Vindictive, thin-skinned mayor acting vindictive, thin-skinned
May 23, 2009 at 11:40 am by Andisheh Nouraee in NewsSgt. Scott Kreher, one of Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin’s most persistent and effective critics, stepped in a big pile of poop this week when he told the city council he’s so frustrated with Franklin’s unresponsiveness that he’d like to hit her in the head with the baseball bat.
Given the context of the original statement and the wording of Kreher’s quick apology, it was clearly an ugly metaphor. It stretches credulity to say Kreher’s comment was a threat.
Well, Shirley has decided to stretch credulity.
Here’s what Her Majesty Honor told Fox 5:
“I think it’s intended to intimidate me, my family and city officials. I think it’s very dangerous language and when someone says they want to take a bat and hit you in the head, from my experience, they want to kill you,” said Mayor Franklin.
The mayor apparently had nothing to say about the source of Kreher’s frustration, her administration’s poor treatment of wounded police officers.
And that’s why Kreher’s comment was so infuriating. He handed Franklin a stack of victim cards. Now she’s playing them.
May 23rd, 2009 at 1:20 pm
I have to disagree with you. This is the South, after all. There is too much racially charged history to go around making comments like that. You really need to think about the comment that this overseer, I mean, officer said. I mean, does it really take a person of color to read between the lines. At the very least, it was extremely irresponsible. There are too many extremists walking around that would take this comment and think that there is nothing wrong with this type of thinking. In addition, would that “man,” have said that about another woman of his same ethnicity? I very much doubt that. It was a despicable comment – not only for it’s racial undertones, but for the simple fact that it was abusive. What man says that: “I would like to beat her in the head with a baseball bat”? Seriously, at the very least, he should be fired without his pension.
May 23rd, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Kreher deserves the silver medal of stupid. Franklin gets gold.
May 23rd, 2009 at 11:01 pm
Stephanie, who’s the mayor and whose the city employee? Therefore, who would be the “overseer” in this case – the mayor, or the city employee. I’m not defending Kreher’s comments by any measure, but there’s no need for you to go and inject the race card in this either. You are the one peddling “racial undertones” madam.
May 23rd, 2009 at 11:21 pm
Kreher stepped over the line. Now he apologizes by explaining he was angry about something. As an APD officer, APD supervisor and president of teh noble IBPO he disgraces himself and hundreds of honest hard working officers who count on him for leadership even when he is frustrated and and upset. Women, children and families count on APD to protect them. Kreher’s comments give license to the very violence that the injured officers suffered. Kreher has let the officers he represents down.
May 24th, 2009 at 11:35 am
Here we go with the usual politics of distraction, ably abetted by what passes around here for mainstream news. How about noting that Shirley is afraid of Scott Kreher’s stupid baseball bat comment but was not at all fearful for her life when her son-in-law retreated to her home after ordering a double murder in Virginia Highland? Why did it take the US Atty in Greenville to investigate and solve that crime and roll up the massive drug syndicate of which the son-in-law was Atlanta organizer?
Shirley and her flunkey Pennington are almost certainly a much greater threat to law and order in Atlanta than Kreher and his big mouth. So why don’t we say so?
May 24th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Suggestions that Franklin should act as if Sgt. Kreher did anything other than threaten her deny the facts. For goodness sakes there are witnesses and a tape. Kreher chose to tell the media about his apology before contacting Franklin. Why didn’t he call her on Wednesday after the hearing as suggested by at least one of his union colleagues? Sure we all make mistakes but not threatening someone is a lesson most of us learned in grade school and at home from our parents. He’s a police officer who has extensive training to maintain discipline and cool in tense and frustrating situations. Kreher even trains and supervises other officers. He has set a poor standard for those he supervises. On top of that he’s president of the union. Franklin should take him seriously because as an officer of the law he is sworn to protect Atlantans even when he is upset. He would arrest someone who did the same to him or if he answered a call with these facts. Violent words lead to violent actions more than occasionally in Atlanta and in the world. No matter what Kreher thinks of Franklin or her administration his actions deserve close scrutiny and his mental stability is in question. As a long term resident and taxpayer in Atlanta who doesn’t always agree with Franklin she’s right on this time.
