Drove by Newell Street park on Friday and there were 3 workers painting a board inside the tennis court with green paint, meanwhile, we are all wrecking our cars trying to drive Pittsfield streets. Great priorities in this City.
TYER DID THAT!!!!
I see you are back from Maro Largo. How is the fat orange guy doing?
I see you’ve still not progressed to pre-school.
Trump is obese and fn stupidbut some see the obese tent suit as a leader….get woke humpers
How is romper room these days?
awesome. we are learning about having sex with trees
Farm animals are next for You fizze. Ewe will enjoy that !!!
Louisiana Cop accused of Animal sex Abuse Now Faces Child Porn Charges / Atlanta Journal-Constitution – April 16, 2019
Cop who filmed himself having Sex with his patrol dog sparks protest / Metro News – April 16, 2019
Police Officer Arrested for Filming Himself Having Sex with Animals – Rare.us – Jan 13, 2020
Former Louisiana Cop and K-9 Officer Sentenced to 20 Years for Sexually Abusing His Dog and Possession of Child Porn – Law & Crime Nov 25, 2021
And this fine police officer is a veteran honored police officer!
Dan,Stockbridge needs a rotary for safe traffic flow.
TSC
Yes, we need a rotary the way Pittsfield roads need more potholes. Keep talking like this, and I shall pull some string and get you to replace Ricky’s Rumpus as DPW Commish. You’d be perfect for the city.
Us wokes like the rotary.
That makes sense.
All they need to do is eliminate the three way stop sign – stupidest idea ever, and probably caused more accidents than when they just had 2.
People don’t know how to respect a flag. Guess who leaves her flag out, day and night, rain and shine? I’ll give you a hint, she has a history of ignoring not just etiquette but the law, ie tax payments, license renewal, road signs, rules of evidence and ethics.
https://www.berkshireeagle.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/letter-dont-disrespect-the-flag-by-leaving-it-tattered/article_db67f306-c573-11ec-a8c2-b7ea3689f5d1.html
A person from Lenox committed suicide in October Mountain park yesterday. A woman from the DA’s office was talking about it at Otto’s this morning.
I figured it was a suicide since no name was released. That’s why I think missing Meagan Marohn didn’t commit suicide because they are usually discovered very quickly. I’m leaning more and more toward her disappearance being intentional since not a trace has been found, she was having problems at her job, and maybe she wanted to reinvent herself. It’s a terrible waste of the resources trying to find her if that did happen, but who knows. Even her brother has said that it’s a possibility.
Krisann Rufo, 52. They found her body off of Schermerhorn Road in Lee.
Very sad. And a lot more of that going on in Pittsfield these days than you would care to know about. Hopefully they do find peace.
Nice. Not a newsflash that we can no longer expect anyone working at the DA’s office to be mindful of the information they have or demonstrate proper behavior.
It wasn’t very professional at all, in fact it was quite vulgar. She was enjoying the missing a persons lately because of a “hot” state trooper on the search and rescue team. She was telling her friend how she was very interested in him sexually but in much more vulgar terms.
There is no adult supervision at all.
Wow, what’s her name I’ll call her up.
After purchasing yesterday’s Berkshire Eagle for $1.50, myself and family members finally reached the boiling point. Once again this increasingly smaller newspaper had three pages in it that had no ink on it. This has been a weekly occurrence since the new press has been purchased. I decided to go to the Berkshire Eagle and ask for a replacement copy since the blank sheets were local news that I wanted to read. Much like Tyer’s City Hall, the customer welcome mat at the Berkshire Eagle did not exist. Stood in the small vestibule, no receptionist was there, a sign said ring the bell for assistance. There was no bell. Finally an employee waddled over and asked what I wanted. Showed her the blank paper, she buzzed me in and snapped at me to go to another area. The employee sat at her desk and never attempted to wait on me. Finally after about 5 minutes, another employee asked if I had been helped. I said NO, and showed her my blank paper, she said “grab another one there”. I asked if I could check through it before I took it to make sure it was readable, and and I asked nicely if they were having issues with the new press. She said, “don’t know”. Another employee walked by and said, “wow, that is a really crappy one” and laughed. Sorry ladies, not funny anymore. In my time standing waiting for service I couldn’t help but notice the filth and terrible condition of this business, somewhat explains the downward spiral of the newspaper.
Bottom line, after reading Dan’s blog today and experiencing my visit to the Berkshire Eagle, never mind my pothole filled, street littered drive back in forth, panhandlers on every corner. It proves there is absolutely NO PRIDE left in this City. It is a shame what a certain group of egotistical people have done to our City,
Don’t forget to pay your higher taxes this week!
M&B
What a story. It fits right in with the theme of “Welcome All!” Thanks for sharing.
and and large part of the reason the city has become such a shithole is because that newspaper is not calling out the administrative problems within city hall. That is what most newspapers pride themselves in doing. That paper is the direct opposite of most and thusly makes them complicit in the cities demise.
You can tell by the writing that they are not able to attract the best talent. But whomever is selling advertising seems to be good at his or her job.
Still, if you want to “honor” your pet you can have them print its picture for only $80. Discerning folk might want to honor their pet by giving that 80 bucks to an animal shelter though.
Move
Way to tell it like it is, Shits. Dans right, it can’t be fixed. It’s OVAH, like he said. Get out if you can.
Lazy Linda is just following suit with her supreme commander, Xi Xiden. Lie to people, promise them the world, and then shut them out.
Xiden has created a “Minister of Truth,” to help sort out the “disinformation” on the internet. It’s funny that this unneeded position (think Pittsfield’s DIE Office) only comes about after Elon Musk bought Twitter and is allowing true free speech. The democRATS and Sotero are hate this and are getting nervous. They tasked this position with the Department of Homeland Security.
Who gives a damn if 18,000 illegal immigrants are headed towards our southern border DAILY. The DHS has more important work in controlling American’s free speech. Xiden and Sotero are determined to not have the curtain pulled on their globalist dream.
