Cahokia, IL. (ECWd) –
An out-of-control Mayor and majority city council have been busy during the last few city council meetings having citizens arrested and using police to remove them from meeting when trying to exercise their statutory right of public comment during public meeting.
This Mayor is using Police Action to enforce his dictatorship and this must come to an end.
These actions of the Mayor are criminal violations of the Open Meetings Act.
Tonight, October 27, 2015, the Mayor decided it would be a good idea to arrest and eject a city councilman because he demanded an answer on certain expenses of the city.
Trouble starts at about the 10:25 mark in the video below – and again at the 12 minute mark until the council member gets carried out and ejected (starting at 14:20) by the police in direction of the Mayor:
17 Comments
brushtoniltimes
Posted at 13:31h, 29 OctoberCitizen, trustee busted for talking at public meeting:
https://t.co/Su3e4Z0k5L
Mayor: OMA trumps 1st Amendment:
https://t.co/gvnYBTSSQS
David
Posted at 10:50h, 29 OctoberFor a citizen to speak up in spite of nervousness to that degree is admirable indeed. After seeing many of the media stories about this village in the past I find little else to admire there.
Dog
Posted at 16:13h, 28 OctoberLet me round up my boys & come clean house.
Melinda
Posted at 14:09h, 28 OctoberI assume the reason Bob Sprague is sitting there is because he is the City Attorney? He is the master manipulator of all evil in St. Clair County.
Rory
Posted at 13:51h, 28 OctoberI couldn’t believe the police officer was trying to keep the attendee from speaking her mind, peacefully, when the attendee walked outside and engaged the council member / trustee who had just tried to play the race card. The officer should have remained quiet and observed – and that’s it. He certainly appeared, as “Philo” said, to be “carrying their water” and overstepped his bounds by directing the attendee to stop talking. So long as the attendee did not threaten or approach the council member / trustee in such a manner as to place her in reasonable apprehension of receiving a battery (Assault) the officer should have monitored and that’s it.
William Bremen
Posted at 13:10h, 28 OctoberThe only thing missing on the black shirts on the SS members removing the city trustee is the swastika. We have fallen so far, I’m not sure that we will ever claw our way back. When you have a gutless States Attorney who get his marching orders from a corrupt judge, an Attorney General who answers to her corrupt father, followed by the most corrupt US Justice Department staffed by the most corrupt President Obama what do you expect.
warren J. Le Fever
Posted at 10:14h, 28 OctoberI have been involved in and attended government (including city and county) meetings for over 30 years. I’ve seen a lot of things go on. The behavior of the Mayor in handling the situation shows an absolute lack of leadership except he has control of the police and will use his power without the slightest hesitation. Either he does not have the mental ability to be a mayor or there’s something going on that is probably wrong(doing) and could likely be both. The only thing he will get from this is upset citizens and further distrust of city government. Looks like the Watchdogs need to hold a school training Cahokia folks in the techniques of dealing with bad government. Sorry to see this. This is a good training film example to show school children on how city government really operates.
Stephanie
Posted at 10:06h, 28 OctoberThat is the saddest thing I have ever seen.What the Hell is wrong with that Mayor.?.He`s a piece of human waste.And most of his staff just act like puppets on a string..It was disgraceful the way they treated that man .There is a power that will fix this.Believe me.Karma is a bitch..Also I know what most were thinking..
Brad VanHoose
Posted at 09:37h, 28 OctoberMunicipal thuggery at its finest. The Village of Caseyville was no different until we woke up the community to what was going on. The same needs to happen in Cahokia. I say we arm them with facts and the way to find the truth. This is a place where political warlords and scumbags are cultivated for county office in St.Clair County. This is a place where known enemies to openness and transparency are being fostered. I say we open the windows and doors and let the light in!!!