May 24th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Overseer? Are you fucking kidding me?
May 24th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
ruth elizabeth, You are a trifle overwrought. Actually, Kreher did not threaten Franklin. He said her actions in denying care to injured cops made him want to hit her over the head with a baseball bat. ‘Want to’ is not the same as ‘plan to.’ He very clearly poses no threat to Franklin.
May 24th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
All Franklin is doing now is diminishing her stature while raising Kreher’s. Male politicians usually don’t fall into that trap. They just belittle their opponents instead of whining about them and pretending to feel threatened by them.
May 25th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Hey, at least we know Shirley still responds to “mayor.” I thought she quit that job years ago.
May 25th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
Kreher gets the Dumbo of the Year award for his comments. He effectively took the spotlight off the officers and onto himself. He deserves everything he gets.
The officers I spoke to since his comments are embarrassed by him and his comments.
May 25th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
So the BMF Mayor is scared by this cop’s comments?? Funny, she wasn’t scared when her daughter was laundering BMF’s drug money. She wasn’t scared when BMF’s hitman, aka her son in law, was living in her house, bragging about how he was protected by the MAYOR!
Shirley, give it up! Stop running away from the real issue!
May 26th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
You know what? Every time I read about the crime in Atlanta, I want to hit the mayor over the head. Every time I read about a home invasion, a robbery, a shooting or a murder. Every time some innocent is victimized while she and Pendleton look the other way. Kreher made a foolish comment, but he didn’t say anything that any one of us who cares about the city hasn’t thought at one time or another. It’s amazing and incredibly sad that the only time I see outrage from her or her gadflies is in situations like these. Violent crimes, drug trafficking, attacks on innocent people…these get no comment from her, other than the pablum about how crime stats are showing a downtrend. Her job title may be mayor, but it’s perfectly clear that Atlanta has been without leadership for years. I for one am counting down the days until she is out of office, and good riddance.
May 26th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
Maybe it’s time for someone, Andy maybe, to update the crime stats for Atlanta.
I want to see where we are compared to last year. Violent crimes was way down the last time the AJC ran the numbers.
May 26th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Remember when Franklin was being though of as a prospect for statewide office?
It damn sure is a distant joke, I mean memory, now isn’t it?
She is awful!
May 26th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
Stats from who? Franklin? Pendleton? Figures are easy to manipulate when you’ve got something to hide or something to prove.
May 26th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
Stats are in for Jan-Mar 2009. atlantapd.org
I’m a wee bit busy, but will get around to it one of these days.
May 26th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
It appears crime is down 10% over last year for January – March. Both violent and property crimes are down.
These stats are reported to the FBI.
May 27th, 2009 at 12:17 am
What does Franklin have to prove? She’s never been interested in running for another office. The crime stats are reported to and reviewed by FBI and now published online by the city. Sounds like Kreher is trying to distract from his mean, stupid statement. If he had budget comments why didn’t he make them last week instead of making the threat? He would have saved himself a lot of grief and maybe have influenced the Council since Franklin is beyond influence according to him and lots of bloggers.
May 27th, 2009 at 9:35 am
suspend kreher for 2 weeks without pay.
recall franklin and vote in a more competent mayor.
May 27th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
atlpaddy:
Here we go with the “race card” bit. I am so tired of people going around throwing that phrase up, as if to say: “Shut up already, we’ve heard it all before… Racism doesn’t exist… We’re so over it, why aren’t you?” Well, I’ve got news for you, it does exists, and it clouds the subconscious judgment of many. The day we no longer feel the need to describe someone by the color of their skin (i.e., “We have a Black president”), we can start putting the proverbial “race card” away. The racial tension and history in my country has effected my family for generations, and I still feel the repercussions today. I am in my 20’s, and can hardly believe some of the things that come out of individuals mouths (many are younger than I – children in grade school to be exact). So don’t feed me that “race card” B.S. Until you’ve walked a mile in my shoes (or any other person of color), you should really keep your simple comments to yourself.
