All Too Real

Anyone who knows us well knows our origins. Yes, "Home Means Nevada" today. However, this is not where we originally came from.

We'll admit, we migrated here from Orange County. Yes, that Orange County... No, scratch that. We actually grew up in the part of the county where people tend not to throw wine at each other at "classy parties".

Sadly, most people in OC have far more "real" lives in that. And unfortunately in Santa Ana, sh-t got very real in a not-funny-at-all way.



Long story short, concerned citizens showed up at a Santa Ana City Council meeting. And one individual showed up with a portable camera and a hat that made a very bold fashion statement. The Mayor then summoned the police to clear out the building, even though there was no violence present.

Actually, those Santa Ana residents were irritated over a growing pattern of police brutality in Orange County's seat of government. In June, immigrant resident Edgar Vargas was brutally beaten by Santa Ana Police. The FBI is now investigating the case. And while the Orange County District Attorney's Office is still pursuing an attempted burglary charge against Edgar Vargas, it's dropped all other charges while ICE has dropped its deportation case against him.



This is not even the only police brutality case in our original homeland. We actually grew up in Tustin, a usually quiet middle-class suburb just to the east of Santa Ana. But when Robert Villa was shot dead by Tustin Police this past February, the city was anything but quiet.



And both these cases come less than three years after another Orange County city, Fullerton, was ripped apart over the police shooting Kelly Thomas dead. See, Ferguson isn't the only place in America where this is happening.

In fact, it's also happened here. But so far, both candidates for Clark County Sheriff seem to be ignoring this matter. Never mind that Metro Police is being sued over its trigger happy ways. And never mind that we may still not know the full scope of this not-so-little problem at Metro.

For us, "Home Means Nevada" today. Here is where we call home. It would just be nice to know we can actually trust those who swear to protect & serve our community. It would be nice to know we won't be at risk of arrest or serious injury just for wearing a hat that makes a very bold fashion statement. We probably won't ever actually do it, but we want to make sure the constitutional rights of those who do it are respected.

Who Will Be Metro's New Top Cop?

There may not be a dazzling "top of the ticket" this year, but that doesn't mean this election isn't important. Far from it, this election will determine the future of our state... And the future of Metro Police.

In recent years, Metro has been facing tough questions on police brutality officer involved shootings. Last August, Metro came under fire for allowing a police helicopter to be used by a Guns N Roses guitarist for his marriage proposal. More recently, Metro has been caught in a bizarre slut shaming incident where a uniformed police officer scared young girls with inaccurate information. And questions still surround Metro's handling of the Cliven Bundy "Range War" in the Bunkerville/Mesquite area. Why has a police department that's become notorious for "quick & decisive action" in the Las Vegas Valley been dragging its feet on #BundyRanch, allowing celebrities to use its equipment for publicity stunts, and engaging in counterproductive slut shaming of young girls in our community?

Last August, incumbent Sheriff Doug Gillespie dropped a political bomb when he announced he won't be running for a third term. It just so happened that his decision to retire was announced shortly after the Clark County Commission rejected the "More Cops" sales tax surcharge. The Commission rejected "More Cops" again in January. And now, Sheriff Gillespie is abandoning the tax proposal after three failed County Commission votes.

Gillespie now says Metro will have to endure painful budget cuts. Metro Police have already stopped responding to non-injury car accidents. Yet even as this is occurring, many members of the public and a few County Commissioners are still asking what Metro is doing with its current funding. And they're asking why Metro leaders are still refusing to hold anyone accountable for officer involved shootings.

Last summer, Ted Moody retired as Assistant Sheriff after Sheriff Gillespie failed to implement the recommendations of the task force he called to address officer involved shootings. He's now running for Sheriff. And in a rare display of solidarity, both Clark County Commissioner (& progressive favorite) Chris Giunchigliani (D) and the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce have endorsed Moody.

Current Assistant Sheriff Joe Lombardo is also running for the top cop position. He's been endorsed by Gillespie, and he's been raising money from The Strip's top casino players.

Former Metro executive lieutenant Larry Burns is also running for Sheriff. He's gained the endorsement of the police unions. And while he's called for better relations with the wider community, neither he nor Lombardo has promised the kind of broad accountability that Moody is now campaigning on.

Six other candidates are also running for Clark County Sheriff, so this is truly a wide open race bursting with possibilities. And this truly is a race that will determine the future of Nevada's largest local law enforcement agency. Metro's new top cop will have to make decisions on how to curb officer involved shootings, whether to pursue the "More Cops" tax again, and simply how to improve troubled relations with the greater community. And we will be the ones deciding who that new top cop will be.

So make sure to vote this month... And choose wisely.