Dave
Posted at 09:31h, 28 OctoberWow! What a despotic mayor! The police look like part of the organized crime. It is the mayor who should be arrested for violating the law. I would not be surprised if there is a large amount of money missing….. anyone who is above board shouldn’t have a problem with transparency. The only people who don’t want to disclose the truth are people with something to hide…. in my opinion this board is hiding something! I wonder if the state police could be brought in to stop the the actions of this illegitimate board and incompetent police. Arresting the trustee for doing his job….. wow
kim
Posted at 09:27h, 28 OctoberLets give everyone a little history of what has happened in Cahokia since May of this year. One of the first things he did, was create and ordinance lowering the clerks pay so that he continue to draw disability. When I posted that information, I was threatened by the clerks son on a facebook post, which I took a screenshot of and made a police report. He then terminated 10 employees, 7 of which were union members, and another included the young lady who ran a 501c food pantry that had been in operation for 40 years. This food pantry cost the village 397 dollars a month to operate. He did this because she had the nerve to run against one of his “TEAM” members. The food pantry was closed with a promise it would be reopen in a few days. Its been 4 months! He created an ordinance allowing himself total control over hiring, and firing all Village employees, with or without cause. According to the clerks wife, he needed people he could “trust” around him. He promised citizens he would just finish the school year out, and then be in the mayors office, another lie. He is still working as a in school detention teacher at the high school. But hey, he did hire a city manager, which is illegal in Cahokia. He did this by changing her title to executive assistant. This cost us 67 thousand dollars a year. He also “created” several cushy jobs for his “TEAM” members, paying them 30 bucks an hour, benefits, and take home cars. They don’t have a job description, they just do what is assigned by him. But hey, they have big screen tvs to keep them busy, with cable paid for by guess who? THE TAXPAYER. There are more people being appointed in the next few weeks, which I’m sure will be paid 30 dollars and hour. Many of these people are convicted felons with no experience or training Some are convicted Voter Fraud felons. We have written numerous letters and complaints to the attorney generals office, the governor, congressmen and Brendan Kelly, who by the way says he has prosecuted people like Ms. JoAnn Reed, the person who is said to be getting a job as director of code enforcement. She stole lots of money, and smuggled drugs to a family member in jail. Sounds like a great candidate to be director of code enforcement. People say that Curtis McCalls father, aka “the godfather” is calling all the shots. I cannot believe they can run our town like an organized crime family and get away with it, because that is what they are doing. But according to them, “we just don’t like them because they are black” It couldn’t possible be for all the reasons listed above!
Philo Beddoe
Posted at 07:30h, 28 OctoberLove the attitude of these supposed “law enforcement” officers. Carrying water for a corrupt administration. I would retain a civil rights attorney if I were this guy.
Elizabeth Gruber
Posted at 05:02h, 28 OctoberA perfect example of elections matter. One of the worst corrupt videos I have ever seen. Kudos to those that stood up to this intimidation.
Chris Heatherly
Posted at 23:58h, 27 OctoberSomething needs to be done. You have a corrupt city government, being protected by a corrupt County government, which is also protected by a corrupt state government. The good citizens of Cahokia have nowhere to turn. This behavior of the Cahokia Mayor is appalling. It is a banana republic reminiscent of Saddam Hussein and Manuel Noriega. If this was another country we would have sent troops in to ensure free elections. But unfortunately this is the United States of America it ruins your faith in our electoral system. The good people of Cahokia and St Clair County need to continue to stand up to this tyranny. Remember the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.
Clara Harrison
Posted at 11:53h, 28 OctoberSomeone needs to drop a dime to the FBI and let them come in and investigate the whole city government from the Mayor down and asap.
Johnny D. Boyd
Posted at 00:14h, 30 OctoberListen, I don’t know what all the fuss is about. I know this man (The Mayor) personally. He is Not Corrupt. He is a Good Man and is Fair…Stop all the Nonsense it is not going to get anything done. I did not hear anyone say anything about getting things done for Cahokia citizens.
They have a job to do and if the man was disrupting the meeting then he should have been removed. As far as Felons go u can find this out by checking public records. Ms. Reed did not smuggle drugs into a jail. That my friend is not true…Trust me I Know! Ms. Jackson Is Not A Felon…I don’t know the others u were referring to, but I do know the main players.
Nobody likes change. Give the man a chance and u will find he is actually a pretty good guy.
Todd
Posted at 14:59h, 02 NovemberJohnny D. Boyd…how much are you being paid by the mayor?