As for Kreher, either the guy is okay with speaking graphically about beating women, or he doesn’t see it as such because, Franklin is African American. Call a spade a spade. I can attest, as soon as I heard the comment (prior to Franklin’s response), I, myself felt threatened. I can honestly say that I feel very uncomfortable with someone like that “protecting and serving” me.
Bottom line is, Franklin is a government official, albeit, not a very good one – but don’t expect to get away with threatening someone in government office. I suspect he might have forgotten that she is a government official. Whatever his motivation may be, the man needs to be fired. Period.
May 27th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
To griftdrift and atlpaddy-
To give you some insight:
Do you have anyone in your family (living or deceased), or personally know anyone whose family member was hunted, beaten, maimed, or hanged due to the color of their skin, by citizens of the United States (including some that were officers), only to have so-called investigations swept under the rug?
Have you ever experienced racial profiling? (I have, and it’s horrible). You know – when a police officer pulls you over for no reason, puts you on the ground, rubs your face in the dirt, and then lets you go without a charge?
If you have not experienced, nor personally know anyone who has experienced and remembers this sort of horror, you probably wouldn’t be able to comprehend, why I actually do fear this man being on street, nor why Mayor Franklin feels Kreher’s statement was threatening.
By no means is this sort of threat a thing of the past, nor is it something that happened “a hundred years ago.” America is still dealing with it. And to ignore violent statements, such as the one Kreher made, just reminds me that progress toward enlightenment, is indeed a slow journey
May 28th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Stefanie:
You like to go off into fits of histrionics, don’t you? Next time why not think a little harder before you post.
That is some of the most meaningless crap I’ve read today.
The cop has no authority over the mayor, do you understand that?
May 28th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Gerhard:
I really feel like I’m stuck in the movie “Idiocracy” by trying to communicate with you. You obviously don’t have a reference point nor any insight, which is what I was trying to convey to you. Since when did it take “authority,” for someone to make threats? Did it take any “authority” for assassination attempts to be made on past presidents, government officials, or public officials (both successful, and unsuccessful)? This is not to say that this police officer would actually do it. But, how much would it take for some other dumb@ss to take what he said and run with it. As an African American that has lived through history repeating itself in this manner, I do not have a doubt in my mind, that she did actually feel threatened. Like I have said before, I, myself felt threatened. If this guy is dumb enough to say that about a public official, he d@mn sure isn’t going to care what he does to someone like me if he pulled me over.
To further illustrate my point, I have posted a post/conversation between myself and another individual on this same subject in another article written by Andisheh. Note I did not mention race at all. Here is what he had to say:
[Dash Riptide]:
“I speak redneck, so allow me to translate. Kreher did not threaten Franklin. You really need to let that go. What he did do, however, is to belittle the “little [black] lady.” He made it very clear that he has no respect for her whatsoever. Franklin knows full well that this is the true import of Kreher’s words, and she knows that he gave her some serious ammunition to neutralize him as an effective critic of her administration. That’s already a done deal. But because such disrespect angers her so much, Franklin has allowed herself to stray from merely seeking a legitimate reprimand to seeking heavy-handed revenge. She is hurting herself more than she is hurting Kreher at this point.”
[Me]:
“Dash Riptide:
It’s nice to see that you’re so fluent in “redneck.” (Cue eye roll). Your post just proves another point I was trying to make in an earlier article.”
[Dash Riptide]:
” ‘Your post just proves another point I was trying to make in an earlier article.’
Well I certainly can’t argue with that.”
May 28th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Stephanie, you refuse to acknowledge even the possibility that you proceed from a false premise. Neither your subjective feelings nor Mayor Franklin’s constitute the evidence of intent necessary to label Kreher’s statement as a threat to Franklin.
