Friday (the 13th) Follies...

Welcome to the end of the week, and what BETTER way to greet the weekend than with a "double-shot" of Friday the 13th AND...a winter storm watch, predicted to drop between 2-7 inches of the flaky white stuff, depending on where you live, and that's not to be confused with the "flaky white stuff" running this city, and we'll be getting to that shortly.
But first, more about the weather...
We're looking at a "warm-up" (?) today to around the 30 degree mark, so any melting of the previous weather event will occur thanks to reflective melting only.

We're still in "the freezer", gang!

Down here in the ghettohood, we've yet to see ANY city truck scraping, plowing OR dumping salt, so if you can make it down the SIDE streets to a MAIN street, you'll be okay (until tomorrow evening, that is).
Increased clouds will preclude seeing too much sunshine except for early on, and a light breeze will add to the wind chill out there.
Meanwhile, keep those hot morning beverages coming, because we''re going to need them.
*** First out of the tundra today, is the officially UNofficial announcement that (as I have predicted and stated all along) SE quadrant captain Garry Hamilton WILL in fact become the new "capo" of the FWPD .

Here's the WPTA story link:
http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/New-FW-Police-Chief-Selected-VIDEO-235642801.html
And, the story in this morning's Journal-Gazette:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20131213/LOCAL07/312139980
An "official" presser will be held by our astute monarch, King Henry next week...with his "court" in tow.
That ought to be wrought with the fragrance of BS...
Now, have you ever known a person who was a really GREAT guy/gal to be a friend to, but they had one slight problem...when it came to knowing their job (whatever that might be) they couldn't find their ass with both hands?
Sure, you'd have no qualms about having lunch or a beer with them, or chatting them up for the hell of it, but when it came to their ability to perform the specific task they would be assigned, everyone "helped" them along - buoyed them up, JUST because they meant well and were a nice person to be around.
Well then, welcome to our new police chief.
We are following many other major cities in this regard...appointing (and not "hiring" as the JG story says) a person for a top-level position in public safety BECAUSE they're more black than qualified.
Much can be said for York...or Henry. They're "more nice" than truly qualified.
And is our new fire chief  REALLY qualified, aside from the "nice" comments we've already heard by the "Friends of the Good Old Boy Network"?

Hey, I've got no plan, but I AM getting promoted.

They're all real nice people...BUT (imho) they lack the skills required for THEIR particular positions.
And so, the "underlings" are there to shore them up, make them look good, and present to the public a facade of believability that they know what they're doing...and it's been a good show for those who have fallen into this mutual admiration society.

Fate of the SE side?

But, it's not doing well for the city...that's what you get with DEMOCRATS ruling the roost.
I've seen this ALL before back in Philly, so any predictions I make are not based on clairvoyance or even conjecture...but in FACT.
And I thought moving here would be a welcome change...hey, it's nice to be wrong ONCE in a while, right?
So, IS Hamilton really qualified for the job he's going to be appointed to?
Well, next year will mark his 20th year in the department.
Let's see...he joined up in 1994 (as a regular patrolman, no doubt), he "quickly" became a detective...(???)
Quickly?
No one QUICKLY becomes a detective - I know that much. How quick is "quickly" and did HE get preference over those better qualified?
After TWELVE years in the detective division, he got his Sgt stripes (you have to TEST for that position, so what took so long?), and then moved to I.A. (internal affairs), another position you just don't "fall" into, because being a "headhunter" takes a unique person to go after his comrades in blue.
He was only in IA for TWO years, before he wound up as a captain of the SE quadrant (not a DC - deputy chief)., then served as a liaison officer to the Allen County prosecutor's office, making sure cases transferred smoothly.

Captain Nancy

After another TWO years (there), he was "bumped up" to deputy chief of the NE division, and in 2012, became the SE DC (after Cpt. Nancy Chamberlin retired).And so we have this rather meteoric "rise" of one officer who obviously was someone that Rusty York "liked". As I said, Hamilton seems a very likable guy...just maybe not as good an officer or leader as many serving under him.
And now, we get to have him as the FWPD capo.
You watch...if next year finds this city with a LOWER homicide rate (and cycles tend to go in that manner), then it will NOT be attributed TO that cycle, but rather by Hamilton's (read York's) "tactics" in lowering the death rates. More smoke and mirrors, folks.
Rusty will still pull the strings, make no mistake.
Do I expect things to change in MY part of the ghettohood with Hamilton at the helm...not on your life.

Jonathan Ray

Of course, Hamilton and Jonathan Ray, of the Fort Wayne Urban League (of less than extraordinary gentlemen) DID attend Northrop High and graduated together...nice to have "friends", isn't it?
That sure is convenient.
WPTA talked with one community activist (James Redmond) and HE stated that: "he needs to get out here among the people - be visible", and also to reflect the diversity of the SE side by knowing the area.
Oh, I'm sure Garry will be out a lot...with the appropriate people helping him along like a blind man with his guide dog.
Geoff Paddock (councilman - 5th district) says "I think he's very qualified". 
Geoff, I want to like you a lot, but you've NO idea what being qualified means. On paper, Hamilton "looks" good, but this is NOT a theoretical position and we're not dealing in what LOOKS good.
We're dealing in LIVES and SAFETY down here, as what will take REAL initiatives and be willing to WORK to stop CRIME...something that has gotten WORSE since Hamilton took over as SE quadrant captain.

Don't matter - I'm in charge now.

