Dale Fritchen is the incumbent district 6 council member in Stockton, CA. He is running for re-election, and is squaring off against Michael Tubbs. Friday afternoon, he brought forward the only option in my eyes, and that is a financial solution laid out in black and white, a plan to cut back 20.5 million of our nearly 27 Million dollar deficit. Mr. Fritchen has also been dealing with looking for answers for the public while AJ s laughing thinking she fooled the public again. Stand up with Greg Pitsch honoring his endorsement for Dale Fritchen running for Dist. 6, to Unite Stockton as a whole, get rid of several un-necessary and risky spending that has destroyed our economy, costing unemployment to rise above 22% in February 2012.
Many are well aware of how our city was "occupied" again Thursday. A measly 100 people came out, they shut down the surrounding area it and had multiple agencies come assist with riot control. For 100 people?
"Wasted funds are being amassed like we've never seen before, and the people are no longer fighting for there own sake. It almost seems as if nobody cares about the City, and honestly I can't be in any such environment that promotes a negative tone or result, without having the desire to want to fix it.." - Gregory S. Pitsch.
MIKE KLOCKE
June 3, 2012
One person's "occupation" is another person's "annoyance."
Nevertheless, several streets downtown were shut as protesters carried signs and chanted about such things as officer-involved shootings, Stockton's leadership and influential banks.
Much of the gathering was from the much-more-intense Occupy Oakland movement. Buses brought people to Stockton to march.
To everyone's credit, there were no arrests.
Civic protests are an important part of this country's history, and they have led to great and positive changes. You do not have to go too far back in history to realize those truths.
I am certainly in no position to pass judgment on the officer-involved shootings that were such a focal point of the third Occupy event in Stockton. They obviously were on the minds of protesters.
The focus was on the deaths of James Rivera Jr., 16, and Luther Brown, 32. Some protesters carried signs with the names of the Stockton Police and San Joaquin Sheriff's officers involved.
Again, that is fine and well within the rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
But before the city is occupied for a fourth time, I would like the protesters to consider rallying against - or for - some other things:
>>VOTE FOR GREG PITSCH<<
» Support the 35-year-old who was hit, threatened and then had the assailant follow her into her house;
» Stand up for the family of the unidentified man who was found dead by the railroad tracks in northeastern Stockton;
» Make signs in support of the woman who reported she was sexually assaulted, falsely imprisoned and threatened by a man in Stockton;
» Plea for justice for the young man whose Camaro was carjacked at gunpoint. Speak out against those who committed the crime;
» Support the Stockton police who had to deal with a hatchet-wielding man before making an arrest;
» Demand justice for the 43-year-old man who had simply just gotten a cup of coffee when his car window was broken with a chain and then he was beaten in the head and robbed;
» Chant demands that the people who fired gunshots into the house of a woman on Airport Way be sought, arrested and jailed before they do something such as this again. Incidentally, it was not the first time shots were fired at the woman's house;
» Rally people against the man who allegedly assaulted a police officer with a knife when he was trying to break up a domestic dispute;
» Decry the criminal who tried to falsely imprison a 15-year-old girl in his vehicle;
» Pray for the 21-year-old man who was shot in the head and left for dead on South Sinclair Avenue. Demand that his assailant be caught;
» Carry signs with strong messages of protest against the two men who beat a 71-year-old man, and the other two men who beat a 63-year-old man in robberies just a few hours apart.
What do you think of these suggestions as matters to protest the next time you show up to occupy Stockton?
The sad thing: each of these incidents happened within the four days prior to the Occupy Stockton visit. So we have not even touched on previous incidents, last year's record 58 murders in Stockton or - to change the direction of a potential protest - the need for more officers.
Occupy our city and call out the criminals. Criticize the people doing the beating, stabbing, shooting, robbing and more.
I could not agree more with the words of Occupy Oakland organizer Christopher Moreland, who told the media: "We're not here to start trouble; we're here to awaken the city of Stockton. We feel their pain and support them in their struggle."
Amen. But it is more than a struggle against officer-involved shootings, city leadership and Wells Fargo Bank playing foreclosure hardball.
It is a struggle against crime. Every day, every hour, practically every minute. For citizens - and definitely for law enforcement.
It is our life, and it is getting more intense - something you certainly know about in Oakland.
So roll these suggestions around in your collective thoughts before jumping on another east-bound bus.
Contact Record editor Mike Klocke at (209) 546-8250 or mklocke@recordnet.com.
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