WPB Assistant to the City Administrator

“Mayor James Announces New WPB Assistant to the City Administrator Dr. Philip C. Harris

Post Date: 05/27/2021 3:30 PM

WEST PALM BEACH, FLA (May 27, 2021) – West Palm Beach Mayor Keith A. James is pleased to announce the selection of Dr. Philip C. Harris for the position of Assistant to the City Administrator effective Monday, May 24, 2021. In this role, Dr. Harris will oversee the City’s Community and Business Services which include the Departments of Housing and Community Development, Parks and Recreation, Public Works, Library, Office of Economic Opportunity, and ArtLife WPB.

Dr. Harris brings to the City 18 years of diversified government experience and a background in civic engagement, strategic planning, human services, public policy, emergency management, grant management, budget management, community and business development, and volunteer management.

He has held positions with the City of Clearwater, City of St. Petersburg, United Way Suncoast, Hillsborough County, Broward County, P.M.E. Development Consulting, LLC in Tamarac, FL, and Broward County Public Schools.”

“Congratulations to new Assistant to the City Administrator Dr. Philip C. Harris,” said West Palm Beach Mayor Keith A. James. “With a multifaceted background in operations and administrative experience, Dr. Harris brings a wealth of experience to this position. I am confident he will do great things for our City and serve our residents well. I welcome him to the City of West Palm Beach leadership team!”

“I am grateful to the Mayor and the City Administrator for the opportunity to join the dynamic City of West Palm Beach team,” said Dr. Harris. “I have tremendous respect for this innovative city, its residents, businesses, nonprofits, and city staff. I look forward to helping address the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.”

“Dr. Harris holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication degree from the University of South Florida and a Master and Doctor of Business Administration degree from Argosy University.”

Dr. Harris is the South Florida Chapter President of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators and a member of the Florida City and County Management Association (FCCMA) and the International City/County Management Association. He was also recently recognized as 2020 ICMA International Honorary Member of the Year and 2021 FCCMA Who’s Who Under 40 Award Honoree.”

The City’s pay scale salary for level GM17.

“Min. $121,330.00   Mid. $151,663.00    Max. $181,995.00”

“Mayor’s Office Harris, Philip Christopher 101117. Assistant to the City Administrator. Admin, Clerical&Fiscal GM17 $152,000.” (Mid. Level)

City Administrator Faye Johnson’s salary is $261,450.00, and as the City Charter states she must live in the City of WPB with no time frame for moving. This is a loop hole in the Charter that James and Johnson use to their benefit. James knows the rules, he just doesn’t follow them.

That’s a combined total of $413,450.00. for 2 employees. (The WPB Police Dept. has a new contract with the City after 9 months of back and forth negotiations, unfortunately the City refused to make the contract retroactive due to money shortage ???)

The City’s Education Requirements can be read below.

ASSISTANT TO THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR
FLSA: EX Page 2 of 2
B/U: NA-RgUncl Last revision: January 2020
CLASS DESCRIPTION
Class Code: 101117
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT
Work involves sedentary to light work in an office setting. There is occasional need to stand, stoop, walk, sit, lift objects (up to 25 pounds) and perform similar other actions during the course of the workday. The City of West Palm Beach promotes and maintains a drug/alcohol free work environment through the use of mandatory per-employment and random drug testing for certain employees.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Master’s degree with a major in Business Administration, Public Administration, or related field is required for this position, or any equivalent combination of training and experience. Education will be verified using the “Education Requirements” listed below. Must have seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in upper management including budgetary experience.
A current and valid Florida driver’s license is required. For application purposes, a valid driver’s license from any state (equivalent to a State of Florida Class E) may be utilized; with the ability to obtain the State
of Florida driver’s license within thirty (30) days from date of employment.

Education Requirements
• To be considered valid (or verified) for position qualification purposes, and consistent with City Hiring Policy 4-5, a High School, GED or equivalent diploma, and all higher education degrees or certifications must have been issued by:
a) a public education institution in the State of Florida or any State or Territory of the United States; or
b) an institution accredited by an accrediting organization that is recognized by the Florida Department of Education or the U.S. Department of Education; or
c) an institution that is accredited by an organization that is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
• International degrees will be evaluated to determine if they satisfy qualification requirements.

“On February 27, 2019, the US Department of Education stated that they were cutting off federal funding to Argosy University. According to Inside Higher Education, “The Education Department said that the roughly 8,800 students enrolled at Argosy campuses could seek to transfer their credits elsewhere or apply for loan cancellation in the event their campus shuts down.”
All Argosy campuses were officially closed on March 8, 2019.
Be sure to read the entire Wikipedia entry below for what became a bogus university.
The overall graduation rate? Answer: 6 percent.
Misspend money, lack of accreditation, multiple lawsuits and on and on.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argosy_University

I could not find where the City advertised for Dr. Harris position. Is this a case of “It’s not what you know, but who you know?”

The end.

 

PB Post Gave Up To Easy

WPB Plays By It’s Own Rules

I attended the City Commission meeting last night and listened to residents concern over the water problems we are all faced with. Today marks 5 day’s of bottled water.

In all fairness we can’t blame Mayor James or City Administrator Faye Johnson for the outbreak of the Blue-green algae, technically known as cyanobacteria.

What we can and should hold them responsible for is how they handled the situation after they were notified of it’s existence which first appeared 5/3/21 and again 5/17/21.
James said the problem was unprecedented and they were at a loss of what to do. Understandable.
Why wasn’t a call made to the DOH (Dept. of Health) or the DEP (Dept. of Environmental Protection) and seek guidance on what turned out to be a disaster for the City.

What has me most upset is City Commissioners were not notified until they received emails advising them to boil their water. The Commissioners sent out notices to Presidents of Homeowners Associations who then sent out email to residents warning of the situation.

Now I’m wondering how the water situation has affected the County’s water supply and emailed Commissioner Bernard who forwarded my email to Ali Bayat, Utility Director, and his response was “Palm Beach County uses groundwater (wells) to produce potable water. As Commissioner Bernard said the current situation with City has no impact on PBC water system.”

Now I’m wishing I lived in Unincorporated PBC, and today I wish I never had that thought. Be patient reading this story, I’m not wandering around but making a point.

The City of WPB should be ashamed of how they treated our First Responders (Police & Firefighters) over a new contract. I am happy to report the City and the Police have a new contract, and the Firefighters meet with a Special Magistrate for 2 days and he will make the final decision.

The City Charter which is supposedly the Bible of can and cannot do say’s the City Administrator must live in the City of WPB. Ms. Johnson does not reside in the City of WPB. Her home is located in unincorporated Palm Beach County.

City Administrator Pay Grade, GM20 ($174,303-$261,454).
Ms. Johnson’s current salary as Interim City Administrator is $220,000.
The Mayor is recommending to the Commission a starting salary of $249,000. Upon successful completion of a six (6) month probationary period, Ms. Johnson’s salary will increase by 5% to $261,450.  City Commission unanimously approved the increase and pay grade.
Below is the new Organizational Chart for the City, and you can enlarge the picture by clicking on it.

City of WPB Org Chart Effective 05.24.21-2

The departments reporting directly to Ms. Johnson are: City Clerk, Human Resources, Finance, Police and Fire Dept.
Johnson represented the City in negotiations with both the Fire & Police Dept.
Ms. Johnson has held the position 1 1/2 years and has the protection of the PBC Sheriff’s Dept; PBC Firefighters and can use all the water she needs because the County knows how to keep their residents safe, and their report can be read below.

Palm Beach County 2020 Water Quality Reports Released
“The reports feature results from more than 80,000 laboratory tests of PBCWUD’s drinking water. The test results are summarized in easy-to-read charts, which explain to residents where their water comes from, how the water is treated and disinfected, and who they can contact for more information.” If interested in reading the report it is enclosed below.

https://discover.pbcgov.org/waterutilities/Pages/Press-Releases.aspx

To fully understand the problems WPB residents are facing I believe Ms. Johnson should reside in the City and suffer along with us.

The end.

WPB Water Problems Known by Officials for 8 Day’s.

UPDATE: The story below was posted on WPB Watch @5 /29/2021 @ 10:18am. The PB Daily News wrote an updated story 5/29/2021 @ 10:37 am. And more information was disclosed that readers should be aware of. Here it is.

“In a release issued late Friday night, the town of Palm Beach said cylindrospermopsin, a toxin produced by cyanobacteria (known as blue-green algae), was detected in the drinking water from West Palm Beach’s Water Treatment Plant on May 20.
Poonam Kalkat, West Palm Beach’s director of public utilities, said there were no outward signs of the cylindrospermopsin toxin but that tests began seeing it in Clear Lake on May 3 at low levels. It had disappeared in subsequent tests, but showed up again in a May 17 sampling, which was returned May 20.
Samples were then taken every day with results reported to the Florida Department of Health and Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
The advisory from the city came out about 10 p.m., followed by an 11 p.m. order issued by the DOH. Calls to the DOH and DEP were not immediately returned this morning. Read the story below:

https://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/story/news/local/2021/05/29/discovery-toxin-produced-algae-prompts-drinking-water-advisory-west-palm-palm-beach-south-palm/5261954001/

I sent out emails to residents of Spencer Lakes @ 11:15 pm after hearing the news report. Below is a response from a board member Sat. morning. “Thank you, Comm. Warren notified me this morning.”

5/28/2021 @ 11:00 PM I listened to  the news and received a warning WPB water was contaminated and advised not to use the water due to blue- green algae, and that included bathing.   I immediately  sent the warning to everyone in my address book, hoping they received the news before using water.

Below are excerpt’s from Chanel 25 news and the entire story can be read below. My comments are in italics.

“Cylindrospermopsin, a toxin produced by cyanobacteria (formerly known as blue-green algae), was detected in the drinking water from the City of West Palm Beach’s Water Treatment Plant on May 20.”   Water contamination can happen to any city at any time and I certainly don’t fault WPB officials for the problem we are now facing, but I do hold them responsible for having the information since May 20,2021 and informing us eight (8) days later.

“The city is working closely with the Florida Department of Health, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and the City’s Emergency Operations Center to address the situation.” Which agency had the City release the information?

“Residents are urged not to drink tap water. Infants, young children, the elderly, and those with preexisting liver conditions may be vulnerable to the effects of cylindrospermopsin. Animals are also vulnerable.”   The city allowed the most vulnerable residents to use city water for 8 days before issuing a warning. How many may have been affected? We’ll never know.

“Officials also warned residents not to boil the water as it can increase toxin levels.” How comfortable are you taking a hot shower/bath?

“The city has established a point of distribution for bottled water to any resident affected. Impacted residents may pick up a supply of water from Gaines Park on May 29, 30 and 31. The park is located at 1501 Australian Ave. and will operate from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m on those days.” Over 100,000 residents affected and water can be picked up at the one location above. If you drive a car you have a total of 9 hours to pick up water. Survive Carona virus and become sick by drinking city water.

“Residents with questions can call the city’s hotline at (561) 822-2222. Future updates will be shared on the city’s website, wpb.org and on the city’s primary social media platforms. I called the hotline and received a continuous busy signal, you may have better luck contacting them.

Mayor Keith James and City Administrator Faye Johnson are the two people with the responsibility of running the City, and both have failed residents by not releasing the news of contamination when the problem was first discovered. Shame on you both.

City Commissioners: When were you advised the city had water problems, and why didn’t you do something about it? You do realize you can call the media and have a press conference to warn us immediately when you became aware. You were elected to protect residents not the Mayor or City Administrator. Shame on you also.

James has begun running for his second term as Mayor, and holds press conferences and updates regularly. You wont see or hear any press conference on the recent water development.
The Mayor attended the DDA (Downtown Development Agency) recently and advised the audience he would not be taking questions, and advised those in attendance the City didn’t criminalize the homeless. Repeat the lie enough and it becomes the truth, that’s a great example of hiding info. don’t allow questions.

https://www.wpbf.com/article/toxic-algae-detected-in-west-palm-beach-drinking-water/36574097

The end

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Major Planned Development Amendment

Double click image to enlarge.

Another “Major Planned Development Amendment”.
Unless you live within 500 ft. of Publix located in Rosemary Square, formerly CityPlace, you were not likely notified of this “major planned development amendment”.
Rosemary Square is owned by Related and they are planning to build a 25 story building, above a new 40K+ sq. ft. Publix, on a site that is zoned for 15 stories so the City Commissioners will be asked to approve an amendment allowing the additional 10 Stories which they will approve as they always do for a Related project. The new project may contain office space and an assisted living facility.