In true MA fashion, who could also forget Chief Squaw Elizabeth Warren. She wants Xiden to cancel all student debt, but especially for black men and black women. Warren’s stated, “there’s a huge racial inequality here. African Americans borrow more money to go to school, borrow more money while they’re in school, have a harder time paying it off when they get out.”
I never knew colleges had two different tuition rates: black people and everyone else? Of course Warren has not stats to back any of this up. Sounds just like our “Minister of Justice” DA Wrong Way, and her quest to end “racially biased policing” in the Berkshires.
Is “Minister of XX” the new democRAT buzzword? How about the “Minister of Helping the Taxpayer?” I guess we’ll have to wait until 2024 for that to happen.
Ditto !
gab.com is also a free speech platform.
The MSM has been demonizing Andrew Torba for years of letting the light of truth flow freely……..
Think about this.All this hullabaloo about getting these bike lanes in and having to put up with them most taxpayers don’t ride bicycles most taxpayers instead of bike lanes first would like to have their roads filled with potholes, would like to fix the pecks Road bridge in disrepair, for the last 10 years, would like to go to Stop & Shop or the airport on Tamarack Road without blowing a tire, would like to drive down Partridge Road with the actual middle yellow Lane lines painted,would like to cross the causeway without going into the abyss, without going through Woodlawn Avenue crashing your car in a maze of craziness circles,would like to walk with your honey down the street at night on your own street without having to worry about some hoodlum shooting over your head.
MORALESS
First, love your non de plume. Second, as you likely know, city officials who are in charge of such thing DON’T CARE ABOUT WHAT CITIZENS WANT, LEAST OF ALL TAXPAYERS. A “maze of craziness.” Sez it awl.
5 streets end at that rotary and was 100% a great idea
TSC
You are either someone who doesn’t drive or this post is entirely satiric. No one can possibly take it seriously, and surely, you don’t mean it to be taken so. We say this to offer you a last-minute reprieve from this comment. Always looking out for the best interest of my readers!
Would love to hear from the fireman who drives the big ladder truck through there. Are trailer trucks banned cuz I don’t see one of them making it through. Or a big tour bus.
Looks like it was designed for Volkswagons.
Only Ted Kennedy would feel safe driving on the causeway
It’s a fine place to launch the USN Buick!
With all the costs associated with this bike business I think the city should make them all be registered and pay an excise tax. They seem to be getting road work done instead of the automobiles. Pay your keep as grandpa always said
How about Pete White becoming minister of pocket pool?
He would win THE PLANET’s endorsement, hands down (pun intended).
I heard he applied for this position. He didn’t get it unfortunately. Lazy Linda wants to add this new position to the Office of DIE. She was quoted in the Eagle stating, “we figured we’d jerk the taxpayer off first, before we truly f*ck them.”
As far Pete White, don’t worry, he helped create the new “uniform” for the Minster of Masturbation.
He explained, “if you turn your front pants pockets inside out and then cut the bottoms off of the pockets, this will allow for easy access for ball handling.” White went on laughing, “how do you think I make it through city council meetings?”
Linda sure can rock those moo, moos she likes wearing.
What’s moo moos?
Your posts are word salads of idiocy and paranoia.
Truth hurts, doesn’t it Bare Bare.
Why don’t you and the Mrs take a walk on John Street later tonight (3AM) or tomorrow night? Linda should take great pride in that walk. She helped build it to it’s current sh!thol….I mean, vibrant, dynamic, and inclusive area that it is.
Speaking of salad, I’ll stop by city hall sometime and you can toss my salad. Sound good?
Once you learn the difference between “it’s” and “its” you might have a shot at being taken seriously, but I doubt it.
My favorite is “its'” — a contraction of a contraction some students would invent when they didn’t know if the word should be its (possessive) or it’s (contraction).
Out of my post Barry, that’s what you got out of it?
Your wife and the two Pete’s have truly fuc*ed this city up and you concern yourself with ONE grammatical error on my post.
Shootings and violent crimes at all time highs in Pittsfield. City roads look like sh!t and only rival the moon, as far as the depths of the craters. The splash park NEVER worked last year. Wahconah Park bleachers are not able to be used for baseball season. High school teams have no home field. A pot dispensary suing the city for $100K because Lazy Linda didn’t follow the contract (civil law). Bums at every corner begging. Highest rate of drug OD’s per capita in MA.
And again, you concern yourself with my ONE grammatical error.
Anymore 3AM Cumbie’s strolls?
From at least the time of that drooling fool, Reilly, the front entrance to shitty hall has been a deadly tripping hazard. The rusty broken railings and crumbling steps at the Fenn Street entrance has been festooned with tattered caution tape for years, and the green space alongside the deteriorated Fenn Street entrance to shitty hall has always been covered in piles of dog shit. But taxpayers did pay for a new roof for a church on First Street, and beautiful new ornate iron fencing for Saint Joseph’s Church on NON, and let’s not forget that taxpayers paid for more than $800,000 in improvements to the privately owned 100 North Street property. And taxpayers also paid for an entirely new sewer system for Morning Star Church rental property, AND, taxpayers are paying for a new roof on the old Tyler Street fire station, so that the new owner will be able to keep his rents on that property to an affordable $1800.00 a month. On the piles of dog shit at shitty hall, a former, now deceased shitty city employee use to talk about how he took his dogs to shitty hall everyday so they could leave a dump a day at shitty hall. I hope he’s not still collecting his taxpayer funded pension at his new address. But apparently there’s another disgruntled shitty city employee leaving his piles of dog shit at shitty hall.
But all of that isn’t what inspired me to post today. Actually I wanted to comment about peepee marchetti’s racist behavior directed toward the negroes at the shitty council gathering Tuesday night at shitty hall when peepee marchetti asked Lamarr Talley and other negroes to state their names and RECORD, or the record. And if it wasn’t for the one hour and ten minuets of citizens expressing their dissatisfaction with the killer cops of the PPD, the important business of the shitty city councilors would have taken up a whole 10 minuets of their time.
NON, for those who aren’t hip to it, stands for Nothing on North, another PLANET designation that has stuck.
