Response to "Blocked" article

Sent by Silvio Dell'Angela

This discrimination against certain citizens and media outlets who dare criticize what’s going on like the burqueblotter, Eye on Albuquerque and others  is evidenced once again in the preceding burque article “Mayor’s Office Blocks Burque Blotter from ambassador’s visit.”  Why was burque’s editor Ms. Pilar Armstrong singled out for exclusion from this story while KOB-TV and others were not?  No credible answer from the Mayor for this-not surprisingly.  This was NOT a “private event”-the phony excuse used by the Mayor’s PIO Breanna Anderson.

Don’t we citizens have a right to know just how much of our tax dollars are being spent on these Mayor Berry image-promoting only visits-be they here in the City or for our Mayor’s boondoggles to other cities to find new ways to spend our tax dollars?  The Mayor’s campaign promise to us posted in 2010 on his ABQView website of a “new era of transparency and accountability” seems to be a joke-doesn’t it?

Be assured that we will be there in numbers at the March meeting with signs and anxious to see your new suppression tactic.  Maybe another APD enabler-Council President Jones will bless your edict using the same phony excuses.  You are either a willing part of the problem or part of the solution with APD here.  You seem to be the former thus far.  You still owe us a public apology and maybe even your resignation!  Your arrogance is disgraceful!

Mayor's office blocks Burque Blotter from ambassador's visit

The Burque Blotter was recently blocked from covering a story on the Japanese ambassador's, Ichiro Fujisaki, visit to Albuquerque. A press release from Mayor Berry's office was received on Wed., Feb. 22, announcing the ambassador's arrival. The following day the Mayor took Fujisaki on a walking tour of the Albuquerque Bio Park while discussing smart grid technology. A private reception at the Albuquerque Aquarium was to follow. Japan has invested over $30 million in research for such projects in New Mexico which the Mayor feels will benefit Albuquerque.

On Wed., the Blotter asked Deputy Information Officer, Breanna Anderson, via email, what time the event would take place in the hopes of having an opportunity to speak with the Mayor or the ambassador.

"This is simply an announcement, not a public event - given the Ambassador's instructions",  responded Anderson.

However, Albuquerque's news station KOB, ran a story about the "private" event with video footage of the Mayor and First Lady and members of the KOB newsroom, strolling through the Bio Park.  A second email asking Anderson why only certain members of the media were invited to the "private" event with the ambassador was sent this morning. As of press time no response has been received.

The Mayor's recent action to discriminate against certain members of the media prohibiting them form attending events in public places may be considered a violation of the First Amendment, which states, that government shall not abridge the freedom of speech or the press. The Mayor originally ran on a "transparency ticket" before his election in 2009. 

City tells activists to remove signs

Activists criticizing APD and Chief Schultz were asked to refrain from holding up signs around TV cameras and  public forum speakers.

In a phone interview after last nights City Council meeting, Laura Mason, Director of City Council Services, stated that she had received complaints from citizens claiming that the signs were distracting when other speakers were using the public forum. She also felt that most of the activists seemed willing to comply with the request and encouraged them to hold up signs two seats over from the podium, away from the cameras.

"We want for people to be respectful of other people at the meetings and the councilors," she said.

Activist Silvio Dell'Angela disagrees, stating in an email addressing City Councilors, Mason and Mayor Berry, that Mason was not authorized to make the request and demanding a public apology. Dell'Angela also criticized the use of a police officer to intimidate activists.

"Be assured that at the next Council meeting on March 5 that we will have our signs raised behind the speakers and shown to all viewers of GOV-TV and will look forward to seeing if you will have the good police officer there arrest us or force us to leave the Chambers.", retorted Dell'Angela, in the same email.

Black cloth was also placed on chairs around the podium as if to deter people from sitting or placing signs near the podium. Mason claims the City has been employing this practice for years and just wants to keep the peace.

"We will always try to treat Mr. Dell'Angela with respect," replied Mason.

Current City Council Rules of Procedure doesn't mention anything about the proper placement of signs at meetings. However, Section 12. of the Rules and Procedure states that disturbing the meetings in a "disorderly manner" shall be considered "unlawful". It is not clear as to what is considered disturbing and disorderly. The Blotter has contacted The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government and is awaiting a response regarding these issues.

Latest media release update

The Burque Blotter has recent proof that the City of Albuquerque may have taken us off the media release list. This morning I (Pilar Armstrong) asked if there were any city closures due to recent snowfall. I received a brief email response from Deputy of Communication, Breanna Anderson, stating that any closures would be reported to new stations and the City's information hotline or 311. Shortly afterward The Blotter received a press release sent yesterday, Feb. 14 about the City's Silver Alert Program from an outside journalist. The journalist requested that their name not be mention. The Blotter is great full for this shared information and acknowledges the journalists request. As a result, an email was sent to both PIO and DOC demanding that The Blotter be placed back on the media release list within 24 hours. The Blotter has also contacted the ACLU on this matter. Sarah Welch, outgoing director for the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government has stated previously that all government entities should follow the same procedures as the White House by allowing all citizens access to media releases.

