Largo, City of Intolerance and BS Politics

1st, I think its odd that a man wants to become a woman. But for a city commission to fire a city manager with 14 years on for it, thats pushing your luck. I have to say I would be embarassed if i worked for Largo, but you dont have much choice.

Where I think LPD screwed the pooch is by arresting the gay/lesbian activist for handing out pamphlets. Now I digress that my source for this info is the St. Pete Times, a liberal fish wrapper, so I imagine more happened. But it sounds as if this lady was arrested for handing out a piece of paper. If thats true, yall are wrong, seriously wrong. You cannot arrest someone or stop someone from handing out a pamphlet, thats a serious violation of freedom of speach. Im sure city hall was full of a bunch of right wing ultra conservative Baptist Church azzholes, but tough crap. They dont have to read one or take one. I hope yall covered your azzes on that report cuz if it were me, i'd sue the crap out of the city and LPD.

But it appears that Largo keeps chugging away with indifference. First on blacks now on trannies. Yall sound like the city of tomorow, NOT!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAH

Well, luckily it wasn't the Sheriff's Office. That activist was unarmed, so they surely would have shot her. Read that in the St. Pete Times.

It is illegal in some places to hand out pamphlets without permission from the city. Might be a stretch, but perhaps the Woman was violating a city ordinance and when asked to stop she decided to make a scene and refuse. So do the Police say "Ok" and turn away and forget about it, or do they act as they would any other time?

Don't balme the Officers for the crap the city government does. It's not fair.

The city did the right thing. Stanton was supposed to be a leader, and a leader needs to keep his personal lifein order. Every LEO knows that, how many of us know someone who was disciplined for "conduct unbecoming" for something that was not a crime. Stanton showed serious personality flaws, poor judgment, and a lack of respect for the integrity of his office or the city. His continued retention would have made Largo the laughing stock of Pinellas County, if not Florida.

Well, south of Park, that puts you in one of few fu-cked up agencies. SPPD (total mess), GPPD (verge of self destruction), KCPD (hahaha, is it really a police department?), or maybe PPPD (come on, human shield ring a bell?). Either way The Sheriff's Office has had SAO cleared shootings all over the county. Unlike SPPD who are afraid to their job. And LPD is no exeception to the great acts of stupidity. Thanks for your thoughts and fu-ck you very much. LPD will get sued over that one, ordinance or not.

Or the activist could have been in line renting a car... How'd that lawsuit work for ya, deputy? Oh, you forgot CPD, at least they shoot armed people.

she was violating some fire code thing (I don't know what specifically). She refused to obey the fire marshall's order to stop handing out the paper inside (she was told she could do it outside) so she was told to leave as she could not obey lawful commands. and then she hit a cop so she can rot in jail.

Arresting a peaceful protester who had to put up with the most ignorant of citizens - I saw and heard their comments on TV for myself - must have made otherwise normal folks a bit nutty.

The pastor who actually stated that if Jesus were there, he would vote to terminate the city manager???? Can't wait to hear that God loving preacher's sermon!

Arresting someone for handing out a flier is by statute:
a - Lame
b - Lamer
c - Lamest
d - All of the above

No matter which way you look at it, taking this woman to the ground and then charging her with RAWV is chicken shit. C'mon guys. Don't get caught up in the politics.

Well if she struck a cop then it changes everything. I would have dropped her hippy ars to the ground to if she tried to put a hand on me.

Some people just don't respond well to polite conversation. I guess if they did, we wouldn't have jobs. I don't suppose any of the geniuses above that were critical have actually taken the time to find out what really happened ( police reports are public record).
As for lawsuits, they are part of the job in today's overly litigious society. I've been sued a couple of times. Once in Federal court. No one got Jack.
#28

Two Baptists passed out hundreds upon of fliers that night.

The police said they were ordered to not allow fliers that night for 3 reasons. Emotionally charged issue, slip and fall and fire hazard. Only for that night. No fire marshall was involved. Sgt Butch Ward told her to take back a flier a man asked her for. She was not told to leave. She asked Ward "Why?" Then Ward pulled her through a doorway to an inner room. I didn't see what occured in that room but whatever is was it took 4 men including a detecctive to take care of it. This lady is pretty petite and she looked pretty banged up. It was clear she was hit a few times.




she was violating some fire code thing (I don't know what specifically). She refused to obey the fire marshall's order to stop handing out the paper inside (she was told she could do it outside) so she was told to leave as she could not obey lawful commands. and then she hit a cop so she can rot in jail.

It's clear from your account "Just the Facts" that you weren't there. . . so thanks for adding fiction and hyperbole to an already emotionally charged event.

It's clear from your account "Just the Facts" that you weren't there. . . so thanks for adding fiction and hyperbole to an already emotionally charged event.

....but we would certainly welcome your statement and testimony during the upcoming internal affairs investigation. We can use all the help we can get.

Think again Eyespy and pleae don't resort to calling me a liar. I was there.
I did see what occured in the lobby. If someone is willing to explain it and you don't want the truth you own that issue, not I.



It's clear from your account "Just the Facts" that you weren't there. . . so thanks for adding fiction and hyperbole to an already emotionally charged event.

If I'd seen the police handle this in a decent manner I'd be at IA but I saw what I saw. You're not looking for honesty. You're looking to make it go away and it isn't going to any time soon.

