by Mark Smiley | Aug 1, 2014 | Main Articles
Attorney David Lane Calls Settlement Little More Than ‘Hush Money’
by Mark Smiley
The City of Denver announced the largest civil suit settlement in the municipality’s history at $3.25 million to former city jail inmate Jamal Hunter. The settlement appears to have made Hunter and his attorneys Rathod|Mohamedbhai LLC happy, but few others. The settlement has received federal court and City Council approval. Federal District Court Judge John L. Kane preconditioned his approval to a myriad of reforms, all of which the City of Denver has agreed to perform.
As more videotapes have been revealed showing more sheriff’s deputies abusing inmates at the city jail, the settlement has been met with little enthusiasm. Well-known litigator David Lane blasted the city saying the settlement was little more than hush money and declaring, “They will pay any amount to avoid the embarras
sment of exposing their officers to public scrutiny.”
Critics indicate it is not just the police officers and sheriff’s deputies that the city has to be embarrassed about and cover up, but now it is also their city attorneys and district attorneys. Veteran Assistant District Attorney Stuart Shapiro was caught running an apparently fake investigation on one of the sheriff’s deputies for the purpose of witness intimidation and tampering utilizing two Denver police sergeants from the Internal Affairs Bureau.
Court watcher, Linda Pierson, noted, “An entire criminal witness tampering and intimidation scheme was being run out of the City Attorney’s Office — and not a single charge of any kind has been brought to date against the assistant City Attorney, the Denver police officers or even the sheriff’s deputy they were supposed to be investigating. Unbelievably sad.”
The unfolding scandal has, however, resulted in an ever increasing number of self- imposed external reviews of the various legal and law enforcement agencies. Rec
ently demoted Sheriff Gary Wilson had four task forces underway to give recommendation while the Denver Human Services is reviewing the Sheriff’s Department’s policies and procedures. Mayor Hancock got into the act announcing his very own independent review of the Sheriff’s Department by a yet to be determined entity. City Attorney Scott Martinez in turn announced an independent review of his entire office, including himself, by a local law firm to be determined by “competitive bidding.”
Observers were quick to dismiss the sudden scurry of investigations. Trish Abbott noted, “It is standard operating procedure when you are in damage control mode. Governor Chris Christie employed it in his Bridgegate scandal and Hillary Clinton did the same for Benghazi. They will all be whitewash reports wrapped around a scam settlement within the original sham investigation.”
Abbott went on to note, “As part of the whitewash there will be dozens of recommendations from a myriad of reports that will be enthusiastically adopted by the City Attorney’s Office, the Sheriff’s Department and the Police Department none of which will make an iota of difference. Nothing will change. Scott Martinez will get to repeat his almost comical mantra that attorneys at the City Attorney’s Office are held to nothing but ‘the highest of professional standards.’ Mayor Hancock will get to hug whomever is his latest choice for sheriff and call him the ‘best sheriff in the country’ just like all of his other sad sack choices for the same position. Plaintiffs’ attorneys will continue to make millions while every egregious mega settlement will be characterized as one more chance for ‘Denver to move forward.’”
Other observers note that one of the main problems is that no one has ever been held accountable or acknowledged error within the City and County of Denver. City Attorney Scott Martinez began his press conference on the settlement insisting that the multi-million dollar payout was not an admission of liability or wrong-doing. Mayor Hancock demoted Denver Sheriff Gary Wilson while emphasizing he did nothing wrong and it was his department as a whole that had let him down. Not a single Denver sheriff’s deputy or police officer has been charged with excessive force in this century.
It is expected that the multi-million dollar settlement will result in a significant number of new lawsuits being filed. David Lane is scheduled to take to trial in September the wrongful death case of homeless preacher Marvin Booker killed in a jail house scuffle with sheriff’s deputies, but that too is expected to settle for millions of dollars.
In June alone the number of jailhouse complaints has risen over 30 percent. “It is time to take the Brink’s truck up to City Hall and empty out the city treasury,” declared Abbott. “Everybody and anybody the sheriff’s deputies have kicked around at the jail over the last few years is going to sue and collect, and every indication is that the number of such people is going to be quite high. The sheer incompetence and venality of the Sheriff’s Department, the Police Department, the City Attorney’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office is staggering. Every attorney in the plaintiff’s bar is licking their lips to get in on the action.”
Attorneys indicate that the key to getting a multi-million dollar settlement out of the city 
will be to try to obtain the internal e-mails over the last seven years between the City Attorney’s Office and the Internal Affairs Bureaus of the Police Department and the Sheriff’s Department.
“Those documents are pure gold,” stated Scott Brock. “The fact that Judge Kane might order their production is what brought the city to its knees in the Jamal Hunter case. No one believes that Stuart Shapiro is the only one in the City Attorney’s running what appears to be a criminal operation. There are present and former members of the City Attorney’s Office all over Denver that are very concerned. The multi-million dollar Hunter settlement will look like peanuts in a few years. There are going to be a lot of very rich former city jail inmates running around this city, not to mention their lawyers.”
by Mark Smiley | Aug 1, 2014 | Glendale City News
by Marco Cummings
Writer for and on behalf of the City of Glendale
The summer weather isn’t the only thing heating up this time of year. The month of August also ushers in the heated competition of the Serevi RugbyTown Sevens (SRS) tournament, which will take place in Glendale on Aug. 15-17 at Infinity Park.
Rugby 7s is a faster paced version of the traditional 15-a-side rugby union, which is a sport that will debut at the Olympics at the Rio 2016 Games.
“It’s competitive, fast and skillful,” Glendale Raptors head coach Andre Snyman said of the competition. “We as a team like to play at this high level of competition, as it gives our players a great way to measure themselves against some of the best players out there.”
The Raptors will be participating as tournament hosts, having invited a variety of world-class rugby teams to RugbyTown, USA.
Glendale’s tournament offers high stakes. Seventeen teams from seven coun
tries (including three national teams) will be competing for the winner-take-all $10,000 purse as well as an automatic bid to the 2014 Bayleys Fiji Coral Coast Sevens, in the homeland of Serevi founder and rugby legend Waisale Serevi, the “King of 7s.”
In addition to the national and club teams, each branch of the United States armed forces will be fielding a side. Each military team is made up of active duty and reserve servicemen.
The United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard won’t be the only military presence at the SRS tournament. The Royal Air Force Spitfires will also make the trip from the U.K. This year marks the Spitfires’ third visit to the City of Glendale.
“Our best moments have to be the awesome welcome we get from the city and its residents every time we visit RugbyTown, USA,” remarked Royal Air Force manager Steven Mills. “The facilities and the commentary team are awesome too!”
Long travel times have not deterred many of this year’s entrants to the SRS tournament. Bermuda will endure over eight hours of travel time before training and competing at the Mile High altitude, where the team will make its second appearance at the Serevi RugbyTown Sevens.
Bermuda will be one of two Caribbean participants in this year’s edition of the Serevi RugbyTown Sevens. Team Bahamas will make its inaugural appearance at the SRS tournament.
However, the teams from England and the Caribbean may not be the most exotic, nor the most well-traveled in this year’s tournament. The Republic of Georgia Rugby Club Academia is also scheduled to make an appearance. Hailing from a country nestled in the Caucasus region, which marks the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, the Georgian team is comprised of 13 ruggers and four coaches and trainers, many of whom are involved with the Georgian National Team.
Of course, one needn’t leave the defending SRS Champions out of the conversation. The USA All-Americans will look to defend their 2013 crown by making a visit to this year’s tournament. The team is comprised of many of the best collegiate talent from across the United States. Despite only being founded in 2011, the All-Americans already have many accolades on their résumés.
In addition to last year’s SRS Championship, they were SRS plate winners in 2012 and champions of USA Rugby’s All Star 7’s Cup that same year.
The All-Americans are just one of multiple former SRS champions making a return to the tournament in 2014. The USA Falcons, 2012 winners of the Serevi RugbyTown Sevens Championship will also make an appearance at this year’s tournament.
The Falcons serve as the development team for the U.S. Eagles National Sevens Team and one of multiple teams in the SRS tournament that boast players in the USA Men’s Eagles Sevens National Team player pool (including the Raptors).
Another SRS team loaded with up and coming talent on its roster is the Northeast Olympic Development Academy. The Northeast Rugby ODA has been sanctioned by USA Rugby as the official Academy in the Northeast USA and a designated pathway to USA Eagles selection.
Rounding out the American teams is the Texas-based Negro y Azul. The “Black and Blue” were Serevi Invitational Plate Champions in 2013 and are hoping to add a Serevi RugbyTown Sevens Championship to their trophy case in Austin.
While the United States will certainly be well represented at SRS, the Americans’ neighbors north and south of the border will also have teams in the hunt.
The Lionheart Elite 7s out of Edmonton will represent the Canadians. The globetrotting team earned a championship on home soil at the Vancouver 7s tournament in 2012, but holds hardware from as far away as Dubai.
The Mexican National Team (Mexico Serpientes) will visit Glendale from south of the border. Formalized in 2003, the Mexican Federation of Rugby, B.C. (FMRU) is relatively new on the stage of world competition, but “Los Serpientes” are beginning to make noise. Most recently, Mexico’s U19 team finished as 2014 NACRA Cup Champions held during the third weekend of July.
In addition to the rugby action, Glendale will host a Bruises and Brews beer fest on Saturday, Aug. 16 and a Taste of Glendale on Sunday, Aug. 17. The beer fest will feature unlimited tastings from 20 local craft breweries and distilleries while the “Taste of Glendale” will offer meals and treats priced at $5 or less from a selection of local eateries.
So whether you’re a newcomer or an avid rugger, there’s sure to be something you’ll enjoy at this year’s Serevi RugbyTown Sevens.쇓
by Mark Smiley | Aug 1, 2014 | Editorials
James Carville, Bill Clinton’s campaign manager for his successful 1992 presidential run, is famous for his quote of “It’s the economy, stupid” when trying to explain to his campaign workers that there was a simple solution to winning the seemingly very complicated presidential race. Similarly there seems to be the feeling these days that solving the endless scandals over prisoner abuse at the Denver city jail is extremely complicated.
Denver Safety Director Stephanie O’Malley has declared, “The question that continues to present itself is, ‘Is there something we’re missing?’” To answer that question, the city is about to embark on one more highly costly independent review. Actually we can save the city of Denver quite a bit of money as the answer to her inquiry is, “Yes. It’s the city’s lawyers, stupid!”
The Denver Sheriff’s Office of course has an honest method by which prisoners can file complaints against their jailers most of which, but certainly not all, will be bogus and the complaints must be fairly investigated, which has not previously occurred.
But most important of all is that something should actually happen when a police officer or sheriff’s deputy is found to have engaged in criminally wrongful behavior. Shockingly only a single criminal excess force charge has ever been filed against a Denver police officer (Charles Porter) or sheriff’s deputy in this century by the Denver District Attorney or the City Attorney. It points out the real culprit in the jail house scandals is in fact — the city’s lawyers.
By all accounts Denver Sheriff’s Deputy Gaynel Rumer helped run drug and pornography rings at the jail and had prisoner
s torture and administer beatings to inmates who displeased him.
But what did the City Attorney’s Office do about it? The lawyer(s) ran a phony investigation with the help of the Internal Affairs Bureau of the Denver Police Department to intimidate and tamper with witnesses to Rumer’s crimes.
What did the Denver District Attorney’s Office do about it? It refused to bring any criminal charges against Rumer with its entire justification for this outrageous decision being a hastily hand-written sentence on a standard form. Gaynel Hunter remains a sheriff’s deputy to this day free from any concern that the city’s lawyers will do anything about it.
Every city is confronted with charges, claims of excessive force in their law enforcement offices, but few have the massive level of indifference and malfeasance in their city attorney and district attorney offices that Denver has.
Federal District Court Judge John Kane is calling for the United States Attorney for the District of Colorado to investigate Denver’s law enforcement agencies. But what is the point of investigating the law enforcement agencies concerning how they addr
ess excessive force complaints in a city where the City Attorney and the District Attorney refuse to ever bring charges even in the most egregious cases. Moreover our City Attorney’s Office actively corrupts the investigations themselves.
Until the egregious cultures at the City Attorney’s and District Attorney’s Offices change, the corrupt culture at the Denver city jail will in fact never change. That is the simple fact that Ms. O’Malley and the mayor of Denver are apparently “missing.” Playing musical chairs with the position of Denver Sheriff will not accomplish anything. But perhaps all of Mayor Hancock’s commotions concerning the scandals at the city jail are simply as Shakespeare noted, “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
— Editorial Board
by Mark Smiley | Aug 1, 2014 | Feature Story Bottom Left
Confessions Of A Serial Dater
Sheik Of Cherry Creek Greg Hollenback
Why is the act of physical intimacy so meaningless these days? Let me rephrase that question…Have you noticed that people find it much easier to casually “hook up” with someone physically rather than sharing something personal about themselves? Is it just me, or is that the buggy before the horse approach? Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my fair share of casual indiscretions and I am not holding myself above anyone else or passing judgment, but I can’t help but notice that hooking up is no longer taboo or shame ridden after the fact. It’s as normal as shaking hands with someone.
I’m sure most of you remember the days when a drunken night out bar hopping led to a romp in the bedroom with a complete stranger, followed by the walk of shame early the next morning. Nowadays forget about the shame, single (and attached) people are proud of the fact that they were able to achieve physical gratification without sharing anything personal with their partner of the day.
Why is this happening? I have a f
ew opinions on this topic as I’m sure you do too. First, I blame a lot of this casual mentality on technology. Technology has allowed people the opportunity to meet others that they wouldn’t have had the capability of meeting years ago. Gone are the days when you were forced to date people who you actually knew. You know, a friend of a friend, someone you work with, a person your Aunt Betty introduced you to. Those were the days when dating prospects were few and there was an expectation of decorum and chivalry. Why? Because the people you had the opportunity to become romantic with were somehow woven into your life, and not just a stranger who lives across town and is just a dating profile picture with a brief description of who they want you to believe they are.
Think about it, and it only makes sense. Because of technology a single daters pool of prospects went from looking like a pond years ago and now that pond looks more like the Pacific Ocean. Now having your options increased seems like an amazing thing on the surface but the reality is I believe it’s turning us into a bunch of emotionally guarded people who have settled for casual relations. I don’t believe technology daters intend for this to be the outcome, but when they set out to date it inevitably ends up that way.
Here’s why I say that. Dating with a purpose is difficult and if you are truly doing things the proper way in order to form a lasting bond with someone beyond physical attraction, it can be emotionally taxing. Especially if things don’t work out and you have to repeat the process over and over again until the noodle sticks on the ceiling. The emotions and vulnerability of opening up your heart and soul to someone is a scary notion, even more so than exposing your body for gratification and false intimacy.
Who can blame anyone for shutting down when they are looking for love in numerous strangers’ eyes? Thinking about it makes me exhausted. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re using technology to date so you can avoid being just as cold and impersonal as the computer you’re using.
- Keep the number of people you’re dating to a minimum. More is not better in this instance… The larger your dating rotation is the harder it becomes on your personal constitution. Figure out if you’re on the same page as the person you’re dating and remember your long-term emotional needs, not what’s going to satisfy you for the day.
- Keep your casual encounters to a minimum. I say this because the more and more you do something the more your brain and body will get used to it making this pattern of casual false intimacy not only normal to you, but a big part of who you are. This is not a life you want to live.
- Have expectations of not only yourself but the people you date. You should give and expect emotional fulfillment and gratification from your time spent together. If you find yourself not wanting to bring that to the table or the other person shows up empty handed, try to get back on the same page or move on. Usually forcing someone to open up in order to create a lasting bond just leads to pushing them further away, which is fine. At least there is movement and direction even if it’s not the direction you hoped for.
- Be aware of what you’re doing and pacing yourself when it comes to learning about another person. There is a fine line between wanting to know a person and being nosey, especially when you’re first dating. So keep a good conscious pace, not too slow, not too fast. Easy does it.
- Never forget in your mind how good it feels to actually make love to someone you care about. That’s the goal, love. Take pride in knowing when you give your body to someone you actually care about you can take pride and render mountains more satisfaction than you ever will by using someone as a tool for pleasuring oneself.
I bring this topic up because I see a trend happening in the dating world that is now just starting to rear its head — ugly head. Are you seeing an increase in casual relations and a decline in intimate, true connections? If you have a take on this subject I would love to continue this discussion with you on my blog at www.themoderndater .com. Don’t forget to tune into The Modern Dater radio show on 630 KHOW every Saturday evening starting at 7 p.m.
Until next time, keep it in your pants and wait for romance.
Your pal — Sheik
by Mark Smiley | Aug 1, 2014 | Feature Story Middle Left
Tech Speak For The Creek
by Brian Zabroski
Back in my single days, I was convinced that I was the only single person. After awhile, I began to realize there were a lot of single people. I was just picky. OK, topic for another day. For the longest time, I was convinced I was the only person whose iPhone battery would die multiple times per day. After awhile, I began to realize there were a lot of people with this issue.
The Apple Store advised that my battery had been over-charged due to being plugged in for too many hours. The replacement was $180 or I could buy a new phone. Wait a second, the phone died because the settings were out of control. Since I didn’t trust the phone to survive during a night out at dinner, I charged it all day. Then, I’m told the battery was over-charged. You know what was over-charged? Me! I’m not alone.
I do not use my iPhone5s any differently from the previous version. I run the same apps, use it the same amount of time, but the battery actually lasts! It doesn’t seem right. The consumer is bearing the cost of bad software that caused a drain on the battery. Now Apple benefits because the consumer is upgrading out of a necessity rather than out of a preference. I’m not sure why there hasn’t been a backlash.
What can you do? Visit the Apple Store. The Geniuses can test your battery. File a complaint with Apple. If you are covered with a warranty, pursue a replacement. Our friends over the pond have a few tips for iOS 7.1: http://goo.gl/ugG55s.
And yes, I’ll probably upgrade to the iPhone6 when it arrives later this year. I’m a glutton for pain.
Text | Serenity Now!
I don’t have all of the answers, although Toddler App is convinced that I do. Why can’t we mark texts as unread or keep as new? Yes, Android users, you’re probably laughing because there is an app, Unread. Or, I can jailbreak the iPhone, which I just don’t enjoy doing anymore. A text arrives, it is viewed, but it isn’t returned immediately [insert the multi-tasking reason here]. Then, Mom calls and asks why I haven’t responded to her text. First, it still blows my mind that my Mom texts before calling.
The issue is, text message responses are often not immediate. Is there a solution? If so, share it with me. Mark Cuban is promoting his Cyber Dust text app, which displays the text and disappears 24 seconds later (it took me a few minutes to catch the basketball reference). This sure doesn’t solve my challenge, but this app is trending. I tried Later, an app for scheduling text messages, however it acts as a scheduler. It doesn’t allow me to mark a text as new. Although, it has the ability to schedule tweets, if you’re looking to generate some social messaging.
Cool Apps
Red Stamp… app for creating and sending greeting cards from your device | Pampers Rewards… OK, this may be just us, but I’m certain there are others that collect the tiny rewards sticker on each diaper bag. I’m not sure what I will earn when I cash in the points, but the app sure makes entering the rewards ID an easy process | HealthyOut… Based on your GPS location, this app provides the healthy items and their nutritional view at restaurants near you. Strange that the shakes at Smashburger didn’t show up. | Toy Story: Smash It!… an app I downloaded for Toddler App, but find myself playing the game more than he does. Less calories than beer, I guess.
Can’t believe Summer is almost over!
Do you have a favorite app you’d like to share? Contact Brian at brian@brianzabro ski.com, on Twitter @BrianZab or LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/brianzab.
Brian, a Corporate Account Executive with NetSuite, has spent nearly 20 years in the telecommunications and software industry. Businesses use NetSuite software to run and manage all of their business applications. It’s web-based, so businesses can access their information from anywhere; It’s flexible, which allows the software to be customized for their business; and, it is built on a single platform, which businesses appreciate since they can often eliminate multiple software solutions. Trending companies, such as Box, GoPro, FitBit and Dropbox use this software to run their business. Reach out to Brian to learn how your business can benefit with this software.
