Category: Crime

  • Rep. Terri Sewell statement on bomb threats to Jewish Community Center in Birmingham

    terri-sewell

     Congresswoman Terri Sewell

    Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Terri A. Sewell (D-AL) released the following statement on recent anti-Semitic attacks and bomb threats to Jewish facilities national, as well as in Birmingham, AL:

    “I am deeply disturbed by the threats against Jewish community centers in Birmingham and nationwide,” said Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell (D-AL). “These hate crimes will not be tolerated. Many of my constituents still remember the 1963 bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham that killed four young black girls. We cannot and will not let that kind of hate rock our community ever again. The families in my district reject anti-Semitism or discrimination against any religion or race, and we will call out and confront discrimination wherever it is present.”

    On Feb. 23, Congresswoman Terri Sewell joined 157 members of Congress in a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), urging the agencies to swiftly assess the recent threats against Jewish community centers and to advise Congress on any steps which it can take to help counter those threats.

    On Monday, the Birmingham police investigated a bomb threat at the Levite Jewish Community Center, the third bomb threat to the Community Center over the past month. According to the FBI’s Birmingham division, the FBI and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights division will investigate as part of a nationwide probe into threats against Jewish community centers.

    In the first two months of 2017 alone, there have been more than 60 incidents targeting Jewish community centers nationwide. The bomb threat reported on Monday was the third to be reported against Birmingham’s Levite Jewish Community Center this year.  The first bomb threat happened Jan. 18 and then again on Feb. 20.

     

  • Trump Atrocities Report (TAR) #3

    mya 1.jpgWe continue our report on the outrageous and harmful actions taken by the Trump Administration and its Republican supporters in Congress, which hurt the working people of America.

    We are numbering the atrocities consecutively, so you will have to go back to previous papers or go to our website on line at http://www.greenecodemocrat.com to see the prior atrocities committed by no. 45, his cabinet, cronies and supporters.

    Atrocity No. 9: Trump is getting payments from foreign governments. He is receiving payments from foreign government through his business holdings in other countries, in direct violation of the “emoluments clause” of the U. S. Constitution. We do not know which governments and what amounts because Trump has never released his income tax returns that might shed some light on these issues. We hope the Congressional investigation of Trump’s dealings with Russia, China, Ukraine and other countries will reveal some of the facts on these secret dealings.

    Atrocity No. 10: Trump has accused the press of promoting “fake news” while at the same time saying leaks from the White House are false and dangerous. He continues to sew confusion and dissension over news that he does not agree without clarifying what is true and what is “alternative truth”.

    Atrocity No. 11: The Trump Administration has removed racist and white supremacist groups from the terrorist watch-lists. The only groups highlighted now are “Islamic terrorist groups”. The KKK and other indigenous groups, practicing terror within the borders of the country, are no longer listed and being followed by law enforcement.

    Please feel free to send us information on public policy atrocities you think that this Administration is committing, especially those which hurt its supporters.

  • African refugees look north to Canada as U. S. deportations rise

    welcome-in-canada
    Welcoming group at Canadian airport

    Feb. 20, 2017 (GIN) – Refugees including some from Africa have been trekking through subzero weather at the northern U.S. border with Canada in a bid to escape a new wave of deportations from the U.S.

    Last week, a family of eight reportedly from the Sudan managed to cross the border just as a U.S. immigration official attempted to block their way. One member of the group said they had been living and working in Delaware for the past two years.
    A record number of people seeking refugee status have been pouring over the Canada-U.S. border as the U.S. looks to tighten its policies on refugees and illegal immigrants. Last month, 452 people filed petitions in Quebec compared to 137 in the same month a year before.
    During the January – October 2016 period, refugee applicants included 895 Chinese citizens, 945 Nigerian citizens, and 575 people of Turkish nationality. In addition to these, Canada registered 90 Americans making refugee claims. Somalis also make up a large percentage of the refugee group.
    Despite Canada’s more open policy toward refugees and immigrants, however, refugees can also be detained and jailed. The Vancouver-based advocacy group No One is illegal, said 87,317 migrants were detained in Canada between 2006 and 2014, and sometimes put in provincial jails. They can be detained for months, and in cases where the applicant has mental health issues, they may be held for years.
    Meanwhile, leaders of the Somali community in Minneapolis are warning their fellow countrymen not to risk their lives by trekking across the U.S.-Canada border in freezing nighttime temperatures.
    Minneapolis community activist Omar Jamal told CTV Winnipeg that he has counseled as many as 30 families — mostly from Minnesota but also from Ohio — against crossing the border. About half have gone anyway, he said. Jamal said families are paying $600 to $1,000 a person for rides to the border, often with small children.
    Jibril Afyareh, an advocate with the Somali Citizens League, agreed that many of those heading north are people who have already been rejected by the U.S., and are now worried about deportation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
    Afyareh said he urges people to “stay calm” and avoid the risk of crossing into Canada.
    He also said the ban has had a devastating effect on those who saw the U.S. as a beacon of freedom but are now being told “you don’t belong here.”
    “Obviously we need to secure and work on the safety of this country,” Afyareh said. “I do this every day, working with the youth attorney trying to stop radicalization. But this (travel ban) defeats the purpose,” he added. “This sends the message that you’re not wanted by this country which is not the case.”

  • Patriots team members to sit out of White House visit, citing racism by Trump

    By Brittany Webb

    bennett-martellusMartellus Bennett
    (TriceEdneyWire.com) – Malcolm X once said, “A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything.”
    Despite having a career where taking a fall on the field is sometimes inevitable, several members of the New England Patriots football team have reportedly decided to stand for what they believe in. They say they will sit out of the traditional visit to the White House by the Super Bowl Championship team.
    So far, six players – five Black players and one White – have announced their decision to not participate in the team’s visit. Those players are reportedly Martellus Bennett, Devin McCourty, Chris Long, LeGarrette Blount, Alan Branch and Dont’a Hightower. Long is the White player who says he will not go.
    “I’m not going to the White House,” McCourty said in a text to TIME magazine. “Basic reason for me is I don’t feel accepted in the White House. With the president having so many strong opinions and prejudices I believe certain people might feel accepted there while others won’t.”
    That unwelcome feeling is a feeling that McCourty shares with Blount, who, when asked about the team’s visit to the White House on The Rich Eisen Show, said, “I will not… It’s just some of the things—I just don’t feel welcome into that house. I’m just going to leave it at that.”
    Bennett was the first player to announce his decision when he addressed the visit in a postgame press conference, citing opposition to President Trump as his reason. Despite his views, Bennett says there is no divide in the team because of political views.
    “We all have our beliefs,” Bennett said. “The thing is, we accept people for who they are. And that’s the biggest thing about what this country is really about. I don’t really care what you believe. It’s not going to separate me from accepting you for who you are.”
    Bennett says anyone wanting to know more about his reasons for not going to the White House should just follow him on Twitter. Among his most recent tweet was immediately following Trump’s announced travel ban.
    The date of the White House visit has not yet been publically announced. “America was built on inclusiveness not exclusiveness,” he tweeted.
    It was also apparent bias and statements made by the commander-in-chief that influenced Patriots safety McCourty from skipping the trip as well. Although Long did not go into detail about his decision to skip the visit, it can be assumed, by his previous statements regarding race relations in America, that he is not fond of the current president and his policies. Branch is choosing to stay at home with family, while Hightower says he’s “been there, done that.”
    After the team’s victory, President Trump tweeted his support for the team and his friends quarterback Tom Brady, team owner Bob Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick. “What an amazing comeback and win by the Patriots,” Trump tweeted. “Tom Brady, Bob Kraft and Coach B are total winners. Wow!”
    Despite being a friend of Trump, Kraft respects the decision of the players to not visit the White House. “This is America,” Kraft said on the Today Show. “We’re all free to do whatever’s best for us, and we’re just privileged to be in the position to be going.”
    This is not the first time a Patriot has opted out of the team’s visit to the White House. In 2015, Brady decided to skip the team visit to the White House, under the Obama administration, after defeating the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl in 2015.

  • Trump Atrocities Report (TAR) #2

    Trump at the tar pit-2.jpg
    The Greene County Democrat started a new column last week to point out some of the negative and harmful actions taken by President Donald J. Trump (No. 45) and the Trump Administration.
    Some of these actions will be legislative changes, overzealous cuts in Federal regulations, appointees that are unqualified or chosen to destroy the government function they were asked to head up and official statements that do not make sense or are ‘alternative truths’.
    Some of the atrocities are where President Trump or members of his family will get a financial benefit from their position or have a clear conflict of interest.
    Last week, we listed four (4) atrocities, so we will be continuing our list, by listing our examples in consecutive order, beginning this week’s column with Atrocity No. 5.

    Atrocity No. 5 : Treason by Retired General Michael Flynn, National Security Adviser. Trump has dismissed General Flynn after 24 days as National Security Adviser for improper and illegal contacts with the Russian Government, which would have been described as “treason” if committed by any other Administration. An independent investigation is needed to get to the bottom of ‘Benedict Arnold Flynn’ and his contacts with the Russian government and intelligence agencies both during the Presidential campaign and after taking his position in the White House. The investigation needs to determine what role President Trump himself played in this national security betrayal and debacle.

    Atrocity No. 6: More problems for the Cabinet of Millionaires and Billionaires:

    a. Andrew Puzder, Secretary of Labor: CEO of Hardees and Carl Jr. fast food franchise restaurant chain, who opposes an increase in the minimum wage, regulations increasing overtime pay and other benefits to help working people, has run into some problems with confirmation because he employed an undocumented ‘nanny’ and abused his former wife. Puzder’s nomination should be withdrawn because he is unfit to head a department to help and work with working people, who fueled Trump’s electoral victory.

    b. Jeff Sessions, Attorney General : in his first action as our chief law enforcement officer, Sessions declined to continue supporting transgendered children suing the State of Texas for discriminatory bathroom use requirements. This is the beginning of Sessions trying to reverse voting, civil and human rights for the most vulnerable in our nation.

    c. Scott Pruitt, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): still asserting denial of climate change and rolling back regulations for clean air, water and land.

    Atrocity No. 7: Nordstrom Department Stores attacked by Trump for cancelling Ivana Trump clothing line; and Kellyanne Conway, 45’s Chief Adviser and a Federal employee, urging Americans to buy Ivana’s products during a TV interview.

    Atrocity No. 8: Delaying implementation of the rules for fiduciary responsibilities for financial counselors advising people on their retirement funds. As part of dismantling the consumer protections of the Dodd-Frank Act, Trump delayed implementation of regulations requiring financial counselors to be transparent with people on the marketing and pricing of retirement products. How does this change help American workers!
    We invite our readers to send us items to be included on our Atrocities List and for circulating this report among people who voted for ‘45’ in the election and who may be reconsidering their decision.

  • Hillary Clinton wins Alabama Black Belt by 56,741 votes, more than Trump’s win in Michigan and Wisconsin

    By: John Zippert, Co-Publisher

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    By John Zippert, Co-Publisher

    Looking back over the final results of the 2016 Presidential election, according to Politico, Donald Trump received 306 electoral votes and 61,201,031 popular votes while Hillary Clinton received 232 electoral votes and 62,523,126 popular votes. In Alabama, Trump won by 1,306,925 to 718,084 popular votes for Clinton.
    Based on Politicos figures, Hillary Clinton won the election by 1,322,095 popular votes or a little over 1% of the total votes cast, including those for third party candidates.
    The results for the 12 county Black Belt area (including Montgomery) was 32,095 more votes for Clinton in the eleven counties (shown in the chart) and 56,741 more votes in the entire band of blue across the south central part of the state from Mississippi to Georgia.
    Trump won Michigan’s 16 electoral votes by a margin of 11,612 votes (2,279,805 for Trump to 2,268,193 for Clinton).
    He won Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes by 27,257 (1,409,467 for Trump to 1,382,210 votes for Clinton). Trump carried Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes by 68,136 votes. In the three closest states, Trump’s margin of victory was 107,005 votes.
    Trump earned that 46 vote Electoral College victory by a slim margin in those three states.
    The 56,741 votes of residents of the Alabama Black Belt were more than Trump’s margin of victory in two states – Michigan and Wisconsin.
    Don’t let anyone tell you that your vote doesn’t matter or doesn’t count. Every vote counts and everyone who is not registered, or did not have the proper voter id, or was too lazy to come to vote is responsible for the results.

    Map of Alabama – counties

    http://www.politico.com/2016electionresults/
    map/president/alabama

    election-2016_layout-1

  • Trump administration considers ending ‘conflict minerals’ BA

    child-miners
    Children miners in Africa

    Feb. 6, 2017 (GIN) – A rule requiring public companies to report their use of so-called “conflict minerals” from Congo may soon be eliminated.

    The change under review by the Securities and Exchange Commission could benefit the armed groups that control many of the small mines and provide cover to multinational corporations who buy the resources often at cut rate prices – increasing the region’s potential for conflict.
    Conflict resources include lumber, oil, diamond, gold, cobalt, oil, among others that are harvested through exploitation and terror during or after a conflict.

    This week, newly appointed Republican acting chairman of the SEC, Michael Piwowar, called the rule “misguided,” saying there is little proof it has reduced conflict or eased humanitarian suffering in Congo. In addition, he said, it may be creating a “vacuum filled by those with less benign interests” that could undermine U.S. security interests. He ordered the SEC to review the regulation.

    The SEC issued the rule in 2012 under the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul law. Public companies are required, under the law, to disclose information about their use of minerals from Congo in an effort to inhibit armed groups linked to atrocities who have profited from minerals used in electronics, jewelry and other goods.

    Companies that use the designated minerals from Congo and neighboring countries in their products must report annually on their efforts to trace the so-called “conflict minerals” back to their sources. The regulators said stricter reporting requirements might help curb the violence in Congo and would make companies more accountable to shareholders.

    Last May, at a Forum on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains held in Paris, it was noted that states have an obligation under international law to take appropriate steps to protect people against human rights abuses by third parties such as companies. However, they report, “States are not meeting their commitment” to ensure that companies follow the rules.

    A recent Amnesty International report sounded the alarm on a “blood mineral” mined by Congolese children as young as seven and used in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries found in laptops, smartphones and even electric cars.

    The mineral is cobalt, and more than half of the world’s supply comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, including at least 20 percent which is mined by so-called “artisanal miners” in the southern part of the country. The report, titled “This Is What We Die For,” explains the conditions these miners work in:

    “These artisanal miners, referred to as ‘creuseurs’ in the DRC, mine by hand using the most basic tools to dig out rocks from tunnels deep underground. Artisanal miners include children as young as seven who scavenge for rocks containing cobalt in the discarded by-products of industrial mines, and who wash and sort the ore before it is sold.”

    “Our analysis shows that most companies seem to prefer business-as-usual to genuinely addressing the risk that their mineral purchases bankroll armed groups overseas,” said Carly Oboth, Policy Adviser at Global Witness.

    “This is alarming. Well-funded industry groups have fought the conflict minerals law at every step. If companies had instead spent these resources on properly investigating and reporting on their supply chains, their customers would be more confident their goods were conflict free.”

    The SEC has taken few public steps to administer the rule since 2015 and hasn’t pursued any enforcement action regarding it. In early 2016, it decided not to seek Supreme Court review of the Second Circuit decision that found elements of the rule to be unconstitutional.

    For years, armed groups and criminal elements in the Central African nation have fed off the illicit trade of gold, tin, tantalum and tungsten, according to reports by a United Nations panel of experts.

    Dr. Denis Mukwege, acclaimed Congolese surgeon and humanitarian, said: “Companies must do more to find out how the minerals they are buying have been produced and traded… They must show that they have put this right.”

  • The Women’s March organizers are planning ‘A Day Without A Woman’ strike

    By: Desire Thompson, VIBE
    womens-march-leader
    Womens March leader

    The minds behind the Women’s March on Washington aren’t giving up on the people. Their latest move hints at an economic boycott titled, “A Day Without A Woman.”
    The announcement was made Monday (Feb. 6) through their social channels with little detail. What has been shared is the general statement, “The will of the people will stand.” Last month, over a million women from all over the world came together in solidarity to protest the election of President Donald Trump, climate change, immigration laws and unlawful police practice. The Women’s March on Washington brought 500,000 people to the city, making it the most recent largest demonstration in the area. Crowd specialists reportedly stated the Women’s March brought three times the number of people than Trump’s inauguration ceremony.
    CNN reports after the exposure of several companies lining up with Trump, the organization made up of Tamika Mallory, Carmen Perez, Linda Sarsour and Bob Bland, released a statement on those boycotting companies like Uber and Nordstrom. “At a time when our foundational principles of freedom and equality are under threat, The Women’s March is committed to engaging in actions that affirmatively build community, strengthen relationships and support local, women- and minority-owned businesses,” The Women’s March said in a statement.
    General strikes thrived during the Civil Rights Movement and other labor movements. Strike4Democracy is currently planning a general strike on Feb. 17. So far, 16,000 people plan to take part in it. Last year, actor Isiah Washington attempted to launch a boycott where African Americans didn’t spend, work or attend school. Middle-class African Americans have been known to spend a hefty amount in a retail market, even with specks of racial inequality proving that black families have less access to substantial goods and services than white families. Nonetheless, the Women’s March organizers have stressed the importance of inclusion.

  • Former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman to be released from Federal prison

    don-siegelman
    BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Friends and supporters of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman plan to gather along 20th Street in downtown Birmingham on Wednesday afternoon, between 2nd and 3rd Avenue North, to show their support. Siegelman, who will not be allowed to stop or make any statement, is expected to take that route shortly after 3 p.m. as he returns home.
    Family spokesperson Chip Hill confirmed Siegelman “has been told he will be released Wednesday,” but said they do not yet know exactly what will happen after that. Hill said, “He won’t just walk out of the prison and into the arms of his family like before,” referencing his release on bond while appeals were pending. “He will be transported from the prison by prison officials,” Hill says. It is expected he will be flown to Birmingham.
    A spokesperson for the US Bureau of Prisons would only confirm Siegelman is housed at the Oakdale facility in Louisiana, and citing “privacy reasons” would not provide details of his release.
    Hill said Siegelman, “Will be on very restricted supervised probation for an initial period of time.” He says he expects that will last approximately six months after which he says the former Governor will be on unsupervised probation for an extended but as of yet unspecified period of time.
    Hill said it is unknown if Siegelman will be allowed to return home Wednesday or will be housed temporarily at a halfway house for final processing. He said it is expected he will meet with a federal probation supervisor immediately upon his arrival in Birmingham to learn the exact conditions of his probation, what he will and will not be allowed to do, and the consequences of any perceived violations of those terms. Hill said he fully expects Siegelman will not be allowed any interaction with news media.
    Former US Attorney Doug Jones, a member of Siegelman’s defense team, tells WHNT News 19 he believes Siegelman should be able to go home Wednesday night rather than to a halfway house saying, “That paperwork should be complete.” Jones went onto say Siegelman will technically still be in the custody of the US Bureau of Prisons.
    Siegelman’s closest friends and supporters tell us they have been sworn to secrecy regarding his release and being reunited with his family. All media questions are being referred to Hill for now.
    Siegelman was elected the 51st Governor of Alabama in 1996 after serving as the state’s Secretary of State, Attorney General and Lt. Governor. He is the only person to hold all four top elected positions in the state. It was believed he had won reelection in 2002 until votes in Baldwin County were recounted hours after polls had closed giving the win to Republican Bob Riley. Former Alabama Attorney General Bill Pryor, who was recently identified as being on the “short list” of potential US Supreme Court nominees by President Trump, blocked efforts for a formal recount of the Baldwin County votes and certified the election.
    Siegelman was convicted of felony corruption charges in 2006 and sentenced to 7 years in prison for appointing HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy to a board position in state government after Scrushy donated $500,000 to a fund Siegelman had established to promote a state lottery to benefit education in the state. Siegelman was the fourth consecutive governor to appoint Scrushy to that non-paying position.
    A CBS News 60 Minutes investigation, in February, 2008, revealed there was no evidence nor any allegation Siegelman personally benefited from the donation. Their report also revealed Siegelman was convicted largely on the testimony of his former aide, Nick Bailey, who the report says testified against Siegelman in exchange for leniency in an upcoming extortion trial not connected to the governor.
    113 current and former states attorneys general, from both political parties, signed a petition asking Congress to investigate whether the prosecution of Siegleman was pursued not because of a crime but because of politics.

  • Complaints about vicious and stray dogs dominate Eutaw City Council

    dogsBy: John Zippert,
    Co-Publisher

    Much of the discussion at the January 24, 2017 Eutaw City Council was devoted to complaints about vicious and stray dogs in the city.
    Part of the concern was with pit bulls owned by Lonnie and Channel Glenn who live at 122 Harris Avenue. Glenn is a police officer with the Eutaw Police Department. Channel Glenn, his wife, is an outspoken city resident who often attends City Council meeting and raises various grievances.
    This time the shoe was on the other foot, as several audience members questioned the Council about ordinances governing vicious dogs and stray dogs that are roaming the city.
    Blondie Means who was bitten by one of the Glenn’s pit bulls on Thanksgiving Day -2016 was at the Council meeting questioning the Mayor and Council about enforcing the ordinances against “vicious dogs” like the Glenn’s pit bulls. Means said she suffered lacerations on her hands, face and breast from the dog. The dog was shot by a passerby and later euthanized by the police. Means lives two doors down from the Glenn’s on Harris Avenue and says she is afraid to come out of her house because of the dogs.
    Mattie Roscoe, mother of George Roscoe, said her son was attacked by the same dogs on Thanksgiving and had to go to the hospital for treatment. The second dog was placed in quarantine for ten days because of the attack.
    Channel Glenn told this reporter “You at the Democrat have the story all wrong. Someone was trying to steal my dogs and that is why the dogs attacked them. You better get the story right!”

    At the January 10 City Council meeting, Ms. Glenn testified that,
    “I love my dogs like they are my children. They are locked up and never out. Someone was trying to hurt my dogs that is why they were bitten.”
    Residents asked Mayor Steele what he was going to do about enforcing city ordinances on vicious and stray dogs. Steele said he and the city’s attorney, Ken Aycock were studying the laws and would take appropriate action soon. The Mayor seemed in a difficult spot caught between angry citizens and a set of dog owners who are on the police force and who gave him political support in the last election.
    Eutaw Police Chief Derrick Coleman said, “ I was out of town at the last City Council meeting. I have heard about the problem with the dogs. One dog was put down and the other dog was cleared by a veterinarian in Greensboro, after the ten day quarantine and returned to the owners.”
    Coleman said that the Glenn’s may have as many as 7 or 8 pit bulls living in their house but they are very careful in taking care of them and supervise them when they let them out. Coleman said he was waiting on the Mayor to give him additional instructions on the dogs and enforcement of relevant ordinances against vicious dogs.
    Other complaints were raised at the City Council about packs of stray dogs running around in Eutaw and the need for an animal control officer to catch the dogs and take them away.
    Ms. Yvonne Smith of 324 Kirksey Avenue and her daughter Sabrina Smith came by the Democrat to complain of a pack of stray dogs in their neighborhood. They brought a photograph of the dogs camping out on their porch. Yvonne Smith said, “ I have to use a walker and I cannot chase the dogs away. They smell and leave behind bad odors. What is the city doing about these problems?”
    In the public comment period other citizens raised questions about flooding on Ann Street, due to clogged drains; lighting problems on Springfield Avenue; a sinkhole that needs to be corrected on Prairie Avenue; and a school bus driver raised concerns about a roadway at Hook Avenue off Mesopotamia.
    Faye Tyree complained that she was appointed to the Eutaw Housing Authority on October 25, 2016, based on a letter from former Mayor Hattie Edwards. Mayor Steele sent her a letter to vacate her board position because there was no record in the minutes of her appointment. Tyree said two other persons were appointed at the same time and they have not received letters from the Mayor.
    The Council approved a request by the National Wild Turkey Federation to use the National Guard Armory for a dinner and approved the city attorney to develop a resolution on clearing an abandoned house on Tuscaloosa Street adjacent to the Eutaw Elderly Village.
    Many citizens left the meeting shaking their heads about the need for action on the problem of the pit bulls and stray dogs. These citizens will be waiting to see what Mayor Steele and the City Council do to deal with these problems at future meetings.