Perkins "Just Throw Money At It" Rides Again
Posted in Greensboro City Council
Dec. 12, 2007 at 11:20
by BrendaBee
I am trying not to be angry. Yet the harder I try the more I think and the angrier I get. The special emergency city council meeting was held last night to discuss crime.Well, Number One, don’t look now people but 32 homicides in Greensboro is the norm and not in any way an emergency or crime wave. Google "Crime Stats Greensboro NC" and you will see that Greensboro has always had high crime rates, especially homicide. I can only see the public becoming upset with this because of the overall distrust of and lack of confidence in the GPD to protect the public brought on by the dismantling of the GPD and general bungling of the previous city government..
But, we do indeed have a growing gang problem. Although the gang problem is somehow being portrayed as just coming upon us when actually it too has been around for years. The drug trafficking thru Greensboro is what is growing and the gangs are therefore growing in proportion because the gangs are the main purveyors of drugs on the streets.
Anyhow, we have a new city council and a police department that the last city council and the city manager with the help of the city attorney totally dismantled since David Wray was forced to resign in January 2007. And we have a public perception of a massive crime build up so a special meeting is called to address this issue. I thought it was a fact finding meeting. The police officers told the council what they were doing to combat crime and the city council asked the police officers questions and specifically what they as the city council could do to help.
There were some good questions: Robbie Perkins asked about nuisance abatement. That is getting rid of clubs and areas that are hot beds of trouble. They didn’t seem to know who was responsible for taking care of these places. In fact, both Perkins and the Chief Bellamy seemed to believe it was the District Attorney’ province and Perkins was irate that Henderson wasn’t doing something about these places. Well, as it turns out our own Ben Holder informed us that the City Attorney has the power to move against theses places. And the District Attorney claims they have their hands full with criminal matters and nuisance abatement is a civil matter that the City Attorney is best suited to handle. Since the last council on their way out the door put Linda Miles under contract to work for $91.50 per hour for the city it is probably a good idea to set her to work closing down some of these clubs and joints and other hot spots and start earning her fee.
Perkins then spoke up with another good idea. He wants the Police Chief to make a list of what specifically the Greensboro City Council can do about gangs and other crimes. He feels each group ( businesses, churches, non profits) needs a specific list of what they should do and the police department must start and coordinate this effort since they are the most knowledgeable and involved. This way everyone will know their role and will be able to get on with it working together and not stumbling over each other.
It was only when Mayor Johnson asked Chief Bellamy what he felt the City Council could do to most help the GPD and of course the Chief called for more money that Perkins got way off track. He immediately proposed that the police department be given $500,000 to fight crime. No strings attached, no specifics as to its use and no analysis as to the exact needs of the GPD. I could not believe my ears! I did not want to believe my ears!
Mike Barber spoke up then and suggested that before we do that we need to identify just what needs done. After that is done he said “We hold the City Manager responsible, and he holds the Chief responsible for showing a decrease in crime. And in the mean time put a freeze on hiring until they can evaluate what exactly is required of the entire community.” Also, “We show the public where the money is coming from and just not have the money magically appear.”
Perkins took issue with this and immediately accused Barber of holding up proceedings by saying they had called the special meeting "to do something so it was time to do something and the Chief said he needed money."
Barber fumbled on some more, but it was apparent that the three who never-saw-a-spending-motion-they-didn't-like (Johnson, Bellamy-Small and Wells) were all for an immediate vote. So after a bit more wrangling it was decided that the City Manager has one week to come up with $500,000 for the police department.
I could spit! I wasn’t here when Robbie Perkins was on the board before, but if this is any indication of the unthinking throw money at it attitude he is going to have towards every problem then this city is truly in trouble unless a few saner heads on the council can somehow stymie him. Maybe by next week at the regular City Council meeting the other council members will have had time to reconsider and even if Mitch Johnson is able to let go of some of the money that he “had earmarked for other things” in the 2007 budget the council still does not have to just pass it on to the police department with no accountability. I think a few e-mails to city council members are a good idea. Just a suggestion that starting out with a bit of fiscal responsibility would probably be a good beginning.
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Dec. 12, 2007 - Untitled Comment
The voters must love the Johnson-Perkins team. They continue to vote for them.Posted by Anonymous
Dec. 17, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Anon,And, the question would be why on Earth, unless voters do not pay attention? Of course, according to my observations, government entities can get away with anything in this county and never be held accountable. I've never seen anything like it in al of my years, and I have lived in many locations, large and small.
Posted by Anonymous
