Neighbors for Justice Support a New Jail: But not in our back yard

Lastest release from Neighbors for Justice:

In what at first appears to be a contradiction of the lawsuit it filed against the City of Bartlesville and the Bartlesville City Council, Neighbors for Justice (NfJ) issued a statement proclaiming its support for a new jail in Washington County.

“We absolutely believe that a new jail must be built. However, we also believe there should be some conditions regarding where it is built,” said Luwana Brewster, co-spokesperson of the new citizen group in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. “The new jail should not be across the street from our homes and play areas. Currently, the proposed jail site is surrounded by residential neighborhoods on the north, west, and south sides.”

NfJ recently launched its new website, www.neighborsforjustice.com, in order to educate the public about its cause and its stance regarding the jail. On the site, NfJ clarifies its mission in the following four statements:

*We believe that a jail should be built, but only if it is built in a non-residential area.

*We believe that a jail should be built, but only if it will not detrimentally affect the growth and financial condition of the area where it is built.

*We believe that a jail should be built, but only if the City and County follow proper zoning regulations and standard procedures for zoning changes and zoning appeals.

*We believe that a jail should be built, but only if the City and County attribute equal amounts of respect and dignity to all citizens of Bartlesville.

Brewster expressed the group’s appreciation for the City Council members and their service to the Bartlesville community. “However, we believe the action taken by the Council on August 25, 2008 was unacceptable. We also believe that the only way to correct the Council’s mistake on August 25th is, regretfully, to seek legal action.”

The NfJ suit was filed with Washington County District Court on Tuesday, September 23, 2008 by Tulsa law firm, Gibbs, Armstrong, Borochoff, Mullican and Hart. This firm also successfully represented the South Tulsa Citizens Coalition (STCC) in a three-year battle to stop the construction of a privately owned toll bridge. In January 2008, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of STCC.

NfJ has also created a legal fund to help pay legal fees that will be incurred during the legal battle, which may be long and arduous. Interested parties can donate through the group’s website, www.neighborsforjustice.com.

Progress on the House

Several people have asked for an update of the house so here it is! We think that it might be possible for us to be "moving" in 3-4 weeks. The reason I put that in quotation marks is because we will move some of our furniture and belongings, but we will be leaving some of it here to "stage" this house in hopes of increasing our chances of selling our home more quickly.


We have columns and sidewalks outside now and although this picture does not show it, we have sod now too. Also, they are painting the outside this week -- all of the trim will be white (including the dormer siding) and the front door and shutters (not on yet) will be black.


This is the living room floor before being they stained the concrete.


This is the floor yesterday where they taped the floor to show the pattern that they are going to make when they score the floor. It is also stained here, but it is hard to tell because of all of the dust from tile and wood being cut.



This is our shower in the master bath -- white subway tile (my favorite!). We used it in the kitchen, and all of the baths.




Here is the kitchen and this is not current either. They have the cabinet doors on now. The countertops were the only selection that stressed me a bit. Granite is standard in Brent Taylor Homes, but I did not want granite because it is porous (soaks up stains and germs) and so I had decided on black Corian. However, when I went to make my selection the saleswoman told me that that was not a good selection if I planned to "use my kitchen"; it seems that black Corian shows scratches really badly. Therefore, I went with old-fashioned formica and although I was a little bummed at first, when I came home and saw how easy it was to take permanent marker off of formica (about 2 days after I made my selection, Brooke did some art in our current kitchen), I was happy with my choice!

Neighbors For Justice Seeks Legal Remedy

Below is a post from a blog by Neighbors for Justice, which is a coalition formed by our future neighbors in West Bartlesville.

Attorneys Have Been Secured

Neighbors for Justice recognizes that the Bartlesville City Council has been faced with controversial situations and challenging times in recent months and years. The neighbors appreciate the service of each of the council members to the community of Bartlesville and the vital function that this council provides to the health and growth of this city.

However, the neighbors believe the action taken by the council on August 25, 2008 was uacceptable. This vote overturned a previous denial for zoning to allow a jail in a residential neighborhood. The neighbors do not see any opportunity at this time to correct that mistake other than via legal action.

With that being said, Neighbors For Justice would like to announce that they have secured the law firm Gibbs, Armstrong, Borochoff, Mullican & Hart to defend their cause.

This firm also represented the South Tulsa Citizens Coalition who fought against having a toll bridge built and was victorious this year at the Supreme Court.


If you would like to be better informed about this issue, the NFJ blog has a brief chronological history of the plans for the county jail as well as a history as read through the Bartlesville Examiner Enterprise. In addition, there is a map of the area showing that the proposed jail site is surrounded on the north, west, and south by residential neighborhoods.

Finally, if you have an interest or feel lead to do so, there is a place where you can donate to the NFJ legal fund.

Here is the blog address: www.neighborsforjustice.com

Sincerely,

Sonja Settle

In Memory of Stanley Donnelley (Oct. 18, 1927-September 16, 2008)

My grandpa, Stanley Donnelley, died this morning at approximately 4 am. Last Monday he was put in the hospital for what at first I understood to be kidney stones, but on Thursday the diagnosis was bone cancer and kidney cancer that had metastasized to his spine. My sister, Dawn, and I drove to Enid to see him late Thursday night and it was such a shock to see him lying so helplessly in the hospital bed in agonizing pain. Just a few months ago, Grandpa's doctor had told him that he was the "healthiest 80-year-old" that he knew. Grandpa still worked a little job that he went to every day. About 2 1/2 weeks ago, he and his neighbor had cleared out brush in the back yard. In short, Grandpa was still living an active, busy life. I expected him to live until he was 100 years old.

I have been so grateful that last year the family had a party to celebrate Grandpa's 80th birthday. It was a wonderful time where everyone wrote letters to him about their favorite memories with him and what he meant to them. It was truly a celebration of who he was as a person and a way to thank him for how he had served our family over the years. During the party, he was more talkative than I ever remember him being in a large group, regaling us with tales of meeting Will Rogers and Andy Griffith (whom he said was the only man he ever met who had bigger ears than he did!).

What a testimony of love this last week has been -- my aunts and uncles and cousins have flown in from all over the country to be at grandpa's side, to hold his hand, and to pray for him. This is amazing because none of us are blood relatives to Grandpa. He was my mother's (and aunts' and uncles') step-father. To most of us in my generation, though, he was the only grandpa we ever knew and therefore not our "step-grandfather" but our grandpa.

He snored louder than almost anyone I have heard (with the exception of my late Uncle Bo). He had this weird, quirky idea that you needed to put butter on every sandwich that you ate in order to aid digestion. In the summer when we visited, my sisters and I would try to sneak in and make our sandwiches without him knowing so that we would not have to put butter on our bologna and cheese sandwiches. I am not sure how, but usually he caught us and so I have eaten more bologna, cheese, mustard, and butter sandwiches than anyone should have to endure!

He searched for and found me my first car (a cute little yellow Kharmen Ghia). He made the best pancakes that he served with warm syrup. Probably everyone in the family has a least one time when Grandpa dropped everything to come diagnose and fix an automotive problem. He loved my Grandma more than anyone else ever loved her and took better care of her than anyone else in the world. He was a kind, gentle, patient man with a servant's heart whom I never heard complain.

The only comfort in his passing is that he is no longer in pain and he did not linger like this for a long period of time -- he would have hated not being able to go to work or to be on dialysis or to be dependent on someone else to take care of him. I also can rest in the fact that I know I will see him in heaven some day. Until then, I will think of him often and hope to serve my family as well as he did.

Do you speak Brookie?

We have been so excited and relieved as Brooke learns more words and has finally started putting words together for 2-3 word sentences. She seems to have to work much harder on her words than other children do (in order to perfect them). It is interesting to me that some words, which I would normally think would be difficult, seem easy for her and she says them clearly. For instance, she can say, "Luke" perfectly -- ie, she doesn't say "wuke." However, some of her other words are so adorable I wanted to write them down.

Here is a quiz to see how well you speak "Brookie". Select the word that is the correct translation. Answers are at the bottom.

1. Dod
a. God
b. Dog
c. Dad

2. Nonk (with a long "o" sound)
a. Nose
b. Milk
c. Not

3. Lucky
a. Yucky
b. Lick
c. Sticky

4. Fuffy
a. Stuffing
b. Fluffy
c. Murphy

5. Habit
a. Rabbit
b. Have it
c. Stop it

6. Dum
a. Gum
b. Some
c. Fun

7. Fart
a. Cart
b. Start
c. Heart

8. Boe-ditch or Boe-shif
a. a bad word in "Brookie"
b. Goldfish
c. Toe itch

9. Bitchy
a. Bitty
b. Betsy
c. Bitsy

Answers:
1: If you ask Brooke who we learn about at church, her answer will be "Dod" (a)
2: In "Brookie", water is "dink" and milk is "nonk". (b)
3: Chunky milk left in the van for days, is "lucky". (a)
4: When Brooke tells our dog, Murphy, to stop barking, she says, "Hush, Fuffy" (c)
5: If you have something and Brooke wants it, she will ask, "Habit?" [Can I have it?] (b)
6: If "Brookie" was spoken in the movie, "Night at the Museum", the statue would say, "Dumb-Dumb, give me dum-dum!"(a)
7: This was a trick question. We still have not figured out what Brooke wants when she says "fart". Unfortunately she says it perfectly and it sends Jack and Claire into hysterical fits of laughter and so if she says it once, she ends up saying it 20 times. If we ever get it translated, you will be the first to know.
8: Brooke can say "gold" and "fish", but put them together and she sounds like she is attempting to say a "cuss" word (as we say in the south). (b)
9: Hasn't everyone heard of the "Itchy-Bitchy Spider"?(c)

One final cute thing that she said (but which I could not create a question for) was this: "Chock-ee-it Tandy?" -- as in "chocolate candy". She was referring to a round brown mole on my arm. :)

County Jail

Several times, I have sat down in order to write about the jail issue since the council reversed its decision on August 25th. But so far I have been unable to do it -- I sit down and then feel drained just thinking about it. However, I think we are on the verge of watching a miracle unfold and so it is not as depressing to write about.

My friend's recent post is better than anything I would have written so I asked her if I could put it on my blog as well. (Sorry to those of you who read both of our blogs! ) I also want to encourage you to send this post to whomever you want to send it. The more people who know about what it going on, the better. After all, the citizens of Bartlesville will ultimately decide the fate of the jail.

So here it is:

SUNDAY, AUGUST 31, 2008

Selflessness and an Apology to the West Bartlesville Residents
Jesus committed the most extreme act of selflessness when he chose to humble himself to become man, to be beaten by man and then die on the cross for man.

Acts of selflessness are hard and that is why I am always in awe when I see these genuine acts. A genuine act is one that personally gains you nothing and many times, in fact, costs you everything. I have recently witnessed one such act of selflessness and wanted to share.

An east Bartlesville resident has written an amazing letter to the editor expressing his apologies to the west side residents for the great injustice that has occured over the jail rezoning. This man has spent much of his own personal time fighting for the rights of west Bartlesville residents. He has been at the council meetings standing up and speaking eloquently against this injustice. He has stepped across the tracks from where he lives to fight for the rights of the people who are being taken advantage of. Even though this issue does not affect him personally, he has chosen to do something that goes against the cultural norm- - - to fight an injustice for someone else. He will gain NOTHING from this- - -other than ugly remarks and possible threats from those who disagree with him. You may be thinking, "Threats?" Yes, I know it is happening because my husband has received them as well. This man has put himself and his name on the line by speaking out against the jail, the jail that so many may think needs to be built on the west side of town.

I wanted to get his permission before printing this on my blog so I sent him an email. I loved the response he gave me, so I wanted to post that as well. His response:

"Yes, you have my permission. There are times when I do not recognize or act like the guy you want to blog about. However, those are the times I remember that I am only human and any goodness or righteousness I may have is not my own but from my Father alone. Who knows, maybe this is the spot I have spent my entire life getting to? If any good comes from it, it will be from Him and not from me."


Here is his letter:

An Apology to the West Side Residents of Bartlesville

After sitting through last Monday’s City Council meeting, I feel compelled to offer an apology to the residents of the West Side.

I apologize for the City Council riding over all sound objections to do whatever they want. I thought there might have been hope for this council but now it seems I was wrong.

I apologize for Councilman Vic Holcomb changing his vote. He stated, “no one got to him.” Well, of course they did. His constituents got to him. They probably told him he was being an obstructionist and needed to call for a do-over

I also apologize for Councilman Vic Holcomb not being able to look you in the eye when he voted “yes”.

I apologize for Mr. Maddux saying that Robert’s Rules of Order trumps an Oklahoma Supreme Court decision and the Council could revote the issue if they wanted to.

I apologize for Mrs. Daniels smiling as Lisa Strickland walked away from the podium, crying and holding a picture of her 4 year old daughter.

I apologize for Mr. Mason just sitting there like the old lump on a log. Wait. No, I don’t!

I apologize to the gentleman who attempted to speak after the citizen comment time was closed. Was he out of line? Yes. Was he confused? Who wouldn’t be after sitting through that Council meeting? Did you notice that three very large Bartlesville police officers moved on this gentleman very quickly to grab him and remove him? If he had stood there a few more seconds, we would have seen Bartlesville’s finest in action. All the Mayor had to do was say, one more time, “Sir, if you do not sit down, I will have you escorted to your seat.”

I apologize for Mayor Gorman’s hypocrisy. LuWana Brewster said she found it hard to believe that council members “could look us in the eye and tell us you’re representing us. We feel like we’ve been stabbed in the back,” she said. There’s no first aid for that, is there? She also added, "What part of 'we don't want a jail here' do you not understand?

I apologize because Mr. Gorman’s, “I love you guys” didn’t last one whole week.

I apologize for the county commissioners who just sat there looking at the floor. Did you notice the backs of their necks got red from time to time? They appeared as if they were embarrassed to be there. But they got what they wanted, didn’t they?

I apologize that the very morning the county commissioners discussed paying for 50% of a West Bartlesville Master Plan – with a one tenth of a cent tax increase on you and me. This will most likely be on the November ballot also. You remember that ballot, right? It’s the one where we will be asked to pay for the new jail that was rammed down our throats! That’s like…well, you know what it’s like.

I apologize because our City Council appears to some, to be elitist with some racism thrown in for good measure. They can scream from the roof tops that this is about a zoning question, "rule of law" I believe Mrs. Daniels said. I hope that lets them sleep at night. They can shout all day long, “Some of my best friends are _________ (fill in the blank: black, brown, poor).” But folks all over town, whether they want the jail there or not, suspect this is a smoke screen so the Council can step all over the wishes of most West Side residents. They feel they are better than us and being better than us, know what is best for us. Especially the black and poor residents who will be impacted the most.

I apologize because the City Council has convinced themselves this is all about zoning regulations. Politics, at its heart, is all about people. People of different color, people of different races, people of different levels of education, people of different income levels and people of all ages. People who vote! The City Council would do well to remember this.

I do not lightly say that our City Council appears to be elitist and, at times appears to be racist also. Deny it all you want, call me whatever names you want, Call me a troublemaker, a cry baby, slash my tires, kick my dog but there it is, right in our faces. It’s the 800 pound gorilla in the room no one wants to talk about.

I apologize for Mayor Gorman’s parting shot: “Let’s all go from here in the spirit of unity and progress.” Decency will not allow the Examiner-Enterprise to print my reply to that remark.

Last but not least, I think they should drop the opening prayer at all City Council meetings. From the way the City Council does whatever they want--ignore the Oklahoma Supreme Court, ignore their own zoning regulations, ignore the desires of the people they represent—it seems obvious to me that God is most definitely not in the house!

George Henshaw

Bartlesville

(Of course, Mr. Henshaw's last statement is not to be taken literally.)