Or NUTZ ON NORTH
“Drooling fool.” I LOVE IT! He’d spit rolling balls of spit when he was cornered. Like a certain retired Sgt, retired from the PPD, that would bite his nails when he was lying, which was why he had no trimmed nails!!!!!!!!!!! MSM/USANG my ass!
What is this story about Bloom Brothers suing Mayor Tyer and the city of Pittsfield? Everyone now fighting over the Golden Goose?
It’s pretty straightforward. There’s a community impact fee that can be negotiated, it’s supposed to cover the costs of the pot businesses negative impacts on the community. Part of that impact fee is the requirement that the city provide a detailed accounting of what the impacts were to the community and how that money was spent. The assumption being that money not spect should be refunded to the company that paid it.
This was done in a state session markup because there were concerns that these new pot businesses would overwhelm local communities with traffic, need for extra police details, and infrastructure changes.
“Those costs could be incurred from things like inspections, traffic studies, public safety overtime costs and environmental impacts.”
Think of it as a security deposit for potential negative impacts.
Eddie Munster aka Kufflinks Kerwood and Linda “Fat” Tyer failed to provide the information per the contract and then ignored the public information requests by the company and a lobbying group to provide detailed accounting.
They city, Tyer, and Kerwood are in violation of the agreement and in violation of public records law.
Tyer and Kerwood see the money as free cash and have done nothing to prove or to document negative impacts of the store.
The charges and all community fees are being fought in court but will be ultimately be changed at the state law level as most communities have used the fees as cash cows and not for the purposes intended.
Thank you.
And speaking of cash cows….the Berkshire Museum, which sold 50 million dollars of art a couple of years ago is now getting another quarter million from mayor Tyer. How much interest did they garner on that 50 million in the last couple of years that they are now so desperate that they need Pittsfield’s over burden taxpayer help? And no, they are not a tad bit ashamed to do this publicly.
That giveaway right there tells you all you need to know about this administration and how they operate. This mayor has good friends on the museum board by the way. I believe that if mayor Tyer could, she would go to each taxpayers house and shit down their chimney on Christmas Day. In fact, I am going to set up cameras next Christmas Eve to document it.
Ass is to big.
I was assuming she would just drop it from above. That is what most politicians do anyway. They can get to more houses in less time to better “serve” their constituency. I hear she crows like a rooster after each one.
Don’t forget the money the museum got from the GE fund. I think is was for new heating system or something. It was a big chunk of change.
That place is a sucking hole for taxpayer money. Follow the money. Salaries, bonuses? Who knows?
and don’t forget, they specifically said they do not want anyone looking at or asking about their books.
You would think they could have cooked the books by now, so they could keep all the fees. They will get their arsses handed to them in court.
Maybe their attorneys can finally expose the financial mismanagement of Lazy Linda and Eddie Munster-Kerwood?
We can only dream.
Wouldn’t that be awesome if somehow that triggered a forensic audit? Then the 4th of July parade would really mean something in Pittsfield. Independence from the tax tyrants. We could dump large chests of Tea into Silver Lake as it was being circled by beleaguered taxpayers on scooters.
Shitsfield has been going one way for 30 years, despite 6 different mayor’s campaigning on crime, 3 or 4 police chiefs, and gazillions of dollars. Get out before your kid is shot and killed.
Excellent advice.
Another handicapped parking spot gone on North Street.
but the city flower vendor got to yell CHA CHING… CHA CHING one more time.
This woman, Nina, is a lie machine and Biden wants her in charge of his Ministry of Truth. Nobody would or should be in this position because government should NEVER have this much power, but the choice of this woman shows the absolute insanity of the far left. Republicans need to put down very hard this idea of big government telling us what is the truth.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/disinformation-czar-tweets-covid-hunter-biden-nina-jankowicz
Taxpayers money should never be spent to fight neighborhood vs corporate decision especially when the lame council votes for the corporate entity. Gilardis should get a free paid lawyer that do civil law. Period. It’s like when the Stooge wanted the city to pay for his sewer to road line and was shot down because Bruce and D P W were correct, it wasn’t the city’s fault. And Stooge,get back to the studio with your exploit radio tv show,your not in compliance with federal law,you and pct and will soon be notified.
Trump got fired for lying.The dopes think he is telling them the truth.You are a moron if you believe one word Fatman says
TDS
I’ll be surprised if this doesn’t get nimbyed like the one in West Stockbridge where the neighbors leading the charge against the treatment house now grow and sell commercial weed. Can’t make it up.
https://www.berkshireeagle.com/news/northern_berkshires/williamstown-substance-use-disorder-treatment-sweet-brook/article_1cdb3c62-c727-11ec-91a5-338d12d80ffb.html?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR2l5n24Ycxq5r5emBOa6VLVxpm9gE5xTOZ72iX_P5RlCkvztX4XExX2UUA#Echobox=1651248471
The far left has taken over Disney and turned it into a repressive political machine that puts down conservatives especially conservative Christians. No longer can you say ladies and gentleman because we have all been neutered by the far left and male and female no longer exist. They are turning us into a country of freaks while China laughs at all of the destruction and how easily Americans can be manipulated. The magic has been removed from Disney while Disney has expanded into China, their true boss, and Disney bends over backwards to not offend the Chinese with any of their woke nonsense.
https://www.theblaze.com/news/disney-employees-speak-out-against-woke-activism?utm_source=theblaze-breaking&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20220429Trending-DisneyEmployees&utm_term=ACTIVE%20LIST%20-%20TheBlaze%20Breaking%20News
PAT
That buzzing sound you hear is Walt spinning in his mausoleum.
Can’t Disney come to the GE property of Tyler street?
Disney? If you like cartoons you might want to watch a Pittsfield city council meeting. They even put Mr. Magoo in charge of it.
I thought it was loony tunes?
Yah, you got your loony tunes in the mirror big fella.
