1 00:00:04,879 --> 00:00:05,599 Speaker 1: What's going on? 2 00:00:05,759 --> 00:00:08,119 Speaker 2: Thank you so much for listening to this podcast. It 3 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:10,080 is heard live every day from noon to three on 4 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:13,839 WBT Radio in Charlotte. And if you want exclusive content 5 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:17,160 like invitations to events, the weekly live stream, my daily 6 00:00:17,199 --> 00:00:19,239 show prep with all of the links, become a patron, 7 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:22,640 go to vpekclendershow dot com. Make sure you hit the 8 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:25,160 subscribe button. Get every episode for free right to your 9 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:27,679 smartphone or tablet, and again, thank you so much for 10 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:31,640 your support. Alrighty, so I'm going to start with some 11 00:00:31,839 --> 00:00:32,759 crime stories. 12 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:36,079 Speaker 1: I don't know. 13 00:00:37,399 --> 00:00:39,039 Speaker 2: I don't know if there's been any updates on this 14 00:00:39,119 --> 00:00:42,840 story yet. I went looking just before I opened the 15 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:45,840 mic up just to be you know, clear, if there 16 00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:49,920 is any new developments. I don't see any new developments 17 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:55,159 in this story that began Friday evening. Here is the 18 00:00:56,079 --> 00:01:03,039 WCNC report. A suspect was arrested following a stabbing on 19 00:01:03,439 --> 00:01:09,359 a Charlotte LYNX light rail train late Friday evening that 20 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:14,640 left a person dead. So this occurred sometime around ten 21 00:01:14,719 --> 00:01:19,920 or ten thirty, apparently on the train on the light 22 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:24,640 rail car. It was near the station along Camden Road, 23 00:01:25,439 --> 00:01:30,920 which is where West Boulevard East Boulevard connect there in 24 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:35,959 South End, or Millennial Row as it's sometimes referred to 25 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:39,319 because there's so many millennials living down there in South End. 26 00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:42,680 The woman who was killed is a twenty three year 27 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:50,560 old named Irina Zarutzska and according to and I just 28 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:54,239 found this, and I cannot confirm the veracity of this, 29 00:01:54,879 --> 00:02:01,799 but this is from Charlotte Alert, Sorry, Charlotte alertsnews dot com, 30 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:11,159 and they have identified her as a Ukrainian. She fled 31 00:02:11,159 --> 00:02:14,599 the country in twenty twenty two to escape the war 32 00:02:14,719 --> 00:02:18,800 in Ukraine, and she had been living in Charlotte, according 33 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:23,840 to this report, with assistance from the US government. So 34 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:27,680 I'm assuming it's some sort of like a refugee program 35 00:02:27,719 --> 00:02:32,479 of some kind. I found what appears to be her 36 00:02:32,599 --> 00:02:37,479 LinkedIn page, and apparently she worked at Subway for a while. 37 00:02:39,759 --> 00:02:43,319 She was murdered allegedly by a thirty four year old 38 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:49,159 named Dick Carlos Brown. Now you may want to sit 39 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:52,400 down before I give you this next piece of information, 40 00:02:52,479 --> 00:02:57,120 because it's truly going to be shocking. The guy's got 41 00:02:57,159 --> 00:03:02,479 a rap sheet a mile long. He's fourteen previous court 42 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:07,039 cases in Mecklenburg County. He was sentenced to six years 43 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:11,319 in prison after convictions for robbery with a dangerous weapon, 44 00:03:11,759 --> 00:03:18,159 breaking and entering, and larceny in twenty fifteen. The convictions 45 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:23,000 were for two separate incidents in twenty thirteen and twenty fourteen, 46 00:03:23,039 --> 00:03:26,960 but he was convicted in twenty fifteen. He was released 47 00:03:28,159 --> 00:03:32,360 in September of twenty twenty. He was then arrested again 48 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:36,199 in September twenty twenty two for assault on a female, 49 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:39,240 but no court records are available for that case. According 50 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:44,319 to WCNC, it's a report by Matthew Ablon. Brown was 51 00:03:44,319 --> 00:03:48,080 then arrested again in January twenty twenty five for misuse 52 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:50,759 of the nine to one to one system. I'll give 53 00:03:50,800 --> 00:04:00,400 you details on that. This is from the Mechberbia by 54 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:05,879 Cedar Posts. He's a local blogger guy, and I've read 55 00:04:05,919 --> 00:04:09,599 his blog for years. This is called mech Berbia. And 56 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:12,879 he puts up the you know, the CMPD announcement, their 57 00:04:12,919 --> 00:04:15,560 statement in all of this, and he goes through he 58 00:04:15,639 --> 00:04:18,920 