Why would they allow the churches to pass out fliers and then target a person you claim to know as an activist. I didn't know she was. I saw pink with only two word printed,

....but we would certainly welcome your statement and testimony during the upcoming internal affairs investigation. We can use all the help we can get.[/quote]

You bleeding heart cry babies. You whine and complain about cops and look for every opportunity to protest something, but the minute someone breaks into your house or steals your hybrid, who do you call? Who do cry to??.....US that's who. And we come out and do the dirty work so you don't have to and the next day you bash us all over t.v. Go back to your own website, this one's for cops.

Really? I wore a badge for 22 years so back off. Am I the odd one or what? If my car were stolen I wouldn't want it back and you wouldn't either. I also want a car under my arse, not a hybrid roller skate.

You think it's right to take a take a woman down for handing out a flier that is your problem, not mine.

You don't know or care what kind of a hornet's nest you bumped into and what the outcome will be for LPD. You've got two organizations gone public already and you can expect the ACLU in court in due time.

It appears that 4 of Largo's finest were so afraid of their masculinity that they feared gays supporting Stanton. To make themselves look more like closet cases they took out their fear on a well known lesbian activist. Wasn't that bright?

LPD doesn't have a prayer in Hell of coming out of this on top and you, Stupid; If you work there you will be spending several hours in diversity training. Would you like to know who will likely be teaching it? Need time to think? Come one now. You can guess this. The same lesbian that LPD saw fit to abuse. :cop: You enjoy yourself.



You bleeding heart cry babies. You whine and complain about cops and look for every opportunity to protest something, but the minute someone breaks into your house or steals your hybrid, who do you call? Who do cry to??.....US that's who. And we come out and do the dirty work so you don't have to and the next day you bash us all over t.v. Go back to your own website, this one's for cops.

First off, you made several assumptions and all were incorrect. One, that I am stupid, another that I am in support of taking down a woman who was simply passing out fliers and lastly, that I don't care what kind of a mess Largo is in.

If this was a simple case of a peaceful protester passing out fliers, then why wouldn't she just stop passing out the fliers when commanded to do so, and go inside and speak her peace for the two minutes of time they all got (which she did get to speak).

Officers had been instructed to stop the distribution of fliers because they present a fire hazard and the 500 people who attended could easily slip on them when they ended up on the ground, which most of the fliers did. She, and I quote this from the St. Pete Times, also failed to obtain permission to pass out fliers, as required by city law. So you mean to tell me that it was OK for her to disobey a lawful command and push and shove her way against four officers? And you were in law enforcement??????

Your accusation that the four officer's fear of gays supporting Stanton transcended into an overzealous masculine beat down of a lesbian activist really made me chuckle....and you call me stupid.

As for Largo coming out on top, no they probably won't, because of people like you who love to stir the pot and put your own spin on the events that occurred (much like the media). But anyone who wants to look at the facts will see that Largo P.D. did nothing wrong. It was a justifiable arrest.

Also, another quote from the St. Pete Times.....

This is in reference to Sgt. Ward -

Ward tried to escort Smith outside where she would have been allowed to pass out the fliers, McMullen said. But he said that on the way out Smith became disruptive, telling people that she was being arrested.


Tell me she wasn't trying to cause problems and be disruptive just at that notion? He was trying to escort her to a place where she could pass out fliers legally. Sounds to me like they tried to accommodate her, however she viewed this as the perfect time to try and cause a "riot" by announcing to other protesters that she was being arrested, when that was not the case at that time.

Alright, Butch! Mr Diplomacy! As for the the guy who said he wore a badge for 22 years, it probably had "Wackenhut" on it somewhere.
#28

I'd have written in sooner but I've been on the floor laughing and couldn't get up to the keyboard!!!!

Passing out fliers is wrong because someone could slip and fall? What was alibi #2? They are a fire hazard! Hilarious! LOL

C'mon. Where did you come from, St Pete? The excuse the police used there for slashing the homeless people's tents was because they were fire hazards; there were no fire extinguishers INSIDE the tents. It still cracks me up!

Don't try to make lame excuses for stupid behavior...or as we use to say while training at the academy and it's still true today: poor decisions make for poor case law.

Not to mention that the remedy will be expensive and attract more headlines and bad publicity for the....City of PROGRESS! :D

To the Child, who is still in school(Academy) that decided to take part in a discussion that he has no idea what he is saying, GO AWAY. When I taught in the Academy and I had a student, like your self, try to get involved in things that they knew nothing about I would sit you in the corner and place a coned shape hat on your head. Consider your self "CONED".

Let me clarify it for you. I am not a student at the police academy. If you have been on less than 5 years, and from your myopic comments that's possible, then I may not have taught you DT. I am an instructor.

Again, when officers make emotionally charged decisions not rooted in statutory law, it makes for poor case law that hampers our discretionary abilities. Sounds like Largo got sucked in on a politically charged situation.

If you haven't firgured it out yet...azzclown....every PD, SO and Township in the united states are controlled by politics.


If you say that you are an instructor, you must have been in some kind of law enforcement, but then again, you dont know that all of us are controlled by politics...so maybe you aren't who you say you are.

In that case GO AWAY AND BOTHER SOMEONE ELSE!!!!!!!!!