… police and thieves in the street (oh yeah)

scaring the nation with their guns and ammunition …

J. Murvin/L. Perry circa 1976

Sometimes life just gets in the way of music. From the CyberSoulMan point of view many of the ills of humankind are banished from consciousness in the face of good music. Then again, some songs and music can identify the different types of struggles we go through when, from somewhere On High, it is mandated that we interact with each other. Oh boy, the History Of Western Civ. Contracts between God and man. Contracts between man and man. Contracts between governments. Contracts between governments and corporations. Contracts between contracts.

Wow, CyberSoulMan, you say. You’re trippin’ way out there, brother. Come on, write about Bob Wills or Maury Wills or Buddy Holly or Buddy Miles or Miles Davis or even how Elvis hung out in the inner city in Memphis in the '50s. But don’t open the police and thieves door.

How can you frame this column with a fragment of a Reggae tune that seems to imply some kind of heretical bond between disparaging elements?

I heard a guy imply Saturday in a public forum that we have a hard time recognizing our own dirt. I perceived that he meant us as individuals or parts of a group at large.

Much press and hype is given to the notion that Oakland, California is some sort of carnivorous cancer on the cityscape of the Bay Area/California/United States of America. The absolute truth still begs to be told.

A series of bizarre murders involving police agencies on both sides of the fatal bullets have occurred in Oakland recently that have many folks upset and wondering if justice really real. Understandably, many folk are pointing fingers at that class of beings of which I represent, the African American male, as somehow being at the root of the problem that is suggested in the song, “Police & Thieves.”

One thing is clear from within and without: Social statistics regarding the state of African American male are shocking.

Here are some stats compiled by the National Urban League in 2007:

• African American males are more than twice as likely to be unemployed as white males.

• Black males who work in comparable jobs earn only 75 percent of their white counterparts.

• Black men are seven times more likely to be incarcerated, with average jail sentences about 10 months longer than those of white men.

• In 1995, 16 percent of black men in their 20s who did not go to college were in jail; a decade later the percentage had grown to 21 percent.

The list is actually longer and more depressing. I think the reader can deduct that we, as humans, are extracting a heavy pound of flesh from certain segments of society. The Urban League also suggests possible root causes for these stats; fatherlessness, a pervasive negative entertainment culture, racism and multi-generational poverty in family structure. The CyberSoulMan would insert that the psychological post traumatic effects of slavery is a root cause as well.

I have to tell you that all of the above seemed to manifest itself when I was driving through Oakland on 580 Saturday morning. Highway driving in the Bay Area is a tad different than the Lake County driving experience. A little faster, a little crazier. The flow of traffic that I was in was doing about 80 miles per hour when a California Highway Patrol unit with lights flashing shot to the front of the pack and started S-turn maneuvers from the fast lane to the slow lane, repeatedly which, of course, got our attention and traffic slowed way down.

This went on for close to two miles during which our speed was decreased to about five miles per hour. I’d assumed that the officer was simply trying to slow traffic down. Wrong! There was indeed a hazard in the road about two miles from where this all started. A bicycle was lying in the fast lane. The officer stopped her car to remove the hazard from the road. All the traffic stopped. I was in the slow lane still creeping at five miles per hour, somehow thinking that since though I was in the front of the pack in the slow lane, it was all right for me to proceed slowly past, since I was on the other side of the freeway. Before the officer picked up the bike, she spied me creeping along the slow lane, almost past the confusion. She ran over toward me shouting at the top of her lungs, “Stop! Stop now!”

“OK, I got it.” I understood now. I couldn’t just creep past. I stayed put until she had crossed the freeway with the bike and deposited it on the shoulder. She then marched double time toward my car and stopped to lambaste me further. “What's wrong with you? I could've hit you! I should write you a ticket! Don't ever do that!”

She was really hollering. She looked to be about 19 years old. I’d cautiously opened my car door since my window doesn’t roll down so that I could respond. When she was done shouting, she spun on her heels and marched toward her car. I can only imagine, what the drivers behind me were thinking. I spoke with all the sincerity I could muster.

“I’m sorry. It wasn’t clear to me exactly what you wanted me to do.”

She kept marching, shining me on. I restated my position, a little louder. “Did you hear me? I wasn’t clear about what you wanted me to do.”

“Yes!” she hollered, still with venom. She jumped into her car and flew off like a you-know-what out of you-know-where. I pulled off the freeway. I had the adrenaline shakes. I called the CHP non-emergency line to report my distress at having been talked to in such a derogatory manner.

