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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2015/08/victim_in_downtown_flint_shoot.html#incart_river
Victim in downtown Flint shooting dies from injuries, police say
Flint Police Chief James Tolbert, right, listens to Captain Collin Bernie as they assess the scene while officers investigate after a shooting that left one man in critical condition on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2015 in downtown Flint, just outside of the MTA bus station. One man is in custody, police said. Jake May | MLive.com
Jake May | jmay2@mlive.com
Amanda Emery | aemery@mlive.com By Amanda Emery | aemery@mlive.com
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on August 04, 2015 at 6:50 PM, updated August 04, 2015 at 8:44 PM
Police investigate critical shooting near downtown Flint bus station
A shooting in downtown Flint left one person in critical condition Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2015 in downtown Flint near the MTA bus station, police said.
FLINT, MI -- A man previously listed in critical condition following a Tuesday, Aug. 4 shooting just outside the MTA bus station has died from his injuries.
Michigan State Police Lt. David Kaiser said the victim has died.
Police were called to an area just outside the MTA bus station, near the intersection of East Second and Wallenberg streets in downtown Flint, around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday and found a man with a gunshot wound.
The suspect, an adult male, was taken into custody at the scene and a gun was recovered.
During preliminary investigations, police were getting conflicting witness reports on whether the men were inside the bus station at some point during the argument, Flint Police Department Capt. Collin Birnie told the Flint Journal.
Investigators plan to review surveillance footage from surrounding buildings, including the MTA station.
No further information has been released at this time.
Flint police responded to a second shooting Tuesday afternoon in the 5500 block of Leslie Drive. The victim was listed in good condition at an area hospital.
These shootings come on the heels of three deadly shootings in the city.
A man was found shot to death around 1 a.m. Tuesday outside the Cloud Nine Showbar just outside downtown Flint.
Detectives were also busy late Sunday night, Aug. 2, and Monday morning, Aug. 3, investigating separate shootings that left two men dead.
The first incident happened in the 1800 block of Oklahoma Avenue on the city's east side around 11:30 p.m. The second shooting happened around 2:30 a.m. inside a home in the 3100 block of Milbourne Avenue, between West McClellan Street and Pasadena Avenue.
On Friday, July 31, a 20-year-old man originally listed in critical condition died due to his injuries. A 24-year-old man was also transported Hurley Medical Center for non-critical injuries. The shooting happened near the intersection of West Stewart Avenue and Fleming Road.
Amanda Emery is a police reporter for MLive-Flint Journal. Contact her at aemery@mlive.com or 810-285-0792. Follow her on Twitter or Facebook. |
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Wed Aug 05, 2015 7:54 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Whether you use the Journal numbers or those of Flint Police Operations, the City has already passed the number of murders for all of last year. There is a grant to reduce crime in the Kettering&/ University Avenue corridor, and yet B & E's, home invasions, vandalism and theft remain a constant problem in Mot Park, Glenwood Hills and now the New Northern area..
The State Police stated they would continue their walking patrols in the "Merrill Hood" area, and yet the shootings and murders in that area persist.
The Prosecutor got involved in a publicized incident of gunfire and retaliation in the College Cultural area (got publicity too). However, he has never intervened in nuisance houses in other parts of the community. He used the nuisance law in a Flint Township motel only after police officers became involved in a shooting. A home in Glenwood Hills could have been padlocked after Police raided it twice for meth operations.
In the late 80's. former Ombudsman Jim Ananich, Attorney Kathy Dones Carson, former Ombudsman Jim Dupsa, Robert Leonard and Matt Taylor brought this issue to the public's attention by filing lawsuits demanding homes repeatedly raided for drugs be padlocked.
What good are studies if the City does not attempt to implement the recommendations? The most recent study of the Flint Police Department recommended more officers. Flint plans to reduce the numbers by attrition and make it up with $15 an hour new recruits. What will that really mean when the pension and health care costs are deducted? Would you risk your life for the equivalent of $8 to $10 per hour? |
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Wed Aug 05, 2015 8:19 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Wed Aug 05, 2015 8:21 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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I am told that Walling was called a liar by a prominent pastor on a weekend show sponsored by local pastors.
