Trentonian Insider


Wednesday, December 12, 2007

The People V. Joe Santiago

The battle over Trenton Police Director Joe "Crime is Down" Santiago has ebbed and flowed over the past several weeks, with emotional arguments to be found on both sides of the issue (though logical ones seem to be a bit more reserved for one view).

To recap...
Those who feel the city's top cop should call the Capital City home say he should because:
a) it's the law,
b) not abiding by the law would set one hell of a double standard for those who abide by the requirement, and even moreso for the folks who have been fired for not adhering to the residency restriction,
and c) because it's the law.

Those who feel it's ok for the city's top law enforcement agent to ignore, um, the law, argue Santiago should be granted a waiver because:
a) the director is afraid of alleged, unconfirmed gang threats left at his home (in Stirling, Morris County) and he'd rather have his family live 50 miles away from where he works and has, um, an entire police force at his disposal to protect them,
b) the director is also afraid of pornography that was sent to his wife's at-work computer, an occurrence which everyone knows would only increase in frequency and severity if he and the fam resided in T-Town,
c) Santiago has already said he'd rather quit than move into a godforsaken hell hole like Trenton (where crime is down though), and if he were to leave, then the city would fall apart, no one else would want his job, and there would be no one around to say "Crime is Down,"
and d) the only people who want to force the director to abide by the law are racist, disgruntled haters, so if those kinds of people want it, well it must be wrong.

Well, gee, looks like the pro-Santiago folks have at least one more "reason" on their side. Guess they win.

Looks like they could too, since a once-unified-against-Mayor Palmer-City Council (a rare bird in these parts) is seemingly starting to crumble under Hizzoner's pressure. (What happened to that 7-0 informal Trentonian poll taken of City Council members regarding their stance on residency?)
Now it seems council is considering an amendment to the residency ordinance to allow for Joe's exceptions. Will it be called the "Santiago Clause?" That sounds nice and festive for this time of year.

But a groundswell seems to be, um, swelling, with city residents exploring the possibility of gathering signatures for a petition aimed at fighting whatever knew law the council crafts for Santiago. Read more about the new effort here http://www.trentonspeaks.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=568 on the Trenton Speaks forum, or make some comments and get the discussion going here. Let us know where you stand on the issue Trenton!

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Trentonian Blogs: Trentonian Insider: The People V. Joe Santiago

Trentonian Insider


Wednesday, December 12, 2007

The People V. Joe Santiago

The battle over Trenton Police Director Joe "Crime is Down" Santiago has ebbed and flowed over the past several weeks, with emotional arguments to be found on both sides of the issue (though logical ones seem to be a bit more reserved for one view).

To recap...
Those who feel the city's top cop should call the Capital City home say he should because:
a) it's the law,
b) not abiding by the law would set one hell of a double standard for those who abide by the requirement, and even moreso for the folks who have been fired for not adhering to the residency restriction,
and c) because it's the law.

Those who feel it's ok for the city's top law enforcement agent to ignore, um, the law, argue Santiago should be granted a waiver because:
a) the director is afraid of alleged, unconfirmed gang threats left at his home (in Stirling, Morris County) and he'd rather have his family live 50 miles away from where he works and has, um, an entire police force at his disposal to protect them,
b) the director is also afraid of pornography that was sent to his wife's at-work computer, an occurrence which everyone knows would only increase in frequency and severity if he and the fam resided in T-Town,
c) Santiago has already said he'd rather quit than move into a godforsaken hell hole like Trenton (where crime is down though), and if he were to leave, then the city would fall apart, no one else would want his job, and there would be no one around to say "Crime is Down,"
and d) the only people who want to force the director to abide by the law are racist, disgruntled haters, so if those kinds of people want it, well it must be wrong.

Well, gee, looks like the pro-Santiago folks have at least one more "reason" on their side. Guess they win.

Looks like they could too, since a once-unified-against-Mayor Palmer-City Council (a rare bird in these parts) is seemingly starting to crumble under Hizzoner's pressure. (What happened to that 7-0 informal Trentonian poll taken of City Council members regarding their stance on residency?)
Now it seems council is considering an amendment to the residency ordinance to allow for Joe's exceptions. Will it be called the "Santiago Clause?" That sounds nice and festive for this time of year.

But a groundswell seems to be, um, swelling, with city residents exploring the possibility of gathering signatures for a petition aimed at fighting whatever knew law the council crafts for Santiago. Read more about the new effort here http://www.trentonspeaks.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=568 on the Trenton Speaks forum, or make some comments and get the discussion going here. Let us know where you stand on the issue Trenton!

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