From: ronfreud@aol.com (RonFreud) Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology Subject: $25,000 to LAPD Date: 15 Jun 1995 18:24:59 -0400 Last evening it was my pleasure to attend a benefit for the Mayor's Alliance For A Safer L.A. The event, sponsored by The Friends Of L. Ron Hubbard and CC Int was a great success! A check in the amount of $25,000 was presented by actress/activist Anne Archer to Kimberly King head of the Mayor's Alliance, Deputy Chief David Gascon of the LAPD, and Capt. Glen Ackerman Commanding Officer of the Hollywood Division of the LAPD. The Mayor's Alliance is an organization which brings together business and community leaders for the purpose of making our city a safer place. The $25,000 raised by the Friends of L. Ron Hubbard will go towards the purchase of a new computer system for the LAPD. Currently Police are being forced to write all reports by hand, something almost unheard of in todays technologically advanced society. Deputy Chief Gascon says that it is estimated the new computer system will save the LAPD more than 640,000 hours annually. This will be the equivalent of putting more than 350 full-time police offers out on the streets making our city safer. Capt Ackerman thanked the Scientology community for its continuing support of the LAPD and told those attending that the Hollywood Division has always been able to count on the help of the Scientology community in their endevours to create a safer city. He said that the new computer system for the Hollywood Division is scheduled to go online September 1st. Julia Migenes performed at the event. Julia is, to quote the New York Times, "One of the greatest singing actresses of our time." Even I who am not known for my love of opera, found myself spellbound by her moving performance! Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology Subject: The letter the Times wouldn't print From: tom.klemesrud@support.com Date: Sat, 02 Dec 95 19:16:45 -0800 On November 20, 1995 I sent a "Letter to the Editor" to the Los Angeles Times regarding the following story: > Monday, November 20, 1995, Home Edition > Corporate Donors Put LAPD On-Line > Police: Group contributes $15.7 million in equipment > and software. It is the equivalent of putting more > than 360 officers on the streets, officials say. > BYLINE: JEAN MERL; TIMES STAFF WRITER > SECTION: METRO; PAGE: B-1 > Inheriting a Police Department with a woefully > antiquated record-keeping system that wastes thousands > of patrol hours each week and shrinking city coffers > that make solutions difficult to afford, Mayor Richard > Riordan faced a quandary: how to keep his campaign > promise to modernize the Los Angeles Police Department > and get more officers on the street? > Riordan, the millionaire businessman, turned > to his well-connected friends in the corporate world. > And 15 months later, they have raised enough to > install a state-of-the-art computer system and buy > custom-designed software that brings time--and > money-saving technology--to a system that smacks of > the 1950s. > This morning, heralding what is believed to be > the biggest private gift to a law enforcement agency > in the United States, the Mayor's Alliance for a Safer > L.A. is scheduled to announce that it has reached its > goal of $15 million--and then some. During a news > conference at the 77th Street Area's temporary > headquarters in south Los Angeles, officials will > demonstrate a little of what that money is buying. > For the first time in the LAPD's history, its > 18 stations, four traffic divisions, Parker Center > headquarters and a training academy in Westchester > will be linked electronically. [snip] > "We wanted to do something that could really > make a difference," said Bruce Karatz, a Kaufman and > Broad Home Corp. executive who spearheaded the drive. A > Riordan supporter in the 1993 mayor's race, Karatz said > he shared Riordan's concern for public safety and his > view that a good technological system could greatly > help the LAPD do its job. > The alliance was launched over breakfast with > Riordan and Police Chief Willie L. Williams at Karatz's > home in Santa Monica, with the two city officials > agreeing to join Karatz as co-chairmen, and the > building industry executive shouldering the task of > raising the money. [snip] > Among the biggest contributions were the > Ahmanson Foundation's $3 million, the $1.5 million from > Blue Cross of California, and the almost $1.2 million > in computers and other equipment from Compaq Computer > Corp. Orange County-based Fluor Corp. gave an > undisclosed amount, while Coca-Cola ran an in-store > promotion donating a percentage of each purchase. The > Ralph's/Food 4 Less Foundation gave nearly $700,000, > while the wealthy mayor's own Riordan