All those Loonies are DemocRATS Sucker, think about it……
I’m no longer mad about the mouse. This is all part of Barack and Michelle wanting to change our culture, change our traditions, turn us into side show circus freaks, while they raise their own daughters in a very traditional way. The far left even considering running Michelle Obama for president in 2024 so she can put the final nail in the coffin for our country with her far left radical ideas.
Let’s go Big Mike!!
Ugliest first lady in world history!
You’re not using a “correct pronoun” for that beast!
I hear zi is acting goofy since they got the Diz.
NOT Vibrant & Dynamic, Pittsfield politics!
Letter: “Wahconah grandstand issues should have been dealt with earlier”
The Berkshire Eagle, April 29, 2022
To the editor: I find the management of Pittsfield’s resources totally inept.
How could the leaders of the city not know before this past weekend that one of our tourist draws and historic places is in disrepair? (“The Wahconah Park grandstand is structurally unsafe and will be closed for the 2022 season,” Eagle, April 20.)
Here we are coming into the sports and tourist season, and now the leadership says: Oops, sorry, the grandstand is too dangerous and closed for the season.
I say clean house and get responsible leadership that values our past while also securing our future.
Gary Strout, Lenox
Cleaning house in Pittsfield politics means replacing puppets with different puppets.
“Cleaning house in Pittsfield politics means replacing democrats with different democrats.”
fixed for ya fizze!
The PPD report was a CYA document to shield the city from insurance claims/liabilities, as well as from lawsuits for the deadly use of force police shooting of a young man with mental illness in distress. The PPD only interviewed themselves with no other documentation. Please read this news article:
Coalition for ‘just’ investment in Pittsfield criticizes police shooting report | WBUR News
It’s all in plain sight but no one understands where to look or what to look for but one person was on to something in the public session that could expose Wynn. But o don’t think anyone will put it together.
BENIGNO
Could you be referring to bola wraps? It’s know that the PPD has them, but have they been employed? It’s clear in the Estrella killing, the officers used tasers to try to subdue him, not bola wraps.
A young man with a history of mental illness is shot to death by the PPD and the first city document is a CYA use of force police report. Actions speak louder than Mayor Linda Tyer’s prepared words. This is yet another prime example why Pittsfield politics has such a bad reputation. This tragedy should NOT be all about the Almighty Dollar, Pittsfield politics!
Were those devices mentioned in the press release?
For a variety of reasons tasers don’t have a great success rate.
BolaWraps are less effective than Tasers. They are easily defeated by fast moving targets. If you are moving 3-5 mph or latterly. They work best with stationary targets, the barely work with a fast walking target. If a taser didn’t work, a bolawrap probably wouldn’t have worked either.
The bolawrap would not have been needed had the officers that made first contact done a better job of recognizing a situation that was bound to escalate. If the policy doesn’t exist, the PPD should immediately implement a policy of removal from the area or detainment of subjects like this. They should have NEVER let this young man with the people calling for police assistance.
You can’t remove anybody unless they are in custody and unless you have seen a video with audio, of the incident, or were there, you don’t know what happened.
I used to work for the department of fish and game in Wisconsin back when men were men. During studies of turkey populations we would do what is called “rocket netting” which is a method of capturing turkeys by blowing a large net over a whole flock them as they fed in a baited field. Perhaps we could tweak this process and it might be cheaper than body cameras.
Matt taught me to think outside the box.
The nets work on stationery targets. Dan mentioned bola wraps . They work with moving targets. PPD has them. Do a YouTube search on them.
They do not work well with targets moving at anything faster than a brisk walk.
You mean like Anthony Quinn in the movie Barajas’ those nets?
The bola wraps are not nets, as in the movie, but plastic lines that zip out of this compact control box. They instantly wrap around a person’s legs, immediately stopping all forward progress. Look up video online. They’re impressive. Now if the police have had bola wraps, the question becomes: Why are they not part of an officer standard-issue equipment?
You can ask PPD officer Brenna Dorr why she neglected to bring less lethal options to the murder of Daniel Gillis. She’s allegedly trained in the use of less lethal options and allegedly was issued these less lethal options. Maybe she has other uses for these police department issued less lethal restraints. Maybe she plans on using her police department issued BOLA WRAPS to catch herself a new bride from the pathway program for youths.
and in other news: Saving her Bacon! Scared Cop jumps onto her squad car hood as she flees angry PIG in hilarious footage – Daily Mail UK – Jan 9, 2020
THIS REALLY TAKES THE BACON; VIDEO CAPTURES HILARIOUS MOMENT PET PIG CHASES POLICE OFFICER BRENNA DORR UP ON TO SQUAD CAR
No they are cables deployed via a blank charge
Kevlar cables with metal hooks
I know what they are I’ve used them in tactical situations, they are of extremely limited use.
Nothings perfect but if two officers had them in the recent shooting they probably would have worked. They reload pretty quickly . Was Estrella running?
PPD spent 40 grand on them
If you read the report from the PPD they placed a call for less lethal equipment in the middle of the second confrontation. If they have them in the department, the officers didn’t at the second confrontation did not have them at the time.
I’ve used them, tasers, pepper balls, baton rounds, and beanbag rounds. The bolas are by far the least effective.
It is also a question of how much do you carry. Taser weak side or chest, gun, baton, cuffs, second pair of cuffs, pepper spray or OC, radio, flashlight, spare magazines, knife or rescue tool, tourniquet/med pouch.
I would rather have a less lethal shotgun with beanbag rounds or a second officer deploying less lethal.
If you go back to the 12/08/20 council documents you will find these words written by Wynn.
BolaWrap launcher units will be shared units assigned to patrol cars and unmarked vehicles. They will be accessible to any officer operating the vehicle. Spare cartridges will be stored with the launchers and surplus cartridges will be kept in storage by the Training Unit. Training will be responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the devices.
No one is saying bolas need to be on the belt. Why can’t they be on the passenger seat? Couldn’t an officer put it in a cargo pocket when needed?
If you understood the nature of critical response, you’d know why it needs to be on the officer.
It’s like saying well maybe they could use tasers but they should be in a passenger seat. Yes let’s run back to the cruiser.