After reviewing his campaign literature it appears he is taking credit for the Drain Commissioner and the Karegondi Pipe line. Hmmm he only sits on a board established by the Drain Commission.
When challenged on transparency in regards to HUD programs, Walling claimed these discussions were discussed openly in council and the Flint Journal didn't have a clue on reporting these discussions. He forgot I was at the hearing where Peter Bade admitted he deliberately kept the loss of the Department of Energy Grand and the subsequent investigation from the council. Flint must have complained about HUD and FOIA's because those of us who had been declared to be exempt from fees suddenly received notice of potential $1200 charges, in violation of memorandums to promote transparency. HUD screwed up in Flint and Michigan making it necessary to hide some of their ineptitude.
When was the last time the media reported on HUD findings if an OIG audit was not involved?
A neighbor owns a trucking company that is rapidly growing. His efforts to utilize the old McDonald Dairy building was initially met with enthusiasm from city officials. He states certain downtown groups began to create issues. Then the vandals struck, he said, They entered the premises multiple times to pillage and loot. The last time they set the building on fire and destroyed generators and other equipment. He has since moved his operation south of Flint. He hopes home values increase so he doesn't such a heavy hit on his home. He is heavily investing in his business.
Unfortunately, I noticed a for sale sign on a ranch home that I have admired. I was surprised to see the home listed in Real estate Digest for under $69,000. The home has many updates including a kitchen remodel with oak cabinets and granite countertops,. Many county listings that paled in comparison to this house started at $137,000 and up.
City lots in the New Northern area often have a great front yard, but sometimes lack a back yard. However, the houses in Ann Arbor frequently lack any kind of yard and a dated and worn house can sell for over $200,000.
A landlord once offered a house free if I knew anyone who would invest in it. It seems with the rising cost of a rental in Flint, the 2 bedroom homes are in small demand and are expendable. Other landlord have multiple properties up for sale. |
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Wed Aug 05, 2015 9:47 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Topic: Police and Crime rates
Untannglingwebs
F L I N T O I D
Flint crime doubled as size of police force was cut in half, analysis shows
David Harris | dharris5@mlive.com By David Harris | dharris5@mlive.com
on August 25, 2013 at 7:00 AM, updated August 25, 2013 at 7:02 AM
FLINT MI – Ten years ago, the Flint Police Department had enough personnel to fill a mid-size theater at Rave move theaters; by 2011, its staff couldn't fill even the smallest.
The Flint police department has shrunk nearly 50 percent since 2003, according to an analysis by MLive Media Group. In the same time, crime went up nearly 50 percent.
Back in 2003, the city's police department boasted 242 officers. By 2011, there were 122. Violent crime, as has been well documented, also skyrocketed, nearly doubling from 12.2 violent crimes per 1,000 people in 2003 to 23.4 in 2011.
Flint bucks a statewide trend that saw an overall decrease in crime despite a reduction in officers, the MLive analysis showed.
Statewide, nearly one in 10 full-time officers were lost in the past 10 years – 1,870 in all. The state's overall population fell less than 2 percent.
But crime rates across Michigan dropped even further. From 2003 to 2011, the last year statewide figures are available from the FBI, serious violent and property crimes dropped 22 percent.
Flint police officer Kevin Smith, president of the police officer's union, said the rise in violent crime and decline in police presence is not just a coincidence .
"When you got more officers, they get to know their neighborhood," said Smith. "They know who the good guys and bad guys are if they are policing it on a consistent basis."
Now, officers are just responding to call after call, he said. A new initiative is supposed to keep officers in one of four areas of the city, but there are so many calls for service that officers are often leaving the area to go to calls in other parts of the city, said Smith. The idea is to keep officers in one area of the city so they get to know the people in the area, but it hasn't worked that way, Smith said.
Consider this: In 2003, there were 28 homicides, while in 2011 there were 52, even as the city population dropped 20,000. The city reached the 2003 mark for homicides by June 2011. The city then wasn't constantly topping the most violent city in the nation list, as it has from 2010-12.