Residents in the area are questioning the loss of Publix during this project and there is no answer coming from the City which is an answer in itself. The City or Related don’t care if shopping becomes difficult for you. When you think about it were only talking about a 2+ years of inconvenience.

It is my understanding residents living in the area aren’t happy with the change. City Commissioner Christy Fox is a resident of the area, was employed by Related, and I can’t wait to hear her vote. Will she go with the people who put her in office or will she make the vote unanimous, or be sick the day the vote is taken?

I can relate the story below with what you have read so far.

“Thousands of homeowners could be forced to get flood insurance” PB Post 5/27/2021

“Questioning whether the federal government used the best methods and data to predict Palm Beach County’s coastal flood risk, county commissioners unanimously supported moving forward with an appeal of FEMA coastal hazard maps.

Thousands of county coastal homeowners could be forced to get flood insurance under FEMA’s maps, adding about 1,900 acres of land along the Intracoastal Waterway and Atlantic Ocean into the high-risk flood zone.
Top of mind for commissioners was their constituents’ wallets.
“I guess my editorial would be that anything we can do to protect our residents, we need to, especially right now,” Commissioner Maria Marino said. “Property values are going to go up, so property taxes are going to go up, so insurance is going to go up, anyway. Let’s not try to hurt them too much.”

https://flipboard.com/article/county-to-appeal-fema-maps-thousands-of-homeowners-could-be-forced-to-get-flood/f-5a518322a9%2Fpalmbeachpost.com

My opinion

Flagler Drive floods to the point where side streets have being affected with rising tides, and with a warning of the coming hurricane season I’m thankful I don’t live in the area.

All the new construction where 5 stories were allowed and residents voted twice to keep the cap, the City ran to Tallahassee and it was changed to allow taller buildings and the City allowed construction up to 25 stories. It was a free for all, and construction is non-stop.

Has anyone noticed that concrete does not absorb water?
So residents will pay higher premiums for flood insurance. The only people that care are the folks paying the bills, certainly not the City or Related.

The end.

 

Is WPB In Bed With The Mob?

2/1/2016 Below is a story about the ground breaking of the Banyan Cay Resort with Former Mayor Muoio and Domenic Gatto. Five years ago I am going to assume the City was unaware of Mr. Gatto’s reputation. Five years later the City should be well aware of who Mr. Gatto is thanks to the PB Post and the Florida Bulldog.

https://www.nicklaus.com/2016/12/01/jack-nicklaus-breaks-ground-banyan-cay-resort-golf/

4/28/2021 (PB Post) “Domenic Gatto is the developer behind the $100 million Banyan Cay complex just east of Interstate 95, off Congress Avenue and north of Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard, near the Palm Beach Outlets shopping mall. When complete, Banyan Cay will be the largest redevelopment in West Palm Beach since Rosemary Square, formerly known as CityPlace, the popular downtown mixed-use dining and shopping center.

Domenic Gatto, a 46-year old Palm Beach Gardens resident, is one of five men charged in what the U.S. Department of Justice described as a $65 million “nationwide kickback and bribery scheme” to order medically unnecessary orthotic braces for Medicare beneficiaries.
The 250-acre Banyan Cay property used to be the site of the President Country Club, but the club fell into financial trouble and was sold to an investor group for $11 million in 2011. That investor group then flipped the property to Banyan Cay Dev LLC, led by Gatto, for $26 million in 2015.”

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/local/westpb/2021/04/28/west-palm-beach-banyan-cay-owner-charged-conspiracy/7389283002/

5/4/2021 (Florida Bulldog) “Elderly South Florida mobster Thomas Farese at the top of $93 million healthcare fraud, feds say
Joining Farese as a defendant in the case is old pal, Colombo family associate Pat Truglia, 53, of Parkland. Both men, along with Domenic J. Gatto, 46, of Palm Beach Gardens, and Nicholas Defonte, 72, and Christopher Cirri, 63, both of Toms River, N.J., are charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud between October 2017 and April 2019
Gatto and Defonte posted bonds of $700,000 each and were released. Cirri posted a $500,00 bond. The status of Farese and Truglia is not public. Oddly, because the charges against them are public, their cases remain sealed.”

https://www.floridabulldog.org/2021/05/elderly-south-florida-mobster-farese-atop-93-million-healthcare-fraud/?mc_cid=92b6ca7a56&mc_eid=bedbe4cd59

