On January 25, 2012, while our Councilmen were being shuttled from meeting to meeting during Broward Days in Tallahassee, members of FLIC recognized them. Student members of FLIC also knew that Vice Mayor McKay along with the entire Town Council are courting CCA for money from their partnering with them and ICE to build what may be the biggest immigrant detention center in the country.
The students offered money out of their own pockets as an alternate to CCA's money.
Both Councilmen refused to accept the money and the student group theorized out loud that it was because their money was too clean, unlike CCA's and that the Town only wants dirty money.
We urge our elected officials in the strongest possible terms to listen to the near unanimous voice of opposition to this prison. We don't want our community sold out for a siren song of lots and lots of money. In the end, it will never generate the money for the Town that was long promised.
The students appear to be under the impression that SW Ranches needs the money and are offering them theirs. That's really shameful given the level of affluence here. The perception and completely accurate meaning behind what Town officials are saying and doing is that we can't run our Town without profiting off the incarceration of immigrants and taking dirty money from CCA.
Mr. McKay, you need to learn the real facts. We are self sufficient and affluent beyond most. Doesn't it cause you ANY discomfort to reflect on the image that you are presenting of this Town as being beggars for federal dollars and getting richer by exploiting the immigration problem?
The students appear to be under the impression that SW Ranches needs the money and are offering them theirs. That's really shameful given the level of affluence here. The perception and completely accurate meaning behind what Town officials are saying and doing is that we can't run our Town without profiting off the incarceration of immigrants and taking dirty money from CCA.
Mr. McKay, you need to learn the real facts. We are self sufficient and affluent beyond most. Doesn't it cause you ANY discomfort to reflect on the image that you are presenting of this Town as being beggars for federal dollars and getting richer by exploiting the immigration problem?
Listen to Mr. Mckay's responses. Can anybody tell us exactly what Vice Mayor McKay said? We hear the words, but there's no meaning.
No, you obviously don't know the issues or facts.Seriously? They say you are doing it for profit. Sounds like what you say all the time. Are you denying that you are doing this for profit, Vice Mayor? What issues or facts don't they know? Do you know any of the details under negotiation, Vice Mayor? You are about to sign a contract with ICE and you are all ignorant as to what's being negotiated. Shame on you for telling others to get their facts straight. You don't even know the basics of what you've allowed CCA and ICE to negotiate on our behalf.
If you don't get involved in your community, you're not up to speed on events and things that take place.What? It sounds like everybody IS involved and up to speed (except you). These activists are apparently from Miami and they were motivated enough to find you in Tallahassee. They also understand the issues better than you do and and that's in spite of your Town Attorney's Cone-of-Silence that ICE and CCA asked him for and his fear of "circling sharks". You all hid behind the cone for months.
What does that have to do with their observation that you are doing this for profit and holding you accountable for it, anyway?
But as we stand here to day, there is a negotiation going on with ICE.Yeah, negotiation that you all on the Council know nothing about. Shame on you.
See neighbors, these politicians don't understand a bit of what the public is telling them or even the most basic of facts. We want to deliberate the issues with facts and figures and this is what we get in return. What a nonsensical stream of cliche. It's really sad if this is the best we can do for elected officials.
The winds of change are howling.
Mayor and Town council, you're inept and a huge embarrassment to the name of Southwest Ranches. McKay never had any problems taking dirty money in the past, check out his felony record
ReplyDeleteSusan
SWR
I don't think you understand. It seems perfectly clear to me. These politicians understand EVERYTHING that is being said to them, but they do not care. In fact, because of the press and opposition to the CCA facility, they seem to be trying to get irreversible framework in place before the next elections, because they know they will be voted out of office. By then, it will no longer matter. The prison will be a reality and they will have their large (and likely secret) kick-backs from CCA and can retire in luxury with it... probably moving far away from the cesspool they have created.
ReplyDeleteSusan,
ReplyDeleteRegarding felony records, this is what we identified:
http://www.local10.com/news/Vice-Mayor-defends-criminal-past/-/1717324/6767804/-/rrmwe4/-/index.html
Is Doug McKay really the image that Southwest Ranches wants to present to the world? We hear that the insiders like Marygay Chaples and Keith Poliakoff want Doug to run for Mayor. Do you think that Keith and Marygay should get their wish?
I think we need a binding pledge that Mayor Nelson or the rest of them will NEVER take a job with CCA / ICE / or any of their subcontractors.
ReplyDeleteIt's clear enough that they don't care about the political consequences of what they are doing. It's almost as if they feel inoculated or protected from us.