I was quite surprised to receive a call back from the CHP shift supervisor maybe six hours later. We had a cordial conversation. He offered me the choice of making a formal complaint or having him just talk to her. I asked him to just talk to her about her communication skills. I wasn’t trying to besmirch her record. He also said that she was relatively new on the force and that she was 35 not 19. Oh well. All’s well that ends well.

I’m not a policeman or a thief. I realize that some aspects of this subject matter may be disturbing to some. These are real issues and real talk. This is still America, planet earth. And it’s OK to talk to me about my communication skills as well. Please, no hollerin’.

Keep prayin’, Keep thinkin’ those kind thoughts!

*****

Upcoming cool event:

Blue Wing Blue Monday Blues. Lake Blues All-Stars, Monday, March 30. 6:30 p.m. at the Blue Wing Saloon & Café. 9520 Main St., Upper Lake. 707-275-2233

T. Watts is a writer, radio host and music critic. Visit his Web site at www.teewatts.biz.

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LAKE COUNTY – Local law enforcement agencies are preparing to send representatives to pay their respects at the funeral services planned for four Oakland Police officers killed in the line of duty last Saturday.

 

Lake County Sheriff's deputies, and officers with Clearlake and Lakeport Police departments will make the trip to Oakland Friday to honor Sgt. Mark Dunakin, 40, of Tracy; Sgt. Daniel Sakai, 35, of Castro Valley; Sgt. Ervin Romans, 43, of Danville; and Officer John Hege, 41, of Concord who died after being shot by parolee Lovelle Mixon, 26, of Oakland.

 

The Associated Press reported that on March 21 Mixon shot Hege and Dunakin after they pulled him over in a routine traffic stop. Sakai and Romans were part of a SWAT team that stormed an apartment where Mixon was hiding and were fatally wounded in the shootout in which Mixon also died. Hege remained on life support until Monday.

 

“All four officers willingly put themselves in harm’s way and their heroic sacrifice is a grave reminder of the dangers all law enforcement officers face while protecting our communities,” Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a March 21 statement.

 

Schwarzenegger ordered the flags at the State Capitol building to fly at half-staff in honor of the fallen officers.

 

Press reports anticipate thousands of officers from across the United States and Canada will take part.

 

Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office said the agency is sending a volunteer contingent of four people to the services.

 

Clearlake Police Lt. Mike Hermann said they're also sending several officers.

 

Lakeport Police Chief Kevin Burke, Lt. Brad Rasmussen and two more officers will take two department units down to the funeral, Rasmussen said Wednesday.

 

The California Highway Patrol also will be represented at the memorial service, but there will be no officers attending from the Clear Lake office, said Officer Steve Tanguay.

 

The Oakland Police Officers Association said March 21 has become the deadliest day in the Oakland Police's department's history.

 

“In the 160 year history of Oakland Police Department there has never been such a singular incidence of devastation to our ranks,” the association said in a statement.

 

The funeral services Friday will be held at Oakland's Oracle Arena at 11 a.m. The services are open to the public.

 

The funeral services are expected to be broadcast live.

 

Dunakin was an 18-year Oakland Police veteran who is survived by his wife and three children, according to a report from the governor's office. Hege was with the agency for 10 years and leaves behind his mother, father and two sisters. Romans was a 13-year Oakland Police veteran; he's survived by his wife and 3 children. Sakai, a married father of one, was with Oakland Police for nine years.

 

Trust funds have been set up for the families of the fallen officers. For more information visit the Oakland Police Officers Association's Web site, www.opoa.org/trustfunds.htm.

 

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

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The big white goose that was a regular visitor all along the north shore of Clear Lake for at least 10 years has died a peaceful death.

Many people knew her as she seemed to have a regular visitation schedule looking for food handouts along the shoreline. When she saw a person she would honk loudly as she rapidly approached. Nearby mallards hurried to join her as they apparently recognized her “foods here” call.

Some people may have noticed her when she was sometimes seen on the very edge of Highway 20 searching for food in the vegetation.

I never thought I would write about a goose but we suspect there are a lot of people who wonder why they haven't seen her lately (but please don't tell this to my brother who has been known to harass me).

Our dear neighbor Margaret, who lived here long before we did, thought the goose was a male, perhaps because it was never seen with other geese but probably because it was a very large bird.

We thought goosey must be female because she was very maternal. Every year Granny would adopt one mallard family, sometimes with a drake, sometimes without, but always with ducklings.

For weeks Granny would escort that family everywhere, she was always on watch and would drive off any other duck that came anywhere near the ducklings. But now Granny Goose is gone.

Jack Bettencourt lives in Lucerne.

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MIDDLETOWN – The growing of medical marijuana will not be banned in Hidden Valley Lake, nor will it be policed by the homeowners association's safety and security division, according to a recent decision.