12/5/2019 “Money laundering is an after-the-fact crime. Only after drugs are sold, extortions settled, cons completed and frauds finished, does money need to be cleaned.
Laundering, the near-invisible financial fiddling to make the money from crime look respectable so it can be openly used, is an essential element of the cycle that keeps mobsters and transnational crime bosses in business.”

https://nationalpost.com/news/the-underworld-laundromat-how-to-clean-10-million-in-mob-money

I find it suspicious and can’t understand why “staff” who recommended approval of the Banyan Cay Resort didn’t do a background check on the developers.

Heads up Commissioners, your not asking the right questions.

The end!

 

 

WPB K9’s Have New Outfits

WPB Watch recently made an appeal to readers for donations to the WPB Benevolent  Foundation to purchase ballistic vests for our police dogs and a Bite Suit to replace a 20 year old suit that served it’s purpose, and definitely needed retiring. Residents came through for the Police Dept. And I have good news to report.

A new company Crazy Tuff K9 stepped up and donated ballistic vests, leash’s, collars and various other equipment to keep all our 4 legged officers safe. It is my understanding the new dogs will be fitted for their vests when they reach the age of 11/2 to 2 years old and fully developed to insure the best fit possible. Crazy Tuff also donated ballistic vests to the Riviera Beach Police Dept. K9 unit. These are good people running a good company.

The bite suit was purchased through numerous donations to the West Palm Beach Police Benevolent Foundation designated for K9 equipment. 

K9 Officer Rob George in the new bite suit. He looks happy  modeling the new Bite Suit. The next picture I hope to receive is one of our K9 hanging off the sleeve to insure a good fit for Rob.

There are 6 dogs in Canine School at the moment being trained for:

4 K9 training for patrol with their 2 legged partners.

1 K9 being trained to detect currency. You read that right, they will sniff out $$. Let the drug dealers beware flying into WPB airports.

The last dog being trained is one of my favorites namely Moose. the blood hound.  More on Moose below. All pictures can be enlarged by double clicking on the picture.

Moose

Moose’s mom is Officer Jen Hardiman and he came to Jen @ 3 months old and this month he will be 11 months of age, and has already seen some action. A request by the Boca Raton Police Dept. was received to aid in finding a man who complained his pacemaker was causing him pain, and unfortunately he left his home on foot and could not be located. The man was located shortly before Moose could aid in the search, but good to know he’s a valued member of WPB K9 unit.

 

Moose at 3 months old. His handler Jen cuddles him in her arms.

 

 

 

 

Moose at 11 month’s. Cuddle time is over, he’s a big boy now. Check out his nose and paws. Crazy Tuff donated a harness, collar and leash for him. Thank you to everyone who donated to keep them safe.  Well done.

Cops and Robbers

When I first heard “defund the police” it was upsetting to me. Then a neighbor explained “we don’t want to defund the police, we want dollars diverted to other programs” We old timers call that “Robbing Peter to pay Paul.” Now I’m hearing from Washington elected officials get rid of the police altogether with no mention of who we call for help in the middle of the night when a stranger enters out home, when a child is shot and killed playing in his front yard, when a drunk driver hits and kills a pedestrian or the corner store is robbed. Who do we call?

What I write here includes the WPB Firefighters. They are both in the same boat as far as wages and benefits. City Administrator Faye Johnson made statements concerning Police contracts at the last City Commission meeting. I was more concerned with what she didn’t say.

The City is obligated to follow the previous contract concerning raises, and if you recall a vote by the police overwhelming voted out the PBA (Police Benevolent Association) and a new contract with the FOP (Fraternal Order of Police) who has been negotiating with the City for a new contract for a year, and May 2021 will begin it’s 8 month without a contract.

Step Plan

The Police Officers we see on the street, riding in patrol cars and respond to us when called are in what is referred to as a “step plan” and the police currently have a 12 step plan which determines police pay grade. When an officer reaches their one year anniversary date, they earn a 5% pay increase until they reach their 12th “step” or year.

Topped Out

Meaning there are police officers who have reached their 12^th Step 10 years ago, have over 20 years with the dept. and have not received a raise in the last 10 years.

Something needs to change, either increase the step plan or increase the pay grade.