What would lead them to believe that, I wonder?
Hooray to the Group FLIC for chanting at McKay and Jablonski. They are truly an EMBARASSMENT to our TOWN!! They haven't a clue. Worse yet they don't appear to be intelligent or knowledgable about who they want to partner with. I have this to say. CHANGE IS COMING THEIR WAY!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeletelike they mention above, they dont care and they know that if they get kicked out of the town they have a safety net with CCA. There's stuff underneath the table happening here, they are too calm for the storm that's approaching, and that's of concern
ReplyDeleteLike we said... the winds of change are howling.
ReplyDeleteDebbie Wasserman Schultz, Senator Bill Nelson and our Town Council can plug their ears.
Debbie and Nelson should surely remember the name Tom Foley of Spokane.
WOW, i am impressed it almost is as good as the abortion ambushes, i wonder if any of you remember that. that was when they stood outside the abortion clinics and abused the doctors and nurses and even the pregnamt women, of course like all things it exculated to bombing the clincs,killing the doctors and nurses and even some patients but they were getting their message across. it didn't matter if they lied because it was for the cause. and it was ok to name call and berate them because it was for the cause. i think everyone can have the right at least in this country to protest with respect for others but that never happens because the CAUSE is what is important not anyone else. i respect someones position on an issue and i will try to explain mine. when they resort to yelling and name calling and lieing i have to walk away. if you had waved money in my face i would have excepted it on behave of the unemployed and homeless in this country. because of all the ethics laws and the fact that all of it was to get media coverage which it did i guess they could have arrested me for takeing a brib and i am sure as i breath this group would have testified that it was a bribe. sorry guys but so far from my vantage point and i am not nor will i ever be a politian thats the way i see it. you have pines agreeing to things then saying they never did sign anything , then to get back in office they act like someone else was in office while this was all going on and they didn't know a thing. who signed their names the easter bunny. then they say they want to stop the traffic on 199 and they are putting up a gate. then they say if you put up a gate to stop the traffic we are going to war, [by the way it is pines traffic not SWR.] pines since before we became a town has always done things for themselves. when they annexed MR. BERGERONS property into the pines it was for taxes and services $$$$$$$$$$$ which was done in the 80's also it was done so they could annex SWR because we would be up against them. they needed MR. BERGERONS LAND TO DO THAT. then they anexed a piece of property owned by a church right in sunshine ranches. bingo they could anex southwest ranches. And true to form they didn't ask the residents they went to the state and tried to sneak it thru but we caught wind of it and stormed their town hall and the state and requested a chance to make our own choices. FIRST CHOICE WAS BE UNINCORPORATED AND LEFT ALONG. STATE SAID NO. SO we formed our own town so we could control our own destiny. some day i will give you a list of all the knifes in our back we have received from the pembroke pines politicans. we look like a knife throwers nightmare. i have tried to reach out to the elected officals in pines more then once. when you loose fingers you get a little spooked but when they take you whole arm it is time to reasses your reasons for continueing the relationship. like an abused wife change is worse then the beatings but in this towns case it can't be any worse then what the last ten years plus have been. i for one want a divorce. i try to surround myself with people who care, try to do right and are honest and trustworthy. you may not like what they have to say all the time and you may not agree all the time but that is the human condition. people who are angry and hate are consumed with it and soon the world becomes a horrible place to live in period. i refuse to do any of that and see the world as a beautiful place to protect and everything in it. i want to find solutions to problems
ReplyDeleteMarygay,
ReplyDeleteI think your comments are over the top to label as abused victims a group of politicians who wore a "cone of silence" for months and hid behind ethics legislation that hadn't even been implemented yet just to avoid answering questions about this prison. We are the victims of this. Not the other way around. We are the victims of a Poliakoff dynasty who have essentially been the entire Town administration and Town manager for years.
And, to equate the activists to law breaking anti abortion zealots is preposterous. Shame on you.
In fact solid political dissent based heavily on farce and satire is as American as mom, apple pie and Chevrolet. Don't you know this? It's brilliant. "Why don't you want OUR money? Is it too clean?" Brilliant impromptu satire.
You are offended that your little clique is being rattled. You are the consummate insiders who exclude others. You've run this Town like it's your personal cash register to dip into whenever you need a dime or want a free dance hall for your HOA events. That works in places other than our vibrant democracy.