In most crisis situations they would deploy a an officer running less lethal with his backup ready with lethal force. Each situation is fluid but since they had already been to this location and left, they should have had a reasonable idea of what tactics to employ.
This is a training, communication, and command failure.
Bullspit. It’s a failure of the shitbag to drop the knife upon command of the officer, plain and simple.
I’m interested in what the toxicology report will show. What’s in it might or might not help to understand a little more of what was going on.
I can understand having it on the body of an officer but if they need a shotgun they don’t have that on their person. A bola in a bandelaro holster could be slung on in 2 seconds. Only Barney Fife couldn’t accomplish that.
I believe that many perps who get shot were tazzed but it didn’t work for whatever reason
PR
Obviously, you have expertise here. Which method or device among the ones you list and have employed do you recommend for a situation such as the Officer Sondrini/Miguel Estrella confrontation?
The procurement of these additional lASERs will complete our TASER implementation plan. TASER devices will be issued to all sworn personnel. Individual devices will be stored by the individual officers in their lockers on their duty belts. Spare units will be maintained by Training for replacement. The Training Unit will be responsible for maintenance and upkeep.
BolaWrap launcher units will be shared units assigned to patrol cars and unmarked vehicles. They will be accessible to any officer operating the vehicle. Spare cartridges will be stored with the launchers and surplus cartridges will be kept in storage by the Training Unit. Training will be responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the devices.
Both of these technology platforms will reduce the need for higher uses of force and will reduce injuries to subjects experiencing a crisis situation.
Successfully resolving crisis situations with less injuries to the subject(s) and officers, reduces stress, liability and lost time. These are all benefits to the Department and our officers.
Wynn’s words
The first officer that made contact with him should have moved to have him held. They deescalated the situation, they had him under direct control. I agree that if they called for the crisis team or mental health team member, that was and is enough evidence that the subject was in crisis. Regardless if that person had clocked out at end of shift, the call is enough.
I don’t know the timing of events between the two officers being there but often either one officer will lead with less lethal and the other will cover with lethal if the continuum of force model.
My concern for these officers is that they “backed up” several dozen feet, that’s not the way the situation should be handled. Most of these situations are very fluid but that much backing away puts the public in danger, can put the officers in danger and can endanger the perpetrator.
In my experience I’ve liked the beanbag (baton) and rubber buckshot rounds. I’ve found the CTS super sock to be my favorite. Properly shot from a 12 gauge they can be very effective. You can bounce them off the ground in front of an advancing target and take them out at the knees. I also like them because they can be accurately delivered at a much greater distance than a taser.
Tasers are reasonable for very specific situations, they are not the end all be all. The new tasers are less effective because of their probe design and less power. I do not like them, I liked the older ones but they got press because of some deaths that ultimately about cocaine or heart conditions.
PR
Thanks for sharing your expertise in this.
How well does rubber buckshot bounce of of grass?
You don’t have to bounce them off of the ground, it’s one of the tactics available in the deployment. You can shoot them directly at a person. The suggested use is to fire below center mass, below the heart. So stomach, groin, legs. Some departments suggest not shooting at the groin.
https://youtu.be/3j3GqQLPHtY
This has been in development for several years. I do not know of a department using it.
They tried them in some high risk departments but I’m not sure if it’s commonly deployed.
https://www.alternativeballistics.com/
Maybe we should get pikes for our cops
I would rather a less lethal loaded 12 gauge with beanbag or rubber buckshot.
Are these useful at close range? Or are they like bird shot which is devastating at close range.
and when I was in Zambia putting tracking collars on rogue elephants we could take them down with a dart. Any reason we can’t put some strong anesthesia in a dart for these guys?
And take a blood pressure reading also.bayou Dope.
Excuse me? Two or three multi colored smoke grenades with audio only gun shot sound effects would have spooked the guy into the house and under the couch. He can then do his own BP reading and pass it on to the ER in the Amby.
Stop overthinking this
A Doge Dart?
So You were the turkey the F + G practiced on……..
Melle, you get your ass back to town and I’ll meet you at high noon at top of hill on Clapp Park and bring your pal, City Hate, and I’ll take you both on! You both are full of shit. When the whole truth comes out, you two fools will look stupider than you already do.
I don’t think that’s possible
How about fisticuffs at the hobo smoking park on North Street?
Marchetti has initiated one more of his parade begathons and is asking taxpayers to come up with another $85,000. The city spends more than this on flower planters each year. The city forgives ten times this amount in taxes for millionaires each year. The city gives away ten times this amount in CPA money every year. I think Pete Marchetti should get out on the street with a cardboard sign and compete with the homeless beggars for parade money. And he could dress like the clown he already is.
“If things get out of hand in “America’s Premier Cultural Resort,” aka Berkshire County, authorities are able to call on Berkshire County Special Response Team, composed of officers from Pittsfield, Lee, North Adams, and surrounding towns. Thanks to homeland security grants, since 2012 the team has nabbed night vision goggles, SWAT headsets and helmets, tactical body armor, and the ever-popular BearCat armored vehicle.”
Small-town SWAT teams proliferate in Western Massachusetts – November 13, 2017 – The Washington Post
Special Response Teams attend “Bulletproof Mind” controversial seminars on “killology” police training.
Small town SWAT goes beyond their original mission, and sometimes are unable to properly select and train officers.
“An analysis of hundreds of pages of police records and incident reports, obtained through public records requests, show that small-town police departments like Ludlow are amassing enormous arsenals”
“Some experts feel that this phenomenon highlights a much larger problem: too many SWAT teams in the state, eating up too many municipal budgets, without enough to do.”
Paramilitary Policing Infiltrates Western Mass /Valley ADVOCATE – Nov. 6, 2017
“In November 2012, shortly after Berkshire County SRT’s BearCat was first acquired, Pittsfield Police Chief Michael Wynn told a reporter for the Springfield Republican that the vehicle “can be used in a variety of police situations that carry a high degree of danger, such as armed standoffs, drug raids or even to rescue police and civilians pinned down by gunman.”
