May 26, 2009 at 2:48 pm by Andisheh Nouraee Creative Loafing
The video shows five men and women severely wounded while on duty as Atlanta police officers. Each claims the city is denying them medical benefits they need, and to which they are entitled.
Why do I assume Mayor Franklin doesn’t want you to watch it?
Simple.
Because she’s spent the last week dodging questions about the video’s subject matter.
During the same week, however, Franklin has somehow found the time to launch an administrative, legal and public relations assault against APD union leader Sgt. Scott Kreher, the man who presented the video the city council.
Admittedly, Kreher made himself an easy target.
While speaking to city council last week about Atlanta’s alleged poor treatment of police officers severely wounded while on duty, Kreher said he’s so frustrated with Mayor Franklin’s intransigence that he feels like hitting her on the head with a baseball bat.
It was an ugly figure of speech for which Kreher apologized. But Franklin won’t move on.
She has evidently decided to use Kreher’s slip-up to once-and-for-all silence Kreher; one of her most persistent and (until last week) effective critics.
First, Franklin told Fox 5 she interprets Kreher’s statement as a literal physical threat meant to intimidate her and her family, even though it clearly an ugly metaphor for extreme frustration. Franklin says she wants a local, state and, FEDERAL investigation into Kreher’s comment.
Strange. When Atlanta residents express their fear of actual crimes, the mayor mocks them with cherry-picked stats. Hurt Franklin’s feelings, however, and she’ll summon federal help.
But wait. There’s more.
On Saturday, Franklin’s APD toady Chief Richard Pennington suspended Kreher from active-duty pending a psychological examination. Using a mental health bureaucracy and the stigma of mental illness to destroy a political opponent is a time-honored political tactic — in Russia.
Why is Franklin bending over backward to destroy Kreher? My guess is that she’s desperately hoping you won’t pay attention to his message.
So watch the video.
And if you still feel like blaming someone for drawing attention away from the important issue of benefits for wounded cops, go ahead and blame Kreher or Franklin if you’d like.
But remember, Kreher distracted us by accident. Franklin is doing it on purpose.
Please click here to read and sign the petition to reinstate Sgt. Scott Kreher.
6 comments:
Shirley Franklin should be ashamed of herself!
Are we really supposed to believe she's fearful for her safety?? Really???
This is a mayor whose daughter was laundering money for BMF, a violent, nationwide drug cartel! Oh, and Shirley's son in law, who LIVED WITH SHIRLEY WHILE SHE WAS MAYOR, was a BMF hit man!!! That didn't worry or scare Shirley!! She's got a cartel money launderer and a cartel hit man living in her house, but that's no worry to her!!!
Give me a break!! Shirley needs to stop this game of misdirection and of drawing attention to away from the real issue.
It was obvious that Mayor Franklin was not going to address the issue until the unfortunate comment about a baseball bat was uttered; now she's willing to address THAT issue endlessly but STILL has not addressed the REAL issue. As long as media keeps Franklin's retorts and the subsequent attempts to fire the Sergeant who said it in the public's eye, the real issue will continue to be ignored.
These brave men and women who risked their lives to serve and protect deserve the very best their employer can give them without question. Their lives were permanently altered while serving and the City of Atlanta (especially Mayor Franklin) should step up to the plate and deal with the situation in a professional and respectful manner. If it is not, I would push to have Mayor Franklin recalled (can she be impeached?).
Do you really want the police officers to think twice about how the city of county is going to take care of them or their family if they are crippled doing the service? I don't think so. Police work is DANGERIOUS. Thats why you hire SOMEBODY ELSE to do the dirty work. At least support them if they get hurt.
She may have got nation wide attention to this matter of the city failing to provide the treatment for these injured in the line of duty officers. The statement made by the Atlanta Sergeant may have been just what was needed to wake everyone up about this problem.
Everyone knows she trying to take the heat off her and the city of Atlanta for the treatment of these officers.
Remember Chief Pennington is another out of department appointed chief. He just like former Chief Bolton. He will go after the next election.
Im sure Dave Harvey would have somthing to say about how Dekalb treated him having his arm blown off on Timothy Dr. And honestly had Clint Sikes and Bob Hollister not arrived, numerious fire personel and officers would have been killed.
This can happen to anyone of us around here as well beware.
Im sure one day we will see her on Tv just like Bill Campbell, and hopefully VJ as well.
Look while your at it APD fire your Chief he came from the most corrupt department in the nation can you really trust him I hear not!
Fired Mickey Walker , and then look at Mayor Franklin for allowing this to happen to these police officers.
The bottom line is money , unless they are the one who need a police officer , then they want all the help they can get.
Is Mayor Franklin corrupt?
Post a Comment