tracks this guy's history. Brown has a nearly twenty year 59 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:23,279 history of arrests. Most were dismissed by the Mecklenburg County 60 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:27,079 District Attorney's office. He has prior convictions for felony B 61 00:04:27,199 --> 00:04:30,040 and E, theft in excess of one thousand dollars, and 62 00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:33,199 robbery with a dangerous weapon. He has spent nearly nine 63 00:04:33,279 --> 00:04:36,600 years of his life behind bars, which is about a 64 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:41,639 quarter of his life. And now, unless the you know, 65 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:46,319 something terrible goes wrong with the prosecution here, he should 66 00:04:46,319 --> 00:04:50,000 spend the rest of his life in jail. He was 67 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:53,480 most recently released from prison on September twentieth, twenty twenty, 68 00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:57,759 with the follow on period of parole that ended September twentieth, 69 00:04:57,759 --> 00:04:59,800 twenty twenty one, so he had one year of parole. 70 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:03,160 He was then arrested in twenty twenty two, and then 71 00:05:03,279 --> 00:05:07,519 arrested two more times last year and one more time 72 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:15,800 in January. And from that January nineteenth report, he apparently 73 00:05:16,639 --> 00:05:22,000 officers respond to Novente Presbyterian Hospital in reference to a 74 00:05:22,199 --> 00:05:26,720 Czech welfare check check up on this guy. Once on 75 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:29,560 the scene, officer spoke with a defendant to Carlos Brown, 76 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:32,720 who advised that he believed somebody gave him a man 77 00:05:32,759 --> 00:05:38,199 made material that controlled when he ate, walked, talked, etc. 78 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:43,160 Brown wanted the officers to investigate this man made material 79 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:46,480 that was inside of his body. Officers advised him that 80 00:05:46,519 --> 00:05:49,120 the issue was medical and that there was nothing that 81 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:53,199 they could do because they are not doctors. Brown became 82 00:05:53,319 --> 00:05:56,839 upset with the officers answers, and with them still on 83 00:05:56,879 --> 00:06:01,040 the scene, he proceeds to call nine to one one 84 00:06:01,439 --> 00:06:05,399 to speak with police, and that's what got him the 85 00:06:05,519 --> 00:06:11,360 charge for misuse of nine to one one. Just last month, 86 00:06:11,839 --> 00:06:17,279 the assistant public defender Brianna Buford filed a motion in 87 00:06:17,439 --> 00:06:26,079 court questioning the defendant's capacity to proceed so he's crazy. 88 00:06:27,079 --> 00:06:30,759 Judge Roy Wiggins signed the order for a forensic evaluation 89 00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:37,319 on July twenty eighth, so a month ago. Buford was 90 00:06:37,360 --> 00:06:41,720 clearly aware that her client was mentally incapacitated cedar Post's rights, 91 00:06:42,199 --> 00:06:44,759 yet he was allowed to remain free and in the 92 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:47,680 public realm. This left him as a threat to others 93 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:51,839 as well as himself, and within the month he murdered 94 00:06:51,839 --> 00:06:56,199 a twenty three year old woman, Ariana Zarutzka. There's also 95 00:06:57,319 --> 00:07:00,360 some reports that others may have been in injured. 96 00:07:00,399 --> 00:07:00,639 Speaker 1: Two. 97 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:03,560 Speaker 2: I've seen some conflicting reports that there was somebody else 98 00:07:03,959 --> 00:07:07,439 nearby that had a medical emergency, but that was unrelated. 99 00:07:07,759 --> 00:07:10,839 Then I saw a report that two or three other 100 00:07:10,920 --> 00:07:15,519 people may have also been stabbed on this train car. 101 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:18,279 Speaker 1: The suspect was also. 102 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:22,399 Speaker 2: Stabbed at some point, maybe somebody got the knife from 103 00:07:22,439 --> 00:07:23,399 him and stabbed him. 104 00:07:23,519 --> 00:07:25,879 Speaker 1: I don't know. He had injuries, so they. 105 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:29,920 Speaker 2: Took him to the hospital, but he will be, you know, 106 00:07:30,319 --> 00:07:35,959 placed under arrest after he heals. I have not seen 107 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:41,600 so far any kind of comment from any of the 108 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:48,199 elected officials here. You had a Ukrainian war refugee, twenty 109 00:07:48,240 --> 00:07:51,279 three year old woman murdered on your train, your light 110 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:56,879 rail line. Meanwhile, you're you're ginning up a big campaign 111 00:07:56,920 --> 00:07:59,759 to get us all to vote yes for your your 112 00:08:00,519 --> 00:08:05,399 sales tax increase to fund more trains. You guys, are 113 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:09,240 you're taking your eye off the ball. You're losing sight 114 00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:14,560 of your primary mission, which is the security of the city. 115 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:19,879 And there's the story about the Carolina Sporting Arms. 116 00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:21,600 Speaker 1: B and E. 117 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:23,839 Speaker 2: All right, if you're listening to this show, you know 118 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:25,920 I try to keep up with all sorts of current events, 119 00:08:25,920 --> 00:08:28,000 and I know you do too. And you've probably heard 120 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:32,080 me say get your news from multiple sources. Why well, 121 00:08:32,120 --> 00:08:34,840 because it's how you detect media bias, which is why 122 00:08:34,879 --> 00:08:38,080 I've been so impressed with Ground News. It's an app 123 00:08:38,279 --> 00:08:41,480 and it's a website and it combines news from around 124 00:08:41,519 --> 00:08:43,919 the world in one place so you can compare coverage 125 00:08:44,159 --> 00:08:46,879 and verify information. You can check it out at check 126 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:51,320 dot ground, dot news slash pete. I put the link 127 00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:54,480 in the podcast description too. I started using ground News 128 00:08:54,519 --> 00:08:57,200 a few months ago and more recently chose to work 129 00:08:57,240 --> 00:08:59,200 with them as an affiliate because it lets me see 130 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:03,159 clearly how stories get covered and by whom. The blind 131 00:09:03,159 --> 00:09:05,960 spot feature shows you which stories get ignored by the 132 00:09:06,039 --> 00:09:09,759 left and the right. See for yourself check dot ground, 133 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:13,639 dot news slash pete. Subscribe through that link and you'll 134 00:09:13,639 --> 00:09:16,840 get fifteen percent off any subscription. I use the Vantage 135 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:20,320 plan to get unlimited access to every feature. Your subscription 136 00:09:20,440 --> 00:09:23,120 then not only helps my podcast, but it also supports 137 00:09:23,159 --> 00:09:26,399 ground News as they make the media landscape more transparent. 138 00:09:27,039 --> 00:09:30,039 So a man who drove a stolen car into a 139 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:36,200 Charlotte gun shop before stealing twenty firearms is heading to 140 00:09:36,279 --> 00:09:40,840 federal prison, but he won't be there for long and 141 00:09:40,919 --> 00:09:45,720 the store owner is not happy about the sentence. The 142 00:09:45,759 --> 00:09:50,200 piece over at WSOCTV by Evan Donovan. This is about 143 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:52,919 the smashing, or I guess it would be the ram 144 00:09:53,279 --> 00:09:59,039 and grab at Carolina Sporting Arms on South Boulevard. Mike Simpson, 145 00:10:00,519 --> 00:10:06,600 the owner, told WSOCTV, it's disappointing. It doesn't make sense. 146 00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:10,519 They're a menace to society. I'm getting tired of it. 147 00:10:10,639 --> 00:10:14,120 I don't know why people aren't held accountable for their actions. 148 00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:17,159 You and me both, Mike, You and me both. Why 149 00:10:17,159 --> 00:10:19,679 are we letting criminals back out on the street, he says. 150 00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:24,759 The Department of Justice announced that Reginald Moses has been 151 00:10:24,799 --> 00:10:28,600 sentenced to just over two years in federal prison after 152 00:10:28,600 --> 00:10:32,679 pleading guilty to theft of a firearm from a licensed dealer, 153 00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:36,440 as well as aiding and de betting. He only got 154 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:40,919 twenty seven months, Simpson said, federal time for stealing twenty guns. 155 00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:44,440 Stole a car, broke in. That doesn't seem like a 156 00:10:44,519 --> 00:10:51,320 very big repercussion. Twenty seven months. They stole eighteen handguns, 157 00:10:51,559 --> 00:10:55,720 a shotgun, and a rifle grand total worth about fourteen 158 00:10:55,799 --> 00:11:00,639 thousand dollars. About half of the firearms were laid recovered, 159 00:11:00,759 --> 00:11:06,120 but the others are out on the street. Nice really 160 00:11:06,200 --> 00:11:10,039 sending a message there. Another woman involved was federally charged 161 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:13,320 and she was sentenced to the time she had already served, 162 00:11:13,360 --> 00:11:20,240 and so now she's on probation, so let's go back 163 00:11:20,279 --> 00:11:26,200 to the scene of the crime. This is from wsoc's 164 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:32,360 report Back in February of twenty twenty four, two men 165 00:11:32,519 --> 00:11:35,200 were arrested for breaking into a South Charlotte gunshop and 166 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:39,600 taking off with twenty firearms. They were once tied to 167 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:45,720 a homicide in twenty twenty three, Corey Meadows and Reginald Moses, 168 00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:50,440 where two of five suspects arrested after officers say someone 169 00:11:50,559 --> 00:11:53,960 drove a stolen car into the door of Carolina Sporting 170 00:11:54,039 --> 00:11:58,639 Arms on South Boulevard. This occurred February twentieth. Court records 171 00:11:58,639 --> 00:12:02,519 obtained by Channel nine confirm both Moses and Meadows were 172 00:12:02,559 --> 00:12:07,320 once charged with the murder and attempted robbery of Savion Lockhart, 173 00:12:07,799 --> 00:12:13,200 a seventeen year old who was murdered in twenty twenty three. 174 00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:17,279 The Mecklimber County DA's office dismissed the charges against Moses 175 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:23,759 and Meadows, citing insufficient evidence. In the prosecutor's voluntary dismissal motion, 176 00:12:24,120 --> 00:12:27,320 he gave a narrative of what allegedly took place, describing 177 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:31,919 a shootout in twenty twenty three in which Lockhart died. However, 178 00:12:32,039 --> 00:12:36,360 with no overwhelming evidence. The prosecutor noted, quote, the available 179 00:12:36,399 --> 00:12:40,559 evidence does not indicate which individuals were entitled to self 180 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:45,000 defense and which individuals were not, and the state cannot 181 00:12:45,039 --> 00:12:49,879 disprove self defense beyond a reasonable doubt. 182 00:12:52,759 --> 00:12:58,120 Speaker 1: And then a year later they steal eighteen. 183 00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:02,039 Speaker 2: Handguns, two long guns and just put them out onto 184 00:13:02,039 --> 00:13:05,679 the street. And for that, at least he's going to 185 00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:08,519 prison for some period of time. It's only twenty seven months, 186 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:14,440 but at least they got him for something, I guess. Also, 187 00:13:15,879 --> 00:13:20,720 in just a week, Charlotte Mecklenburg police officers drew warrens 188 00:13:20,759 --> 00:13:24,360 for ninety eight people on criminal charges related to another 189 00:13:24,919 --> 00:13:31,159 rash of Charlotte Street takeovers. Yeah, they titled their post 190 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:38,440 on social media Twitter, formerly known as x Street Takeovers 191 00:13:38,480 --> 00:13:40,679 three the sequel nobody asked for. 192 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:41,759 Speaker 1: That's what they do. 193 00:13:41,919 --> 00:13:45,159 Speaker 2: That's what the CMPD account called it. And they refer 194 00:13:45,320 --> 00:13:49,039 to three recent series of charges in connection with clusters 195 00:13:49,039 --> 00:13:52,799 of drivers blocking roads. They say, here we go again, 196 00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:56,639 because apparently some folks still think turning intersections into racetracks 197 00:13:56,720 --> 00:13:57,600 is a good idea. 198 00:13:57,679 --> 00:13:58,360 Speaker 1: We are here to. 199 00:13:58,320 --> 00:14:02,159 Speaker 2: Remind you it's not still illegal, still dangerous, still getting 200 00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:06,159 shut down street takeovers typically involve people blocking traffic at 201 00:14:06,200 --> 00:14:09,600 an intersection while cars do the burnouts, and all the 202 00:14:09,639 --> 00:14:13,360 kids yell and cheer, and everybody has their phone out 203 00:14:13,399 --> 00:14:16,480 recording all of the all of the you know, the 204 00:14:16,519 --> 00:14:19,120 burnouts where you just like peel your tires and create 205 00:14:19,159 --> 00:14:22,559 all of the smoke, and people inhale the toxic fumes 206 00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:25,559 and such. It's it's a really well thought out event 207 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:29,039 for the kids that engage in this behavior. And so, 208 00:14:29,240 --> 00:14:31,120 I don't know if you've ever seen one of these things, 209 00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:32,320 or the remnants of it. 210 00:14:32,399 --> 00:14:32,759 Speaker 1: I've had. 211 00:14:33,039 --> 00:14:35,960 Speaker 2: I've had the pleasure of witnessing about three or four 212 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:42,879 of them, and they are hooligan. It's hooligan behavior, right, 213 00:14:42,919 --> 00:14:46,559 That's that's what it is. It's it's on par with 214 00:14:46,639 --> 00:14:49,279 the whether they call them the wheelie boys or whatever, 215 00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:53,720 the guys on the bikes all sorts of bikes, like bicycles, 216 00:14:53,759 --> 00:14:58,519 but also like the motorized bikes and whatever unicycles probably, 217 00:14:58,799 --> 00:15:02,960 and they weave through traffic and such around uptown Charlotte. 218 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:06,879 They ride at your car like play chicken with you 219 00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:10,559 and swerve away and they kick your cars and stuff. Yeah, yeah, 220 00:15:10,559 --> 00:15:17,440 this is now acceptable as a norm in Charlotte apparently. 221 00:15:17,559 --> 00:15:21,039 Kudos to CMPD for cracking down on the and there. 222 00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:24,120 I'm assuming they're using the new laws that the legislature 223 00:15:24,159 --> 00:15:27,759 has armed them with to, you know, take the vehicles 224 00:15:27,799 --> 00:15:30,840 from these people that are engaged in this kind of behavior. 225 00:15:31,240 --> 00:15:36,600 It's criminal activity, so I say more of it. And 226 00:15:36,639 --> 00:15:39,399 if you can pop them on some other like gun charges, 227 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:45,600 too fantastic. This is all a choice. We will continue 228 00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:50,600 to see these kinds of problems in Charlotte as long 229 00:15:50,639 --> 00:15:54,639 as we continue putting the same people in charge. Speaking 230 00:15:54,679 --> 00:15:59,240 of which, the Charlotte Observer has its endorsements for the 231 00:15:59,639 --> 00:16:04,519 City Council, you will be super surprised. Here's a great idea. 232 00:16:04,679 --> 00:16:07,399 How about making an escape to a really special and 233 00:16:07,480 --> 00:16:10,639 secluded getaway in western North Carolina. Just a quick drive 234 00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:13,480 up the mountain and Cabins of Asheville is your connection. 235 00:16:13,759 --> 00:16:16,879 Whether you're celebrating an anniversary, a honeymoon, maybe you want 236 00:16:16,879 --> 00:16:19,440 to plan a memorable proposal, or get family and friends 237 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:22,440 together for a big old reunion. 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Call her text eight two eight, 251 00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:12,160 three six seven seventy sixty eight or check out all 252 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:15,039 there is to offer at Cabins Offashville dot com and 253 00:17:15,079 --> 00:17:19,720 make memories that'll last a lifetime. From the text line, 254 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:23,400 Aaron says, what I was thinking this morning when I 255 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:26,680 heard about everything and multiplying everything that's been happening, Why 256 00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:29,920 should Matthews even consider the one percent tax? If the 257 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:32,160 city is run by democrats and they don't care and 258 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:34,680 they tried to say everything is okay, and it's really not. 259 00:17:37,160 --> 00:17:39,319 Speaker 1: Yeah, like this is. 260 00:17:40,920 --> 00:17:45,119 Speaker 2: You've you've You've got a young girl twenty three years 261 00:17:45,119 --> 00:17:50,119 old murdered on the train. I don't blame the train, 262 00:17:50,160 --> 00:17:54,839 I don't blame the system, the mass transit system. I 263 00:17:54,920 --> 00:18:02,319 blame the officials that are not prioritizing effective crime fighting. 264 00:18:02,720 --> 00:18:07,160 They just do not. And this is a problem in 265 00:18:07,279 --> 00:18:13,319 every city run by Democrats. They have a different philosophy 266 00:18:13,359 --> 00:18:17,039 when it comes to fighting crime, namely that they don't. 267 00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:17,640 Speaker 1: Choose to do so. 268 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:24,640 Speaker 2: They're much more tolerant of criminals praying on the vulnerable populations. 269 00:18:28,119 --> 00:18:35,000 A tweet or a message rather h from Mamma Tudid 270 00:18:35,359 --> 00:18:38,920 who says on Twitter heartbreaking to hear that this young 271 00:18:38,960 --> 00:18:43,200 girl leaves the Ukraine to escape the war, to come 272 00:18:43,200 --> 00:18:45,680 to America and then gets killed here in Charlotte. 273 00:18:45,759 --> 00:18:46,480 Speaker 1: It's just awful. 274 00:18:46,519 --> 00:18:48,799 Speaker 2: I wonder if the guy who stabbed her paid for 275 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:52,880 his light rail ticket. Gonna I'm gonna guess no, I'm 276 00:18:52,880 --> 00:18:57,039 gonna guess he's a fair jumper, right, that would be 277 00:18:57,079 --> 00:19:02,200 my bet. Back at the text line, the root cause 278 00:19:02,240 --> 00:19:04,799 of this is from Kevin. The root cause of the 279 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:08,839 murder of the Ukraine woman and the street takeovers by 280 00:19:08,920 --> 00:19:14,039 young ones, mostly boys, all have something in common. They 281 00:19:14,079 --> 00:19:18,799 all have a d D all different daddies that have 282 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:21,079 little or nothing to do with their progeny. The root 283 00:19:21,119 --> 00:19:23,480 cause of most crime is the breakdown of the traditional 284 00:19:23,559 --> 00:19:26,960 family unit. Well that's what the data says, right, if 285 00:19:26,960 --> 00:19:31,160 you have you come from a single mother home as 286 00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:36,200 a male, you are more likely to end up, you know, 287 00:19:36,279 --> 00:19:41,000 in prison than if you're coming from to parent household. 288 00:19:43,359 --> 00:19:47,039 And that is that is something that people can change. 289 00:19:47,519 --> 00:19:49,559 You don't need a government program, you don't need more 290 00:19:49,559 --> 00:19:52,240 funding for something for this. 291 00:19:52,240 --> 00:19:55,599 Speaker 1: This is just a cultural norm. 292 00:19:57,279 --> 00:19:59,440 Speaker 2: So we keep getting these same people elected to the 293 00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:04,720 same office, even when we've got all sorts of swirl 294 00:20:04,799 --> 00:20:07,799 around them, even when we know that things they are 295 00:20:07,799 --> 00:20:13,359 doing don't seem to be helping or working. And I note, 296 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:16,319 like when I first started at WBT as a reporter, 297 00:20:16,839 --> 00:20:19,480 and I covered the city Council and the County Commission, 298 00:20:19,519 --> 00:20:24,240 and back then they were actually majority Republican bodies. And 299 00:20:24,279 --> 00:20:27,640 then they lost the Republican majority went Democrat, but it 300 00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:31,720 was still kind of close. And then you know, I 301 00:20:31,759 --> 00:20:35,240 went on time out eight years up in the mountains 302 00:20:35,319 --> 00:20:40,480 and in Ashville, and I come back and now county 303 00:20:40,519 --> 00:20:45,559 commissions completely controlled by Democrats, and the city council has 304 00:20:45,759 --> 00:20:49,319 just two Republicans from districts, and they tried to draw 305 00:20:49,599 --> 00:20:51,319 one of them out of the district when they did 306 00:20:51,359 --> 00:20:53,480 their redistricting in twenty twenty. 307 00:20:54,400 --> 00:20:56,720 Speaker 1: So there's not a. 308 00:20:56,640 --> 00:21:00,119 Speaker 2: Lot of representation going on from Republicans to direct to 309 00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:03,319 help direct the course of the city or the county here. 310 00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:09,759 And I feel like that's a bad thing because it 311 00:21:09,880 --> 00:21:15,200 seems like things are getting worse because you don't have 312 00:21:15,359 --> 00:21:19,640 any kind of a corrective at the county or the 313 00:21:19,880 --> 00:21:25,240 city level. So with that in mind, the Charlotte Observer 314 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:28,279 editorial board came out with their endorsements because we all 315 00:21:28,359 --> 00:21:31,759 need to know who the Charlotte Observer editors would prefer 316 00:21:32,519 --> 00:21:35,960 to govern us. So the past two years have been 317 00:21:36,039 --> 00:21:39,720 challenging and troubling for Charlotte leaders. They say, there's the 318 00:21:39,799 --> 00:21:42,680 six hundred and fifty million dollars in public dollars that 319 00:21:43,079 --> 00:21:46,000 were spent on renovations for Bank of America Stadium, a 320 00:21:46,039 --> 00:21:49,240 deal that one national group called the worst economic development 321 00:21:49,279 --> 00:21:51,319 deal in the country in twenty twenty four. 322 00:21:51,359 --> 00:21:53,839 Speaker 1: I was not aware of that. Give it up, good 323 00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:57,000 job Charlotte. That's awesome. Yeah, Okay. 324 00:21:58,759 --> 00:22:01,079 Speaker 2: Then there's the three hundred five thousand dollars in the 325 00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:05,960 separation agreement with the soon to be retiring police chief 326 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:10,559 Johnny Jennings, who threatened a lawsuit, never actually filed a lawsuit, 327 00:22:10,720 --> 00:22:15,519 but claimed he was maligned and defamed because nobody had 328 00:22:15,559 --> 00:22:19,799 heard the text messages that he was getting from the 329 00:22:19,920 --> 00:22:22,240 Charlotte City Councilman Tark Baccari, who's now working up at 330 00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:23,119 the Trump Administration. 331 00:22:23,200 --> 00:22:23,720 Speaker 1: But whatever. 332 00:22:23,799 --> 00:22:26,359 Speaker 2: So just the mere threat of a lawsuit that gets 333 00:22:26,359 --> 00:22:29,880 you the payout, So there was that. There's also the 334 00:22:30,240 --> 00:22:34,920 massive transit plan and corresponding sales tax referendum. At the 335 00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:37,440 heart of each of these issues lies the same problem, 336 00:22:37,880 --> 00:22:42,480 the editorial Board says, a startling lack of transparency that 337 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:47,000 poisons the council's decision making and fractures the trust leaders 338 00:22:47,039 --> 00:22:50,480 have with each other and the public. And what's become 339 00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:55,880 increasingly clear is that something needs to change. Voters may 340 00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:59,160 have been largely excluded from those discussions, but they have 341 00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:03,599 an opportunity to make their voices heard now, and so 342 00:23:03,759 --> 00:23:07,680 our recommendations in the race for mayor is to leave 343 00:23:07,759 --> 00:23:11,480 the mayor there she should get yeah, she should keep 344 00:23:11,480 --> 00:23:15,119 her job. And for the at large races, the four 345 00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:19,319 at large city Council's seats, they also recommend we keep 346 00:23:19,359 --> 00:23:21,200 all of the same incumbents. 347 00:23:20,680 --> 00:23:23,839 Speaker 1: There too, So there you go. There's that's their endorsement that. 348 00:23:23,799 --> 00:23:28,640 Speaker 2: But stuff needs to change, okay, and we hope that 349 00:23:28,759 --> 00:23:32,119 now these five will change. They'll they'll do they'll do 350 00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:36,319 better if we just send them back into their seats 351 00:23:36,359 --> 00:23:39,799 that they're currently in right now that you say need 352 00:23:39,839 --> 00:23:44,839 to change. So I am struggling to find the logic here. 353 00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:45,240 Speaker 1: I don't know. 354 00:23:45,319 --> 00:23:48,759 Speaker 2: It's like you wrote the intro to this editorial and 355 00:23:48,799 --> 00:23:53,079 then you like completely forgot that you wrote this intro, 356 00:23:53,240 --> 00:23:56,640 and then you made your endorsements. Maybe two different people 357 00:23:56,680 --> 00:23:58,720 worked on it, and we all thought like, oh, we 358 00:23:58,720 --> 00:24:01,279 thought we were gonna go with like an insurgent slate 359 00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:01,839 or something. 360 00:24:01,839 --> 00:24:03,359 Speaker 1: But no, no, no. 361 00:24:03,519 --> 00:24:07,839 Speaker 2: They recommend Viylyles return to office, and they recommend them 362 00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:12,720 Bela Jamia, and they recommend James Smudgie Mitchell and Lawana 363 00:24:12,759 --> 00:24:16,839 Slack Mayfield and Victoria Watlington six other challengers out there. 364 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:22,920 But no, no, leave the four at large members. By 365 00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:25,000 the way, they also did a story the other day 366 00:24:25,759 --> 00:24:33,599 sorry today looking at council absences and yeah, the ones 367 00:24:33,680 --> 00:24:37,480 that they are recommending, three of the four at large 368 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:40,400 and four of the five total that they just told 369 00:24:40,440 --> 00:24:46,640 us to vote for. They have the worst attendance records. 370 00:24:47,039 --> 00:24:48,839 Speaker 1: They don't show up to the meetings. 371 00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:51,559 Speaker 2: Well, I mean they show up to like two thirds. 372 00:24:52,359 --> 00:24:56,480 The worst offender is James Smudgie Mitchell and he he 373 00:24:56,519 --> 00:24:59,920 has attended sixty seven percent of the meetings so far. 374 00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:03,240 I don't know if I'm I don't know if I 375 00:25:03,319 --> 00:25:06,480 like this because on the one hand, then not showing 376 00:25:06,559 --> 00:25:11,079 up means maybe they're not breaking stuff, you know. But 377 00:25:11,119 --> 00:25:14,039 then again, it's like we're paying you to do these jobs, 378 00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:16,880 so I feel like you should probably show up, all right. 379 00:25:16,920 --> 00:25:19,119 You hear me talk a lot about incentives, right, Well, 380 00:25:19,240 --> 00:25:22,680 let's talk about incentive trips, the kind that companies offer 381 00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:26,000 employees to fire them up and reward their teams. If 382 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:28,160 you own a business or you work somewhere that offers 383 00:25:28,160 --> 00:25:31,119 these incentive trips, first off, good for you, but also 384 00:25:31,440 --> 00:25:33,799 there is a custom app that's a game changer for 385 00:25:33,839 --> 00:25:37,759 these trips. It's called Incentive trip Kit. Private group messaging, 386 00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:42,119 shared photos, your itinerary, travel details, all built into a single, 387 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:45,440 easy to use app. There's even a traveler locator so 388 00:25:45,559 --> 00:25:48,440 carl from accounting doesn't get left behind. The best part 389 00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:52,319 about Incentive trip Kit it's totally private, no email captures, 390 00:25:52,519 --> 00:25:57,000 no sign ups, no cringe ads. It's simple, clean and secure. 391 00:25:57,200 --> 00:25:59,920 And when the trip is over, Incentive trip Kit turn 392 00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:04,079 those highlights into a professional storytelling video. So think about it. 393 00:26:04,160 --> 00:26:07,839 When you launched next year's incentive trip campaign, that video 394 00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:11,559 becomes your greatest motivator. Talk about a return on investment, right, 395 00:26:11,839 --> 00:26:15,000 you got to check out incentive trip Kit for your business. 396 00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:19,039 Visit incentive tripkit dot com because great trips deserve even 397 00:26:19,119 --> 00:26:23,559 better returns. So the Charlotte Observer went through and crunched 398 00:26:23,599 --> 00:26:27,480 the numbers. They went through what was it, seventy nine 399 00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:33,039 business meetings, zoning meetings, special meetings, strategy and budget meetings 400 00:26:33,680 --> 00:26:37,079 during the current term which began for the Charlotte City 401 00:26:37,119 --> 00:26:40,240 Council in December of twenty twenty three. They ran through 402 00:26:40,279 --> 00:26:45,039 the meeting minutes, they ran through the video recordings, and 403 00:26:45,119 --> 00:26:47,559 what they found was that there have been only three 404 00:26:47,960 --> 00:26:53,079 meetings this term, three out of the seventy nine, when 405 00:26:53,279 --> 00:26:57,960 all eleven council members and the mayor were present and 406 00:26:58,079 --> 00:27:06,599 on time three at a seventy nine. Now that does 407 00:27:06,640 --> 00:27:09,319 not does not. These the numbers I'm gonna give you 408 00:27:09,319 --> 00:27:13,799 here do not reflect late arrivals or early departures, okay, 409 00:27:13,799 --> 00:27:16,680 because some of the council members show up late habitually 410 00:27:18,079 --> 00:27:20,559 and some leave early on the regular. 411 00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:27,319 Speaker 1: But this is just attendance, okay. The most attending. 412 00:27:27,799 --> 00:27:31,240 Speaker 2: The one who attends the most meetings is Marjorie Molina 413 00:27:31,359 --> 00:27:35,839 District five, rep. At ninety seven percent. Good for her. 414 00:27:36,519 --> 00:27:40,319 Ed Driggs one of the only Republicans District seven, he's 415 00:27:40,359 --> 00:27:43,039 at ninety four point ninety four percent, So I'll give 416 00:27:43,039 --> 00:27:43,720 you the ninety five. 417 00:27:43,759 --> 00:27:44,240 Speaker 1: I'm just going to. 418 00:27:44,319 --> 00:27:48,759 Speaker 2: Round these numbers to the nearest whole number. So he's 419 00:27:48,759 --> 00:27:52,680 at ninety five percent. Lawana Mayfield at ninety four percent, 420 00:27:52,759 --> 00:27:56,119 so she does show up. Tarc Bacari, but he's now 421 00:27:56,160 --> 00:27:59,319 no longer there. He was at ninety percent. Dante Anderson 422 00:27:59,440 --> 00:28:02,000 she's at ninety eighty percent. Malcolm Graham, he's at eighty 423 00:28:02,079 --> 00:28:06,240 nine percent. Renee Johnson at eighty seven percent. Tiyawana Brown 424 00:28:06,319 --> 00:28:10,200 when she's not being federally indicted, she's at eighty six percent. 425 00:28:11,839 --> 00:28:14,519 And then you get down to the mayor at eighty 426 00:28:14,559 --> 00:28:17,960 two percent of the time she's there, dimple Ajmira eighty 427 00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:23,400 one percent, Victoria Watlington seventy eight percent, and James Smudgie 428 00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:27,519 Mitchell at sixty seven percent, So basically one out of 429 00:28:27,519 --> 00:28:31,000 three meetings he's not there. Attendance habits are no secret 430 00:28:31,039 --> 00:28:35,039 among council members, the Observer reports. In a July twenty 431 00:28:35,119 --> 00:28:37,839 ninth email addressed to the Mayor and sent to the 432 00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:43,400 full council, Councilman Malcolm Graham voiced concern over frequent delays 433 00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:46,839 that pushed meetings pasted their scheduled start times because not 434 00:28:46,960 --> 00:28:50,400 enough members were present. Meetings cannot begin without a majority. 435 00:28:52,039 --> 00:28:54,839 I was wondering this. I did not realize that this 436 00:28:54,880 --> 00:28:58,599 is what was going on because I will on Monday nights, 437 00:28:58,640 --> 00:29:01,559 I usually turn off the gov Code channel and I 438 00:29:01,680 --> 00:29:05,400 watch the meetings because that you know, it's I like 439 00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:07,440 to do. No, I don't, but I watch it so 440 00:29:07,480 --> 00:29:09,799 you don't have to, because I'm a giver. Okay, So 441 00:29:09,960 --> 00:29:11,599 I watched the meetings so you don't have to, and 442 00:29:11,599 --> 00:29:13,839 if anything happens then I can tell you what occurred. 443 00:29:14,319 --> 00:29:18,400 And like they're supposed to start at like five o'clock 444 00:29:19,039 --> 00:29:21,480 and they never start on time. This now explains it. 445 00:29:22,079 --> 00:29:25,200 They everybody's showing up late. The council members are showing 446 00:29:25,240 --> 00:29:26,920 up late to the point where they don't have even 447 00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:33,119 a majority to start the meetings. Members also leave early, 448 00:29:33,519 --> 00:29:36,359 which Graham said can have can leave less than half 449 00:29:36,359 --> 00:29:38,880 of council present by the time that the meetings adjourn. 450 00:29:39,880 --> 00:29:43,720 Even when topics that members personally advance, like the vote 451 00:29:43,720 --> 00:29:46,880 for an outside attorney, they don't show up. 452 00:29:47,079 --> 00:29:47,519 Speaker 1: He said. 453 00:29:48,160 --> 00:29:51,880 Speaker 2: Members of the public, the media and staff consistently arrive 454 00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:54,920 on time and it reflects poorly on the council. 455 00:29:54,559 --> 00:29:55,200 Speaker 1: When we do not. 456 00:29:56,559 --> 00:30:00,400 Speaker 2: That is true, It does reflect poorly on you, Council members. Yeah, 457 00:30:00,880 --> 00:30:04,559 Mitchell has maintained Smudge has maintained the worst attendance record, 458 00:30:04,599 --> 00:30:07,880 dating all the way back to twenty fifteen. He resigned 459 00:30:07,960 --> 00:30:09,880 part way through his term in twenty twenty one, but 460 00:30:09,920 --> 00:30:12,000 then he was back to campaigning by the next year. 461 00:30:13,559 --> 00:30:17,440 Mitchell attributes his uptick in absences to doctors' orders. He 462 00:30:17,480 --> 00:30:19,640 had procedures in March and April that kept him away 463 00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:22,160 for an extended period of time. If those two months 464 00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:24,680 are omitted from the calculations, he would still be absent 465 00:30:24,720 --> 00:30:27,160 about thirty percent of the time though, so it's I 466 00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:32,119 don't know if that's that's really the reason. Mitchell said 467 00:30:32,119 --> 00:30:35,160 his attendance has never been an issue with his constituents, 468 00:30:35,160 --> 00:30:38,400 who have consistently re elected him. He says the results 469 00:30:38,519 --> 00:30:43,720 outweigh the meetings, see he gets stuff done. Graham highlighted 470 00:30:44,160 --> 00:30:47,720 the mayor's participation has been limited and her absence felt 471 00:30:47,839 --> 00:30:51,079 during zoning meetings. She has attended less than half of 472 00:30:51,119 --> 00:30:55,720 the zoning meetings, and what Lyles says is that she's 473 00:30:55,799 --> 00:31:01,000 delegating the zoning stuff to Dante Anderson, the Mayor pro temp, 474 00:31:01,200 --> 00:31:05,839 so she can gain experience facilitating the meetings. So she 475 00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:07,640 I was wondering why this occurs too. 476 00:31:08,200 --> 00:31:10,759 Speaker 1: This explains it. I did not know this either. 477 00:31:11,079 --> 00:31:13,880 Speaker 2: Apparently the mayor's checked out on the zoning meetings, which 478 00:31:13,960 --> 00:31:16,039 I don't know. I kind of feel like rezoning's are 479 00:31:16,079 --> 00:31:18,880 a pretty big deal, like the development of the city 480 00:31:18,920 --> 00:31:22,240 of Charlotte feels like it's a big deal. Mayor probably 481 00:31:22,240 --> 00:31:23,359 should have some role in that. 482 00:31:23,559 --> 00:31:24,920 Speaker 1: I don't. Yeah, I don't know. 483 00:31:26,319 --> 00:31:28,279 Speaker 2: All right, that'll do it for this episode. 484 00:31:28,279 --> 00:31:29,680 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for listening. 485 00:31:29,759 --> 00:31:31,920 Speaker 2: I could not do the show without your support and 486 00:31:31,960 --> 00:31:34,640 the support of the businesses that advertise on the podcast, 487 00:31:35,039 --> 00:31:37,119 so if you'd like, please support them too and tell 488 00:31:37,119 --> 00:31:38,839 them you heard it here. You can also become a 489 00:31:38,880 --> 00:31:43,559 patron at my Patreon page or go to thepetecallershow dot com. Again, 490 00:31:43,799 --> 00:31:46,319 thank you so much for listening, and don't break anything 491 00:31:46,359 --> 00:31:48,319 while I'm gone.