Jerry Blake
Mary Lou Montes Zijderveld
Mike Perry
Rad Field
                             

08/02/03  Al Lipscomb should hide his face in shame.

	Beat that Indictment James Fantroy is appointing a convicted felon and confessed bribe taker to the Police Review Board. When he stood before a Federal Judge and admitted to taking bribes from Floyd Richards for Al Lipscomb's assistance as a council member to influence council decisions in Yellow Cab's favor, he did not equivocate.  He's a confessed crook.

Old Al is only innocent of being innocent.  

Which council members will vote against this appointment?

We will never know the extent of damage to the Bachman/Northwest Highway community done by Old Al and Terrell Bolton, but it was not minimal.  It will take years to rid the area of the stigma of the sex clubs.  Of course, a former pimp would not see sex clubs as problematic.  

Old Al Lipscomb is a bad man, a bad man who uses people and a bad man who abuses the name of Jesus Christ.  

He is anti-Semitic, but he takes money from rich Jews.

As a council member under Mayor Annette Strauss, Old Al took money from her and still insulted her.  Whenever he failed to get his way or his weekly allowance was late, Old Al frequently talked about how the Jews crucified our Lord.  

Romans crucified Jesus, not Jews.   Jews were a captive people with no power.

Christ's fate is never relevant to discussions around the horse show.  His name should never be used as a lever for power as Old Al exploits the name of Jesus Christ.

Friday morning, I got a call from a lady who hears everything first.  When she told me about Fantroy's appointment of Old Al to the Police Review Board, I was stunned.  Later, DMN's Jason Trahan called me for a comment about the appointment.

Lipscomb nominated for police review board; Former Dallas council member would hear citizen complaints 08/02/2003 By JASON TRAHAN / The Dallas Morning News

Former Dallas City Council member Al Lipscomb has been nominated for a seat on a board that reviews complaints of police misconduct for the city. . . .  The board hears complaints from citizens about their dealings with officers and makes recommendations to the Police Department and city administrators.    Mr. Lipscomb, 78, was convicted on bribery charges in 2000, but that conviction was overturned last year. His nomination must still be confirmed by the full council. . . .  Mr. Lipscomb was sentenced to 41 months of home confinement after a jury convicted him on 65 charges of accepting bribes from a cab company owner in exchange for favorable votes at City Hall. . . .  Last year, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision, saying the judge improperly moved the trial to Amarillo against the defense's objections. The panel ordered a new trial. . . .  "My record is clear," he said. "My pastor told me when I was in this house going through that federal ordeal, my pastor informed me constantly, 'Albert, do not let anything or anyone compromise your spirituality.' That has stuck with me."    Longtime city government critic Sharon Boyd, who ran unsuccessfully for a City Council seat in May, said that if Mr. Lipscomb's nomination is confirmed, the consequences could be disastrous for the city and the Dallas Police Department.    "We can't beg, borrow or steal recruits. We have so much invested in these officers, and then we have a felon looking over their shoulders," she said. "He should be hiding in a closet, ashamed. This is beyond logic." . . .  Sam Walker, a civilian oversight expert and criminal justice professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, . . .  "You don't want someone who has been very actively identified with one side of an issue on that board," he said. "You wouldn't want to have an attorney who in the past has represented the police union on that board. It polarizes things. It creates distrust and is counterproductive. It's not the place for people posturing and making statements. It's a very serious review of the evidence.". . .

This is SHAMEFUL and brings to mind Laura Miller's incredible report of 1996 that ultimately lead to Old Al's meltdown.  Here are some excerpts, but you should read the entire piece.  It is chilling and very telling.

