The Observation Deck

Grace O'Malley wrote:The report said the driver had not been drug tested, as there appeared to be no reason to do so. According to witness reports and Mr. Milan's statements to a woman who ran to assist him, the driver knew he was there. Either way, a drug test is standard procedure in a bus accident. Why no test? It seems they just took the drivers word that he never saw him.

The truth will not come out unless his family and friends put on the pressure. RTA has still not responded to public records request about their post accident policies.

The bureaucracy takes care of its own.

IRS, NSA, RTA

The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.

Our little experiment in democracy is in danger on many levels. It certainly doesn't help that our media is lap dog and our people are somnambulant. We cannot trust that our bureaucracies will do the right thing. They must be MADE to do the right thing. That's true for big bureaucracies like the IRS as well as little bureaucracies like RTA.

Bill Call wrote:Our little experiment in democracy is in danger on many levels. It certainly doesn't help that our media is lap dog and our people are somnambulant. We cannot trust that our bureaucracies will do the right thing. They must be MADE to do the right thing. That's true for big bureaucracies like the IRS as well as little bureaucracies like RTA.

Bill

The people, not just family and friends must ask for and get real answers on this.

One of the reasons we started this project was to give a larger voice to those at the table.
Where all media falls prey to various issues that prevent a full light being shed on a number
of things for a number of reasons, when reporting is turned over to the masses, you lessen
the impact of "control of the message," that defines everything from politics, to sports, to
non-profits, to accidents. It was with that belief we started the LO and turn everyone that
knew anything into topics and reports. You simply cannot trust "media" for answers that
might not serve them, and the same is true with individuals.

Sunday we spoke of this when we saw each other back in the swamplands of the Emerald
Canyon. In real life you have friendships and social standings that often tie ones hands,
in the professional world there is working relationships, and the pressure of paychecks that
keep ALL reporters in check. The more a person depends on news sources for a check,
the more servile they become. When it starts to filter into other areas like business, family,
friendships etc. it really can work against the spread of "news and Actions."

It will be up to all of us to make sure, we hear the answers. The real answers.

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Thank you for starting this thread Bill. I am so bitter and sad right now that I would not want my comments to be under the loss of Joe but under the circumstances of this incident.

The first thing that frustrated me is when the incident actually happened and when it was reported. The second is the Lakewod Police Chief commenting on the news his conclusion before the investigation was completed. Third, where are the Big Brother cameras at warren and Detroit? Fourth, where are the RTA cameras?

I would just ask everyone to stand and look for a second at an RTA bus. It has extremely low sides, I am sure to help prevent this type of thing. For the life of me I cannot picture how ths happened, and it is all I can think about. I cannot fathom that a person being run over can go undetected...and if so, is it the bus or the driver or what? Someone had to see something and if the bus was empty then why not stop?

Having lived right by the Bunts Detroit stop for 11 years, I observed countless number of people having dangerous encounters with the buses. Joe and I spoke of this many times.

Bill is correct, questions need to be answered and only we can get to the bottom of this. Joe was an advocated for so many, now he needs one. Where is the camera footage? Some bus drivers are the mall cops of transportation. It would be nice if I was confident the police were looking at this with a critical eye. Accidents are accidents, fine but sweeping them under the rug isn't going to save any lives.

BTW - the news reports are pronouncing his name like the city in Italy...we are in Ohio...it's pronounced like the city on Ohio. Long I - MIlan

Jim O'Bryan wrote:It will be up to all of us to make sure, we hear the answers. The real answers.

Don't hold your breath. During the recent congressional hearings on the IRS we saw the arrogance of the bureaucracy. They knew they had nothing to fear. It's much the same with the RTA.

If Bill Call was driving down Detroit Avenue early one morning and ran over a pedestrian and continued driving what would the ramifications be?

When the police caught up with me and asked me why I fled the scene of an accident and:

I answered, "Accident, what accident"?

Officer Number One: "You ran over and critically injured a pedestrian".

Bill Call: "I did?"

Officer Number two: "Are you saying he had no idea you ran over that guy?"

Bill Call: "None whatsoever. If I had only known I would have stopped immediately."

Officer Number One, "Well, that settles that. I guess we are done here".

Officer Number Two, "What do you mean? Just because he says he didn't know he was in an accident we just forget the whole thing".

Officer Number One: "That's right. If the driver had no idea he hit anyone then no one is at fault and our job is done".

