Parker Square had a cameo in the film Hood 2 Hood: the Blockumentary.
On a bone-chilling February morning, two Kansas City police officers, Tim Griddine and Albert Villafane, cruise through the low-income housing complexes near 12th Street and the Paseo with the car's heater blasting. They peer out the side windows, looking for cars to be towed from the squatty batch of apartment buildings they patrol called Charlie Parker Square. Without periodic cleanups, the parking lots here can turn into stolen-car graveyards.
Griddine and Villafane patrol Parker Square both for the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department and, when they're off-duty, for the complex's management company. This is an off-duty shift. It started just an hour ago, but they've already made one arrest. Villafane recognized the face of a man who'd previously been banned from the apartments for allegedly assaulting a woman who lived there. But when they stopped him for trespassing, they found a counterfeit $20 bill in his pocket.
One stop, two charges. Griddine seems pleased.
"I'm a little guy," Griddine (who's 5 feet 5 inches tall) says now, as the officers cruise the neighborhood. "But I'm fast." He talks fast, too, like the words themselves are in a race.
"I may not get you later, but I'll get you tomorrow," he goes on. "You won't be able to live in peace 'cause I'm gonna get you. I'm a finisher."
Two gold-capped teeth catch the light as he talks. A thumb-sized patch of gray, planted squarely at the center of his hairline, hints at his age: 44. He has patrolled the streets of inner Kansas City — the streets he grew up on — for more than 20 years.
At 2:30 p.m. on this frigid weekday, 12th and the Paseo looks more Kindergarten Cop than Training Day. The last of the winter's ice crunches under tires on asphalt that once sparkled with broken glass. Kids mob the sidewalks in school uniforms: khakis and polos. Moms exchange waves while ushering their children inside.
Griddine greets a postal worker, pointing out the peanut-butter-colored cat trailing her door to door. With little action since that first arrest, the officers roll through the parking lots, noting cars with obviously fake temporary tags.
"You break these rules — we can't pick and choose whether it's minor or major," Griddine says. "This new generation do not want to follow the rules."
Nickel-and-dime, nickel-and-dime — that's the job, Villafane says: "Honestly, it's just patrolling the property, recognizing a person, stopping them and talking to them."
But their approach results in a lot of tickets, towed cars, trespassing charges and accusations of overzealous policing — accusations that pile up against all of the officers who work Parker Square, but especially against Griddine. He estimates that he's had more complaints filed on him than any officer in the entire department. Twenty in the last six weeks, he says.
"Down here, folks have a lot of free time," Griddine says of Parker Square's residents. "They watch Court TV." They're also just walking distance from the Office of Community Complaints at 635 Woodland, he says.
The OCC's staff tries to distinguish the valid accusations of officer misconduct from the petty or outrageous ones, which are often dismissed. But a spike of grievances against Griddine in recent months caused some concern up the chain of command, he says. Now Internal Affairs is investigating them all.
"I get called Uncle Tom. I get called all type of stuff," he says. "Because I'm doing my job."
Most of the Griddine-related gripes come from a small cadre of tenants who paint Griddine as a pervy, pint-sized menace. In the process, they've unearthed some documentation that lends an air of legitimacy to their claims: a decade-old lawsuit filed by a former police officer who accused six of her male co-workers — including Griddine — of sexual harassment.
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All propaganda must be so popular and on such an intellectual level, that even the most stupid of those toward whom it is directed will understand it... Through clever and constant application of propaganda, people can be made to see paradise as hell, and also the other way around, to consider the most wretched sort of life as paradise.
ADOLF HITLER
There are some really good comments here and so I am not going to repeat them. My question is this -- obviously, most the residents definitely approve of the officer doing his job -- who wouldn't want to live in a much safer environment and I am sure management is very happy; however, for those who want to complain why don't they just move. This is a free country and if they are unhappy, then they should just move. That would solve a lot of the problem within their stating they are harrassed. If they want to just complain and get some attention that way, it is probably not working as well as it did through the years. They have bad attittudes. They don't care about a safe environment. Period. They need to leave. Could management even request that they leave. They are adding to the factors that produce strife and unsafe mixtures. WHY are they still there if they don't like it there. Officers are there to stay. Their arguments don't hold up and apparently because they themselves are not law-abiding citizens. Time to go. I've known some "mean" officers -- some of them are mean just handing out a traffic ticket for no good reason. But, would you want their job? It takes a really tough and mean person to handle tough and really mean law-breakers. Violence doesn't respect a well-mannered, sweet, nice, kind offcer. It takes a mean cop from ----. Some of the most respected officers I have ever seen are in Grandview, Missouri. They are the cops from ---- and not too many dare to mess with them. That is the true nature of the beast -- of perpetrators who are violent, mean, break-the-law and not care, bad-attitude and I could go on. Officer in this story would be welcome in my opinion anywhere -- sounds like he is going after the law-breakers.
You are correct about a couple bad apples,but it is when the people try hiding the bruised apples is what kills me. Now that you brought God into it, hey we'll be on same side of tracks. Myself I kind of follow the teachings of a Dr. Anthony Evans and believe that myself and the rest of the believers will be judging angels,will see you in court! And yes I have no problem taking care of the criminals in my neck of woods,is what we have 911 for and if that doesn't work,,,
Well, Kenisha, you sound like a smart, reasonable person, so he must have just making stuff up. If you were a lying, screeching warthog of a human being, that would be a different case. But, clearly, you're not.
