Different Route

Mayor Wharton is between a rock and a hard place. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. The people want him to do something about crime. Yet when he does the only thing he can. The public had a fit. A group of ministers and the police association were on the news the next day. Councilwoman Janis Fullilove promptly went about making unfounded allegations. Why would Mayor Wharton want to fire Director Armstrong? He hired him in the first place. Mayor Wharton is a politician, but no more than anyone else. He is just playing the hand he was dealt.

At first I wondered why would Janis be so outspoken regarding the mayor? Then I thought for a minute.Janis has realized the city council is the height of her political career. Unlike Janet Hooks and Tijuan Stout Mitchell. Mayor Herenton took care of them before he left. There won't be any cushy appointed job with the city when she leaves the council. At least not under Mayor Wharton. She is not one of his favorite members on the council. He would probably remove her if he could. She doesn't fit into his plans.

Michael Williams does his cause more harm than good. He doesn't stand up well under questioning. He does well when he does all the talking. Put him against someone asking logical questions. He exemplifies all the things that are wrong with the MPD. All of Director Armstrong's problems have been with the Police Union. At first it was the ticket scandal. Now every week we have an officer charged with domestic violence or some other misconduct. Williams blames everything on officer morale. They do their job according to their raises. They makeup the difference any way they can. The standards have been relaxed so much. We're hiring former gang members.


I think the mayor and the director may be in this together. The blue wall they talk about is real. Bringing in the TBI may be the only way to break the code of silence. Tony Armstrong coming up through the ranks may be his biggest drawback.He has to go against too many friends to accomplish anything. Kemp Conrad wants to draw up legislation, an ethics code of sorts, to take away some of the strength of the unions. That's the bigger picture here. Until  this city is released from the Unions and i t's restraints. It's always a  trip to the same bridge. It's just a different route.