Greensboro Police SGT. Steve Hunter didn't get the memo that Greensboro City Council members voted last night to amend Chapter 26 of the Greensboro Code of Ordinances. Before last night, businesses with sidewalk cafe permits could only operate on the sidewalk from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to midnight on weekends and holidays. The change that the council made extended the times a sidewalk cafe could operate. They can now operate from 7am-1am. That is a big change and it was effective immediately.
However, somebody obviously forgot to tell the police department. Tonight, Sgt. Hunter went to Much Martini Bar located in downtown Greensboro and warned the manager Winifred Lee Meekins about having a sidewalk cafe past 10pm. Hunter allegedly told Meekins that a violation of the 10pm sidewalk cafe curfew would result in his arrest. Keep in mind, Meekins has already been arrested for violating the sidewalk cafe ordinance once this month. Meekins called his boss Rocky Scarfone and informed him of the police warning he received. Obviously, Scarfone got on his cell phone and made a few calls. The result was Sgt. Hunter was ordered by Chief Tim Bellamy to go back to Much and apologize to Meekins.
The majority of that story has already been reported by local media outlets and blogs. The sidewalk cafe ordinance has been a hot topic! But, is it really just about the sidewalk cafe ordinance? Is that what this is all about?
Greensboro leaders have worked long and hard to produce a vibrant downtown and I doubt that vision included cuffin' and stuffin' managers in violation of the sidewalk cafe ordinance. After all, Greensboro has a pretty shitty record when it comes to enforcing ordinances. Seriously, they got nothing better to do than enforce the sidewalk cafe ordinance? To fully understand what is going on one must acknowledge that the N Club, which is also owned by Scarfone, now caters to the African American community that enjoys the night club life. You know, that special group of people.
The N Club has invited the African American club hoppers to join them downtown for drinks and hip hop music and the response has been overwhelming. There is a different element downtown now and it is making the old school downtown dreamers a wee bit uncomfortable. They probably did not mind a few African Americans in the downtown area after dark in the initial stages. But, now it is getting to be a little too much and Scarfone has become the natural target. This latest incident should reslut in the immediate termination of that Mitch Johnson.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Much ado about nothing?
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29 comments:
Ben, you're sounding less and less like a "troublemaker" and more and more like a "tattletale."
this is dumb...grasping at straws for news...there are about 5 people in greensboro who care about this.
list them. i'm not sure you can even come up with five.
The real story here is the ineptitudeness of Sgt Hunter. A real supervisor would know his job and not make careless mistakes like that.Hunter had a lot of promise at one point but became bitter when Daughtry almost fired him.Now his only claim to fame is the wanna be leader of the GPD black mafia.
No. The real story here is a Chief making a Sgt. apologize. What a crock of shit! A real man would have looked into it. Got back to the whiner and told him exactly what happened and "apologized" on behalf of the department.
No. The real story here is that there is no story. My gut reaction when I read this was "SO FRIGGIN' WHAT??"
no, the real story is the story. after all, we have a GPD "SGT" who is paid over 63k a year (per rhino times article from a year ago) not including some off duty gig where he sits on his ass or in a air conditioned patrol car for time and a half and the BEST use of his time is to arrest and or threaten to arrest a manager for not taking up tables. after all, such a simple offense could have been cited with a written promise to appear (you know, like a traffic ticket???). what this looks like is selective enforcement with an agenda. how much does GPD cry that they don't have enough people, response times are long, etc. etc. lest we forget they are paying OT to cover the annexed areas while the new cops are in training, so why is a SGT doing such mundane work? as a supervisor surely he has reports to do, people to counsel, etc. Gee - I must be mistaken. Obviously he is a super cop and has done all his work, everyone elses, and has time to enforce such trivial ordances. Damn, i feel safer already. Sort of explains why people can show up shot full of holes at the local hospitals because GPD is on top of things with leadership like this!
Congratulations on getting Scarfone's side of the story. John Hammer's advertising staff get this one for you? You might try getting the true story from Hunter now, because your post ain't even close. Not that you'd believe the truth, or print it, anyway.
Piss off the wrong people with connections in the city and you will be hounded by one department or another. If it is not the cops, it will be the auditors, or code enforcement, or building inspections. One way or another they are going to be a thorn in your side.
It seems Rocky doesn't have the same connections that Joey had or he isn't using them the right way. Since Councilman Zack M was eating there the night of the first arrest, you would think Rocky would have comp'd him his meal and had him get the city off of his back. I guess Zack doesn't have the stroke without Melvin's approval.
I felt "slightly" irritated when I first read the caption "that special group of people." In feeling that way--my intial response was to let you as well as the bloggers know how I, as an African American felt, until I clicked on the phrase.
I won't get into specifics as far as my general feelings but I will type this--If Goldie Wells did indeed make THAT reference, it is of my opinion that she needs to be further "educated" on the true meaning of hip-hop and its culture and the wide demographics of nationalities that hip-hop encompasses.
