Local Fallout From Ferguson

Like many of the residents of the Coachella Valley, I have been riveted by the sights that have been coming out of Ferguson, Missouri recently. The images of local police, dressed in fatigues, using tear gas and stun grenades to deal with protestors seem more like the dying days of the Nicholae Ceausescu regime than that of a modern American city. The taping over of badges so officers can not be identified looks like Chicago almost 50 years ago. Reporters being tear gassed and roughed up conjure up dark images of bygone time.

I was stunned by the amount of fire power deployed by the St. Louis County Police Department. Still pictures of cops using an armored vehicle with sniper rifles and dressed like they were ready to ride into Baghdad is not what should be expected out of a local police department.

The result of all this sadness and craziness should be a discussion on the militarization of local police which has been ongoing since the late 90's. Critics on both the right and the left, including Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), have called for the scaling down of a Pentagon program which has distributed about 4 billion dollars of surplus military stockpiles to local police.

Part of the problem is that there appears to be little if any local oversight of the procurement of these weapons. Most are “paid” for with government grants so the local taxpayer thinks of them as a gift.

According to the New York Times website, Riverside County has received hardware from this program.

Has anyone asked Sheriff Stan Sniff Jr. why the county needed 2 armored vehicles as well as an MRAP? An MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicle is like the ones our troops used in Iraq.

Did the Board of Supervisors know about this? I think the Sheriff Department should answer why and how this military equipment was procured and in what instances could they see it being deployed?

Also did the department receive tear gas and stun grenades from the Pentagon?

Many will say we need to keep the officers safe. Exactly. But not only the officers but equally the general public as well. And the use of military equipment in civilian police operations is guaranteed to do neither.

Steve Kelly hosts Kelly's Corner on 1450 KPTR Daily From 4 to 6P He can be reached at skelly@rrbroadcasting.com

Question In Cathedral City

Will Cathedral City, which has a large LGBT community, elect a mayor who doesn't believe in marriage equality and should that matter?

Last year the Cathedral Council scheduled a vote on a resolution asking the US Supreme Court to strike

down Proposition 8. The vote was 3 in favor with Mayor Kathy DeRosa abstaining. City councilman and next town mayor Stan Henry was absent.

At the time I wrote an Op Ed for the local paper criticizing local councils getting involved in state and federal matters. I suggested that the vote in Cathedral City had more to do with councilman Greg Pettis's animosity towards the mayor than anything else. The scheduling was curious because the council knew Henry would not be there. I heard from several people that Stan Henry would have likely either abstained or voted against the resolution.

Earlier this year, I did see Stan Henry with Greg Pettis at the Equality California Awards ceremony. Maybe he has, like President Obama evolved on the issue.

While I still maintain that councils should stay on track for local issues, it will interesting to see if Stan Henry has to answer this question.

Perez Putting It In Park

Interesting story about how termed out Assemblyman Manny Perez is now going to run for the City Council in Coachella. I view this as more a placeholder for Perez, who recently lost pretty badly in his Supervisor's race against John Benoit. He could be waiting to see how events in other races unfold.

If Raul Ruiz knocks off Brian Nestande and retains his seat, he would immediately vault to the short list of Democrats who could succeed Barbara Boxer in 2016 if she chooses not to run. Now this of course is speculation on my part but the Senator is going to be 75 if she chooses to run again. Even if Boxer does run, it is highly doubtful her colleague Senator Dianne Feinstein will run for re-election in 2018. Ruiz would be on the short list in that race as well.

On the off chance Ruiz loses his seat this year, Manny would be perfectly poised for a run as well.

Now all of the above may not occur but by running for council Manny Perez keeps his options open. And in politics, that is a good thing.

15 Yards For Vulgarity.

As our Valley grows from a sleepy part time community to full year round one, the need for new schools has mushroomed. In my 23 years here in the desert, I have seen 4 new high schools open. I have also seen a disturbing trend of trying to inculcate the worst of private business practices within the public education system.

We live in an area where for better or worse, some are always trying to be “special” or “fabulous”. I often think the local Burger King will someday have a red carpet. However one of our local high schools is already vying for the most vulgar display in self importance in this calendar year.

Rancho Mirage High is going into it's 2^nd year. This year it will field a football team. The Rattlers have a brand new stadium. And now thanks to AD Chris Calderwood, they are now going to sell a luxury box complete with air conditioning and possibly catering at a local high school football field.

The school and the AD are saying they can use this as a fundraising vehicle. I say it is absolutely appalling.

First of all it sends the wrong message to young student athletes. It tells them your Mom and Dad can sit in the heat but my grandpa is rich so he sits in the box. It also exploits young athletes by selling their performance as form of entertainment. This is not about Friday Night lights but more about Friday Night frights.

What surprises me is that no one in the Palm Springs Unified School Board has flagged this idea for the stinker it is.