“Twice yearly, in yet more action for the $295,000 armored vehicle, Berkshire Regional SRT deploys to October Mountain State Forest in Lee to police a picnic of the local chapter of the Hell’s Angels. There, SRT officers are joined by a Police Mobile Command Vehicle, which conducts video surveillance of the area. although SRT has routinely been assigned to this event since 2012, the only law enforcement action ever taken has been to issue tickets for moving violations.”
“In an email, Pittsfield Police Chief and Berkshire County SRT Commander Michael Wynn wrote that while mission CREEP was a “valid concern,” operations like the State Forest picnic fit within the unit’s broader mission to serve “as an on-call resource for departments to access additional personnel quickly.” / digboston – November 17, 2017
The PPD suffers from a common problem in small city policing. All the toys and none or minimum training.
They train to get certified and do minimum training after. Someone else her said it would be interesting to see how many hours of taser tracing the two officers involved in the shooting had.
The DA would be smart to include that information in her report but I’m concerned she thinks a taser is a hair removal product.
Hello Erin Leahy at Act on Mass,
I wish to state that I admire and support your work as the leader of the advocacy group Act on Mass. Also, I always look forward to receiving your weekly “Saturday Scoop” political emails about Beacon Hill politics. That being said, I am disappointed with your political email today, Saturday, April 30th, 2022. How can you possibly write that this past week’s Massachusetts fiscal year 2023 state budget, passed by the State House of Representatives: “the final product is….good. I mean, it’s really, really good!”?
Erin, there were multiple proposals in the state budget to give state tax breaks to senior citizens, Veterans, working class commuters, and so, as well as Governor Charlie Baker’s supply side economics tax cut proposals, which were ALL rejected by the corrupt career politicians on Beacon Hill. Erin, Beacon Hill still has billions of dollars in surplus state government funds. The corrupt career politicians cannot say that they don’t have the financial resources to provide tax relief to the people and taxpayers who need it the most during this time of 40-year high U.S. inflation. They are really being selfish Solons.
Erin, the State Senate passed sports betting in Massachusetts with only a voice vote, which means that no one knows how each State Senator voted on the bill. ALL gambling schemes are really regressive taxation schemes. When the state lottery bragged about it record earnings in fiscal year 2021, it really meant that those who can least afford to pay state taxes paid more (voluntary gambling) tax dollars than ever before. Beacon Hill plays financial shell games, which goes over the heads of many of the people and taxpayers because they are poorly educated, financially illiterate, and they don’t understand institutional political corruption. The more regressive taxation schemes equals the corrupt career politicians giving away more billions of dollars in state tax breaks to their politically connected big business campaign donors, which also means more earnings for greedy Beacon Hill registered lobbyists such as Dan Bosley, who is said to collect two state pensions on top of all of his other public perks funded by state taxpayers.
Erin, I believe that your heart is in the right place, and I hope your advocacy group will produce real reforms (but I will not be holding my breath) on Beacon Hill, but you are really off base today.
Best wishes,
Jonathan A. Melle
We must have very similar email addresses JM. I got Erin’s reply back to you. This is the second time it’s happened. Kind of odd, huh? Any how, here is the reply:
Dear Mr. Melle,
I have warned you before to quit sending me these letters. It is becoming criminal harassment and I’m going to report you to law enforcement officials.
I have never read one and don’t want anymore from this point forward.
Much like your New Hampshire state senator advised you, I will do the same, “pick up a book or a hobby,” I’ll even add, it’ll keep you out of jail.
This is your FINAL warning Mr Melle.
Respectfully,
Erin Lahey (clp)
*JM, I would quit while you’re ahead…and free.
Actually, I received a warm reply email from NH State Senator & candidate for Governor Dr. Tom Sherman. Also, I received a “thanks” text message from Erin Leahy at Act on Mass. You must be writing about Luciforo & Dan Bosley & company.
Give it time! You will be on here complaining they won’t respond to you.You will pizz them off just like the rest without fail.
If they are as bad as Luciforo, Lobbyist Larkin, Bureaucrat Bosley, Shitty Pigpen, Trippy Country Buffet, Chrome Dome, & Company, then I would be happy to have pissed them off, too.
Whatever, you are going to step into dogshit someday.
That’s not encouraging!
Came down North street about an hour ago..Four kids about 12 years old riding the scooters side by side. Thought someone said you had to have a drivers license.
There were a couple parked on a sidewalk on pecks no bridge rd. What’s that all about.
I am outraged at the comments from some city councilors about the recent shooting of an active felon advancing toward a cop with a dangerous weapon; to wit, a knife. Not one of the gutless bastards that commented had the balls to back the police and the most neutered one of the bunch, that sissy Kavey, has demonstrated and complete and total lack awareness of the reality of policing in this day and age, in a shithole of a city. I suggest he go on ride alongs with the police every weekend night all summer. And bring a change of clothes and some diaper wipes because he’ll be shitting his pants,
I doubt even Estrella was crazy enough to call himself “innocent”. The first obstacle to increasing mental health treatment is that the city council would fill up all the padded rooms
NEWS ARTICLE:
“Pittsfield councilors echo call for DA’s independent report on police shooting of Miguel Estrella. ‘We need a hard look,’ one says”
By Amanda Burke, The Berkshire Eagle, April 30, 2022
PITTSFIELD — “We need a hard look,” one councilor said. “There is no excuse for the senseless killing of an innocent man,” added another.
In the wake of an internal report into the March 25 fatal police shooting of Miguel Estrella, Pittsfield city councilors are speaking out. Like Estrella’s family and friends, they too await the findings of the Berkshire District Attorney’s office, which is conducting a criminal probe.
When asked for their views by The Eagle, several councilors called for more discussion about implementing use of body-worn cameras by police, as well as bolstering mental health services in the city.
Calling Estrella’s death incredibly tragic, Ward 3 Councilor Kevin Sherman said his “heart breaks for [Estrella’s] family, friends, and co-workers who love and care for him.”
