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Mayor Hotline August 1 to 7
August 13, 2009 
BOISE NEEDS A MISSISSIPPI LAW
8/2/09
Matta Jo Fox
Panhandlers: I am visiting from Mississippi and I’m staying here with my daughter who lives in
Boise. My daughter and I were quite concerned going down to the Bodo area and the Grove
fountain for some functions down there, about all the vagrant people who are camped out on
that little piece of lawn right there next to the Grove Hotel. It seems like Boise doesn’t have a
vagrancy ordinance because they’re begging at corners like grocery stores. They’re sitting
there, there was like, oh my gosh, ten different families; one lady’s sign said she was pregnant.
I just find that really alarming. Most cities have laws, like we do down south, about where they
can be, not right in the middle of visitors’ faces. I just wondered if you would address that at
your City Council meeting and please do something about it because I’m sure other people are
just as upset about it. I appreciate it very much. I did see your Mayor Bieter at the Basque
festivities there on Friday night. Thank you so much.
BPD
8/2/09
Anonymous
Excessive Force: I’m a citizen of Boise and I will remain anonymous to avoid retaliation for this
call. I’m calling about the reports we’ve been getting about the tazing incident involving Boise
police in February 2009. I understand that as many as 10 police officers were involved in
subduing one suspect, and at least one of them used force and threats that even the Chief of
Police said were unprofessional and outside department policy. I think that’s shocking and it’s
frightening that this officer may still be out on the street and in a position to victimize other
citizens. I think it’s even more shocking that the audio tape that contained critical evidence was
erased, and that the officer who did this, who is apparently a supervisor, is apparently also still
on active duty. From the information that’s been in the news, it sounds to me that this may have
been a crime of police brutality, compounded by a cover-up by the police. Since evidence that
may have been used to prove or disprove that has been destroyed, we may never know. I think
the Mayor has definitely under-reacted in this situation, and by failing to act decisively to remove
these officers who exercised bad judgment, he may be failing to prevent the next case of police
over reaction. I think it’s critical that the Mayor back track and quit participating in the cover-up
and take decisive action to fulfill his first duty to the citizens of Boise, and to eliminate officers
who may have made only one mistake, but in both cases they were extremely severe mistakes,
and we’ve got to ensure that they are not repeated. Thank you.
BPD
8/2/09
Ken Haldeman
407-1606
Hornet’s Nest: I’m here at Phillippi Park in Boise and we’re here under the canopy and there’s
a hornet’s nest the size of a softball. I thought I should call and let you know that. It needs to
be taken care of. Thank you.
BPR
8/4/09
George Keyes
938-0574
83616
Excessive Force: I’m calling for my daughter. We’re trying to report a bad incident in which the
police arrived at her house and behaved in a very unprofessional manner to the point that the
children were reduced to tears of fear. They were threatened to be put in a detention home and
at least half of the transactions are on tape. I want the tape to be heard by the Mayor’s office
and let them decide for themselves, but to us the police did not help matters, they just made
matters worse. They grumbled about being dragged to homes when they should be fighting
crime. Overall, they left everybody in tears with their comments when they left. If the Mayor or
his deputy could listen to this tape, which I think speaks for itself, it would be appreciated. I’m
the grandfather of the victims in this case, and this took place in Hidden Springs in Boise at
13846 N. 4th Ave. The phone number there is 229-3659, and the zip code is 83714. Thanks for
any attention you can give to this and I hope to hear back from you.
Ada County Sheriff
Action Taken: Left msj
8/4/09
Toni Hanson
The Pines @ River Run Condominiums
Boise, ID
342-7271
Statesman Flyers Complaint: I’ve registered a complaint with the Idaho Statesman, but the
only thing they’ve done is agree not to deliver this thing to my door any more. A few weeks
back, I don’t know, as near as I can tell four or five weeks ago, the Idaho Statesman started
delivering without any sort of inquiry made to homeowners. It’s just an advertising piece on
newsprint, a small size thing rolled up and secured with a rubber band, called The Market Place.
It’s delivered obviously sometime in the wee hours of the morning. I’ve never actually seen it
delivered; I only see it on the mornings that it’s delivered, which seems like Tuesday or
Wednesday. The problem is that many of the homes in this area are vacant, they’re for sale, or
they’re not occupied, or particularly where I live there are retired folks who do a bit of traveling.
These things are launched into the landscaping; sometimes they end up on the door step, but a
lot of times they are just launched into the landscaping and after a few weeks of people who are
either not home or the house is vacant and for sale, it’s now trash. I’ve made a habit of
collecting my own and some of the homes that I know are vacant, but I think it’s a bit intrusive
for me to remove it from a driveway when I’m not really sure what the status is of the occupancy
there. To me these people are simply launching trash; I understand there might be some
concerns about how people can advertise, but in this instance to me it is a beacon for a
potential robbery or break-in, which we have had in this neighborhood, when they see this sort
of debris lying around and making an obvious statement that the people either aren’t home or
the house is vacant, or whatever the case may be. That’s only part of it; my biggest complaint is
that it looks like trash. I did phone the Idaho Statesman today and talk to them about it; they did
say that they would stop delivery to my address but they wouldn’t do it for the house across the
street that I know to be vacant and for sale; that the homeowner would have to notify them.
Anyway, I just find a flaw in this and I just though I would notify the Mayor’s Hotline and just kind
of register a complaint. Thank you.
Action Taken: left msj
I talked to Pam from Code Enforcement and she said they get these calls all the time and
there’s nothing they can do about it.
8/6/09
Clifford Crenshaw
(918) 584-1547
Tulsa, OK
Bus Service Hours: I have a comment and some ideas to pass along to you and the people
who are involved and whoever is in charge for people with disabilities (ADA). I wanted to
provide a comment because I understand the bus system runs from 6:30 a.m. till 4:00 p.m.
Mountain Standard Time in your area and I was trying to see if I can bring up an idea even if I
don’t live in the city to see if you all can get some help from the city to work with the ADA to help
the service run longer hours; maybe for example 8:30 to 9:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time and
they can open up the service beginning at the same time but run later than what you guys run
now and they can get some help from the city to get more funds to run more hours when they
go different places. For example, taking people to work or to the Library or wherever people
need to go, they can stay to a later time until that bus service ends and that way the bus system
can run late too and that way it will be fair for everybody if they can all run the same time
instead of running until 4:00 p.m. just in case somebody has to be at work at a certain time, and
that way they still have a way to get back and forth to work and wherever people need to go. As
far as that idea, and if I can give you my name and phone number, I’ll have some more ideas to
pass along to whoever is in charge and that way you can take the rest of my comments or you
can give it to the people involved. I would also like to suggest that when you do have that kind
of service to run at a later time, why not provide services in the city area, for example it would
take them anywhere in the city of Boise, no matter how far it is as long as it’s in that particular
city, it doesn’t matter how far they travel. I look forward to hearing back from you when you get
a chance to call. Thank you very much and good luck to everyone in Boise. Bye, bye.
VRT
8/6/09
Anonymous
Animal Tags: I just want to leave an anonymous suggestion. The new Boise City animal
licenses, the actual tags, I just wanted to suggest that you make them round instead of the cute
little fire hydrant shapes because those can have sharp corners, and when dogs are playing
around, those corners can cut them or poke into them and it’s very uncomfortable. So, I just
wanted to make a suggestion to use round license tags like they used to and none of this cute
stuff any more. Thank you.
DFM
8/6/09
Anonymous
Irrigating in the Rain: I am an Idaho State taxpayer and I would like to comment on the fact
that Milwaukee around Capitol High School, happened to be flooded today; the street was
flooded, but by God those sprinklers were going off at 2:30 in the afternoon all around that
whole Capitol High campus, so, way to go City of Boise. I guess it’s just the rest of us that have
to conserve. Thank you.
Boise School District
8/7/09
Anonymous
One-Way Streets in Boise: I listened to the Mayor on the radio and comments about the oneway
streets. I live in Meridian and have several friends who live in Nampa and Meridian and we
don’t go to Boise that often because of the confusion of those one-way streets. It would be
great if they could work on figuring out a way to get rid of them; I think it would be great for your
businesses and it would sure be great for people who wanted to visit. That’s all I’ve got to say.
Bye.
8/7/09
Sonja Kabel
286-4624
BCAC Housing: I’m calling regarding some issues with the Housing Authority and want to get
an idea of some dynamics concerning the Boise City Ada County Housing Authority oversights
and the City of Boise Housing Authority, how it affects the citizens of Boise. Please give me a
call.
PDS
Action Taken: left msj
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Aug 13, 2009, 6:34 pm
Dear Ms Mississippi,
We have more heart here and plenty of change for the suffering, disabled, sick homeless.
Aug 14, 2009, 2:22 am
Re the flyers trashing the neighborhood. ”
Action Taken: left msj
I talked to Pam from Code Enforcement and she said they get these calls all the time and
there’s nothing they can do about it.,”
Really? Doesn’t Boise have a law against littering? Can I drive through town and throw out whatever I want to, onto streets and people’s lawns. Ha! You know I’d get busted.
But does that law apply to only certain people?
Aug 14, 2009, 9:39 am
Why not collect a bunch of these “Newspapers” and dump them on the Statesman front door. See how they like it.
Aug 14, 2009, 4:30 pm
Heh, I had to speak very forcefully to a truck load of folk, in two languages, determine to drop off one of those big blue recycle bins on my front lawn…I didn’t want it and they didn’t care. If one appears I will load it into my car and drop it off at city hall. Talk about litter..
Aug 14, 2009, 8:33 pm
Instead of just making a law/ordinance about where poeple can “beg”, why doesnt the city try and work on some public health issues instead. Perhaps reallocating a little bit of city money to a few more resources for the homeless….A little funding now (with good insight and proactive thinking) can go a long way in the short term and can save a lot of money in the long run….
Aug 16, 2009, 12:43 am
Does Ms. Sippi think that if she can’t see the problem it will go away? The underlying issues are the ones which need to be addressed, not the “appearances”. Southern hospitably -for whom, when?
Aug 16, 2009, 6:33 am
As far as the Statesmen having advertisement flyers thrown onto people’s private property. If people are out of town these flyers are not part of a quid pro quo and are not a service thats agreed to. If these flyers build up in a driveway tipping off criminals that no one home being away. This could be a nice lawsuit for the Statesmen that they could not hide behind the First Amendment on. If someone is disabled and has these things building up in their driveway or on the property and they have criminals break into their homes. This very likely could put these people in danger of violence and harm to them.
Fact of the matter is these flyers are revenue to the Statesmen for advertising dollars that they charge for. The Statesmen has zero rights to force other people to become involved in their private business by dragging in private citizens to become part of their business plan. If the Statesmen wants to do this the correct way they should mail these flyers. Otherwise they run the risk of lawsuits and maybe even criminal charges should these build up flyers become a advertisement to criminals that the pickings are good at this or that home.
Yes in the name of public safety the police can become involved along with the city attorney’s office. There has to be a law against such actions by the Statesmen, there are laws that pretty much outlaw breathing in public in today’s world.
Aug 17, 2009, 10:03 pm
“Instead of just making a law/ordinance about where poeple can “beg”, why doesnt the city try and work on some public health issues instead……..”
They already are. What more do you think the city should provide and how much of our tax money specifically should be alotted to it? How should this be done exactly? What services? What restrictions will be in place to avoid fraud? Any checks and balances? How will this reabilitate?
Some elements of society will always be there no matter how much you try to help them be like you.
Aug 19, 2009, 1:56 pm
If you can’t figure out how to use a one way street you should stop driving. That call was hilarious.
Oct 11, 2009, 4:26 pm
A most unfortunate ‘family’/in-law situation arose in my Boise residence this summer. My espoused male partners’ Sister was socially dumped on us by her elderly parents and well to do TX family, due to her pleading for assistance to vacate a drug and alcohol harbor in public housing. None of his family would open their doors, and this 40+yo F arrived late June after her ‘partner’ returned to ‘DUI’ prison.
Since that time there has been repetious contact with BPD and Ada Magisterial Court for physical violence in the residence and two Protective Orders 8/09. This female has caused extreme discord within the relationship by inciting social mayhem against Idaho State Statutes, physical violence at the level of an animal attack 3 of 4 times in an hour, that resulted in a concussion; personal relations in the neighborhood to include malicious harrassment by an elderly neighbor to my Property Management Company when the perpetrator falsely claimed innocence, PM Co. illegally ended lease of rental with no written notice to leasee(as if it were a ‘house of ill repute’!!!), now resulting in homelessness, loss of ability to maintain legally required residency to the male, possibly resulting in his re-entry to prison, excellerated financial hardship to both previous co-tenants, and numerous other problems that were escalated by her ‘vagrant’ status.
The viscious, animal like attack was questioned by the BPD officer regarding civil/criminal handling. How can this be addressed on the Civil Level, then the ‘samaritan’ act of shelter result in Criminal mayhem upon the samaritan? Vagrancy Laws…you bet, especially in winter when tax payers provide death service to someone who has not been responsible enough to establish a residency before freezing weather.
If incapable, and unwilling to go to the shelters, bus them back to where they came from for their own protection and that of others. 30-60-90 days no permanent address, no local employment, no registered vehicle, no taxes paid, no taxes used. There are variables to use in the equasion of ‘vagrancy’ laws to benefit the public and the individual.
I personally do not find someone asking for reasonable help offensive in this time of need, as seen in TX a panhandler refuses food and there is a street war over territory; however, there are appropriate ways to meet needs…even for travelers, one of whom traveled across our nation with no feet. Ignorance or incompetence which we find rampant in this day of drug infestation is largely based on a lack of appropriate help when it was ‘affordable’ and then left to linger until the obvious result is tragedy. Vagrancy and Panhandling are not the same issue; yet both are very current events in our National financial ‘environment’.