ATTORNEY GENERAL TOM HORNE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, July 29, 2011
Contact: Amy Rezzonico (602) 542-8019
Attorney General Horne Finds Reasonable Cause to Believe Open Meeting Law Has Been Violated in Quartzsite
PHOENIX (Friday, July 29, 2011) – Tom Horne, Arizona Attorney General, today released partial information regarding the Attorney General’s Office investigation of events in Quartzsite. Horne stated:
“Normally, we do not release the results of an investigation until it has been completed. However, because this is a matter of unusual public interest, we are prepared to say that, based on review of a video of a July 10 meeting, there is reasonable cause to believe that there has been a violation of the Open Meeting Law, inasmuch as the public was excluded. The meeting was held under the misconception that an emergency meeting can be conducted without the public present. Independently of the question of whether the Town Council had a legitimate reason to hold an emergency meeting, even proper emergency meetings must allow the public to be present. The exception is if there is a legitimate basis for an executive session, and the City Council did not attempt to hold a proper executive session during the emergency meeting. The investigation of this and other alleged violations of Open Meeting Laws is ongoing.”
http://www.kpho.com/story/15177446/quartzsite-officials-may-have-broken-open-meeting-law
QUARTZSITE, AZ (KPHO) -
It's the small Arizona town getting national attention for all the wrong reasons.
Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne said his office is now investigating allegations of corruption, harassment and secret meetings in the town of Quartzsite, located west of the Valley.
Earlier this month, activist and local newspaper publisher Jennifer Jones was arrested at a public meeting while trying to address the Quartzsite Town Council.
Horne told CBS-5 News Friday that the meeting on July 10, may have been illegal and violated the state's open meeting law.
"If what's involved is an innocent misunderstanding,then probably training is the remedy," said Horne. If there were meetings done deliberately to withhold information from the public, then there's the possibility of people being removed from office."
The AG's office has been flooded with calls and e-mails recently from Quartzsite residents complaining that their town is out of control.
The mayor, town manager, police chief and town council members have all been accused of misusing their power and conducting meetings without public notice.
Horne's office is now investigating all allegations, including some "so called" emergency meetings that may have been held behind closed doors.
Government agencies are required by law to make the public aware of all meetings and provide an opportunity for public comment.
According to Horne, emergency meetings are not exempt from notifying the public.
"Open meeting laws are based on the premise that sunlight is the best disinfectant, and if people can see what's going on and participate, we'll get better discussions," said Horne. "If people meet in secret and the public is not there, it violates the law and its our job to enforce it."
http://island-adv.com/2011/07/arizona-attorney-general-tom-horne-issues-statement-on-quartzsite-freedom-of-speech-violations/http://messageboards.aol.com/aol/en_us/articles.php?boardId=551411&articleId=847907&func=6&channel=Member+Guided+News&filterRead=false&filterHidden=true&filterUnhidden=false
it even made http://statebrief.com/ !
It is about damn time. Finaly some real progress. Hopefully the rest of the investigation will conclude soon and something done. Good job everyone!
ReplyDeleteFinally! There are those that have complained about these unannounced, unscheduled properly meetings for about a year.
ReplyDeleteWe have had no required public rate increase meetings, yet rates have increased. Dramatically!
We have had citizens tossed out of these meetings, when their only infraction was disagreeing with the town thugs.
One must wonder, just how expansive the corruption actually is. Does it include the agencies like DPS, the AG's office, the FBI, or even the Governor's office? They ALL have been notified, for over a year no less, that this nonsense was going on. When do all these "look the other way" politicians get held accountable -- along with the town thugs?
Controversial Article: When Should You Shoot A Cop
ReplyDeleteThat question, even without an answer, makes most “law-abiding taxpayers” go into knee-jerk conniptions. The indoctrinated masses all race to see who can be first, and loudest, to proclaim that it is NEVER okay to forcibly resist “law enforcement.” In doing so, they also inadvertently demonstrate why so much of human history has been plagued by tyranny and oppression.
In an ideal world, cops would do nothing except protect people from thieves and attackers, in which case shooting a cop would never be justified. In the real world, however, far more injustice, violence, torture, theft, and outright murder has been committed IN THE NAME of “law enforcement,” than has been committed in spite of it. To get a little perspective, try watching a documentary or two about some of the atrocities committed by the regimes of Stalin, or Lenin, or Chairman Mao, or Hitler, or Pol Pot, or any number of other tyrants in history. Pause the film when the jackboots are about to herd innocent people into cattle cars, or gun them down as they stand on the edge of a ditch, and THEN ask yourself the question, “When should you shoot a cop?” Keep in mind, the evils of those regimes were committed in the name of “law enforcement.” And as much as the statement may make people cringe, the history of the human race would have been a lot LESS gruesome if there had been a lot MORE “cop-killers” around to deal with the state mercenaries of those regimes.
People don’t mind when you point out the tyranny that has happened in other countries, but most have a hard time viewing their OWN “country,” their OWN “government,” and their OWN “law enforcers,” in any sort of objective way. Having been trained to feel a blind loyalty to the ruling class of the particular piece of dirt they live on (a.k.a. “patriotism”), and having been trained to believe that obedience is a virtue, the idea of forcibly resisting “law enforcement” is simply unthinkable to many. Literally, they can’t even THINK about it. And humanity has suffered horribly because of it. It is a testament to the effectiveness of authoritarian indoctrination that literally billions of people throughout history have begged and screamed and cried in the face of authoritarian injustice and oppression, but only a tiny fraction have ever lifted a finger to actually try to STOP it.
[more...] http://www.copblock.org/5475/when-should-you-shoot-a-cop/
What would we do if there were rabid animals running around Quartzsite? Would we respect their “rights” to be free to do harm to the good citizens of the town or would we take immediate action to limit the damage. We should be outraged and ready to resolve the situation immediately. No other government entity is on record saying this Quartzsite situation in in their jurisdiction. That leaves the jurisdiction with the “good” people of Quartzsite.
ReplyDeleteHow different are the thugs that have taken over Quartzsite police, Council and Town Management? Are they rabid? Do we sit or hide and hope the rabid animals do not attack us? Who will be next? Obviously, Jennifer, the Mayor, the Quartzsite 10 and Mike Roth have been all been seriously bitten by these rabid tyrannical animals.
The Constitution of the United States talked about three Sovereign entities:
1) The Federal government (restricted in duties and powers by the Constitution).
2) The Individual States (also restricted in duties and powers) and finally,
3) The Sovereign Citizen given all powers specifically not granted to the Federal or State governments.
We as Sovereign Citizens have forgotten the powers and responsibilities granted to us by this great Nation. We have the Authority and Right to take matters into our own hands when faced with Tyranny and Oppression. I believe the time has gone past for good Citizens to do nothing. It is our Sovereign Right to control our destiny when local government is corrupt and there is no hope of cleaning it up.
I would love to see this issue resolved peacefully, but frankly the time may have gone past and now is the hour for the Sovereign Citizen to make the next move. The price for doing nothing is far greater than the Sovereign Citizens can bear.
There is a great old American expression: “Keep your powder dry”. It means to ensure that you are ready for action or for a crisis.
We should not let rabid animals have the authority over good Citizens any longer.
Quartzsite is ruled by a triad of thugs who have violated the trust of the people for their own quest for power, money and some sick satisfaction or sadistic pleasure.
ReplyDeleteThe three pieces of the triad (triangle) are:
ENFORCEMENT (Police)
LEADERSHIP (Council)
ADMINISTRATION (Town Mgmt.)
Here is the triad; each piece supports the other pieces. The triad cannot stand without the other pieces and its dissolution should start at the top. The removal of the enforcement piece starts to neuter the remainder of the pieces. Without the capability to do harm, either financially or bodily, the remainder is forced to backfill the Enforcement piece or collapse. In our case, all three legs of the triad are corrupt and a dictatorship now rules Quartzsite.
A study of history will show all thug dictatorships started with a strong enforcement piece which gained more unchallenged power until its authority and rights were without question. The people feared the “enforcers” and those who resisted “disappeared”. We have a parallel here with the “quasi-disappearance” of the Mayor, the Quartzsite 10, and anyone falsely arrested for “Disorderly Conduct”.
The Town Council Meeting video shows the contempt for the rights of the citizens and their actions to only address their personal needs for security at the expense of rights of the people. Maybe everyone should scowl and show visible contempt for these thugs at the next Town Council meeting. Then “Machine Gun Joe” can get a Peace Bond against the whole town and make them turn in their weapons. We can be sure there are other corrupt moron Justices of the Peace in town to help.
There are some serious cracks forming in the triad. Watch the obviously stressed out action of Alex in video, she is close to breaking. Clearly, she is consumed with fear. So is Joe, he is one step away. They both may seem like team players here, but the thought of committing more heinous crimes against the people of Quartzsite, is mentally becoming unthinkable for them. Their mental trauma indicates a crack and crack breaks when more pressure is applied. The other players can no longer trust them to do “the right thing’ and are becoming effectively neutered on the team.
Fear is a powerful tool against this triad. If they were not afraid, this illegal meeting would have never occurred (watch the video and see for yourself). This whole video is about protecting their backsides and nothing to do with the town.
Bring your signs, red clothing, cameras, notepads, reporters, neighbors, etc. to the next Town Meeting; pack the house. Scowls and facial expressions are not against the law here. Do not give the Chief a reason for another illegal “Disorderly Conduct” arrest.
Hold on there so-called anon's of July 30, 2011 12:07 PM and July 31, 2011 2:27 PM. Are you plants?
ReplyDeleteLook again. Quartzsite just got a huge victory. A legal victory. And, it comes from the state. Look, this is the U.S.A. This is not Pol Pot's Cambodia or a rabid county of dangerous animals. Quartzsite has entrenched corruption, duh. It didn't get there in one day, and it will take some time to get out.
What the Quartzsite citizens have been doing is perfect. They are taking an interest and come equipped with their video cameras and brushing up on their rights and the legal system. Peacefully. Determined. Resolute.
I think the last two posts were written by Quartzsite's Police Chief Thug, Chief Gilbert, and his corrupt council cronies. By inciting violence, or at least by alluding to it, you play into the criminal's game. They now have a 'reason' to react in 'self-defense' or issue restraining orders. But, look again. This is not the behavior that has been done by the good and peaceful citizens of Quartzsite... so I suspect that the last two posts were done by the soon-to-be convicted Chief Gilbert and his soon-to-be-in-prison-for-life Council members as a last ditch effort to try to save their hell-bound souls. Sorry, it won't work.
Just look at the YouTube video of Jeff Gilbert whining to the judge that he's a victim of a 'conspiracy' 'just like Shining Path'. B.S. Big stinking B.S.
Ex-Police Chief Gilbert, you fooled no one except one dumb judge at one giving time. The next judge will be hitting the gravel and sentencing you for years. Then you'll see the full-cycle of law. Your future roommates will welcome you with more restraint than you offered the citizens of Quartzsite.
In closing, resist idiots like the posters above. It's probably the entrenched criminals. Justice will prevail and the law will take action as already indicted. These corrupt thugs are over. Keep to your peaceful ways and go after the criminals with conviction within the boundaries of nonviolence and the law. You will prevail.