Clueless For city Councilman Al Lipscomb, taking handouts from power brokers has become a way of life. Is there a problem?   BY LAURA MILLER dallasobserver.com  originally published: May 30, 1996

. . .   the federal building is only a stone's throw away from Dallas City Hall, where Lipscomb, one of the senior members of the Dallas City Council, reigns supreme on a daily basis--playing political poker with the city's power brokers, lording over 16,000 jobs and $1 billion in tax money. But here, in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Lipscomb was just another poor slob in need of a good lawyer. . . .   "The nerve of them coming in here and draining Lipscomb, draining the company," Lipscomb said,  . . .  Lipscomb and the city's biggest Anglo business leaders--who had helped him create and sustain Lipscomb Industries--were partners in a longstanding marriage of mutual convenience while he was a council member that had spun out of control. It was clear that no matter how badly Lipscomb was feeling about this bankruptcy proceeding, it was nothing compared to how his constituents should feel, if they only knew the shameful story surrounding it. . . .   Al may be clueless when it comes to some things--integrity and ethics are good examples-- . . .   What should be far more disturbing to the public, though, is that this generosity from the city's power brokers was nothing new . . . the Dallas media have long been reluctant to publicize the misdeeds of high-profile minorities for fear of getting picketed or criticized or both.  . . . The Dallas Morning News has been one of Lipscomb Industries' blue-ribbon clients . . . Lipscomb obtained the contract after appealing directly to newspaper owner Robert Decherd, president and CEO of A.H. Belo Corp. . . .   he voted to give the newspaper a whopping $4.5 million tax abatement, over 10 years, on its property. . . . For too long now, Al Lipscomb, Dallas' icon of racial progress--he has an annual football game, the Al Lipscomb State Fair Classic named in his honor--has been allowed, if not downright encouraged, to blur the line between personal gain and public service. For too long now, Lipscomb, the people who cynically control him, and the media who overlook it all, have made a complete mockery of our local political system.    What is perhaps most remarkable--and most tragic--about the real story of Al Lipscomb is that he truly appears not to see the problem with his behavior.  . . .  "I was there for them--for the chamber of commerce at all times"  . . .  "I don't think I ever had a negative vote."  . . .   Lipscomb's push to get City Hall employees to order his chemicals knew no bounds--which, of course, is why the city council finally had to legislate such embarrassing behavior right out of existence. . . .  Lipscomb had been close to the Strauss family for years. He had served with Annette Strauss when she was a council member and later when she was a two-term mayor. Over the years, Strauss--when asked--had given Lipscomb money to tide him over when he was short of cash. . . .  Al Lipscomb was once a hellraiser.  . . .  in 1952, he was arrested twice for selling heroin. He spent 10 months in the Alameda County Jail--a low point in his travels that he took as a sign to head for home. . . .  Some months after the article ran, I ask Lipscomb if he regretted "outing" benefactors like Schenkel and Strauss, who would have been the last people on the planet to admit such a thing.    "I didn't feel any qualms about saying anything about Mr. Schenkel or Mrs. Strauss because that was something I did at all times," he says, referring to his acceptance of money. "I had to.      Annette Strauss gave Lipscomb small amounts when he needed it: "It went on all the time," says Strauss, almost tiredly. "Before I was on the council and afterwards. And it goes on all the time now. If I can help someone, though, I'm going to do it."   Lipscomb tortures credulity when he says there "are no strings attached" to any of the money and gifts he accepts. His own colorful anecdotes prove otherwise. . . .  "Al said it too many times--it was common knowledge, it was supercommon knowledge--that Pete funneled a lot of money to Al," a council member says. "Thousands."

It may have been 1996, but the truth doesn't change.  This article is why Al Lipscomb is so personally vindictive toward Laura Miller.  This article has only one major flaw.  Al Lipscomb was never CLUELESS.

Al Lipscomb "at all times" was SHAMELESS.  SHAMELESS.  SHAMELESS.

He knew exactly what he was doing.  Lying, taking bribes, voting for his donors not his constituents.  He was never CLUELESS.

If Laura Miller has an Achilles heel, it is her liberal streak that makes it near impossible for her to accept someone of color can be truly evil.  Liberals inherently believe people of color are not complete adults and need "understanding" and "assisting".  It is a very patronizing attitude.  It is the root basis of the entire patron/plantation societal structure.