May 28th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Wouldn’t you say that you are attempting to interpret his statement with your own subjective feelings? That you think his statement wasn’t threatening? That it was just a figure of speech (how ever graphic it was)?
The fact is, Kreher made the statement that was laden with threatening and violent words. His words could be interpreted as signs of warning. In addition, his statement indicated a possibility of harm (which would fit the description of a threatening statement). Criminal threatening is defined as a person who “purposely places or attempts to place another in fear of imminent bodily injury or physical contact.” In my opinion, his statement was meant to intimidate, and was threatening. You have mentioned that you believe it was meant to be a statement of “disrespect.” I say, for anyone to be so bold, as to make a statement like that about a public official (in a public forum), one has to wonder what other vile things this “peace” officer is capable of.
There are reputable news sources that are labeling his words as threatening. I felt it was threatening. Mayor Franklin thought it was threatening. So, I suppose, this is our interpretation, and you have your own. Bottom line is, Kreher should be fired (he’s lucky that he wasn’t arrested), and Franklin’s office needs to be held accountable for the corruption that is plain and obvious to most of us. End of story.
May 28th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
“Wouldn’t you say that you are attempting to interpret his statement with your own subjective feelings?”
Obviously not. Nor was Andisheh in the original post. You seem to be such an extreme pacifist that you would perceive of any aggressive words in any context as a direct threat to any person referenced by the speaker. Unfortunately, the real world has less delicate sensibilities. I’m not defending the real world; I’m just living in it. I guess you just have much higher expectations than most of us. Seriously.
May 29th, 2009 at 11:44 am
I guess it would be asking too much for a world without cops making threatening statements toward elected officials, or a world without cops justifying racial profiling. Believe me, I live in the real world every day of my life. These sort of events just remind me of how things really haven’t changed much at all.
I found an interesting article on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s website yesterday, written in a way that conveys much of what many are feeling: http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2009/05/26/miller_atlanta_cops_shooting.html
Anyway, this really is a circular argument. Let’s just agree to disagree.
June 3rd, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Stephanie, you wrote the definition, which I will repeat:
“purposely places or attempts to place another in fear of imminent bodily injury or physical contact.”
See the word “imminent.” Please look up the definition.
The Mayor was not in his presence. In fact, the Mayor wasn’t in the same town. Exactly how imminent could she possibly have felt the bodily injury might be?
Further, your definition needs to be altered a bit. It would be the definition for a “reasonable person.” Someone who is paranoid or having feelings of persecution, and allows their subjectively skewed judgment to create an imaginary threat or idea of impending doom wouldn’t really fit the Statute.
Your words outline your obvious sense of bias, based on race, while you continue to decry the “racist” attitudes of those around you. It’s easy to see racist behavior and attitudes when you expect to see them. That’s called self-delusion…
And naturally, you will now claim I cannot possibly understand since I am not a member of a minority class. Well, I am a member of a minority class.
When you have some objective basis for your statements, that does not depend on your own personal, subjective, and very possibly mistaken viewpoint, I’ll look forward to considering it. If you’re only reasoning is to be that every comment or statement made by a white male police officer is de facto racism, then there isn’t anything to consider except your impaired social adjustment.
June 15th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
Stephanie do you know or have anybody in your family who has been asked to risk their lives for citizens who was disabled in the line of duty that was denied Oxygen for 8 Days with 20% lung capacity?
Or was denied Migraine medication for 9 months to deal with the half a brain that was blown away at point blank range? Or denied penile surgery to insert the catheter to prevent bladder infections that required another 9 months of litigation and 10 urinary tract infections later?
I think you are speaking without walking a mile in Sgt. Kreher’s shoes. You seem very passionate about your family, if it wasn’t a story from the family and was happening right now would you be able to control your emotions?
I doubt it.
All of these officers claims were fought until the moment they were going to go to trial.