What you say about Pines may or may not be correct. It's not relevant, however. This Town government's behavior is basically sociopathic and juvenile and is a direct image of your little coffee klatch that sits at the back of the room and heckles, gives people the finger, and other obscene gestures. Further, what type of constructive dialog have you actually engaged in with your neighbors or their representatives? Are you aware that the majority of people over around 203 in SWR OPPOSE the road closures? You have far too much voice at city hall, Marygay. And it's not good, because if your ideas are fundamentally bad, we all suffer. The parks fiasco, for example.
Southwest Ranches behavior is deplorable and laughable. When the town voted to install check point charlie and partition the city nearly on Christmas eve (as you said, a time of religious reflection), residents and Councilmen alike cheered at "the best Christmas present one could have." (Did you take them to task for violating the sanctity of the season, Marygay?)
ReplyDeleteThe legendary corruption that all you Town founders have either been involved with or supported is so shameful beyond words, yet you cannot see it.
Even look at the behavior of some of your founders such as Dee Schroeder who basically told people who disagree with her "show me the money" diatribe, that "there's the border" if you don't like it.
Such jerkwater ignorance has no place in our society. Everybody's entitled, but it brings shame and ridicule on us.
The bottom line of the FLIC group's point--and I support their view wholeheartedly--Southwest Ranches wants to profit off the incarceration of illegal immigrants by means of a private prison. They are 1000% correct. All Town officials and many many of you founders have stated this repeatedly.
There's no shame for Doug to have said, "Yes, we want to profit off your incarceration and deportation." Yet, did he have the intestinal fortitude to stand behind what he and the rest of you are really doing? No? Why? Because it is repugnant and he's ashamed of his position when it's framed thusly.
I lay this challenge down to the founders and Town officials. We have demonstrated that the housing boom has brought more unexpected revenue into the town than CCA could have ever. All the talk about this Town's whole existence being predicated on a prison have been rendered obsolete. You've lived without prison revenue for 12 years, won't see any for another 18 months AND have seen your ad valorem receipts skyrocket due to the housing boom that have sustained themselves even through this economic downturn. You don't need the prison money.
So, the challenge is this, if your vision of a Rural Lifestyle worthy of protection and respect INCLUDES the moniker Prisonville, I say your vision is no longer relevant to the majority of us in the town. Further, I say your vision is HARMFUL to the very ends that the founders sought when they embarked on their independence. If that's your vision, it is old and stale.
We are blessed beyond belief with proximity to one of the greatest water deltas on the planet. Yet, what do founders like you and developers like Ron Bergeron and Congresswomen like Debbie Wasserman Schulz who's involvement with this issue is deep and she among anybody is responsible for the inclusion of this prison property in the Town nearly 15 years ago, want to do with this? You want dumps, waste recycling stations, prisons and prisons and prisons. Have you no vision?
We are more that willing to step up and take out the old guard including the Poliakoff dynasty.
Let's have honest dialog with regards to who we want to be rather than the mumbling, incoherent, disjointed, out of context talking points of the Vice Mayor, Steve "immunity to facts" Breitkreuz or Mr. "CCA Talking Points" Jeff Nelson. Let's have the discussion before irreparable harm is done to our Town.
And tell these predatory interlopers at CCA, ICE and DHS to GO AWAY.
Bill Di Scipio
ReplyDelete5961 SW 190th Ave
Southwest Ranches
I EXPECTED THE ATTACK ON ME PERSONALLY IT FITS YOUR MO. you are right i am very active in the town and i try to be fair, i have sat on the boards which anyone can sit on if they wish but most people do not want to give up their time to wade thru a lot of documents to make our PARKS, drainage, art, comprehensive plan , codes better for the residents. NO ONE that sits on these boards are paid in any way shape or form and we all must follow the ethics code. that is also another reason people do not wish to run for office or sit on boards. at almost every meeting i ask for people to sit on the parks board. right now we would love to have 2 more members. normally the boards are 5 members but because the parks are in developement i requested as parks chair for more to sit on the board. and why. the council agreed and with have 11 sitting. instead of attacking anyone who doesn't think exactly like you why not get involved and bring your ideas to the table. you call us a 'CLICK" i guess we are, we are all people who want to protect our town and work to make things better. no one has ever not been welcome and we do not always agree infact sometimes it can get pretty heated. i would say your group is a CLICK. EXCEPT we refrain from singling out individuals and attacking them with false statements. i do agree that i have a big mouth and speak up at the meeting but i try to be respectful. i may roll my eyes but the rest of your comments i have not seen. we did however make the papers once when a large number of the activeist [concerned residents] brought hang man nooses ,we had 6 and said that they were hanging themselves with their behavior. SO , as you can see none of us are not aware of symplisum. now i guess i could sit in the front as i did in the new building, and be a good dube. but as for not speaking up on things that will never happen and if that makes you want to ripe me up and down so be it. have a good time at it. i have spoken at county commision meetings, and county school board meetings to name a few. i have never been disrespectful to anyone nor will i ever , enough said see you and your friends thurs. nite. oh, and where any of you going to the ICE facility in texas?? i am because i want to learn as much as i can.