“As a community, we’ll need to recognize the factors that went into this tragedy as well as others. What appears evident is that our mental health services are not to scale given the amount of diagnosis and addictions in Pittsfield and Berkshire County,” Sherman said in an email. “This needs to be addressed on a local, state, and federal level. We need a hard look at our socio-economic impact on these mental conditions and how to support all community members proactively.”
Sherman called for discussion about the “value” and “challenges” of body-worn cameras for Pittsfield police officers.
Family of Estrella attended last week’s City Council meeting, when a citizen’s petition calling for body-worn cameras was delivered. Corey Johnson took direct aim at the council during the April 26 public comment period.
“This City Council has been behaving like a filthy rich, wine drunk parent funding a negligent, seemingly incompetent bully which is the Pittsfield Police Department,” Johnson said.
Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren said that as a councilor, he has nothing to do with sorting through what actually happened that night, but he can “initiate and participate in potential solutions” to the many issues raised by the fatal police shooting.
Pittsfield police released a four-page preliminary report the day after that City Council meeting. The report concluded that Officer Nicholas Sondrini complied “with all relevant department policies, training guidelines, statutory requirements, and use of force guidelines” when he shot Estrella, whom police said was perceived as a “deadly threat” as he came at an officer “at a fast pace” with a raised knife.
Sondrini fired twice into Estrella’s chest after police say efforts to stop him with less-lethal means failed, and after the officers backed 120 feet away from Estrella, into Onota Street traffic.
Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey said Estrella’s death, as a result of officers following established protocols, shows that those protocols need changing.
“Even if they were in compliance, there is no excuse for the senseless killing of an innocent man,” Kavey said. “I look forward to hearing from our Chief during our budget hearings on how his department will be updating said policies, so nothing like this happens in our community ever again. I also look forward to hearing how they will update their training guidelines to ensure that their officers are properly equipped to de-escalate a situation without the use of extreme force.”
The police department’s preliminary report said Estrella did not meet the criteria of a “person in crisis” during the first of two calls to his Onota Street apartment building the evening of March 25. The department did not believe it had grounds to seek an involuntary commitment of Estrella after the initial 911 call for help.
The day after the fatal shooting, the Berkshire District Attorney’s office said that 911 callers had “alerted dispatch that Estrella had a history of mental illness, was cutting himself and was currently located outside of the apartment building” on Onota Street. Police said in the force report released this week that Estrella was not “engaging in any self-harming behavior” when officers responded to the initial call for help, and that an injury he had was sustained earlier in the day.
Kavey and At-Large Councilor Earl Persip III called for more mental health professions to be on hand to respond to mental health calls, either within the police department, or potentially housed within a newly created department.
A co-responder had ended a work shift just minutes before the first of two police responses to Estrella’s address. Chief Michael Wynn has said that given the circumstances of the second call, it is uncertain whether a mental health co-responder could have arrived in time to help.
Still, Persip said the council may need to act to ensure help is available.
“We hold the purse strings,” he said, calling for there to be a mental health professional available to respond 24/7.
Persip said he wanted to wait for the DA’s office to complete its “independent” investigation before commenting on the shooting itself, saying he did not know whether the details contained in this week’s force report were accurate. He noted that the report represents the police department investigating itself.
“I think it’s important for us to move forward and concentrate on getting people the help they actually need when they have mental illness or a mental episode,” Persip said.
At-Large Councilor Pete White said more “community input” on police body-worn and dash cameras is needed. More resources ought to be committed, he said, to local mental health agencies that receive state funding to work in the area of crisis intervention.
“I feel sorry for everyone involved,” he said in an email. “I offered my condolences to Miguel Estrella’s loved ones after our council meeting Tuesday night. I want to see the report from the District Attorney’s Office when it is finished. We need respectful community discussions to move forward.”
Sherman, the Ward 3 councilor, said steps need to be taken to protect citizens as well as public safety officers. “To prevent all parties from being in this situation to begin with,” he said.
“It’s a sobering tragedy on all levels that no one woke up on March 25 expecting or planning,” he added. “We owe it to all involved to work together to find answers as one community.”
Let us look into which mental health worker is a cops wife.
Pete White does not want to make decisions.He can spend but won’t let people know what he thinks.Cameras make sense. There was a quote where people should live like there is a camera recording what you do and say 24/7.Again cameras make sense.Is there any policing situation where cameras don’t make sense.
TSC
Au contraire. White made plenty of important, vital decision, daily, like “Where will I eat today?” and “Is my phone charge so I can take a picture of it?”
Pete is the most wishy washy councilor in the United States.Imagine telling Pete White we are going to have one High School Pete and you have to pick one ….LOL
Kavey is an idiot.
The job of the police is to maintain law & order and protect the public.
Mission accomplished in the case of this mentally deranged illegal immigrant with no respect for the police.
Justifiable homicide.
Marxists try to create chaos to undermine society – isn’t that right Marxist Melle?
100% true. It’s funny Kavey didn’t have “car trouble” and found the time to give his comments to the Eagle.
I love his statement, “even if they were in compliance….” Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Miggy, armed with a large knife, continued to ignore the cops verbal commands and kept walking towards them 120 feet (40 yards)?
That’s not compliance to me. Would Kavey have felt better if Miggy had plunged that knife into one of the cops necks?
As has been said many times, you don’t bring a knife to a gun fight.
And one final thought. PPD is having trouble getting officers on the force and ultimately keeping them on the force. Are they trying to turn Pittsfield into the “Chicago of the Berkshires?” A meddling city council into a police department is a lose-lose situation. Think Minneapolis. The other city councilors should take a que from Kenny Warren and stay quiet on this issue.
I wouldn’t answer that question about whether Kavey, or anyone else, would feel better if Miggy had plunged a knife into the neck a cop, or two. But I will say that the public hasn’t been this outraged since acting chief Michael Wynn tortured two friendly pet turkeys to death after Wynn chased the pets down, shot them multiple times, and stomped one of frighten cornered injured turkeys with his jack boot foot when it wouldn’t die quick enough for Killer Cop Wynn.