Ms. Wells--
Hip-hop may have somewhat begun within the African American community but please note (and I can provide statistics if needed) that the African American community it not what sustains hip-hop alone. It would be refreshing for you to know that not only is it a culture but a lifestyle. It would further help along the lines of satisfying your ignorance to know that it is a global lifestyle in which--from a monetary standpoint the African American community is not soley responsible for it's mainstay.
I would hope that your comment was somewhat of an "off the cuff" remark that you probably should've put a little more thought into before making.
Don't worry--I can charge it to your head and not your heart.
This time.
Ben,
The SGT is only following orders from up above. The special "focus crime" of the week. GET IT RIGHT! You have been around the block a few times, seen a few things. Unless you fell off the turnip truck, you would have dug a little deeper.........
Wow! Let us focus on the real problem at the N Club instead of the sidewalk cafe. The patrons and citizens that frequent downtown are increasingly placed at risk of harm each time Scarfone holds a special engagement at the N Club. I am not opposed to the "hip hop" culture invading downtown. The problem is clearly seen when the club hires extremely large African American males to stand outside to provide security along with an armed security guard (that is not a sworn police officer). This speaks loudly as to the club patrons that they are expecting. That is the only club that criples the police department every Wendsday and any other night they have a special engagement. All of the downtown officers that are on duty as well as numerous other officers in the city must spend about an hour clearing the sidewalks and Elm St. They then must sound their sirens in the parking deck to get everyone to leave. This prevents other calls from being answered. No other club or event requires that action. It was never required under the previous ownership. Each event is like a mini A&T homecoming or Super Jams. Everyone knows how that drains the city's resources especially the massive amount of police manpower that is required. It is only a matter of time before the violence that surrounds those events occurs at the N Club or in the downtown district due to the new atmosphere that is being created by Scarfone and his club. Now back to the sidewalk cafe. I've seen very few people enjoying meals near the close of the evening. Most people are just consuming alcohol. Now we have a potential time bomb. We have people that are drinking outside mixing with extremely intoxicated subjects that are angry and sometimes violent because they were just kicked out of the N Club. This is a recipe for disaster and it's only a matter of time and violence will be a regular event downtown.
Let's not blame this on "those people" shall we? No one said a damn thing when a drunk, white patron put a GDP officer almost through a plate glass window in front of The Inferno awhile back.
How come that wasn't reported?
When a large Mexican clientèle used to go to the old Club Babylon downtown, everybody complained. Nobody complained when Joey had cocaine, x, and every other drug in The N Club awhile back. Why not?
Hip-Hoppers "invading" downtown? Germany invaded Poland during WW2. I didn't know that downtown was just for "the white folks." Oh BTW, white folks listen to Hip-Hop, too. And The N Club has always played Hip-Hop, even when Joey owned it and they had an unofficial policy against "those people." Just say you're scared when "those people" are downtown. I guess it didn't bother you when The N Club under Joey had big white dudes at the door...
Ask the residents around the old Jokers 3 on Oakland Av what they thought about hip hop night. Ask the merchants what they thought.
Ask the merchants on High Point Rd what they thought about Atlantis.
Ask the merchants on Patterson St about the club on Patterson near Holden what they thought about hip hop night.
Ask the residents and merchants what they thought about the now closed club on E. Bessemer at Raleigh St.
See if you can find anyone who complained weekly about shots fired and unruly crowds.
History will show that a few can spoil fun for many at hip hop events. Just look at the police data and calls for service.
My only point in my earlier comment a few days ago was the way Ms. Wells referenced "those group of people" via "hip-hop"--insinuating that it is a "black thing!" I only wanted to show force that the statement was ignorant to say the least!
If I were Ms. Wells, I guess I would be correct in ASSuming that country music is enjoyed only by....*ahem*..hillbillies? Or that the Hispanic community ONLY listens to Hispanic music???
PULEEEEEEZE???????????
Her position as a prominant, public figure in the community tells me the real problem we have with the City of Greensboro! It's thoughts and subtle statements like hers that impetuate stupidity and lack of caring for the thoughts and feelings of others.
Like I said/typed, I only hope it was an "off the cuff" sort of comment that I would indeed charge to her head and not her heart.
This time!!!!!!!
To settle the argument it should just be agreed that Goldie isn't the brightest light bulb on the council, but ignorant people deserve representation too. That's why we call it a democracy.
Amen to the last comment. Ignorant people DO deserve representation ; ie
(impetuate stupidity); this THUG writer from THOSE PEOPLE should have stayed in school and learned to communicate without self will, without racial vindictiveness and without portraying himself as a moron.
Actually, he sounds like RON ROGERS, Asst. CHIEF of th' PO- LICE!
To settle the argument it should just be agreed that Goldie isn't the brightest light bulb on the council, but ignorant people deserve representation too. That's why we call it a democracy.
___________________________________
I guess you're right!