ReplyDeleteMarygay, you started off with a blistering attack that equated the students in this video to abortion doctor murderers. Please. Spare me with your complaints about attacks. Glass houses and stones.
ReplyDeleteI will stand by what I've said, Marygay. I have offered to speak with you on the phone or in person. If this is the forum you choose, then so be it. It can be a bit more impersonal or caustic as your opening salvo here shows. But, it is your choice.
If you think you the old time founder's clique is inclusive or respectful, perhaps you can envision the 90 year old Vince Faletta turning around like a child and thumbing his nose at the anti prison folks. Or, perhaps you can recall Dee Schroeder telling everybody to go back across the border from whence they came. That's gross incivility. And you know the levels of heckling that continuously came from that back table. Pure disrespect.
And the entire clique of you all apparently knew about the prison for years but there's nothing of it in the comprehensive plan, nothing of it on the website, nothing of it in any substantial sense in any of the annual budget commentary. The clique knew about the prison, but the vast vast majority of the Town didn't. And you call us a clique? We put up a blog to try and get FACTS out to the people. To wit, you are most welcome to post here and bring in an opposing point of view. We won't give you the Bronx Raspberry, the Dee Schroeder fellatio wave, or the Vince Faletta nose trumpet.
But, this forum is open to the hard questions and challenges.
Further, how many times have each and every one of you told us that new comers to the town (as if living in a town for 50% of it's existence makes anyone a new comer) that they should basically sit down, shut up and accept all of your plans? Plans that include parks which leave us with $30 million potentially in unfunded mandates, a financial management system in the Town that is immune to being fixed and handled professionally, or that our Rural Lifestyle is very much complimentary to having a Department of Homeland Security prison.
The point is, that this prison is not needed and it shows a complete breakdown in any drive to be something better and to work for a better community. As I said, it is stale and it is divisive.
I will NEVER lend legitimacy to CCA or to prison privatization. Incarceration and punishment should be fully under the control of the people. For example, any Broward County facilities are under the control of the people because the Sheriff is an elected official. A melding of state responsibilities--especially policing and incarceration--with corporations has a name. That name is fascism. Look it up.
So, you go take your second trip to CCA. Give legitimacy to something repugnant. That's your call. I'll play no part in that one.
Now, if you said that you wanted to take a trip to an Advanced Micro Devices as we were courting an R&D development center, for example, that would be something. Or perhaps encouraging Cordis/NDC to expand into Southwest Ranches to build high tech medical devices? Or Angelo Castillo's idea of world class organic farming? Just the thought that you see nothing wrong with such a heinous company as CCA defiling ouf Town really makes me shake my head at what kind of leaders we have here.
If you want to learn as much as you can about CCA, why don't you research some of the gross human rights abuses they have allowed? Why don't you give us a list of all the complaints against them? Why don't you give Hernando County Major Michael Page who was given responsibility of taking their correctional facility over from CCA a call and ask him about CCA?
ReplyDeleteOr, read this article: http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/hernando-countys-takeover-of-jail-brings-year-of-sweeping-changes/1188387
So, if you really wanted to learn as much as you can, turn away from CCA and start looking at some of the arguments opposing them.
Visit them? Why? Let's see the contracts under negotiation now. Isn't that more relevant than another boondoggle to a CCA Potemkin village?
Sorry, that's not anything I'd put my name on.
Lastly, I ask you to name ONE false statement that I have made. While not perfect, I try and vet my information thoroughly and independently corroborate my statements. If you feel I am lying about anything, please let me know what it is. If you are correct, then I will graciously issue you or anybody else an apology. The truth is fair game, though.
Regards,
Bill Di Scipio
5961 SW 190th Ave.
Southwest Ranches
Also, if you'd like to discuss this with me, my telephone number is 954 200-5025.
You said you want to learn all you can, which is why you visited CCA's facility in TN a number of years back or apparently you are planning to visit their TX facility soon.