TRUMP loves Putin.Republicans love Putin,FOX loves Putin.They all hate America’s democracy….who is a Marxist
“This needs to be addressed on a local, state, and federal level. We need a hard look at our socio-economic impact on these mental conditions and [blahs blahs blah & etc….]”
My words fly up, my thoughts remain below. Words without thoughts never to heaven go.
The investigation is not yet begun. The document distributed by Police Chief Wynn was unfortunately mischaracterized as a ‘report’ which it is not. Speaking for myself: musing on investigations, policies, methods, and other outcomes are premature. I declined to speak with the reporter because making any public comment on this matter is inappropriate.
CYA!
hardly. Am I a party to the investigation?
I didn’t mean you, Charles Ivar Kronick, who has my full support as Ward 2 City Councilor in Pittsfield politics. I understand that you are NOT a party to the investigation. I meant that the City of Pittsfield via the PPD issued their Use of Force document as a CYA report to shield the city from insurance liabilities and claims, as well as from lawsuits over the PPD’s deadly shooting of 2 service gun bullets to a young man with mental illness who was in an episode of distress for a period of time whereby the PPD should have called an Ambulance & Paramedics to assist them with involuntarily committing the said young man to a psychiatric hospital. On a personal note, I am a 100% service-connected disabled Veteran for my psychiatric condition(s), and I am NOT ashamed of stigmas because stigmatizing a person with mental illness is wrong. I have attended NAMI meetings, too, and many families go through dealing with the police due to mental health episodes. Thank you, City Councilor, and please keep up your good work in my native hometown of Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
Correct. It was a press release. A long one. The internal report with be way longer.
I totally agree with you, Shittsfield!
The scariest thing this side of the Mississippi is Barry and Tyer with Marchetti at a cocktail party in a rented mansion in charge of our 52 million dollars
https://youtu.be/qO8zpnvDSDI
https://youtu.be/rAZ9NLfsQgY
As we know the Bird ( electric scooters) has landed in Pittsfield. For you folks who think it’s a little pricey, don’t fret. They offer low income access. 5 $ a month for 5- 30 minute rides a day. Roughly a little over 3 cents a ride. Wondering who is subsidizing this program?
JOE
Ricky’s Rumpus giving citizens the Bird.
I’m wondering if people can and are using their taxpayers funded EBT Cash cards on those E Bikes as a form of payment?
there has to be a dirty underbelly to this scooter thing if it involves Pittsfield politicians.
“Sometime the law enforcement imperative to gather evidence for their case against a suspect overrides the duty to minimize potential harm to children. Case in point: a June 2015 “no-knock” raid in North Adams by Berkshire County SRT. Police were sure the suspect, wanted for distribution of heroin, would also have a firearm. In a pre-raid briefing, officers were told to expect to find children, including an infant, in the home. While the SRT was en route to the target residence, however, team members were notified the suspects in the case were not at home. In fact, they had just been pulled over and were by that time in State Police Custody. Instead of cancelling the raid, however, the tactical team, a recipient of more than $400,000 in homeland security grants since 2012, continued to the suspect’s home. In an email, Chief Michael Wynn of the Pittsfield Police Department, BCSRT’s sponsoring agency, explained: Despite the fact that the suspect had been arrested, the firearm had not been accounted for.” So, the operation continued, with officers using a heavy metal ram to break through the front door and “clearing” the home with weapons drawn. Eventually, they encountered a “tall female” who was ordered to the ground. When the responding officers learned that she was, in fact, 16 years old, the girl was allowed to get up from the floor and care for the other children who were present: an 8-yea-old boy and an infant.” Children and SWAT Raids: /Worcester Magazine – March 1, 2018
Chief Michael Wynn never did locate that alleged firearm, even after battering the front door with a heavy metal battering ram, invading the home and terrorizing children. But not to worry, all members of Chief Michael Wynn’s armed and dangerous militarized gang were paid overtime for home invasion and terrorizing children.
Joe Biden was joking about his poll numbers being so low when he attended the Correspondents Dinner last night. Saying that 42% of the audience was clapping for him. It’s a big joke to Joe that his numbers are so low because with the media in his pocket and pouring in all the illegals, he figures he doesn’t have to worry about his poll numbers to win the next election even with all of the corruption that surrounds him.
Yesterday I witnessed someone on one of Ricky’s Scooters tethered to a vehicle being towed down a busy street.
CITY
This isn’t going to end all hunk-dory and all. The scooter thang, I mean.
We can agree that this idea is for the birds.
A Bird in hand is worth two in the river. We heard two were thrown in the Housie. Already.
Where Dan? My bet was the first bird would be flipped off the Columbus Ave bridge. My fingers are crossed.
Dan.I’ve seen these contraptions in a few places like they use to show the sheep,almost like advertising them. There’s definitely something going on here. Are businesses involved or arts or downtown inc. who and what platform is subsiding these scooters. Bird ain’t giving them away. Someone has given us the bird.
Plus, the contractor between Bird and the city, the one reportedly with family connections to city hall, has never been named. A tad suspicious, don’t you think?
You should have seen the kids weaving in traffic with them today, it has been crazy. I was wondering how they afforded the $24 hr amusement ride but the post about the low income only paying $5 now makes sense as to how the kids could afford it
Pittsfield.ma needs 1 high school.We pay for two High Schools because Pittsfield Ma has no plan.We can’t paint lines in the road.We can’t sweep streets.We have bike lanes going nowhere.We now have little traffic on North street.Tamarac Road is the worst road I have ever driven. Linda needs to resign….Really Linda you needs to just go now…..we are a mess and we don’t deserve it.To many people work hard to put up with one more raise in realestate taxes.Sometimes you just have to admit anyone can spend money.The Catholic Church consolidated.Lenox is overhauling their schools to be more efficient……Linda has failed.Bye
Over the scanner today a “kid” was riding a Bird scooter on North Street in traffic and got hit by a car.
No serious injuries reported, the kid refused medical treatment. The scooter was damaged.
How can kids ride scooters without a DL or adult supervision?