Wrap your head around that, because I can’t understand why these cop’s continue to show up each and every day to protect us in what I consider one of the world’s most dangerous professions especially when moral is at the lowest point in years.

WPB Windfall

Reported by WPBF (25) news: A recent press conference and news story with Frankel & James can be seen below.

President Biden signs $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package.

“Congressman Lois Frankel said West Palm Beach will receive about $25.3 million.”

“Mayor Keith James said during the pandemic the city experienced revenue losses of $7 million and spent about $2 million on testing, PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and overtime. He said the city is $10 million short of its projected 2021 budget.”

5% Increase

“The Mayor is recommending to the Commission a starting salary of $249,000 for consideration, which is within the General Management Salary Rate Schedule for the City Administrator Pay Grade, GM20 ($174,303 – $261,454) Upon successful completion of a six (6) month probationary period, Ms. Johnson’s salary will increase by 5% to $261,450, also within the current salary rate schedule.”

Police Officer Step1 $49,900 X 5%= $2,495 = $52,395 1^st. Year anniversary.

City Administrator $249,000 X 5% = $12,450= $261.450 6 month Anniversary. In less than a year Ms. Johnson is $4.00 short of the top of her GM20 pay grade. When she is due for a pay increase how does the City handle it. Possibly leave it at GM20 but increase the Salary Rate Schedule from $261,454.00 to.$350,000.00.

WPB is the largest and busiest municipality in PBC yet they are the lowest paid. Don’t our first responders deserve better?

4/29/2021 @ 2:00 PM City Hall: Negotiations between the City & IAFF (Firefighters)

5/7/2021 @ 10:00AM City Hall: Negotiations between the City & FOP (Police)

Rep. Lois Frankel says COVID-19 relief plan will bring millions to Palm Beach County (wpbf.com)

Pinewood Park not our normal Peace Walk

Friday night @ 7:30 PM (4/23/2021) I was expecting a regular Peace Walk like the “old days” when the police officers outnumbered the residents walking. This walk was completely different with approximately 200 residents in attendance which included former City Commissioner Sylvia Moffett along with Commissioners Peduzzi, Lambert, Fox and Shoaf who represents District 1 where the event took place. Missing was Mayor Keith James and Commissioner Warren.

I spoke with residents who told me “they were not from the area” and attended to show they wanted peace in the streets and gave up their Friday night to show solidarity. Black and white, young and old all walking for a common goal. We all wanted peace and an end to the violence. This is how you take back the streets, you show up in numbers.

“RISE” is an organization, and their members also joined the walk, and they do good work in the northend of the city. RISE will assist residents with housing, employment, education and health and wellness. All you have to do is reach out to them. Double click to enlarge picture for address & phone number. Flyer at the end of the story.

The police dept. had a food truck available and offered hot dogs, snow cones and water along with a mini bus and golf cart for folks who may have a need to sit and rest or a ride back to their auto.

We walked from 39^th. and Pinewood to 54^th. 15 blocks. 2 blocks east to Broadway on 54^th. Broadway to 39^th. 15 more blocks and 2 blocks back to Pinewood Park.. total of 34 blocks…

On Pinewood we walked down the middle of the street until we reached Broadway and the police asked we all move to the sidewalk, and all the marches moved to the sidewalk. We complied. Personally I preferred walking on the street as sections of the sidewalk left a lot to be desired. The police wanted to keep us safe and away from heavy traffic. Here I want to thank 2 men who allowed me to take their arm which allowed me to finish the walk. Thank you to the drivers who sat patiently while the police stopped traffic so we could cross the street safely. Thank you to the drivers who honked their horns on Broadway to show support. Thank you to the WPB Police Department who took every step with us, and kept us all safe. As usual they came through for the City and residents.

If you look at the pictures of arrest at the bottom of the story (double click to enlarge) you will see the following:

Special Investigation Div.   8 arrests

Operation Clean Streets      8 arrests

Operation Ghost Unit         7 arrests

Vice Unit                               11 arrests

That is a total of 34 arrests. One arrest for every block residents walked for peace.

WPTV Chanel 5 was there and you can read the entire story below.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — “A peace walk. It’s a stroll the residents of the Pinewood Park neighborhood in West Palm Beach say is needed to spur change.