Liberals have a superiority complex because they tend to be wealthy and full of guilt for having more $$ than others, but that does not keep them from living well.  The old term "limousine liberals" is appropriate.

One reporter with a very liberal bent says he's so liberal he won't even take his own side.  

I don't want people to take sides.  I want them to do the right thing.

Do you really believe James Fantroy or Al Lipscomb want their areas to prosper? They may want their particular investments and property holdings to increase in value, but they want their communities to remain dependent on them.  

When Mayor Miller organized a clean-up in South Dallas, Beat that Indictment Fantroy was outraged.  He could have done the same thing at any time in the years he has been in office, but would never have thought of such a thing.  It was BIZARRE the way he ranted and raved over Laura's efforts to help his constituents.  He should have been all smiles and out there sharing the lime light, as if it had been his idea.  James Fantroy is a nasty, mean crook who BEAT THAT INDICTMENT.

When I ran for District 6's council seat, I committed to only serving 2 terms because we need to open the door for new people at City Hall.  I met several young  men and women who would be wonderful future council members and great for board and commission appointments.  People who really wanted to serve and improve their neighborhoods and the city as a whole.

That's not the attitude of BTI Fantroy or Old Al.  These two dried up old crooks would rather die holding on to some vestige of power than make space for new faces.  It is not about service to the community for BTI Fantroy or Old Al, it's about opportunities for them to fleece the community.

There is not an ounce of integrity or compassion between them.  They are both ruthless and vicious.  Now, someone has coerced a decent man like Rev. Charles Stovall to enter their unholy alliance to protect them.   Seeing Rev. Stovall take on his new roll as defender of the bad guys (who happen to be Black) has been particularly painful.  Rev. Stovall has been one of my heroes, but it looks like he held out against the bad guys as long as he could.

With John Wiley Price's ludicrous defense of Chief Terrell Bolton and Rev. Stovall defending Old Al, the African-American "leadership" appear to be closing rank to protect the bad guys.  What kind of example are they setting for young men and women of color?  

That's the point.  These so-called minority leaders are more concerned about protecting their power and alliances than exposing and punishing wrongdoers.  They should be looking for honorable people to serve in public office or on public boards instead of protecting crooks.

There is no universal community movement to defend Chief TB or Old Al.  It is only  the same old dozen or so so-called leaders who just pass the power back and forth among themselves and stifle any young people who might want to actually do something good for their community.  The only good news is that this gang of "so-called leadres"  is getting older.

It's the difference between School Board Trustee Ron Price and Rossi Walker, or comparing School Board Trustee Joe May to Mike Martinez. 

Walker and Martinez are two successful businessmen who wanted to do good work for Dallas school kids.  Price (convicted wife beater) and May (slumlord and vote harvester) are two crooks who want to positions of power for their own personal gain.

People often ask me how I can keep going when my cause fails or someone I back loses (or when I'm the losing candidate).  It's the Don Quixote in me who believes one more run at some offending windbag will be the one that carries the day.   We cannot give up.

We cannot accept the likes of Joe Thug May or Beat that Indictment Fantroy or Wife Beater Ron Price or Old Al Lipscomb in public office.  They are not representative of their communities or this city.  They are just the horses the bad guys back so our public coffers are available when Our Downtown Betters (the ODB) need to raid them.  

We need to watch who votes for Old Al to be on the Police Review Board.  Several council members were ready to vote against the Mayor's nominee to an important Board.  Will Veletta Lill support Old Al?  Will the Mayor vote for him knowing better than anyone what harm he can do in that position?

It will speak volumes about their personal integrity as to how each council member votes on this nomination.  

This is the line in the sand.

Any council member who votes to put an ex-con and confessed bribe taker on the City's Police Review Board will be telling us they, like Beat that Indictment James Fantroy and Old Al Lipscomb, are also 

SHAMELESS.