‘Saturday Morning with the BC’ is scheduled for this Saturday, March 1, 2014, from 10 a.m. – Noon at Ridgeview Plaza, Suite 4, and the topic will be a continuation of the discussion of gang awareness & prevention.
Interestingly, a front page story in the Sunday February 23, 2014 Green Bay Press Gazette titled, ‘Gangs in Green Bay? Recent incidents have ties, but overall gang activity sporadic,’ said this:
Green Bay Lt. Chad Ramos said he hasn’t seen a marked increase in gang activity in Green Bay in the decade he has worked here, including time as a patrol officer.
“It seems that everybody wants to (ask) ‘Is there a heightened problem in Green Bay?'” he said at a press conference days after the [Feb. 6] Preble [High School] fight. “I don’t know that the activities are any different than 10 or 11 years ago when I started here. …”
Capt. Dale Hagen of the De Pere Police Department…said his department hasn’t investigated any recent cases of gang-related activity in De Pere[.]
The Minutes of the February 12, 2014 BC Regular Meeting contained these items regarding a possible consultant agreement with the National Violence Prevention Resource Center:
XI. Unfinished Business
1. Approve National Violence Prevention Resource Center consultant agreement for gang prevention and awareness
Sponsor: Ed Delgado
Excerpt from Jan. 8, 2014: Motion by Patty Hoeft to defer to the next Business Committe work meeting and to bring back to the first Business Committee meeting in February, seconded by Greg Matson. Motion carried unanimously
Excerpt from Dec. 11, 2014: Motion by Tina Danforth to have the National Violence Prevention Resource Center Consultant contract brought back to the next Business Committee meeting based on the work meeting recommendations, seconded by Greg Matson. Motion carried unanimously
Motion by Patty Hoeft to defer approval of National Violence Prevention Resource Center consultant agreement for gang prevention and awareness to the March 12 Business Committee meeting when the Chairman will back with a recommendation, seconded by Paul Ninham. Motion carried unanimously:
Ayes: Tina Danforth, Patty Hoeft, Paul Ninham, Brandon Stevens
Not present: Melinda J. Danforth, Vince DelaRosa, Ed Delgado, David Jordan
2. Approve gang prevention and awareness community meetings schedule
Sponsor: Ed Delgado
Excerpt from Jan. 8, 2014: Motion by Patty Hoeft to defer to the next Business Committee work meeting and to bring back to the first Business Committee meeting in February, seconded by Greg Matson. Motion carried unanimously.
Excerpt from Dec. 11, 2013: Motion by Paul Ninham to defer approval to schedule community meetings regarding gang awareness and prevention to the Business Committee work meeting and to have any recommendations brought back to the next Business Committee meeting, seconded by Melinda J. Danforth. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Patty Hoeft to defer approval of gang prevention and awareness community meetings schedule to the March 12 Business Committee meeting when the Chairman will come back with a recommendation, seconded by Brandon Stevens. Motion carried unanimously:
Ayes: Melinda J. Danforth, Tina Danforht, Patty Hoeft, David Jordan, Paul Ninham, Brandon Stevens
Not present: Vince DelaRosa, Ed Delgado
As Oneida Eye reported, BC Chair Ed Delgado submitted a Travel Request & Memorandum for the February 26, 2014 BC Regular Meeting Agenda stating:
I will be on vacation from March 3rd to 11th in Phoenix, Arizona. During that time I am requesting a rental car for one day to meet with petitioner Frank Cornelius who currently resides in Yuma, Az. which is 181 miles from Phoenix, Az. I am going to update Mr. Cornelius on the progress of the dissolution on Seven Generations.
(The post was later updated to include the following: Brown County Case 2014TR983, Brown County v. Edward Joseph Delgado, Charges: Operating motor vehicle w/o proof of insurance)
But guess what is only 125 miles away from Phoenix, Arizona?
The National Violence Prevention Resource Center, the offices of NVPRC consultant Christopher Cuestas who spoke at the December 11, 2013 BC Regular Meeting about the Tribe’s potential consultant agreement to purchase Mr. Cuestas’ & NVPRC’s services.
(a) The Oneida Tribe shall pay the Consultant $18,750 in advance for the first of four quarterly payments to total $75,000 per contracted year.
Mr. Cuestas stated at that BC Meeting that he is the last NVPRC gang awareness & prevention consultant, and the NVPRC’s website, SafeYouth.org, doesn’t seem to be operational anymore. (What is it with the Oneida BC contracting with organizations such as Gene Keluche’s Sagestone Mgmt. which doesn’t seem to have an operational website either?)
The BC explained to Mr. Cuestas that the Tribe would not be able to afford the services of Mr. Cuestas and the NVPRC due to financial problems which resulted in BC Resolution 10-15-13-A, Emergency Adoption of Furlough Policy (which was to last through April 15, 2014) and BC Resolution 10-09-13-D, Emergency Cost Containment and Spending Restrictions (which was to last through the end of 2013).
On Februrary 12, 2014 the BC passed BC Resolution 02-12-14-B, Emergency Cost Containment and Spending Restriction through the end of Fiscal Year 2014 which includes the following restriction:
5. Delay implementing all non-emergency consultant agreements unless agreement is required to address issues of safety, health, regulatory situation, or General Tribal Council directive.
Is a $75,000 per year consultant agreement with NVPRC actually “required to address” concerns over youth violence and drug activity?
Is Ed planning to meet with NVPRC’s Christopher Cuestas while visiting Arizona to try to concoct a way to convince the Oneida Tribe that they need to spend money on Mr. Cuestas’ & NVPRC’s services?
Given the Green Bay Press Gazette’s article quoting police officers saying that ‘gang’ activity really hasn’t worsened in a decade and is simply a matter of ebb and flow, aren’t there better ways to use Tribal funds to address those concerns?
[See also Oneida Eye’s January 31, 2013 post: Which Gangs?]
Is this all just a matter of politics and throwing money at problems to try to create the illusion that something is being done?
Election season is just around the corner.
Hopefully it won’t be like this:
