Save Philadelphia Wireless: eff the business model

Philly.com reports that the very, very dope Media Mobilizing Project (also on Myspace) is calling on Philadelphia mayor Nutter to save the system. Read Call campaign seeks to save Wireless Philadelphia. I agree, whole heartedly.  And I am calling tomorrow, even though tomorrow is Thursday.

Philly Independent Media Center has the story….ummm why did Philly.com report on the story yet fail to provide the call-in number?  Was it to not upset Comcast and Verizon and their advertising dollars?

Read Save Philly WiFi: Call Mayor Nutter Wednesday and call (215) 686-3000 or (215) 686-2250

This Nutter quote has been making the rounds since the story of Earthlink closing up shop dropped:  a ”wonderful idea, bad business model”.

I fully agree the business model is poor.  But that isn’t the point.  Or is it?  Throughout this revived discussion, the origins of the wireless plan are being ignored.  As I remember it, the municipal wireless system was intended to be a ‘free’ (payed for by taxes) public service available to all.  Cities around the country got excited about the project and were waiting to see what would happen.  Comcast, Verizon, and other telecom companies started to complain and threaten to try to hold up the project in legal tape.  The plan then morphed from a public good to a business and the contract was bid out, with Earthlink winning.  Low-income residents were to receive the service at low or no charge.  Other users would get the service for a higher price (but one still very competitive with the offerings from the large competitors. Various city departments and services were supposed to benefit from the wireless network as well.  That’s how I remember the history.  Any one out there remember differently?  If time permits, I’ll try to back track and really fill this out with citations.

Finish the system.  Keep it going.  Spend what it costs to maintain it.  This should be a true municipal wireless system, owned by the people, for the people.  We got the infrastructure out of the deal.  Now lets make FREE WIRELESS in the city real.

And Mayor Nutter, don’t make this another one of your grudges.  We see you killing every single initiative, budget item, contract, etc started by Mayor Street.  Some of the actions you’ve taken in that regard I’ve agreed with.  Slowing up on the casinos and trying to reform the city planning process, as examples.  But this here is something we should all benefit from.  This is worth funding.  This is worth fighting for.  Information is power and access to information should be democratized and held as a public benefit.

Pull-quote from the Philly IMC story:  

The need for digital inclusion is growing exponentially. Today, it is nearly impossible to register for a university course or even check a train schedule without Internet access. Local residents routinely wait two hours at the Free Library for a 30-minute session on the Web. Even as Mayor Nutter is prepared to walk away from the WiFi network, his administration committed to making government services available on-line. The Philadelphia Police Department already offers downloadable reports, and the Department of Licenses & Inspections website encourages users to download building permit applications. Residents can even notify the Streets Department about potholes via a hyperlink on that agency’s website. 

“But without access to the Internet, Philadelphians are blocked from taking advantage of any of these services,” says Gwen Shaffer, a doctoral student whose research focuses on broadband policy. “The Nutter administration says it values public participation in the political process. But residents need affordable Internet access in order to be engaged in civic life.” 

And shiiiiiiiiiiiiiit (c) Clay Davis, Isiah Whitlock, Jr., The Wire), part of giving Comcast that phony empowerment zone tax exemption (remember, their new Center City building was not in an empowerment zone) should’ve been a demand of hands off our municipal wireless system.  

Respect to the Media Mobilizing Project, featured as the City Paper (March 11, 2008) cover story.  Read The Revolution Will Be Digitized

Alluswe is climbing on thesixtyone

No big point explosion like is sometimes seen but Alluswe has been steadily moving up on thesixtyone.com. The R&B genre doesn’t seem to move as quickly as some other genres on the site.

The numbers:

Currently sitting with 72 points, 13 playlist adds, and placing at #39 of 61 R&B artists.  There’s a big jump in points after #36 and a couple of other tiers as you go up.  Alluswe is aiming to crack the next tier.

As far as ‘activity’ goes, Alluswe places 5 songs in the top 30 for R&B (Note: talking about ‘activity’, not points). Last week’s activity chart was crazy with 5 Alluswe songs in the top 6.

Out of the band’s songs, “So Good” currently has the most bumps

So Good (free download)

Philadelphia Takes Action on Police Brutality

Big applause to Police Commissioner Ramsey and Mayor Nutter for stepping up and taking this seriously.

The Philadelphia Daily News reports today: 4 cops fired for beating in. Wendy Ruderman and Dave Davies did great reporting on this story throughout. What I read from them seemed to be superior to the Inquirer’s coverage. I admit that’s just an impression from the bits that I saw.

Here is a great quote from Ramsey (from the above article by Ruderman):

• “All of us as law-enforcement professionals have to understand that, unlike criminals on the street, we have rules that we have to abide by,” Ramsey said. “We have an obligation to do things the right way. We have a legal authority to use force to take people into custody, but only that force necessary to effect the arrest. If it gets beyond that, then we’ve got an issue, we’ve got a problem and we have to take some action.”

This is what I was saying in an earlier blog that seemed to upset people. Particularly the last two sentences on the appropriate use of force.

