Oh no, not Parks!

CD8 Councilmember redefines "fighting fire with fire."

Is there a manila folder filed away in the climate-controlled vaults of LAPD's Counter Terrorism and Criminal Intelligence Bureau with your name on it?

Check your mailbox, because if Councilmember Bernard Parks is to be believed, and you recently participated in a highly-publicized satirical protest, the answer is, quite possibly, yes.

Howard Williams and Nancy Collier are the first to come forward with individually addressed and signed letters from Parks informing them of their referral to the Counter Terrorism Bureau (CTB), a division of the LAPD charged, among other activities, with the "prevention of significant disruptions of public order in the City of Los Angeles."

Their crimes? Angry letters and cans of premium dog food mailed to the Councilmember's office in protest of his support for former LAFD firefighter Tennie Pierce's attempted end-run on the overflowing and virtually unguarded city coffers.

Williams appeared recently on KFI's The John and Ken Show (which instigated the dog food campaign) to discuss the letter he received from Parks.

In it (the letter was read on-air by the hosts), Parks begins by affirming that he and Williams "will have to agree to disagree" on the settlement terms. Incidentally, he also spills the beans that Clowncil was, in fact, briefed on Pierce's distinguished record of firehouse pranks before approving the $2.7 million payoff (contrary to insinuations by Clowncilmembers Weiss and Rosendahl, and even the Mayor).

Then without warning, his attempt at civil discord unravels into irrational bluster:

As for the dog food you sent to my office, please note that, though juvenile, I consider it a form of harassment. Thus, I am sending your name and address to the LAPD's Counter Terrorism and Intelligence Bureau for their records.

To preserve your commitment to fiscal responsibility, and to avoid calling you a hypocrite, I am sending your dog food to the city's Animal Services department so it, and the money you spent on it, aren't wasted like the time you spent mailing it.

Given Parks' history, his inclination to answer public policy criticism with petty one-upmanship comes as no surprise. The real story here is that the Councilmember really appears to have no idea how ridiculous—not to mention potentially politically damaging—it is to respond to a protest over his waste and abuse of city resources by brazenly engaging in the waste and abuse of city resources.

Considering the amount of publicity the protest generated, it's probably fair to assume that hundreds of people have received such letters from Parks, but until someone from the local news media actively pursues the story (and I'm not holding my breath; the story is too heavy for the Times and too small for the Weekly), the true figure remains anyone's guess.

Did you mail Parks a can of Iams and get referred to the CTB? If so, please climb down from the attic, scan the letter, and send it to the professionals here at the Taxpayer Abuse Unit of the Mayor Sam Central Bureau of Investigation where it will receive prompt attention.

After all, to quote Mr. Williams, "silly people like this need to be embarrassed," and we're here to help.

Click here to listen to the interview