Crime and Alcohol in Communities

In a free society that allows alcohol to become a way of life comes with a price for communities and crime that can spiral out of control.

Recently, the Huntington Beach Downtown Residents Association presented a 24 page report to the Huntington Beach City Council regarding alcohol and public safety matters in Downtown Huntington Beach.

Here are some alarming statistics for Huntington Beach:

1) 306% more off-sales alcohol per capita than Orange County.

2) 776% more on-sales alcohol per capita than Orange County.

Obviously, there is a problem.

Let's shift to Fullerton. The highest concentration of bars are situated in Downtown Fullerton along Harbor Blvd and Commonwealth Ave.

According to the ABC (Alcohol Beverage Control) from the State of California statistics for the City of Fullerton are as follows:

Zip Code: 92831 41: Active On-Sale Retail Licenses 35: Active Off-Sale Retail Licenses
Zip Code: 92832 77: Active On-Sale Retail Licenses 27: Active Off-Sale Retail Licenses
Zip Code: 92835 15: Active On-Sale Retail Licenses 16: Active Off-Sale Retail Licenses

There are a grand total of outstanding 211 licenses has been issued by the ABC to various retail establishments in Fullerton that averages for every 597 residents makes up for one retail unit that sells alcohol.

A free society comes with responsibilities to ensure a peaceful communities without anarchy and violence that could become a burden to municipal resources (i.e., police, public safety, etc.)

Communities like Huntington Beach and Fullerton needs to examine the policies regarding the concentration of on-sale and off-sale retailers that sell liquor.

GRAPHIC WARNING - Rally and Protest at the Fullerton Police Department

The Fullerton Sentinel will be at the Fullerton Policed Department to show support for Kelly Thomas's family and express outrage over the lack of leadership within our city.

Please join us Saturday, July 30 · 9:00am - 3:00pm at 237 W Commonwealth Ave. (corner of Highland and Commonwealth).  There is plenty of public parking behind City Hall and the library.

________________
On July 5th, 2011 Kelly Thomas was brutally beaten into a coma by six Fullerton Police officers. He never regained consciousness.


After several days in intensive care, his family was forced to make the awful decision to remove him from life support and he passed away.

Since that day, the Fullerton Police Department, Chief of Police Michael Sellers, Fullerton City Mayor Dick Jones, Council Members Don Bankhead and Pat McKinley, and... FPD spokesperson Andrew Goodrich have made every attempt to sweep this whole event under the rug. From stonewalling those who ask legitimate questions, releasing false and misleading information to the public, sensationalizing and exaggerating Kelly's demeanor and severity of mental illness, to refusing to make public statements, these elected officials have done nothing but harm to the citizens who ask only for justice for those responsible.

We as citizens have a duty to stand up for those who have been wronged when those we've entrusted to protect and serve us fall so short. The people of Fullerton must unite together and let our elected (and hired) officials know that this will not stand.

I invite you all - your friends, families, neighbors, acquaintances, dogs, cats, and anyone else wishing to stand up for what is right to join us again this Saturday, July 30th for another peaceful protest outside of FPD to let them know we will not let up until those responsible are brought to justice.


Again, this will be a peaceful protest. Bring signs, paint, chairs, snacks, but most importantly, bring yourselves.

Andy Anderson

Fullerton PD Chief Bound and Gagged?

By Darryl Jones for the Fullerton Sentinel
The other day Friends for Fullerton's Future posted a scathing post about Fullerton PD Chief Mike Sellers who has remained silent on the beating death of Kelly Thomas at the hands of Fullerton's finest.

If the Chief ever cares to gain credibility, he really must speak up now.  Remaining silent for the results of the investigation only delays the inevitable.

From 4F's Joe Sipowicz:

We received the following correspondence from a long-time Friend.

"The controversy surrounding the recent beating death of Kelly Thomas, a local mentally ill homeless man at the hands of the Fullerton Police has been marked by the absence of Chief Michael Sellers. The FPD has instead relied on its regular spokesman Sgt. Andrew Goodrich for..." Click here to read the entire post.

The Chief's silence is in stark contrast to 4F's Travis Kiger's post that "Fullerton Police Chief Mike Sellers made a promise to publicly disclose internal department policies and procedures on the city website."


And here we thought only politicians were suppose to break promises.

Yesterday, another Fullerton blog, FullertonStories.com, posted a letter from Council Member Bruce Whitaker who is asking that any audio or video of the beating death of Kelly Thomas be released. 

Former Fullerton police chief Pat McKinley, now a Fullerton Council Member, said after hearing Whitaker's request “I disagree with that last sentence about releasing the video. It isn't a wise thing to do and is for the authorities to do.” 

McKinley, who hired the officers involved - and all of the officers recently in the news for criminal acts - seems to think that the only "authorities" are those in uniform.  Someone needs to smack him with a reality check: the elected city council is the authority over the chief!  Sweet Mother's Cookies, how did this boob get elected?  No wonder his nickname is Pat McPension!

Release the recordings!  Fire Sellers!  Recall McPension!  Stop voting in these mucho-macho-fascists!

Borders and Local Government

Borders Books announced they are liquidating all of their stores due to inability to find a buyer after a sale deal fell apart.

In Pico Rivera, the city used a $1.6 Million federal grant to lure the retailer to the Towne Center. When the store closed their doors in March, the City of Pico Rivera was left with a $33,000 a month rent subsidy under terms of the 15-year agreement.

Suspect dead at the hands of the Fullerton Police Department

FULLERTON – A 37-year-old man who suffered head and neck injuries was taken off life support five days after police say he fought with officers trying to search him.


Kelly Thomas, who was homeless and suffered from schizophrenia, died Sunday afternoon at UCI Medical Center in Orange, his father, Ron Thomas, said.



"It was a brutal beating," said Thomas, a former Orange County sheriff's deputy. "My son's injuries were more indicative of someone using techniques to take someone out, to kill them immediately."


The incident happened about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday when officers went to investigate reports of a man trying to burglarize cars in a parking lot next to the bus depot in the 100 block of South Pomona Avenue, Fullerton police Sgt. Andrew Goodrich said.


Officers spotted a shirtless man with a beard, shorts and a backpack whom they suspected of being involved in the attempted burglaries, Goodrich said.

The man began to fight officers as they tried to search him, Goodrich said.

"We don't know why he was so combative and resistant to the officers, but it took upwards of five to six officers to subdue him," Goodrich said.

 Read the rest HERE at the Orange County Register.

Dear Sgt. Goodrich,
Kelly Thomas was "so combative and resistant to the officers" because he was minding his own business and suffered from schizophrenia! 
 
Some things are just to plain to see.