Good News. And Bad News.

I have heard (not from the child who calls him- or herself "Anonymous," but from an actual source) that Luis Cabrera is on a time-out or something.  It was not clear to me if he is on a suspension or has been fired.  I didn't ask.

I like Luis personally.  He's a friendly guy.  He's also somewhat shifty, and I have a clear sense that he's controlling and manipulative.  And worse than that, for as many years as he's been the police Chief, he has refused to deploy our officers to provide constant patrolling on 6th Avenue.  This failure has cost a number of people quite a bit, including some people their lives.  So, Luis is out, at least for a while?  Good.  Luis had a career with the County or the City of Miami, has a nice pension, and was using us to juice his lifestyle.  I am not concerned about Luis, certainly not any more than he is concerned about the people who live, walk, and drive in BP.  Maybe someone else will do what Luis couldn't be bothered to do.  It's good news for us that someone else is in that position, and better news for us if they actually do the right job.

I was out walking this morning, and when I got to Griffing and 115th, one of our unmarked SUV-type cruisers had stopped someone.  I got to the car to make sure the driver was OK, and not injured.  Yes, she was OK, and no, she was not injured.  If you want to know what race she was, "I'll wait," as the late Gilbert Gottfried used to say, or "Take all the time you need with that," as Brian Tyler Cohen now says.  I don't know what she did.  Maybe something, or maybe nothing.  But she didn't seem afraid or angry, and since she said she was OK, I kept walking.  I waved at the officer, too, but the glass being tinted as dark as it was (you know, illegal, as you and I are not allowed to have our car glass tinted), I couldn't tell if he or she saw me or waved back.

And when I crossed 6th Avenue, it was clearly still not being patrolled.

So, the good news is that Luis, who assigns officers, and doesn't assign them to do the main job we need them to do, is not in place.  The bad news is that neither did the manager tell Luis, or his replacement, to do this essential job, nor did Luis' replacement think of it him- or herself.

We can't win for losing.