**sigh**
I just hate it when we have people in prominent positions who choose to speak before thinking--then again, I'm glad she did. There was a saying I learned--something to the effect of "It's better to remain silent and let people think you're ignorant than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." Lol!!!
Thanks for understanding my feelings!
Ron Rogers??? What does he have to do with this? My comments were in reference to comments made by Goldie Wells!
OK. Now I'm confused? Is there a memo I'm missing?
I think you guys are missing the mark here! Please re-read and COMPREHEND my comments before responding.
Lol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Thug Writer?"
I have one word for you:
IDIOTS. (And I'm being nice.)
I guess we can forget about what happened at the old "Club Zero" (by Kyoto's) back in the day. Or Dadio's (now The Menage) or N Club under Joey (They had more drugs in there than a Wal-Mart pharmacy). Oh, let's not forget "Club Babylon" downtown or "The Sky Bar," also under Joey back then (And they had more drugs than N-Club, if that's possible).
Granted, some Hip-Hoppers do get out of line, but so do EVERYONE ELSE! It just doesn't get reported like at Hip-Hop events. When I was at Inferno awhile back, they were kicking people out of the club about every 15 minutes!
I remember "Jokers 3" on Oakland Ave. They were crazy BEFORE they promoted Hip-Hop over there. The people only became upset when they saw alot of "those people" over there. Atlantis? You blame Hip-Hop for Atlantis? Atlantis was a drug dealer's (Terry Bracken & his crew) way of washing his money! THEY WERE CRIMINALS!! It had NOTHING TO DO WITH HIP-HOP! The place on Raleigh St. was a poolroom/drug den/whorehouse and yet another way for a drug dealer to clean his money. It was never a Hip-Hop club! As a matter of fact, many of the places you mentioned shut down after a whole bunch of drug dealers (Read about it in Ben's blog archives) were busted! Once again, Hip-Hop WASN'T THE CULPRIT!
"Monday, August 25, 2008 9:33:00 PM" is a jackass. "Self Will?" What the hell is that? Racial vindictiveness? Hey, Ben was the one who brought the "race issue" into it. I just elaborated on it.
And it's true.
"Moron?" Yeah, right. Anyone who would call someone a "thug writer" when no thuggery was in my post, well like I said, "You're a jackass."
Another good retort on the subject at hand, though a small pattern I noticed in the comparasions is that there sure are a lot of drugs no matter where you go which makes you wonder why the police bust little crack houses while the big warehouses operate without any interuption???
It's seems my comments have turned thos post into something unrecoginzable!!!!!!!
A.G.A.I.N!!!!!
1. I read the article.
2. I "clicked" on a certain caption of the article in which a comment was made by Goldie Wells.
3. I posted my opinion in regards to her comment!
I have no idea wher "THUG WRITER" and the likes came from nor at this point do I care. The fact of the matter is---LIKE assholes, everyone has an opinion and I'm giving mine.
Now, if any of those comments were directed at me, I can respect them. However--I'm not going to make this any bigger than it is. I typed my piece and I stand by it. If anyone has an issue with it, so be it.
THAT is why it's called a DEMOCRACY!
Amen to the last comment. Ignorant people DO deserve representation ; ie
(impetuate stupidity); this THUG writer from THOSE PEOPLE should have stayed in school and learned to communicate without self will, without racial vindictiveness and without portraying himself as a moron
___________________________________
My comment was directed to this person who typed this.
Please note that anyone can be an internet bully!
Your comment was...well..... I'll just sum it up by saying--You and Goldie are probably on a first name basis!
LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think we should move on to more relevant issues...like Mitch, Yvonne,"gangs",etc. and quit re-hashing the same old...........
I have yet to see a club closed down because drugs were sold on the inside. I have seen many clubs closed because of gun fire, homocides and major unrulycrowd problems on the outside. Those are the problems that concern the merchants and residents that live and work nearby.
These are the reasons Jokers 3, Club Sensations, Atlantis and the one on Patterson St were mentioned.
There is probably not too many clubs in Greensboro where some sort of illegal activity doesn't occur, but the homocides, gunfire and large unruly crowds, now that is a different animal.
Screening now?
What club doesn't have drugs in it? Are you kidding me. Who cares about the drugs inside the club?
We care about the thugs outside of the club. It's terrible that the whole city shuts down for A&T homecoming and super jamz. Why doesnt it shut down when UNC-G has their homecoming? Or when any other concert is taking place at the Coliseum?
Hip-Hop=Thugs=gunfire=deaths=increased calls for service. On and On and On.
First of all, not all the people who go to SuperJamz and A&T Homecoming are thugs. A&T Homecoming brings in more money to the city than ANYTHING, except for the ACC tourney and it has been that way for DECADES.
Why is it terrible? You act as if people are killing and shooting each other in the street downtown, or something. Don't be scared when large groups of Blacks get together in one area, because that's exactly what you're implying. My God, A&T Homecoming and SuperJamz only come ONCE A YEAR!!
Get over it!!
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