Denying people life saving treatment is an actual crime. Kreher’s comments are not considered a threat under ANY definition of the law including threats against the President if that were the case.
Please cite one ‘reputable’ news paper that said that Sgt. Kreher’s comments were a threat to the mayor.
EVEN if they were, would you support action be brought against the Mayor if she had been aware of the mistreatment of these disabled officers and did nothing or does she get some sort of hall pass?
I’d like to refer you to this article:
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2009/06/10/atlanta_injured_police.html
Even the AJC can’t deny the one sidedness of this situation any more.
June 27th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Libertarian,
That’s convenient calling yourself a member of the minority class, but not referencing which minority. If you read my post above, I asked if the individual was a minority that experienced oppression. So if you want, you can cower behind your anonymity and claim the above as well.
In addition, my opinion is not based on bias. It’s based on experience. Acts of racism have, unfortunately, come at moments I least expect it in life. I don’t assume someone has racist tendencies unless they demonstrate them. Assuming or stereotyping a group of individuals would cause me to have bias, and perhaps I would never experience racism because I would be avoiding individuals due to my bias.
Also, as mentioned above, I referenced another poster (Dash Riptide) in another article (without mentioning race), and he said:
“I speak redneck, so allow me to translate. Kreher did not threaten Franklin. You really need to let that go. What he did do, however, is to belittle the “little [black] lady.” He made it very clear that he has no respect for her whatsoever. Franklin knows full well that this is the true import of Kreher’s words, and she knows that he gave her some serious ammunition to neutralize him as an effective critic of her administration. That’s already a done deal. But because such disrespect angers her so much, Franklin has allowed herself to stray from merely seeking a legitimate reprimand to seeking heavy-handed revenge. She is hurting herself more than she is hurting Kreher at this point.”
(source: http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/freshloaf/2009/05/26/injured-cops-video-shirley-franklin-probably-doesnt-want-you-to-watch/)
This response, pretty much sums up my argument regarding his motivation. You can agree or disagree, but in the end we are all entitled to our own opinions. The beauty is, that we don’t have to agree.
Turner:
Your post does not even deserve a response. I have always said Franklin and her office needs to be held accountable for the maltreatment of these disabled officers. These are two separate issues, as I have stated before. Please read before commenting.
June 27th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Libertarian:
Also, in response to your “imminent” argument:
Since when does someone have to be in the same room to have a threat on their life? Was she, in fact, returning to Atlanta? See, I can ask rhetorical questions, too. The definition of imminent means likely to occur at any moment. Synonyms: near, impending, threatening. The definition does not define an exact moment, but instead, implies that it will happen soon. By your own rhetorical merry-go-round, you have not proven a thing.
As for your assumptions of paranoia — you are, again, making assumptions based on your own subjective opinions. As far as the racial motivation behind the officer’s behavior, my opinion leans toward Dash Riptide’s response referenced above.
June 27th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
And before I go, I noticed you wanted to see some other opinions other than, what you called, my “delusional subjective opinion.” Well here you go:
Aside from Dash Riptide’s post/self described “redneck translation,” I found quotes/articles you can take the time to read and digest if you want:
“[Kyle] Keyser realizes that some may see Kreher’s remark in a racial light; the imagery of a white cop saying he wants to bash an African-American female with a baseball bat has some resonance, he acknowledged.”
source: http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2009/05/27/franklin_vs_cop.html
This following is in reference to, what is believed to be a racially motivated cop shooting. The correlation wass made between this event and Kreher’s comments: “What chance did Tramaine have when a union official would threaten an elected official,” Rev. Derrick Rice said. “Clearly there is no concern for life in this particular community.”
source: http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2009/05/26/miller_atlanta_cops_shooting.html
As you have indicated, paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs concerning a perceived threat towards oneself. There are many examples that demonstrate the thinking of a collective of individuals. I suppose, by your thinking, we are all suffering from paranoid delusion, and Kyle Keyser (ATAC founder) is an enabler (cue eye roll).