Foundation put up > $300,000. Almost $2 million of the total came from > small or "confidential" contributions. "What happens in > Los Angeles is an issue for all of Southern > California--that was the argument I made, and everybody > understood it," Karatz said. 3.0 Million + 1.5 Million + 1.2 Million + 0.7 Million + 0.3 Million + 3.0 Million ----------- = 9.7 Million Where did the other $6 Million come from? > Yet the alliance's well-publicized formation > was not without critics. Some expressed concern about > whether the department would be perceived as beholden > to big donors and whether the alliance might represent > a return to the days when a small group of powerful > Downtown interests ran the city. > Still others disputed the notion of private > interests paying for a public responsibility they > believed belonged with the city and its taxpayers--an > argument Karatz said he sometimes encountered in > talking with prospective donors. > "Some do believe this should be handled by the > city, but they realize that public safety is very > important, that the city can't do it all. For such an > important issue as fighting crime, people were willing > to join in and help," he said. > Karatz dismissed the notion that donors might > try to turn their donations to their personal > advantage: "This department is a big, independent part > of city government" that is several layers removed from > contributors, few of whom have the time or inclination > to be courting favors with the department. > Ethical concerns seemed far from the minds of > donors, if samplings of letters received with some of > the contributions are any indication. ... [end citation] Here is my letter the Los Angeles Times would not print: LETTER TO THE EDITOR In The November 20th article "Corporate Donors Put LAPD On-Line," Mayor's Alliance for a safer L.A. spokesman Bruce Karatz rebutted criticism that the LAPD may be beholding to fund contributors by saying, "This department is big, independent part of city government." _Times_ reporter Jean Merl implied "that is several layers removed from contributors, few of whom have the time or inclination to be courting favors with the department." The department it not so removed from contributors: In June Deputy Chief David Gascon, Hollywood Division Captain Glenn Ackerman, and Kimberly King of the Mayor's Alliance went to the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre International in Hollywood to accept a $25,000 contribution from the "Friends of L. Ron Hubbard." They dined in elegance, listening to music by Julie Migennes. "It was a beautiful affair," said King. This litigious cult, with a criminal past, does have the inclination to court favors: In February Bunco Forgery Detective Gary Ingemunson cooperated with Scientology, elicited the help of Interpol, and helped a Los Angeles private investigator raid the Finnish Internet computer "Penet.fi" in search of a person's name that the cult thought stole a computer document in Los Angeles relating to the cult's harrassment lawsuit against me for copyright infringement on the Internet. The private investigator lied to the Finnish police saying that the theft began in Finland. The LAPD turned over the name of an apparent employee of the cult, and the employee has not been heard from by his friends since. "No crime was committed after all," the LAPD was told. According to Kimberly King, Scientology pledged the money "in the Spring" of 1995. February 8th the Finnish Internet site was raided, and the name of the now-missing employee was revealed to the cult shortly thereafter. Then the employee disappeared. I filed a complaint with the LAPD Internal Affairs division, and they responded that their officer did not act improperly. The Finnish raid was reported by Dan Akst of the _Times_ in February, but the _Times_ has chose to ignore the rest of this story; although it is very well reported in the December issue of _Wired_ Magazine. Tom Klemesrud ADDITIONAL COMMENT: Mayor Riordan ran for Mayor with the philosophy that government is bad, and generally doesn't work. The Mayor prides himself on cutting through red tape in getting things done. But, replacing the functions that are--and should be--done by government (for the well being and fair treatment of _all_ the citizens); with political cronyism that favors the rich, is unacceptable for the City of Los Angeles and the country. Political cronyism is a mistake--as it was in the 1930's--for Los Angeles. Tom Klemesrud SP5 _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ _/ Tom Klemesrud, Sysop _/ _/ L.A. Valley College BBS _/ _/ tom.klemesrud@support.com _/ _/ FidoNet 1:102/837 KoX _/ _/ root@support.com _/ _/ North Hollywood, CA USA _/ _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/