Officer Number Two: "That doesn't sound right to me. I mean, then just can't anyone involved in a hit and run accident say I had no idea I hit anyone and just get away with it?

Officer Number One: "Well, not just anyone. Your average Joe would be facing some pretty serious charges. However, Bill Call is not your average Joe. He works for RTA so the rules are different".

Officer Number Two: "In what way."

Officer Number One: "You ask too many questions. Look, I'll ask one more time. Mr. Call are you SURE you had no idea you ran over that guy."

Bill Call: "Absolutely sure".

Officer Number One to Officer Number Two: " I say we are done here. Thanks Mr. Call, have a nice day."

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

Bill Call wrote:Don't hold your breath. During the recent congressional hearings on the IRS we saw the arrogance of the bureaucracy. They knew they had nothing to fear. It's much the same with the RTA.

Bill

Really, you are going to compare this to that?

One we had a person taking short cuts, that actually saw 99% of those people set aside
getting their non-profit status, as opposed to only 60% of the so called liberal groups
getting their non-profit status.

Here we had a human killed, by we can only assume, negligence followed by a cover-up
by the driver, and everything downstream. That not only resulted in the death of a good
law abiding citizen trying to get to work.

Stephen

Not Denmark, in Lakewood, and RTA.


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Jim O'Bryan wrote:Really, you are going to compare this to that?

When people in a government bureaucracy do something illegal, irrational or contrary to its interests or contrary to its own mission the excuse is usually expressed as "decisions where made, policy was not fully followed, the behavior was inappropriate" or my favorite, "mistakes were made". Really? by who?

No one every says "Joe blow made that decision and Joe Blow has been fired", or Billy, Bobby and Debbie did not follow proper procedure" or "the director made a mistake in judgment". It's as if things just happen all by themselves.

I think its clear that RTA did not follow its own post accident procedure. Will someone be held accountable or will we here "mistakes were made" (by who?) or procedures were not followed (by who?).

Someone decided not to follow procedure. Who and why? Will they be held accountable? Or did the decision make itself? And if management decisions are being made all by themselves without any human interference then why are we paying for all those levels of management?

Any word on the investigation? The last I heard the Lakewood Police were going to view the video.

Bill Call wrote:Any word on the investigation? The last I heard the Lakewood Police were going to view the video.

I think LPD is still in the Czech Republic tracking down hacked email accounts. I'm sure the video in question is on their "To Do" list.

Bill,

According to the link below there will be no charges. The video camera on cook and detroit was "not working". I'm thinking if I went and vandalized the rta stop they could somehow come up with video proof, maybe that is just my emotions talking though...

Such a sad event.

http://lakewood-oh.patch.com/groups/pol ... kewood-man

Ryan Salo wrote:Bill,

According to the link below there will be no charges. The video camera on cook and detroit was "not working". I'm thinking if I went and vandalized the rta stop they could somehow come up with video proof, maybe that is just my emotions talking though...

Such a sad event.

http://lakewood-oh.patch.com/groups/pol ... kewood-man

RTA lawyers refused to allow Lakewood Police to conduct any follow up interviews with the driver. According to this old article the RTA has the right to shield its reports from the public to..... protect us from terrorism.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/08 ... dents.html

This is so crazy it drives me nuts.

Bill Call wrote:
RTA lawyers refused to allow Lakewood Police to conduct any follow up interviews with the driver. According to this old article the RTA has the right to shield its reports from the public to..... protect us from terrorism.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/08 ... dents.html

This is so crazy it drives me nuts.

Bill

It would seem that RTA has turned Lakewood City Hall into its Bitch*.

Between this and us bending over on Clifton Blvd. I guess it underlines residents no longer
matter to City Hall.

* Urban Dictionary-
(3) Modern-day servant; A person who performs tasks for another, usually degrading in status.

(3) "Bring my friend and I some vodka bitch"

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I forgot this quote from the PD article:

"The reports are complete -- but the public can't see them.

A state law specifically exempts investigation reports from RTA and ODOT, which oversees transit-rail accidents, from Ohio's open-records law.

An Ohio Department of Transportation lawyer says the 1996 law cloaks accident reports whose release would reveal rail operations and security to terrorists and others with ill intent. "

Bill Call wrote:An Ohio Department of Transportation lawyer says the 1996 law cloaks accident reports whose release would reveal rail operations and security to terrorists and others with ill intent. "

Does it mention what happens when RTA has ill, or misguided intent?

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