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Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Are “outsiders” trying to block the Trinity petition drive?

by Mike Orren

DALLAS — Word first came out earlier this week via the blog Right Brain / Left Brain of hired "blockers" trying to stop people from signing the Trinity Vote petition to put the revised Trinity development plan to referendum. They're allegedly being paid $200 per day to do so. Barking Dogs' Avi Adelman has been hearing much the same.

Avi wouldn't be Avi if he didn't have an on-the-ground, in-your-face idea for verifying and/or countering such tactics. And this is one I support as a "citizen journalism" initiative even though I have no idea if Laura Miller is, as Avi suggests, responsible:

...With early voting wrapping up on Tuesday, there's not much we can do about the thugs today. But you can be damn sure they will be out in force all over Dallas on Saturday (Election Day), doing everything possible to keep you from signing the petition.

It's time to draw a line in the sand and tell Laura Miller and her thugs - That kind of crap comes to a grinding halt right now.

And here's how we are going to do it -

Every single person with an ounce of civic pride and a digital video camera needs to show up at the polls - any poll - on Saturday and document Laura's Kids getting all kinds of ugly on voters. Get in close and roll some tape on them.

Even if you only have a few hours to help out, you need to be there.

Don't wear a TrinityVote shirt, don't walk around like a security guard, just hang out and enjoy the sunshine.

After you shoot some tape, push a copy to YOUTUBE, including the keyword trinityvote in the file description. Send an email to BD telling us you when you posted the tape (include the YOUTUBE URL).

If you can make a copy of the tape, or just want to send us the original, mail it to BarkingDogs at POB 721376, Dallas TX 75372

Some of BD's friends think there is a decent - not great - chance that this email alert will cause the people paying all these thugs to put them back on the bus and send them home.

I disagree with that opinion, and in fact expect them to be emboldened by this alert. They need to defeat this petition drive so bad that they are willing to break the law and intimidate anyone they can to get what they want.

If you see things getting ugly, pick up the phone and call 9-1-1 immediately. If possible, alert the Elections Judge inside the polling station.

But most importantly, get as much information on tape as you can and get it to us quickly. We will need it in November when the Trinity Vote issue comes up for an election.

Staff
Verified User
Anonymous

These guys are definitely out there.

I spoke with a <a href="http://www.trinityvote.com/index.asp">TrinityVote.com</a> signature-collector yesterday at Mockingbird Station who had moved to that location because of what he called "the out-of-town guys that were whooping and hollering" while he was trying to talk to passersby about the petition. Whenever he opened his mouth, these guys would talk over him, and whoever he was talking to would be confused/frazzled and leave without knowing what the hell was going on.

The guy also said he heard the "blockers" were getting paid pretty nice, too.

Chad Jones Verified

2 years, 6 months ago
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Schutze says Miller fesses up and that the Citizens' Council and Harlan Crow are bankrolling.

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfai...

Mike Orren Staff

2 years, 6 months ago
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I saw one at Fretz Park, going to confirm at other places.

http://dallasprogress.blogspot.com/20...

Michael Davis Verified

2 years, 6 months ago
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Dividing people by insider and outsider puts evil again evil. Evil insiders use inside information to get rich in the stock market.Evil outsiders come to town to change how we always did things before. Evil insiders hold secret meetings to cut secret deals. Evil outsiders do not respect the agrements we worked out among ourselves. Here we have p.t.a. parents inside versus the homeschoolers outside on our bond election. both sides are nice people. But too much money is at stake. Nice people start using mean words. They use normal words in a mean way. I heard a person use the phrase -- ate the popcorn. Like you might say -- drank the kool-aid. A very nice outsider implied a nice p.t.a.insider was blindly following a Jim Jones type leader. She made a simple phrase like --ate the popcorn -- a not very nice even violent phrase. This was in private talk. Bond newspaper advertising in public calls the other side -homeschoolers- as if such kind of people would burn down the schools kids and all.

The Trinity project is the same thing. Millions of dollars already voted on. But after the vote somebody wants to change the rules. Use the money approved for one thing for something else. Or vote again on a settled question. It makes for meanness and evil. Jim Schutze and Laura Miller might love each other like a brother and sister. But they fight over Trinity money like a inheritance from some rich uncle. It got voted once. Its been to court once. They have a nice plan for a nice place. But so much money is involved its turned evil. I think they should break up the trinity project. Lots of little projects instead. Not very much money on each project. One project for a lake. One project for a levy. One project for a raod east. Another project going west. Lots of little projects over many years. Not very much money at stake. Lots of little elections if they need them.

That is why Lancaster is makeing progress on the bonds too. Lots of different little projects on seperate questions. Except number one. Number one is too big. Too much money is on too many projects all on one question. So am I an insider or an outsider. Who knows.

MarjorieMorningstar Anonymous

2 years, 6 months ago
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This is very much true. I experienced it first-hand while collecting signatures last Saturday. They're paid, and many (if not all) are from out of town. And they're not afraid to admit it. Had a Trinity Commons board member blocking for a couple of hours that morning, but she was relieved by a paid blocker when they discovered no one on their payroll was covering that location. I've heard they may even be making $300 a day. With a force of about 20 blockers, that's easily $50K-$60K being spent just on these blockers.

panarama99 Anonymous

2 years, 6 months ago
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I'm not back up to speed on the Dallas scene yet, but this kind of thing was pretty common (and people were equally outraged) in Oregon. Marketing companies on BOTH sides of any issue brought in paid petitioners and anti-petitioners. Are the TrinityVote people all volunteer?

twisteddog Anonymous

2 years, 6 months ago
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My understanding is that the Trinity Vote people are, indeed, all volunteers.

Mike Orren Staff

2 years, 6 months ago
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Paid or not, it's good to see people taking to the streets. Don't forget sunblock, you lovable radicals.

twisteddog Anonymous

2 years, 6 months ago
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All I know is that I'm an election judge in my precinct and if I see anybody at all behaving badly within the distance marker (or even outside the distance marker) I'm gonna open a can of whoopass on them so fast it'll make their head spin. :P

Crispin Reedy Verified

2 years, 6 months ago
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I'm of mixed mind on this issue, both views have some merit. However, it is not a good thing to bring in paid outsiders to counter passionate local volunteers. It is worse if those outsiders are being obnoxious and "in your face". Those who arranged this need to know that they are working hard to tilt fence sitters (like me) toward their opposition.

Catte_Nappe Anonymous

2 years, 6 months ago
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I agree with Catte_Nappe on this one. I voted today and did not encounter either of these parties, but when someone gets in my face I tend to push back. Probably would have to sign the patition just to P... them off.