Friday, June 14, 2013

If the broad light of day could be let in upon men’s actions, it would purify them as the sun disinfects.



Yesterday we soldiered over to the Miami Dade Commission on Ethics for their monthly hearing where we expected to see the ethics case against embattled city of South Miami police chief Orlando Martinez de Castro come to a conclusion.  As we had mentioned in yesterday's post, the good folks over at the Ethics Commission had cut a sweet heart deal with the chief and his attorneys where he essentially plead no contest and was given a small fine (which wasn't classified as a fine) and then sent on his way.

Unfortunately though not enough of the ethics commission board members showed up to form a quorum so the board couldn't vote on the plea deal, essentially it was a total waste of time for everyone that showed up.  With that said, I can't begin to describe how disappointed I am in how things have turned out over at the Commission on Ethics regarding this matter.  I personally met several times with investigators and the advocate, Michael Murawski, who theoretically is there to represent the people of Miami Dade County.  Generally, I think I'm pretty good at reading people and I have to tell you, Mr Murawski and his staff did one hell of a job bullshitting me about this case, they had me convinced that they were moving forward at all costs against the chief and that they had an open and shut case.  Unfortunately though, I was wrong, the fix was in long ago in this case, Mr Murawski and company were doing nothing but what they've been accused of time and time again, simply giving free passes to the politically connected here in Miami Dade County.

Go back and listen to Mr Murawski in the recording we posted yesterday where he vehemently states that he had a strong enough case where if he went forward, he was certain he was going to prevail.  With that said, he then goes on to say that it was in the public's interest to go ahead and cut a deal with a man who he knew was guilty of the ethics violations that were filed against him.  I ask you this, if we're talking about the public's interest to cut a deal with this character and let him off the hook, how the hell did it take nearly a year and a half to come to this conclusion?  Was it in the public's interest for the ethics commission to spin it's wheels for the past year and half?  Just how much did it cost the tax payers before you came to this conclusion Mr. Murawski?  The fine, I'm sorry, investigative costs that you billed Mr de Castro for, just how many hours of your "investigation" does that actually cover?

It's all bullshit folks, the Miami Dade Commission on Ethics is nothing more than a dog and pony show, a sham, a total waste of money.  

As frustrating as the whole experience was, I emerged from the aborted meeting in a funk and a cloud of confusion, that is until I made it out to the hallway outside the ethics commission's offices where at the other end of the hallway just out of earshot I found this scene...


Granted, that's a pretty shitting photo that's been cropped but what you see there is a meeting between Mr Murawski, Orlando Martinez de Castro and his attorneys and way in the back you can see possibly one of the worst former police chiefs in the history of the City of Miami, Kenneth Harms.  This scene made me as well as everyone else who saw it extremely uncomfortable.  What we see here is the advocate for the people of Miami Dade County, Murawski, cavorting with the very people he was supposedly fighting against on our behalf.  While it's technically not a violation of the state's sunshine laws, this meeting gave off an air of impropriety and definitely erased any veneer of impartiality that these ethics proceedings may have had.

With that said, our friend and fellow blogger, Al Crespo, came to the rescue and decided to confront Mr Murawski and crew, I managed to capture a shitty video of the entire interaction...



In case you couldn't make out the audio, here's how it went down...
Al Crespo: We figured we'd stand in and listen to the conversation, you got a public hallway, you got a public official here...
Murawski: Well we'll go someplace that's not public.
Al Crespo: Oh ok!
Unknown: Thank you for giving us this opportunity.
Emaciated looking old man under his breath: Straw buyer
Al Crespo: Always good to see transparency in government!
SWEET!  There you have it!  We no longer have to imagine how these backdoor deals go down, now you see it right before your eyes!  A perfect example of how things are done here in Miami Dade County, of all places at the Ethics Commission no less, which brings us to the title of today's post, a quote from former supreme court justice Louis Brandeis...
If the broad light of day could be let in upon men’s actions, it would purify them as the sun disinfects.
As soon as the sunlight hit the characters in the hallway, they scurried away like rats!  