During a Hidden Valley Lake Association board meeting last month the issue of growing medical marijuana in the community was raised. Board members discussed the legal ramifications if individuals decided to grow it – not only indoors but outside as well.

The subject gave rise to questions and concerns for board members and residents, and the board asked Chief Charles Russ, head of the association's safety and security department, to prepare a report and bring back his recommendations.

Russ did just that at the March 12 meeting.

In his memorandum to the board, Russ explained that California voters passed Proposition 215, the California Compassionate Use Act, in November of 1996. The measure creates an exception to California laws prohibiting the possession and cultivation of marijuana for patients and primary caregivers with a physician's approval.

The law protects people who want to grow medical marijuana by allowing up to 12 immature marijuana plants per qualified patient. In addition they are allowed to have up to a half-pound of dried marijuana at their residence, with the proper identification.

That leads to concerns about people getting together to “co-op” their plants, which could itself become a nuisance. One Hidden Valley Lake resident had reported having marijuana plants stolen from his yard.

Another grower – who uses medical marijuana for severe post traumatic stress disorder resulting from service in a war zone – stated that he did not want this to happen to him and he would take the necessary precautions to insure that.

The Hidden Valley Lake Association board did not want to have their safety and security division monitor and control this area of the law because of the obvious risks involved.

The Lakeport City Council passed an ordinance in 2007 banning the growth of medical marijuana in the city limits citing the plant's strong smell, concerns about potential crimes and the lack of staff resources to engage in extensive regulation.

Russ had several options for the board to consider. One of them was to require residents with medical marijuana cards to register with the association and obtain a special use permit to cultivate the plants outdoors. However this option could also be challenged legally and impact the administrative workload, Russ said.

Russ said that if Hidden Valley Lake is to adopt a policy that prohibits outdoor marijuana cultivation, as they did in Lakeport, they would need to defer to legal counsel and an advisory committee for “additional review and feedback.”

Ultimately, however, Russ' recommendation – which the board accepted – was that the association maintain its existing policy and refer marijuana complaints and issues to the appropriate governmental issue, in this case the Lake County Sheriff's Office, which has legal jurisdiction over Hidden Valley Lake.

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CLEARLAKE – Clearlake Police have put out a call to the community to be on the lookout for a high risk sex offender.

A Friday report from Lt. Mike Hermann explained that Stoney Prior, 31, was released from prison on Thursday and paroled into the south Lake County area, according to information state parole officers provided to Clearlake Police.

Hermann said Prior was being monitored by a GPS ankle bracelet, but at noon on Friday Prior allegedly cut off the bracelet in the area of Main Street in Lower Lake. As a result, he's now wanted for parole violations.

Because Prior is a high risk sex offender, his picture and physical description are being released to the public, Hermann said.

Prior is described as an Indian male adult, 5 feet 6 inches tall and 150 pounds, with long black hair and brown eyes. He has his name, “Prior,” tattooed on both his left and right arms.

Anyone with information on Prior's whereabouts should contact law enforcement immediately, Hermann said.

Clearlake Police can be reached at 994-8251 or via the 911 system.

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LAKEPORT – The Lakeport Police Department is looking for a man who is alleged to have attempted to rob a teenager at knifepoint on Thursday.

Lt. Brad Rasmussen reported that Lakeport Police officers were dispatched to the Lakeport Car Wash at Martin and S. Forbes streets just after 11 a.m. Thursday to investigate a robbery report.

Rasmussen said officers determined that the victim, a 16-year-old male juvenile subject, was approached by a Hispanic male adult subject who displayed a small folding knife and demanded the victim’s money.

The victim turned over a small amount of money to the suspect who then fled from the area on foot, traveling south on S. Forbes St. toward C St., according to Rasmussen.

Rasmussen said the victim and witnesses described the Hispanic male subject as being 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a medium build and black hair. He was said to be unshaven and had bad teeth.

The man was wearing blue jeans and a black-hooded sweatshirt with the hood on his head at the time of the robbery, Rasmussen added.

Four Lakeport Police units, along with an additional five units from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, checked the area for the suspect but did not locate him, said Rasmussen.

Rasmussen said the armed robbery suspect also matches the description of a subject who was reported to be asking people for money outside of the ATM machine at Bank of America early Wednesday afternoon. Lakeport Police units also had responded at that time but didn't find the man.

The Lakeport Police Department is continuing to investigate the Thursday incident. Rasmussen said they believe the suspect may be transient in the Lakeport area.

Anyone with information on the incidents or the suspect is asked to call Lakeport Police Officer Jake Steely, 263-5491.

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