“What we feel in this neighborhood on the north end of the city is that we’re not heard very well,” Denise Barnes said.

But they were also briefed by West Palm Beach Police Chief Frank Adderley on what his department is doing to fight crime.

“It’s not falling on deaf ears, we’re in the midst of doing an operation, Operation Clean Sweep. We’ve arrested about 30 individuals that are involved in open drug sales and prostitution in this area. When our community calls, we’re going to respond to them,” Adderley said.”

While residents walked for peace, we heard police sirens a few blocks away and the police helicopter flew overhead and you knew there was a problem. On 13^th. St. 3 people were shot, 1 fatally at 8:00 PM. As you can see there’s a lot more work to be done. The police cannot give us peace without the public’s help, and residents will never have peace without the help of the police.

If you know something please step up and say something. If your afraid of retaliation, I understand that so make a phone call from a public phone. Drop a letter to the police dept.  give them a starting point, someone to investigate. If not you—Who?  Denise Barnes spoke up and look what she accomplished, 200 marching people.

West Palm Beach neighborhood holds peace walk to spur change (wptv.com)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — “One man is dead and two others are injured following a shooting in West Palm Beach Friday evening, according to the West Palm Beach Police Department.

The shooting occurred at 8:32 P.M. along the 900 block of 13th Street.

Police said the gunman shot three pedestrians, who appeared to have been targeted, and then fled the scene.”

1 dead, 2 injured following shooting in West Palm Beach (wptv.com)

 

Peace Walks Continue

His name was Officer Flanagan, and he was the cop that walked the streets in my neighborhood as I was growing up, and he knew the name of every kid, and every kid knew him because our parents repeatedly told us if someone bothers or hurts you find a cop and he will help.

In the summer when we were all in the street playing jump rope, kick the can or hide and seek he could be seen walking up the street when he would bellow while calling us out by name “come on it’s getting dark get home.” We all went home. Unfortunately not all kids were told to trust the police, and at times with good reason. That needs to change.

Chauvin,a former police officer who murdered George Floyd, is not one of the good guy’s and deserves the guilty plea’s he received. One picture is worth a thousands words, and I believe that. Prayers have been heard and answered and I’m hoping mine will be also. My prayer is people will not paint all cops with the Chauvin brush.

WPB has it’s problems in the northend of the city with gangs, drugs and too many killings. In an attempt to bring peace to the northend former Mayor Muoio started the first “Peace in the Streets” walk, and it was organized by Pastor Kevin Jones and volunteers walked the streets monthly talking to residents, asking them to display Peace Signs in their yard and their response was always yes. They thanked us for being there. We always had information for them along with job applications, where to get help if needed and programs the city offered.

We were always accompanied by police officers who kept one eye on us while spending time with the young kids. Officer Seth Buxton had a pocket full of peel and stick police badges and the kids flocked to him for one. Officer’s gave the kids a ride on their Segways and the picture shown is of retired Officer Pinto who thrilled one young man with a ride and the kids lined up for their turn. If you look at the smile on the kids face they were not afraid of the boggy man (cop) No, nothing to fear here. I loved the program and could see the good it was doing especially with the kids who were seeing cops in a different light.
The monthly walks continued for approximately 3 years when we took our last walk in Feb. 2020 without benefit of a police escort in the most dangerous sections of the city. What the hell happened?

I complained about it at the next City Commission meeting and James responded with “I don’t managed the Chief’s schedule.” Really. Another one of Mayor Muoio’s program scrapped.

If kids are in a gang, some as young as 12 or 13 it is my belief these kids are hard to reach as they already belong to “something or someone.” That leaves the younger kids who the police try to reach out too. I have enclosed pictures from previous walks and if you double click I ask you to look at the smiles on the young faces.
There is good news on the horizon. The police dept. is starting the Peace Walk again and the first one is scheduled for this coming Friday April 23,2020 @ 7:30 PM @ 4105 Pinewood Street. The only way they will have a cancellation is if severe weather occurs.
I would like to invite residents to join us and receive the gift of knowing you are helping others by showing we care and walk away with a good feeling knowing you possibly made a difference in someones life.

Pictures are of Former Chief of Police Sara Mooney talking to young children.

Officer Pinto giving children a ride on his Segway.

Children enjoying a WPB Police dog.

 

 

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