ReplyDeleteHere's yet another article about the rape and abuse that have been reported AND obtained convictions AND the accusations that CCA was at fault.
http://www.correctionsone.com/arrests-and-sentencing/articles/5047278-Woman-testifies-about-jail-conditions-CO-accused-of-rape/
"Heather Spurlock Jackson, 39, was the first witness at the civil trial in U.S. District Court brought against the guard, Anthony Townes, now serving an 18-year prison sentence for raping her and three other women. Other defendants are the prison operator, Corrections Corporation of America, and then-warden Barbara Wagner."
CCA management apparently doesn't even know that you aren't supposed to rape women under your authority. How nicely do you think they are going to treat the Town, Marygay? This isn't make believe.
Did your investigations of CCA include this type of study? Or was merely studying their flagship facilites on controlled tours the extent of your study.
Hey, I have a swell idea. Seriously. Why don't you ask if they'll let you pretend to be an incarcerated alien in one of their prisons for 5 days? That way, you can get a real feel as to whether CCA is an upstanding company that you'd want to invite into your Town? Will you go on a REAL tour of one of their facilities, or just a dog and pony show tour?
Bill Di Scipio
My husband and I are both long time residents of this town. We have both volunteered and sat in meeting after meeting after meeting. The clique in this town asks for help and will take the help, but we have discovered that if you're not in THE CLIQUE , your presence is accepted but your opinions are not, especially if it goes against THE CLIQUE. If the CLIQUE doesn't like you or what you have to say, they act like high schoolers and talk behind your back. Its ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteThe town meetings are redundant; the same issues are talked about over and over and over again with no resolution. Years later, the same issues are STILL with no resolution. Simple things.
I have no sympathy for Mary gay or her CLIQUE now. Once again her group wants support for their cause, and once again they don't like what they're hearing. When one of THE CLIQUE had the audacity to berate a prison opponent in a public meeting for stating FACTS, that's when my husband and I decided the CLIQUE didn't deserve our support.
The anti prison movement loves this town and we don't want to see it run into the ground or become associated with a company like CCA who has horrendous track record for human rights abuse and the incarceration of human beings for profit. This town its better then that. The residents deserve better than this this for the town council to support this and ignore facts from the opposition is insulting to every resident in this town. The council wants us to think this its the best thing for our town....really?? This is the vision for the future of this town? A prison town?
We should have higher standards than that, yet Mary gay chapels and her clique have set the bar so low, they can't see that this town and the residents deserve better than the label 'prison town'
Maybe you should get your divorce and take your out dated ideologies with you...maybe then this town can start healing and become the great town it could be without being mired down by closed minded, ignorant and inept thinking.
We shall prevail with our plan to change this "OLE BOY" system into a repectable democracy "OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE"!!!!We cannot participate in volunteering our time on PARKS COMMITTEES, DRAINAGE COMMITTEES, BARN COMMITTEES, etc., because we are spending our time to SWEEP THIS TOWN CLEAN!!!!!! Yes, we are even going to GOVERN (Forgive me) like PEMBROKE PINES!!!!!! Repulsive UH, too bad, you and your cronies had your chance. Now you want to take the last shred left of our town and sell it off to CCA, Not if we get our way. Bon Voyage!!!! Enjoy your trip to CCA Land, like Alice In Wonderland. You had your chance to become educated about the INHUMANE HORRORS caused by the For Profit Corporation CCA. They permit these atrocities day after day, week after week, month after month and year after year. These stories are so nauseating, it's worse then living in a 3rd world country without law and order. This is supposed to be law and order, or so we thought. Read about the young man 26 years old who died in a CCA prison, because he couldn't urinate, and no one was intelligent enough to provide the help and care he needed. Read about the male supervisor who designated himself to be the driver of vans transporting unsuspecting women of his alterior motive to molest them on the way. Not only was he arrested and charged, he confessed. How bout the "Professional Female Therapist" who innocently went to work, and also became a victim of molestation??? Doesn't this make your skin crawl, or make you want to regurgitate that your fellow sisters were abused sexually and assaulted physically. I guess you and your cronies or Clique, or whatever you call yourselves have no compassion for anyone outside of your circle. That's why you cannot understand our ideology. We see the broader picture to make this TOWN SHINE with or without you and your cronies. We have a lot to learn from our neighbors of Pembroke Pines, Weston and Davie that could make this town the envy of all others. However, since the founding fathers and your cronies are so narrow minded, your way will run us into the ground where we will never be able to dig ourselves out of the financial mess. We'll probably be included in many lawsuits for millions of dollars caused by CCA malpractice and liability of squeezing every penny out of this JAIL for their own profit!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDelete