Copied from Tallahassee Reports
Thank you Chief DeLeo for speaking up!
And thank you Gerald Ensley for revealing a major problem in our community.
DeLeo, our police chief, who appears to have more courage than most, publicly stood up for the men in blue. And in doing so, he irritated the “Village Square Crowd.”
On Tuesday, at a ceremony for first responders, DeLeo said:
“I am tired of those who doubt our commitment and our resolve to serve. They cast stones from afar without taking time to learn facts. The words of these critics have little value to me, they have not rushed into unknown dangers to protect a stranger or seen the lifeless bodies of people taken by violence.”
Gerald Ensley, a charter member of the “Village Square Crowd”, responded to DeLeo’s comments by saying, “Do your job. Apologize when you can’t or don’t do it well. Save the moaning for your colleagues. Nobody else cares.”
Ensley, unwittingly, has revealed a major problem in our community-the inability for anyone to critique the insiders without being attacked.
Do not get me wrong, the insiders are fine with criticism as long as it does not come their way.
The insiders can criticize a police officer, but you better not say a word about the City Commission failing to properly fund public safety for the last eight years.
The insiders can fire three CDA dispatchers, but do not try and hold CDA management accountable for the incompetence on display in a core service.
The insiders can say our local businesses need help with “family” policies, but do not question an increase in fire service fees that disproportionately affect those same families that can least afford it!
The “Village Square Crowd” pretends they are debating issues that are important to the community, when really all they are doing is protecting the status quo and giving cover to the insiders.
This how it works – you can speak out as long as it is not too loud and it does not offend someone important. If you get out of hand the “Village Square Crowd” we will ring a bell and ask you to sit down.
Well, Mr. Ensley just rang the bell, but Mr. DeLeo is not going to sit down!
DeLeo has requested more police officers because the facts show the City Commission has turned their back on a core service for years and now we are paying for their decisions.
The results are evident in national studies that show our proclivity for violent crime and the lack of upward income mobility for those who need it most.
DeLeo will not accept the status-quo.
But the “Village Square Crowd” does not want to talk about the difficult issues.
Ensley continued by writing, “Pulling back the curtain of our jobs might make us feel better — but it won’t inspire confidence in others.”
In other words, hide behind the curtain, put your head in the sand and everything will be just fine!
Thanks Gerald! Now I understand exactly why things stay the same!