Nutter:

• “Today’s announcement represents, I believe, what is required in this matter – swift, direct action,” Nutter said. “I think this represents a new day in the Philadelphia Police Department and how we deal with these kinds of situations.”

Reverend Al Sharpton:

• ….on a radio program with Mayor Nutter yesterday, Sharpton extolled city officials, saying the action was “unprecedented,” according to an article posted on Philly.com. “For you to take this action now shows some real muscle and seriousness about addressing police brutality,” Sharpton said.

Some would like to see the firing of all officers involved. I may lean that way myself. But the reality is these things usually are put off until the furor dies down and the criminal case concludes. Officers are very rarely convicted, and its back to business as usual. This does feel unprecedented. And it does send a message that this type of behavior is not ok.

I was disappointed at some of the initial statements that had come from Ramsey and Nutter but I was obviously getting ahead of things. I was really expecting this to be blue-washed away. The City of Philadelphia has stood up and demanded a higher standard from its paid, professional police.

I will not bother with the idiotic quote from the FOP president. You can read it by following the story link. I do not know the president and I am not calling him an idiot. But his statements are devoid of logic.

Eff it, here we go:

“Every common criminal has the right to due process under the law,” McNesby said. “Here, the officers didn’t get due process. They weren’t interviewed. It was more or less, they were guilty until proven innocent.”

What due process? This action by the police department is not a criminal or civil judgement. Comparing it to legal proceedings is disingenuous at best. The fact is, the evidence is there to show that the officers failed, in a grossly unambiguous manner, to follow appropriate procedures and standards. A resolution of a criminal or civil case is not needed to determine that these officers should not be on the street wielding the powers that we, the people, entrust to law enforcement. Not to mention the officers were effectively denying due process to the “common criminals” by dishing out punishment for their supposed crime.

“They want a war on crime, but they don’t want any casualties,” McNesby said. “These guys” – the three suspects – “just shot up a street corner for God sakes – it’s not like they were coming back from choir practice. We’ll back these officers 150 percent.”

Let’s go back to Ramsey’s quote about when and why the officers are justified to use force. It doesn’t matter that the suspects may have committed a crime. It is not the job of police to deliver punishment and beat people. That has nothing to do with a “war on crime” and is in no way a “mixed message” as the president said elsewhere. There are documented policies and procedures that have not changed due to any mandate on crime. This staggering lack of logic or comprehension of the right role of the officers is scary. Our unions are very important. Hopefully, the union will vote in someone more competent. Quotes like that give the department a bad name. The actions of the officers involved in the beatings give the department a bad name.

I tend to agree with the sentiment expressed that the majority of the police are honorable and trying to protect the community and make the city safer and a better place to live.

I do have some issues with the institution itself. These things happen too often and are too often covered up. Police are also often called upon to break up (many times throughout our nation’s history, violently) union or labor protests or other political protests. Since I also believe the social order of the country is unjust, with ill gotten, concentrated wealth and power, I also see the police as having a role in maintaining that order. Some also cite histories of how different police forces started in order to keep certain oppressed or marginalized groups in check.  I do believe that they function in that capacity today, not necessarily by intention of individuals, but by default.  Its part of the system.

All of that is beyond what I’d like to get into here. I do recognize the good that police do, even when criticizing abuses or questioning larger roles. Allowing officers who have abused their power and broken the public’s trust only casts a bad light on all of the good police who do, in fact, have a dangerous and difficult job. And makes their job harder. And breaks down the community’s trust. An us vs them mentality, on any side, is not a good thing. It is a good thing for the community to come together as one and state that none of us can abide by abusive policing. The way to support police is not to ignore the standards and rules but to remove those who can not be professional and to honor those who truly serve the community.

As the article goes on to say:

Ramsey said he was worried about the morale of his officers and stressed that the discipline against the eight officers was “not a reflection” on the rank and file. “We’ve got people who get out there every single day and they do an absolutely tremendous job,” Ramsey said.

Switching up your story? That’s how liars do (now with twice the beating)

In case you’re just tuning in, earlier this month: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZK1B6LgUOBc

I said previously that the official story of a fourth shooter who ran off may have been BS.  Well, maybe they realized that the ‘fourth person’ trick was already used recently in the Sean Bell case.  So they needed a fresher cover up story.

They now proclaim that there was no fourth person, even though they said they had observed said fourth person.  The shooter is said to have returned to the vehicle despite no weapon being found in the car or in the area where they now say one of the three had run off to drop it.

Excellent reporting by Wendy Ruderman and Dave Davies. All quotes (italicized text) come from today’s Daily News story, Police change account of 3 arrests, beatings.

As the defendents’ lawyer, D. Scott Perrine said:  ”It’s absurd. These are highly trained surveillance officers and they claim they can’t even count the number of people who emerge from a car.”

The article goes on to explain:  The absence of a fourth suspect makes even more perplexing the fact that police didn’t recover the gun used in the shooting. Ramsey said police “never lost contact” with the three, “so they are the ones involved.”

In addition we now discover that the shooting victims never saw the car the police say the suspects got out of and returned to and witnesses place the defendants at another location at the time of the shooting.

The craziest bit of news to emerge?  Philly’s “finest” also beat on the shooting victim!  Does brutality, ignorance, unprofessionalism, and an “us vs. them” mentality know no bounds?   This one goes out to all of the people who think the suspects deserved to be beaten.  Crazy.

Brandon Crow, 24, was shot four times. He said he and his friends were hanging on the corner when about 10 guys and at least one girl approached, apparently coming from a memorial for Coach. One of the men asked if they knew anything about Coach’s death. Deangelo White, who was shot once, said “no” and the shooter didn’t believe him and opened fire, Crow said.

Both White and Crow said they didn’t know who shot them and didn’t see a Marquis in the area.

But Crow and his father, Donald Crow, don’t rule out that the arrested men may have been the shooters.

Brandon Crow said he took off running when the first shots rang out. He said that he collapsed a few blocks away and police officers descended upon him, striking him with pistol butts and kicking him in the area of his bullet wounds. Then they realized he was a shooting victim.

 

 

 

Philadelphia Police = violent thugs

A legalized gang.  I’ll save the discussion about the larger role of police in society for another day.  Will officers speak out against this?  I suspect the “blue wall of silence” will be as thick as always.

Note:  The Philadelphia Police Department has a long history of racism and violent abuse of power.  The tragic murder of a police officer does not excuse these actions whether these men were suspects in a crime or not.  The role of police is not to be judge and jury.  What will Mayor Nutter do on this issue?

What will we, the people?

 

Read today’s article on Philly.com here.

Nutter!  Come on.  “The video is the video,” Nutter said. “We have no audio. You don’t know what was going on at that moment when the officers approached the vehicle. There will be an investigation and we will move on.”  What events would’ve justified beatings?  Disgusting, Mr. Mayor.

The truth of the matter:
“Nobody deserves to be beat like that,” said Leomia Dyches, mother of Dwayne Dyches, through streaming tears. “If you do an animal like that, they’ll throw you in jail for treating a pit bull like that, so how can Philadelphia police call themselves officers and treat another human being like this?” 

New T-shirt: I rode BoltBus and all I got was this sore neck

Ok, that’s extreme.  I got to my destination safely.  Not on time, but safely.

A quick summary of my first day (roundtrip) of riding BoltBus (Philly to NYC and back):

• My cellphone is dead so I’m clock-less.  This bus is mad late though.  And its quite chilly out this morning.  Gotta have been 30-40 minutes late.  Was thinking the next P2P Circulator bus was going to show up before it. UPDATE!  As I had said, my cell phone was dead.  I just checked voicemail (yes, very late) and I had a voicemail that morning from Boltbus telling me that the bus was running late and what its approximate arrival time would be.  Very nice.
• And it arrives…. brand, shiny, new bus.
• Boarding is easy.  Surprised how little of us who were there actually have tickets printed.  Isn’t that the main advantage of BoltBus’ pricing?
• Leather seats….wherever I saw that wasn’t lying.  And that extra 3 inches of leg room feels huge. Feels like your own private space on the bus.
• Smooth jazz CD playing very loudly….turned off by driver before we got rolling
• Electrical outlets on back of ‘aisle’ seats.  Cool, but nobody is paranoid about EMF health effects?  Guess just me.  I made sure to sit by the window both times.  Don’t know if it was necessaary or if it would’ve helped but hey.
• DVD put in….a movie called “Stardust” – actually engaging….good actors…found myself watching this more than i wanted.
• Why the sore neck?  The seats barely recline.  I mean…. the ’standard position’ feels like a negative incline and the fully reclined position feels almost like sitting up straight.  This coupled with the height/shape of the seat (I guess) provided me with very uncomfortable sleep. Parent company Greyhound is going to keep more of my money it seems.  Commuting 3 days a week, I need the time to sleep on the bus.  This was a problem both going and returning.  We’ll see if MegaBus is any different.
• Drop off location was very convenient.  Pretty much right at an A/C/E entrance (at 34th Street).
• Arrival time – 20 minutes late.
• The ride home was more on time.  Arrival time in Philly, 8:36 (estimated arrival 8:30).  Cloth seats on way home and no music/movie, which was perfectly fine.  
• Both trips, the bus was super new and clean.
• The drivers and staff I encountered were very nice, professional, and friendly.  One of the best parts of the experience.

Overall, I don’t think its for me because I really could not sleep well.  If sleep wasn’t a factor, seems like a great option.

Alluswe’s new look. Fresh and so clean, spiffy and mean.

Alluswe has a new look on Myspace.

Enjoy the view and listen to all of Psalms of Ascent as well as other collabs, white labels, and demos. Download for free. You read that right, free!

Alluswe stays hungry for love and hungry for justice. Oh and hungry for friends and comments too.

• Alluswe on Myspace
• Alluswe on Last.fm
• Alluswe on thesixtyone