The Private Company Reshaping American Police Policy - CityLab

The Private Company Reshaping American Police Policy - CityLab

"The policy was written by Lexipol, a California-based company that says it provides policies for approximately 3,400 police, fire, and correctional agencies in 35 states. It has grown rapidly over the last 15 years and saturated California, where its clients include more than 90 percent of law enforcement agencies. It’s impossible to know just how far Lexipol’s reach has spread as the company declines to provide a list of clients, saying that it is proprietary information. But according to an analysis published last year in the Texas Law Review, “although there are other private, nonprofit, and government entities that draft police policies, Lexipol is now a dominant force in police policymaking across the country.”

As a result, a large portion of American police policy is now being drafted by a little-known private company with no public oversight."

Survival of the Richest – Future Human – Medium

Survival of the Richest – Future Human – Medium

A professor was invited to give a talk to a small group of super-rich hedge fund people. He thought they would want to hear about the future of technology to guide their investment decisions. Instead, they wanted to know about how they could escape the coming collapse of society.



"Taking their cue from Elon Musk colonizing Mars, Peter Thiel reversing the aging process, or Sam Altman and Ray Kurzweil uploading their minds into supercomputers, they were preparing for a digital future that had a whole lot less to do with making the world a better place than it did with transcending the human condition altogether and insulating themselves from a very real and present danger of climate change, rising sea levels, mass migrations, global pandemics, nativist panic, and resource depletion. For them, the future of technology is really about just one thing: escape.

Guess what, America? Other countries have same condo and HOA problems

Guess what, America? Other countries have same condo and HOA problems:

Deborah Goonan gives examples from other countries.

Ukraine approves list of state-owned enterprises for privatization | KyivPost

Ukraine approves list of state-owned enterprises for privatization | KyivPost: "Jump-starting a process that has been stalled for more than two years, Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers on May 10 approved a list of 26 large state-owned companies for privatization. The sale of the state’ stakes in the large companies is expected to bring in Hr 21 billion, or $800 million, to the budget this year- seven times more than privatization raised in in 2017. In addition, the government also approved a “general” list of more than 700 enterprises that are to be privatized over the next three years, Economy Minister Stepan Kubiv wrote in a Facebook post on May 10."

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This isn't fooling the public, though: "According to a sociological survey conducted by the Center for Economic Strategy in November of last year, 80 percent of Ukrainians think that only oligarchs will benefit from the sale of state-owned enterprises." Privatization in neighboring was a massive transfer of trillions of dollars from the government to a small number of people who became known as the oligarchs, and they helped to turn the country into a kleptocracy.

Oregon Business - New kid on the block: The urban gated community

Oregon Business - New kid on the block: The urban gated community: "“You could literally not leave the building,” says Christian Haggarty, a 48-year-old sales manager who lives at Rivage with his wife and their dog. “Sometimes it feels like living in a resort. You have to grocery shop, but you could spend the rest of your time there.” "

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No, thanks.

HOA Calls 911 - YouTube

HOA Calls 911 - YouTube:

This call to 911 concerns a homeowner putting up signs about a missing cat. Good grief.

Chatham County residents protest HOA decision to kill 35 beavers :: WRAL.com

Chatham County residents protest HOA decision to kill 35 beavers :: WRAL.com: ""Anything that's natural can be a nuisance," said Jessica Walden-Gray, who lives in the neighborhood."

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That's quite a sentence.

Woman says her home's being destroyed in the midst of HOA battle - KXAN

Woman says her home's being destroyed in the midst of HOA battle - KXAN

"AUSTIN (KXAN) - An Austin woman says the foundation is beginning to crack under her home after her HOA refused to let her remove an invasive tree in her yard. "

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This looks like one of those cases where the HOA changes their position.

HOA embezzler’s trial to begin | Local News | smdailyjournal.com

HOA embezzler’s trial to begin | Local News | smdailyjournal.com

"The trial for a man accused of scheming to embezzle nearly $2.8 million from the San Mateo Woodlake Condominium Association between 2007 and 2013 is set to begin Wednesday, more than five years after he and a co-conspirator were initially accused of the scheme, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office."

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These HOA embezzlement cases rarely go to trial.

Olathe HOA files police report, calls meeting over shortfall | The Kansas City Star

Olathe HOA files police report, calls meeting over shortfall | The Kansas City Star: "An Olathe HOA has filed a police report and called a special meeting to discuss concerns about its former property manager that it says in a related lawsuit could cause "irreparable harm" to the neighborhood.

Parkhill Manor Homes Association said in the lawsuit that Jonathan Young and his company, Haven Property Management, have "failed and refused to deliver plaintiff's corporate books and records and bank accounts."

The HOA notified homeowners of the problem in a letter sent last week."

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Koch Bodyguards Got Police Badges From Same Tiny Town as Mercer - Bloomberg

Koch Bodyguards Got Police Badges From Same Tiny Town as Mercer - Bloomberg

These rich people love becoming a law unto themselves. What puzzles me is that ordinary people buy this anti-government propaganda, when government is the only thing that can protect them against private tyranny.

Opinion | America’s Federally Financed Ghettos - The New York Times

Opinion | America’s Federally Financed Ghettos - The New York Times:

The federal government's policies favored one-race neighborhoods for decades. The racial segregation we see around us today is the intended result of public policies and private actions.

Opinion | America’s Federally Financed Ghettos - The New York Times

Opinion | America’s Federally Financed Ghettos - The New York Times:

The federal government's policies favored one-race neighborhoods for decades. The racial segregation we see around us today is the intended result of public policies and private actions.

50 absolutely stunning 3D street art works | Kenga Rex

50 absolutely stunning 3D street art works | Kenga Rex:

I have no idea how artists do this, but I love it.

Civil Process Service Rules in Gated Communities - EIN News

Civil Process Service Rules in Gated Communities - EIN News: "California Code of Civil Procedure § 415.21 provides:

(a) Notwithstanding any other law, any person shall be granted access to a gated community for a reasonable period of time for the sole purpose of per-forming lawful service of process or service of a subpoena upon displaying a current driver’s license or other identification, and one of the following:

1) A badge or other confirmation that the individual is acting in his or her capacity as a representative of a county sheriff or marshal, or as an investigator employed by an office of the Attorney General, a county counsel, a city attorney, a district attorney, or a public defender; (OR)

2) Evidence of current registration as a process server."

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So they can run, but they can't hide.

Summerville HOA and others sued for breach of contract | WCBD

Summerville HOA and others sued for breach of contract | WCBD: "SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCBD) - A Summerville subdivision homeowners association, along with others, has been sued for breach of contract and other claims.

​In a lawsuit that was filed on March 20 in the Dorchester County Court of Common Pleas, Halcyon Real Estate Services owner David Peterson claims that the White Gables neighborhood homeowners association broke a new contract for landscaping and a contract for property management for the neighborhood. It then alleges that the contract was given back to its former manager, Community Management Group.

There are also claims of harassment, stalking, libel and slander against Peterson"

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Another nasty HOA lawsuit.

Homeowner trying to grow bluebonnets is frustrated with HOA fines

Homeowner trying to grow bluebonnets is frustrated with HOA fines:

The story goes into careful detail about this saga.

Franklin veteran fighting HOA to keep flag outside his home - Cincinnati News, Weather, Sports from FOX19 NOW-WXIX

Franklin veteran fighting HOA to keep flag outside his home - Cincinnati News, Weather, Sports from FOX19 NOW-WXIX: "FRANKLIN, OH (FOX19) -
A Franklin veteran feels his patriotism is under attack after his homeowner's association asked him to take down the flag in front of his home.

Wayne Marchant feels a sense of pride every time he walks past the American flag.

"I feel good about it," said Marchant.

On Friday, though, he says he was disgusted when he got a letter in the mail from the Manager of the Renaissance Homeowner's Association stating that the flagpole is a violation of the community rules.

"They have HOA members that periodically drive through the neighborhood looking for anything that might be a violation of the HOA rules. They noticed that in their words 'the flagpole had been erected in our front yard,'" said Marchant.

The letter says the flagpole needs to be removed or modified. He's not sure what the modification would be, but he says this flag has been outside of his home for the past eight years. It was a gift from his wife."

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It's interesting that nearly all these situations involve the HOA saying the flagpole is the problem, but the media always say that they are making the owner take down the flag. Flag is one thing. Flagpole is another.

Homeowner fights HOA over religious statue removal request

Homeowner fights HOA over religious statue removal request: "RIO RANCHO, N.M. (KRQE) - Is a homeowners association limiting religious expression in the front yard of a Rio Rancho man's home?

One neighbor is asking that question after he was recently told by a homeowners association to remove a statue of a Catholic saint from his yard, years after he says he was given permission to put it up.

The man who owns the home, Bill Maldonado, says his small, roughly two foot tall Our Lady of Guadalupe statue has been in his front yard for nearly a decade.

But just last week, right before Easter, Maldonado says his Hidden Valley Homeowners Association told him he had two weeks to remove the statue.

Maldonado called it upsetting.

I was not very happy when I received the letter," said Maldonado. "And to make things even worse, it's Holy Thursday of Holy Week."

In their letter, Hidden Valley Homeowners Association called the unmounted statue an "Architectural Control" change, writing "statue not approved.""

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He says he has "my right for religious expression," and that it has been there since 2009.

California Has a Controversial Plan to Solve Its Housing Crisis. Drivers Aren’t Going to Like It. – Mother Jones

California Has a Controversial Plan to Solve Its Housing Crisis. Drivers Aren’t Going to Like It. – Mother Jones: "SB 827 would allow developers to bypass nearly all local zoning requirements within a half mile of a major transit stop, and build multi-family housing between four to eight stories high with no parking space requirements. (The state defines transit stops as a rail, ferry, or bus stop with two or more lines that run at least every 15 minutes.) “California is in a deep housing crisis—threatening our state’s environment, economy, diversity, and quality of life—and needs an enormous amount of additional housing at all income levels,” bill sponsor and California Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener said in a Medium post. Wiener believes that the legislation will promote the construction of more housing; bring down housing costs by increasing supply; and create communities that emit a smaller carbon footprint by relying less on cars. Transportation makes up roughly a quarter of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions and 39 percent of California’s."

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The idea is to do something about the insane cost of housing and the housing shortage in California while dealing with the environmental issues. The solution: let builders do whatever they want as long as it is within half a mile of a public transportation stop.

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