State and federal law enforcement have jumped in to do what they can to help. There are 26 troopers and eight detectives working in the city, and 10 more will be coming at a later time, according to the commander of the Michigan State Police Flint post. The ATF had a surge of extra agents in the summer of 2012 that netted guns and drug seizures.
The U.S. Attorney's Office is prosecuting felons in possession of guns and just recently started to handle armed robbery of businesses cases because prison sentences are longer in federal court.
Smith said the last time police were on top of criminal activity was 2008, when there were 229 city officers.
"We still had crime, but not to this magnitude," he said.
Jamal Williams, 30, has been a victim of crime. He said he was robbed at gunpoint a couple years ago.
"It was violent, it was scary," said Williams. "Having a gun next to your head, it's crazy."
For the crime rate to improve, he said, the economy needs to get better and there needs to be more jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor statistics, Flint had a 10.1 percent unemployment rate in June while the rate for the state was 8.8 in July. Williams said he sees all type of crime where he lives, on the city's north side.
"Everything," he said. "You name it."
Flint Mayor Dayne Walling blames the economy more than the reduction of officers. He said Flint has been hit harder than other areas of the state in the last decade.
"The economic effects of two recessions on the city have created an environment where crime has been hard to control," said Walling.
Walling said there needs to be more job training, youth violence prevention programs and after-school activities. While there are some, they haven't reached the scope needed, he said.
"The existing programs are making a difference, but there is a large number of youth that are not being reached," Walling said.
Walling said a return to 2003 staffing levels is not an answer.
"It would be an expensive mistake to assume that the longstanding public safety challenge in Flint can be solved with only additional personnel," he said.
The police millage that passed in November – 6 mills over five years that would raise $5.3 million in the first year – helps balance the police department staffing levels as grants expire, and officials said 10 new officers would be hired.
Kathy Edgar, 65, has lived in Flint for 42 years and the city around her has changed drastically, she said. The crime, she said, is "awful."
A lack of police officers and respect among youth are to blame, she said.
"I don't know what these young kids are doing," she said. "They are doing stupid things. I didn't get this old by being stupid." |
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Wed Aug 05, 2015 9:55 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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"Flint Mayor Dayne Walling blames the economy more than the reduction of officers. He said Flint has been hit harder than other areas of the state in the last decade.
"The economic effects of two recessions on the city have created an environment where crime has been hard to control," said Walling.
Walling said there needs to be more job training, youth violence prevention programs and after-school activities. While there are some, they haven't reached the scope needed, he said.
"The existing programs are making a difference, but there is a large number of youth that are not being reached," Walling said."
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The city once had many millions in youth job programs. Those days are gone. Now only a small number of youth are funded each summer and it appears these are only those associated with other Chamber programs. |
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Wed Aug 05, 2015 10:01 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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http://www.minbcnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=1236964
Flint searching for a consulting firm to revitalize plagued Atherton East
by Nicky Zizaza
Posted: 07.30.2015 at 12:37 AM
"We gotta go I mean it's time to go it's not safe out here no more," said resident Kanesha Miller
"Megan Hunter Director of Planning said the city isn't equipped to handle a search.
"The plan is really detailed and it's more than just a plan it's actually a conceptual drawings it's looking at how to finance the housing so we need a consultant who has those expertise we don't have them in house," said Hunter
The vehicle city said they are hoping to correct their failure.
"They were put there because the city didn't want to incorporate them into the fabric of the community, now it's time for the city to erase that wrong."
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If it were not for Andrew Highsmith's research, the City would not be even admitting the racist policies of the past. I have been surprised to have young men from the north end quote Highsmith. |
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Wed Aug 05, 2015 10:06 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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When first read this I was hopeful for improvement. I once went to Atherton East for job related duties. This place is huge, nearly a city within a city. Highsmith revealed the racist intent for it's creation, but the dismantling will be enormous.
HUD dismantled the famous Cabriri Green in Chicago, but it was a difficult task. Even when the residents are moved into mixed income housing, studies reveal some deep seated issues remain. |
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Wed Aug 05, 2015 10:12 am |
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