How is THAT "being qualified"?
Because he's BLACK, he KNOWS more than those of us that have to LIVE here and DEAL with all the crime every damn day?
I'm NOT black, and I know MORE about this area's crime and the people allowed to infest the SE side...as do probably ANY "beat cop" chasing 911 butt dials down here.
John Dortch, president of the Ft. Wayne Black Chamber of Commerce states that "he's got a lot to offer this city".
Would you care to enlighten us as to what SPECIFICALLY Garry has to offer ALL of us as FWPD chief, without referring to anything "black"?
Jonathan Ray added "Having him as police chief makes me feel hopeful".
(that we can have a BLACK MAYOR soon enough, right, Jon?)
Anyone that believes that having a BLACK police chief will solve all the BLACK crime, is living a falsehood.
There are few instances where it DOES work (and work well), but Fort Wayne is NOT a venue that lends itself to that.
Promoting someone into such a position to :"appease" the minority population will be sadly dismayed.
We NEED people who are the best qualified for all the positions they will be holding...race be damned in that regard, and screw affirmative action.
*** In a related story about the SE side...there's THIS:
http://www.wane.com/news/local/fort-wayne-home-to-one-of-the-poorest-neighborhoods-in-the-state
Imagine that, the THIRD poorest neighborhoods in ALL of Indiana is the Hanna-Creighton area...the SAME area the city has annually been dumping TONS of money into...in a vane attempt to "change the face" of the area.

The SE side "solution"?

Luckily, that's not in MY sector, otherwise our home value would be MUCH lower than the 60% DECLINE in value we've enjoyed over the last 15 years.
Every time there's a city council meeting, little is ever mentioned about the SE side...except to place NEW housing, or a NEW YMCA facility, or some other "new" amenity....as if this will magically CHANGE the look of this area.
The area mentioned is "home" to ONLY 1,033 (according to census) and yet the poverty rate is more than HALF the population there.
The comments alone are worth a read of this story.
Judith Pitcher says "How much of this area is made up of failed STATE social welfare programs, i.e. housing, food stamps.
And yet they still have indoor plumbing, electricity. Being on welfare robs you of your humanity to the point you become a brainless cow on the federal plantation trapped through a system designed to keep you poor."

THAT is what this area has become...and it's SPREADING like the crime that follows in it's wake.
Crime offers a shot (no pun intended) to "game the system" - stay in the poverty realm while still making quick cash uptown through robberies or by dealing street pharms.
It's THAT allure that attracts the uneducated, uncaring, and unaccountable among us.
Can't see the new police chief, OR the new director of public safety making ANY headway to changing this.
What the story does NOT tell is that the crime doesn't really occur IN that area, but instead happens all over the SE side.
Just last night around 2330 hrs, I heard TWELVE shots being fired off (within a block)...no police responding that I could see.

Must be a neighbor's yard.

Is Hamilton going to stop THIS stuff from happening?
(not hardly)
Most of the criminals come from areas North, East and South of Hanna-Creighton, although THIS area does have it's share of bad seeds, thanks to "low-income housing" like Eden Green and Chapel Oaks Apartments.

They just need MORE programs to get them off the streets.

All you have to do is follow the trail, and see for yourselves.
But the lame-stream media will steer clear of that crap...it's not "entertaining" or sensational enough...until another homicide takes place.
The SE side has deserved the notoriety it has received...and we can thank the government-sponsorship of the denizens living there to prove it.

Not seeing it anytime soon HERE.

We , at the "Fortress", being one of the very FEW exceptions...we just watched our area CHANGE AROUND US.
(while the city did NOTHING...as usual).
I am not done putting this puppy to bed by ANY stretch of the imagination...believe that.
*** Lastly today, it IS shopping season, and with it, a rise in criminal activity, designed to remove YOU from your possessions (or even identity).

-- When you park in the lot, take note as to WHERE you park, and if you can, notice the vehicles nearby.
-- Are there any people just sitting in them who appear to be watching everyone else?
This is especially important when returning TO your vehicle. Look around and see if you're being tailed or if someone is scurrying between vehicles, or even trying to break into another vehicle (hopefully NOT yours), and don't hesitate to call police.
-- Check the rear seat of your vehicle when opening the door. Crims love to hide in wait for the driver to return.
-- If you have to place presents in your vehicle, put them in the trunk, looking around to see if you;re being watched. And when you make multiple trips, check the trunk lock to see if it's been tampered with.
-- When driving about, keep your head on a damn swivel, because most everyone ELSE won't be doing that, and probably be doing something OTHER than driving THEIR vehicle. Be as defensive on the roads as you can be, and never fail to expect the unexpected, for THAT is what likely will occur when YOU least expect it.

-- Keep your credit cards in a separate "holder", preferably a metal one, that would impede any "remote reading" from criminals, and always look about you whenever you pull up to an ATM, be it on foot indoors or outside. Ask for the receipts IN-HAND, because the bag can be stolen from you. It's harder to steal your PANTS, guys...and coats, ladies.
-- Be PATIENT, above all else. The stores will STILL be there in 10 minutes, and becoming angry helps NO ONE, so stash the road rage.
-- This might not seem like a big deal, but when Christmas shopping, in order to get in "the mood" properly, look for a Salvation Army "bell-ringer", and place some FOLDING money in that red kettle.
You'll come way with a smile on your face, and the mere act of doing something for people you will never meet has a liberating air about it...a feeling of doing what is RIGHT in God's eyes.
And after all, isn't HE what this season is REALLY all about?
So, DO have yourselves a good weekend, take your time shoveling whatever snow we get, and shop WISELY.

Be well, make a difference to someone today, and as always...
Stay SAFE out there, America.