After the swearing-in of Fire Chief Frank R. Tidwell Monday, I stopped in the City Clerk's office to look at the agendas for the two City Council meetings to be held later. Someone said there were news cameras outside and some kind of rally going on.
When I left City Hall, I took a look. Six people were holding up posters that read, "Enough is Enough." Kind of generic for a protest, I thought. They tried to get me to join them on camera, but I was not interested in becoming "part of the story," a role forbidden to reporters. Anyway, I had no idea what the story was.
It turns out this rally, recorded on the group's own camera, not that of some news outfit, was in support of Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs and in protest of the inquiry into the use of $20,000 in city funds for the Aug. 1, 2010 Town Meeting featuring The Rev. Al Sharpton. The money was paid to radio station WBLS for a live broadcast
The early evening rally, a couple hours too early for the council meetings and unrelated to the swearing-in ceremony, had no audience on the street. The protesters repeated the question, "What is $20,000 compared to the cost of a life?" and condemned those who would ask about the mayor's decisions in regard to use of the money. But it seems that City Hall was just the backdrop for a 15-minute videotape that is now online as a YouTube video that you can see for yourself.
The City Council, after receiving no cooperation from the mayor in explaining the use of the funds, used subpoena powers granted to the governing body in the city's special charter and held three investigative sessions, the last on Nov. 9. A report is expected in December. Plaintalker and other bloggers have reported extensively on the investigation, as has Courier News reporter Mark Spivey.
The Rev. Zechariah Jackson is the creator of the video and many others related to protests. I leave it to the readers to assess the efficacy of this protest. Anyway, if you want to see it and hear what the protesters have to say, take a look at the link above.
--Bernice
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So what church is Rev Jackson affiliated with??? Since he has no issue with what, where and how city money is spent, I want to make sure none of mine ends up in his hands Sharpe James style.
ReplyDelete"One of the curses of India, as of other poor countries, is the quack medicine man, who fleeces the sufferer by promises of miraculous healing."- Christopher Hitchens (http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/fighting_words/2003/10/mommie_dearest.html)
ReplyDeleteAll the talk about the kids and the violence, but from Recreation to WBLS, it looks more like this is slush fund city. Some want to minister to the needy and infirm, and they must keep them in this condition, not lift them up.
It should be obvious by now that our illustrious mayor and her administration know best how to waste both time and money, but is there ever a peep to get it right?
These self-styled activists don't want accountability or results; just keep throwing the bone, stir up the crowd, and ensure that controversy and despair is at a maximum. There would be little to fill their days without this.
How much is Shady Sharonda paying this, so called, minister to do this. Six people out of over 50,000. Wow, that sounds like a groupie. Sharon is out of politics after her term expires, because there are too many of us who will shout to high heaven and make sure people know how dishonest and corrupt she really is.
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised that this is going on and that the mayor et al. have organized this entire act.
ReplyDeleteIf Robinson-Briggs truly believes she acted appropriately regarding the WBLS matter, she wouldn't be trying to rally up her troops to help her mask her wrong-doing.
It is obvious to most, especially anyone in attendance at the council inquiry last month, that Robinson-Briggs is a shameless, arrogant and selfish individual who uses her constituents to get what she wants, similar to any savvy, yet deranged, dictator.
Robinson-Briggs and her leading supporters promote their self-serving agendas under the guise of "helping the children and protecting our youth, blah, blah, blah....." They feed off the weekest and poorest among their constituents so that they can keep on lying, and cheating and stealing, Oh My! Yes, lying and cheating and stealing, Oh My! Yes, Robinson-Briggs is like Oz, a figment of her own imagination.
She and her supporters continually disguise themselves as "missionaries", doing the work of the people; however, it's the people doing her dirty work.
I hope that the majority in Plainfield starts to realize that Robinson-Briggs is not a friend of Plainfield and that Oz really does not exist.
@Bob: Can you please stop using terms like "dishonest" and "corrupt"? Whatever your opinion of the mayor may be, she has never been charged with anything. Please try to speak to the issues without making characterizations.
ReplyDeleteI wish @Bob would stop the "Sharonda" nonsense. It's racist!
ReplyDeleteFor one thing I don't think supporting our illustrious Mayor in this matter of importance was wrong or unjust. She has showed courage and strength in bringing calm to our Beautiful Queen City, Plainfield, NJ.
ReplyDeleteRev. Zechariah A. Jackson
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