Fuck it, just another day in Miami!  Till next time...

21 comments:

  1. If the broad light of day could be let in upon men’s actions, it would purify them as the sun disinfects.
    This coming from a person hiding behind a keyboard with an assumed name....ROFLMAO!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mike, did you make Blogger of the year in the Miami New times this year????

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    2. This from the anonymous commenter.

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  2. Sorry, I didn't make best of anything. Seems like no one cares about minor league small town political corruption. You keep reading though so I guess I'll keep entertaining you.

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    Replies
    1. As long as you keep blogging, I got your back.In my book you are the best. Keep it going...

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  3. The Miami Dade Ethics Commission is same as Internal Affairs at any Miami police department, it is a sham window dressing, made up of insiders who are dirty to the bone protecting entrenched criminals. Simply look at the recent GSA arrests, there was nothing done internally until a private citizen and a contract bidder looked into the criminal activity. The brotherhood is protecting its own and they are not kidding around..

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  4. The man who thanks you for this opportunity is Michael Band. See here: http://www.morelaw.com/verdicts/case.asp?n=99-cv-984&s=FL&d=10917
    Then google search michael band and sherry rossbach.

    You're welcome....

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    Replies
    1. Thank you. Do you know what his role in this mess is or why he was there?

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    2. Band is a criminal defense lawyer. Probably represented De Castro before the Commission. Band and Centorino go WAY back.

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  5. Oh geez Castro and Harms what a pair or better yet TWO OF A KIND. I won't say what I think about the Ethics Committee. But I will say this " What goes around, comes around.

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  6. It's good to see that Al Crespo is still walking among us; fighting the good fight.

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  7. So does anyone get a fair shake in Miami-Dade County? I can see it now, the little guy gets it stuck to him and the flagrant violators go to private locations with the honchos.

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  8. http://www.fbi.gov/miami/
    FBI Contact
    Miami Office
    16320 NW 2nd Avenue
    North Miami Beach, FL 33169
    Phone: (305) 944-9101
    Fax: (305) 787-6538
    E-mail: Miami@ic.fbi.gov
    Our Priorities

    The FBI focuses on threats that challenge the foundations of American society or involve dangers too large or complex for any local or state authority to handle alone. In executing the following priorities, the FBI—as both a national security and law enforcement organization—will produce and use intelligence to protect the nation from threats and to bring to justice those who violate the law.

    4. Combat public corruption at all levels

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  9. "This is an employment discrimination case, which has garnered significant media attention. Plaintiff was formerly employed as a secretary by the Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office (hereinafter the "SAO"). In February of 1998, Plaintiff was suspended pending the outcome of an investigation into a highly publicized phone-sex scandal. The incident involved personnel from the Major Crimes Unit of the SAO and an incarcerated felon, who was to testify for the SAO in a murder prosecution. During the investigation of the phone-sex scandal, Plaintiff alleged that she had been sexually harassed and assaulted by the chief of the Major Crimes Unit, Michael Band. Soon after these allegations became public, Band resigned from the SAO." - http://www.leagle.com/decision-result/?xmldoc/20001476128FSupp2d1348_11341.xml/docbase/CSLWAR2-1986-2006

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  10. So Murawski was bullshitting you all along telling you he had a good case against Castro while making a deal with the devil. Typical Miami. Officials and the connected have a free hand with impunity to enrich themselves at the tax payers expense. I say these sorts of deals are made only because every single corrupt official has something on another, if one talks the house of cards can come tumbling down.

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    Replies
    1. You got it. Don't worry, Mr Murawski hasn't seen the last of me.

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  11. "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his job depends on his not understanding it." (Upton Sinclair)
    Isn't that right, Mr. Centorino?

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  12. Time to appeal to taxpayers to disband this Ethics Commission once and for all. Centorino is a disgrace as well as everyone on his Commission. Fernandez Rundle needs to go. She needs to take up drinking full time on her private time vs. taxpayer dime.

    ReplyDelete