Media list update

By Pilar Armstrong

The Burque Blotter received an email response from Dayna Gardner, Director of Communications, Feb. 10, (today) at 11:16 a.m. The email was sent shortly after The Burque Blotter requested rules and procedures for being placed on the media release list. Gardner states that The Blotter remains on the City of Albuquerque's media release list and will continue to receive alerts and press releases. A crime alert from the Albuquerque Police Department was received shortly afterward. Below is a copy of the email from the City:

Ms. Armstrong,

Our standard protocol for communications from the Mayor’s Office is that correspondents on the Media Advisory distribution list, and for the APD Sig Alerts, must be credentialed reporters for a newspaper or broadcast station, licensed by the FCC. We are more than happy to include other social outlets on our News Release list. You are a member of the News Release list and will continue to receive regular news updates from this office as well as other City Departments.

Dayna

Dayna Gardner

Director of Communications

City of Albuquerque

505-414-3438

Office of the Mayor

One Civic Plaza NW, 11^th Floor

Albuquerque, NM 87103

Cabq.gov

Letter to the Editor

Will the Real Director of Municipal Development Please Stand Up?

Jeff Proctor’s page C-1 article on 2/9 about the top paid employees in the City says the highest is Ed Adams who Jeff and the City’s posted transparency press release identifies as the Director of Municipal Development (DMD).   Leslie Linthicum’s front page 2/9 article says that Mike Riordan is the Director-something that the cabq.gov website also states.  Mike testifies before the City Council as the Director.   Ed is just an overpaid $145K/year special projects guy in DMD under Riordan who was last identified as the one heading up Mayor Berry’s wasteful “ABQ-The Plan” initiative. 

Citizens should recall that a former Mayor Chavez CAO-UNM Academic-Bruce Pearlman signed a secret memo before leaving his post.   It promised his successor Ed Adams-then DMD Director, his $145K CAO salary for life-even if Mayor Berry decided to name a new CAO and put Adams in a flunky  job.   The City’s HR later claimed it had no knowledge of the Perlman memo and none of the City attorneys ever admitted preparing it-although DMD’s attorney Greg Smith-a close friend of Ed’s received a huge pay raise from CAO Adams right before Mayor Chavez left office.   Coincidental? 

When Mayor Berry had the opportunity to correct this blatant rip-off of taxpayers and challenge the legality of the Pearlman memo in court, the attorney or attorneys who prepared the memo for Pearlman asserted it was legally binding and to give in to Adams’s threat rather than risk a lawsuit.  So our Mayor backed down-as seems to be his common practice whenever he has the opportunity to save our tax dollars.   Recall him folding after APD’s Union leaders opposed White and Schultz eliminating take home cars for 150 APD officers who lived out of town and were not on call 24/7. 

Regarding Schultz’s officers who are making big bucks, Mayor Berry would again bless this saying that he “didn’t see any red flags.”  Really Mr. Mayor-no red flags?  With over 1000 officers in APD, it would appear that overtime for court appearances would seem unnecessary with proper planning-as businesses do when giving their employees compensatory time off when they have to work beyond their normal hours.  Of the 1000, one would think there would be some officers who could fill in for those given such compensatory time off.   We already see an excessive number- 10 or more officers in their cars reporting to most calls for service merely to justify their unreasonably high manning levels.  

As for the Chief’s overtime pool of money paid for by businesses and for sporting events, it would appear that both officers Simon Drobik and Sergeant Troy Luna (and likely others) had arranged a sweetheart deal with the Chief to be the preferred ones selected.  Are we to assume the other 900+ didn’t volunteer for this extra Chief’s overtime work? The whole situation with the high pay in APD and in other Departments stinks and it’s us taxpayers who are the ones being ripped off because this self-proclaimed tax saving Mayor simply doesn’t care. 

Regards,

Silvio Dell’Angela

Stop Police Atrocities Now (S.P.A.N.)

Burque blotter blocked by Mayor

By Pilar Armstrong

Sometime around Feb. 6, 2012 and Feb. 7, 2012 The Burque Blotter ceased receiving email notifications from the Albuquerque Police Department. On Feb. 8, 2012, both Public Information Officers Robert Gibbs and Tasia Martinez were contacted via email and phone as to inquire why The Burque Blotter was no longer receiving media alerts. Officer Martinez informed me (Pilar Armstrong) that I should address the Mayor's office with this issue since all media must first register through the Mayor's office. In informed Officer Martinez that I was currently on the City of Albuquerque's Media Release List and was currently receiving press releases from the Mayor's office. A voice mail message was left with Deputy Director of Information, Breannna Anderson, from the Mayor's office today, Feb. 9, 2012. As stated in an early posting for the Blotter, I had to wait several weeks before I was "approved" to be placed on the City's media release list. Accessibly to information by the media and individual citizens is linked to transparency and accountability in government. An inquiry as to what my rights were as an independent, online, journalist was made to New Mexico Foundation for Open Government. Executive Director, Sarah Welch, responded with the following comment.

"The key for me is transparency and consistency. Mistakes happen, of course, but it behooves agencies to have clear guidelines and policies that govern things like media advisory lists and press passes". 

It is unclear at this point in time as to whether or not the Blotter was intentionally taken off the media release list for APD. A list of guidelines and policies were never sent to the Blotter from the Mayor's office so it is unclear as to what policies were violated, if that is the case. 

The Burque Blotter currently follows APD SIG Alerts and general alerts on Twitter. 

Response to recent Deaton article

Absolutely the city needs to do a National search for this position. No-one in state can be trusted. Another question is WHERE IS THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. Why the DOJ has not publically come into the city to investigate the city and the police department is very offensive to this citizen and taxpayer, both state and federal.

Albuquerque has had far more questionable police killings than most or all of the cities the department of justice has recently entered. I am starting to think the department of justice cares more about African American cop killings (this is who police were killing in the other cities) than our Hispanic men. Are our lives valued less than that of an African American? This is the national and local message. We have 3 times as many shootings of citizens, citizen killings, criminal activity by police officers and fire officers than in Miami, where DOJ recently entered. What about us here in Albuquerque, NM? What about out men and children? Do we not have a state with enough electoral votes to cause enough concern for the DOJ to come here and asked, what is the problem?  All of us pay local, state, and federal taxes. I pay those taxes alongside the rest of the country and expect to be protected like the rest of the country. Where are you DOJ? Who at the Attorney General’s office is delaying the help? There is ample evidence that we have a problem from the Governor’s office on down. The governor gave White a job after his fiasco, The Attorney general had to fire the lawyer who was “in charge” of investigating police because he never did. Brandenburg’s daughter married wife murder Levi Chavez (why it took so long to file charges against him), Chief Shultz (enough said there), POC finds every shooting justified (what is the probability of that being the case when every other month a cop or police officer is on the news with yet another criminal activity being reported), and finally us – we are here walking around every day in the community with all these “administrators and public officials” dangling a puppet string. Whose string will be cut next? Where in God’s name is the Department of Justice? Who will penetrate this criminal covenant in Albuquerque, New Mexico?

Albuquerque has been under the control of a criminal state and local system since the 1970s. Administration after administration has failed us in cleaning up the city and firing criminal administrators and all criminal public safety officers, both fire and police. We have all read that for years one after another police men and woman along with firemen and fire woman, at all levels of public safety, have one way or another been involved with criminal activity. Honest police and fire public safety workers know they will never move up the ranks with the habitual criminal-like administration that has offended us for decades and have held honest public safety workers hostage.  I grew up back east. I grew up holding police and fire men and women in the highest regard. I never heard of any wrong doing by either. Then again I am a upper-class white woman. I move here to New Mexico and I feel I have been naive. I am physical disgusted with city councilors, the mayor, and administrators ignoring grieving family members – then again they are low-earning Hispanic community members – Getting the picture here? The state of affairs here sickens me and I pray that we find or another Martin Luther King-like person steps into the light and saves our people. Where is the department of Justice? Not only does the community who has been directly affected by the killings want and need intervention at the federal level many police and fire men and women want intervention also. I pray for our men and women in both the public safety department and community – I pray that all of us can come together and send a signal message to the puppet “master” – We will not take it anymore.  We are not going away.

 Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Deaton's retirement questioned

By Pilar Armstrong

When the City's IRO announced his retirement in an exclusive Albuquerque Journal article, many were skeptical. Some city critics claimed that William Deaton's retirement announcement was a crafty polictical maneuver fabricated after city councilors proposed a national search for a new Independent Review Officer at a public study session for the Police Oversight Commission. When asked if Deaton's retirement was effective immediately Deputy Director of Communications responded,
"We have not received a formal retirement letter from Mr. Deaton. He is required to stay in his position until a replacement has been named," said Breanna Anderson.

So far the former Chief Public Defender has not applied for or sought out any additional employment with the City of Albuquerque. The City IRO contract is up for renewal at he next City Council Meeting on Mon. Feb. 6.
Activists are demanding that the council reject the contact and commence a national search for a new IRO immediately.

"All POC reports and the mayors recommendation for a temporary IRO should also be rejected," suggests Silvio Dell'Angela.

"The contract is up right now. This is the time to proceed with a national search for a new IRO," said Councilor Dan Lewis the POC study session.

Citizen's and City Councilors have become disenchanted with Deaton's five year reign after a series of execution style shootings by the Albuquerque Police Department plagued the city. The majority of the shootings were deemed acceptable by both the POC and IRO enraging many and inciting praise from very few.  Police Chief Ray Schultz still feels that the system works despite intense scrutiny of police misconduct and an impending Department of Justice investigation.

"For every complaint (from a citizen) there are at least ten positive commendations," said Schultz at the study session.

Schultz also claimed that problematic police officers were dealt with disciplinary measures such as verbal reprimands and immediate suspension. Councilor Rey Garduno made a controversial suggestion as how to deal with such officers.

"We have a project of putting DWI offenders in the paper. Should we do that with police officers who are repeat offenders?" asked Garduno.