A.C. Protest Turns Absolutely Awesome

An event yesterday was supposed to unite Atlantic City’s black community, but — whoops! — the Labor Day protest ended with four arrests.

Steve Young, an aide to Atlantic City Councilman Steve Moore (thanks for having non-confusing names, guys), said there would be 200 people at the protest. Instead, 10 showed up. But, wait, it gets better. The Press of Atlantic City writes that the protesters jumped up to a stage adjacent to one where a city-sponsored concert was being held. Then “King Jamir Shabazz, 37, a New Black Panther, began shouting racial epithets into the microphone, targeting white and black people in the crowd.”

“If you’re not willing to stand up, black men and black women, then get the hell in the river and drown with the jelly fish,” Shabazz shouted.

Yes, get the hell in that river right on the east coast of Atlantic City! With the jellyfish!

Things got a little funnier even after that; if any of the people who recorded it want to release video, please do so immediately.

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SugarHouse Casino: Accept Us Or Die

SugarHouse Casino, the winner for the slots parlor license in Fishtown, recently sent out a mailer to “thousands” of Philadelphia residents with the title “More cops on the street? We’re putting our money on it.”

Get it? Because SugarHouse is a casino and it’s going to take people’s money, but also some of those gambling losses will go to the state instead. Here’s what the above scan of the mailer says:

It’s time we make Philadelphia a safer, stronger city.

Putting hundreds of additional police on the streets is a proven way to get Philadelphia moving in the right direction. But that takes money the city doesn’t have.

That’s where you and SugarHouse Casino come in.

Your support will provide the city with tens of millions in new revenue that can be used to put hundreds of police on the streets and make all of our neighborhoods safer.

In addition, 6,000 new jobs will be created and our schools will receive a guaranteed $50 million in new revenue over ten years, giving our children a chance for a brighter future.

Additionally, SugarHouse has pledged $1 million annually to benefit neighboring communities.

Get it? If you’re against the casino, you want Philadelphians to die. I mean, look how safe that family is above, all thanks to SugarHouse Casino.

Battle Over Phila. Slots Heats Up With Sugarhouse Brochure [KYW 1060]

Reward For Mutant Police Dog Up To $5,700

The missing police dog with x-ray vision is, uh, still missing today, but the reward has jumped way over the previous $2,000 reward. Yep: It’s now at $5,700, which is actually more than the cost of buying a new police dog.

The doggy stayed with a family (and police officer), so the whole family’s upset, and so everyone wants to find him. The officer who had the three-year-old German shepherd, Steve Burkhardt, has been searching for 16 hours a day hoping to find it.

However, uh, he’s a police German shepherd. He shouldn’t be too hard to find, should he?

Burkhardt’s personal hunch is that someone has Scotty and either doesn’t know he’s a missing police dog or has been holding out for a higher reward.

I got 5,700, do I hear 6,000! Six thousand going once, twice — 6500! Do I hear seven thousand…

Reward now at $5,700 for missing K-9
March 21: Mutant Police Dog Remains Missing

At Least He Didn’t Put Razorblades In Apples

By far, my favorite story of the day comes from Berlin, New Jersey, where a plainclothes police officer was scaring kids:

A man who approached trick-or-treaters Tuesday night in Berlin, NJ prompted numerous inquiries to local police from kids and parents who thought he was impersonating a police officer.

Several people said he approached them, showed a badge, and asked some questions.

As it turns it out, the man was a legitimate plainclothes police officer who was checking on several incidents in the Camden County area.

Berlin police say he was not a police impersonator.

But was he wearing reflective clothing?

Policeman Throws Some Halloween Scares in S. Jersey [KYW 1060]

Cops Respond to Ongoing Threat Of Bubbles

E-Mail from a reader:

There are approximately 30 po-po vehicles at Love Park right now. Mr. Bubble, perhaps?

My guess? Somebody forgot to keep her bubbles back at home and Melvin Fortune took it out on her.

Yesterday: Keep Your Bubbles Back At Home, People

A Good Day For Snitchin’

Yesterday, police shot and caught the main suspect in the murder of poliec officer Gary Skerski, the yellow-eyed man seen in this sketch pretty much since Skerski’s killing last week. Members of his family apparently turned him in — police didn’t even have a suspect two days ago.

His name is Solomon Montgomery, he’s only 23, and as you may have guessed, he seems like a pretty horrible person. The police haven’t said he’s officially a suspect, but when all the sources say he’s a prime suspect and Sylvester Johnson suddenly comes back to hold a press conference, well, come on, our local media’s smarter than that, guys.

This is good news for snitchin’, the police, the public’s sense of justice and the City Paper’s Brian Hickey, who will be personally executing Montgomery next week.

And, yes, a good day for Skerski’s family, as well, as for his friends:

“Oh, my God, I like did cartwheels in the halls at work!” [Stacey Holmes] said. “I hope he [Montgomery] rots in hell.”

Thanks, for that “[Montgomery],” Daily News. I was wondering who she was talking about.

COP of the WEEK [Daily News]
Lethal Rejection [City Paper]

Leftovers: Fashion Show Fight

• Yes, this is what the man suspected in the death of police officer Gary Skerski was wearing when he robbed the bar. His skin, police say, is not quite as dark as the mannequin to the left. [6 ABC]

• Hundres of police responded to a fight that broke out after a fashion show (like rock concerts, fashion shows attract violence) at Dobbins High. Hundreds of criminals then robbed hundreds of houses. [NBC 10]

• Jon Corzine, meet Kevin Spacey. Surely, this meeting of the minds will one day produce some of the finest crap New Jersy commercials. [Deadline Hollywood Daily]

• Surprise! The taxi drivers don’t want to be tracked every second they’re at work. Taxi passengers are planning a protest, attempting to get those cool sports ticker ads they have on top of taxis into the backseats of them. [Philly IMC]

Quickies: Gay Bar

• In legal news, the Philadelphia Bar Association has come out against the PIMP Act — that’s the “Pennsylvania Marriage Protection Act” — which would ban same-sex marriages in the commonwealth. Good for them. It’s hard out here for a PIMP Act, &c. [KYW 1060]

• So why did the cops shut down a party at Transit two hours early? Nobody seems to know. [fiftyone:fiftyone]

• The New York Sun — kind of the Evening Bulletin of New York — reports that Scooter Libby testified President Bush okayed a leak to the New York Times, putting Bush directly in the chain of events that led to the leaking of Valerie Plame’s name. Like, whoa. [Gawker (the Sun website is down)]

• Can someone (seriously) explain this anti-Jeopardy! piece? I’m totally baffled. [Early Word]

• In honor of Jimmy Rollins’ 38-game hitting streak, here’s a statheaded look at both his and Joe DiMaggio’s streaks. Very good piece. [Sportszilla]

• City Council President Anna Verna is the first person to get angry at Rick Mariano! Of course, she’s just mad that he sent a letter home saying his office would be “fully staffed.” Guess the councilwoman doesn’t want people to know that you can do her job from prison. [KYW 1060]

Philly PD To Make World’s Largest Bong

The other day, the Philadelphia police were responding to a robbery call in West Philly and — whoops! — stumbled over $11.6 million of marijuana.

Now, obviously, if the police force were to, say, sell that $11.6 million of marijuana on the sly, that could make, oh, somewhere in the neighborhood of $11.6 million. But, of course, marijuana being illegal, the cops are just going to burn all the weed.

I’m no scientist, but it seems to me that burning a giant pile of weed might not be the best way to get rid of it, especially considering burning leaves is one way to turn them into, say, smoke. I fear that an 11.6 million dollar bonfire bong of marijuana will make every citizen in the 135 square miles of this city high. Actually, that might calm down some of our high-strung residents. Hmm.

Still, though, I’m not sold. And, apparently, neither was Metro, which asked the following:

What’s that dude in the center doing? Petting an exceptionally large, cute doggy? Leaning on a bike rack? Patting the head of a dwarf?

Although, maybe it has something to do with that $11.6 million worth of weed he’s planning on smoking. That’d make anyone do crazy shit.

Cops can’t cash in on record pot haul [Metro]
Yesterday: Commish Hops On The ‘Sixth Borough’ Bandwagon
Photo by highguy420 (who else?)

Quickies: These colors do run

• Get ready, people, for a decrease in your freedoms! Well, okay, they’re just going to ban desecrating (read: burning) the flag. And they’re going to continue to take away our other freedoms without amending the constitution. We do know that. But there is an upshot: Business will soon be booming for Uncle D-Mac’s Irregular, Highly Flammable brand flags! [Dick Polman's American Debate]

• Police commish Sylvester Johnson asked for $100 million to hire new officers, but instead got $10 mil for overtime. He’s happy, though, since the city will be spending half of it on “Start Snitchin’” t-shirts. [Inky]

• Guess which owner is part of the group threatening to throw the NFL into chaos by hoping to block a revenue sharing plan? Guess, guess! Tat’s right, Eagles’ owner Jeff Lurie. It’s okay, though, at least he keeps the ticket prices for Eagles fans cheap. Erhm. [ESPN.com]

• Houston Texans linebacker Kylie Wong recently got an autograph from his hero: Wharton professor Jeremy Siegel. “You got GNP!” says Wong. [Blinq]

• And, from the Bucksco crime log: “Theft: Giant Food Store, 700 block Stony Hill Rd., 1:01 p.m., Sun, baby formula, $300 value.” [Bucks County Courier Times]