Well, Kenisha, you sound like a smart, reasonable person, so he must have just making stuff up. If you were a lying, screeching warthog of a human being, that would be a different case. But, you're not.
You go girl!!!!!!! I wish more people, black and white, understood what you're talking about. I sure do!! It's a mentality, not a race thing.
I personally lived in the Parker Square housing complex and you would have to have been there to witness first hand the harassment by one KCMO police officer. My family has filed over nine complaints with the Office of Citizen Complaints with no action taken by them. Each time the officer was made aware and continued to harass my family. If you think that, this is the idea of a "Good Cop" i would like for you to show me a "Bad Cop". He has misused his badge and the authority of being a police officer into one of coercion and threats to make the people that live in that community affraid to come forward and complain to his superiors. The law suit that is now pending against this little man (who thinks he is KCPD himself) is much needed, late coming and should be a class action suit that includes all residents that have been affected by his tactics. Yes, it is a low income housing complex but for one person single handedly try to clean it up is impossible. Because it takes a whole community to make changes and the changes start higher up than the Management personnel or the KCPD.
Thank God for officers like Griddine. It's the broken window theory. Get rid of the petty crime and you have a head start of preventing worse crimes. Law-abiding residents appreciate it.
So lady who went to jail don't blame him for your jail sentence. Blame your failure to pay $5,000 in traffic tickets that you racked up before the conflict with him began or better yet blame yourself to doing whatever you did to get the tickets. Driving while black may get you one pull over but DAMN girl, $5K worth, you are doing something shaddy to bring that much attention to yourself. Also don't stop the police when they are doign their job, like arresting a trespasser. The little 14-year-old (who had stolen someones vehicle, probably another poor person, and crashed it. What right did she have to do that?) was being upheld by you and your family by allowing her on the property and hiding her when police came.
Also to the lady with the van, PAY YOUR PROPERTY TAXES AND GET REAL TAGS LIKE EVERYONE ELSE and get your little property-destroying grandkid under control. You got all that stuff in your house, sell some of it, and do what is right, pay what you owe. Priorities all in the wrong place.
Yes I am black. Yes I am female and yes I am from the east side and also yes I am tired of having to live around your scummy kids who key cars and steal care and are never reprimanded by you or made to pay damages. I am tired of your no good relatives and friends and significant others who trespass on the property of others. I am tired of paying my taxes just to support your broke, won't go to work azzez. I am tired of your kids keepin up noise at night when working people are trying to sleep. You do nothing but bring the black community down. If someone who is fed up bypassed the Griddines of the world and applied some street justice to your trashy butts you would be the first to say someone needs to do something, crying for the TV news. Being low income doesn't make you act like this. That is evident by the other 90% of the black lower income people who live around you and don't get into all this trouble. Well someone is doing something since you won't and it is all within the law. Being black doesn't make you act like this.
Phony Temp Tags...what a freakin' scam!!! That's why we have so many hit and run accidents and cars parked anywhere they damn well want to park.
Turds with phony temp tags don't pay their taxes like regular people do, and darn sure don't have insurance like regular people have to buy. That lets the turds buy more crack and grass since they don't have the same car expenses that regular folks do.
If you have a phony temp tag or even if you don't, and you don't have insurance, you are a TURD.
The penalty for a phony temp tag should be a year in jail and your car goes to the crusher. That would stop it right now.
If KCPD is such a bad department, whose city do you consider a good department? It sounds like this cop is doing a great job of keeping criminals, and those who assist them out of Charlie Parker.
Judge Leonard Hughes, III is a racist pig, a sexist cocksucker. The KCMO police is the worst police I have been around. I am moving back to the Kansas state because KCMO and the judicial system is a freaking joke.
whay is it that black people are so sue happy? if they cant live off the government one way then they sue them to live off of them another way.... either way, if you are really a c.n.a good luck getting a job with all of the rude things that you say on here, and blatently letting everyone know that it is you doing it. who wold want a person like that working for them? probly the reason you are unemployed.
as far as the officer is concerned, he is doing his damn job, and who on this earth, that is an adult, has not made some sort of sexual innuendo while at work? most people have a certain relationship with people that they have known for 20 years, and are comfortable in speaking in such a way. if you allow it for a length of time, then what makes it wrong now? because now you want something in return?
i say, get on with your obviously pitiful life, and let the officer do his job. because, thats exactly what he was doing when he took your ass to jail, his J.O.B!! learn what that is and you may respect the man a little more!
respectfully ;-)
actually if you listen to the news...Charlie Sheen just got FIRED! hmmm catch up with the times dude..
lol on the brush! Is more thugs in my hood than down there a mile away. I grew up with some of the guys from Wayne Minor,so color is not an issue. Besides there are more white thugs than black, the blacks just just get more pub. Maybe we'll meet up there (I;ll be there fo sure) and bow together, afterall we'll be on the same side of the tracks. Yeah I have a Jesus Meeter close to front door,it is color blind!
Dude if you really want to get picky I can find several typo's misspell's and grammer issues in your comment's also, She at least explained that she had a twitchy computer you, just showed your ASS.
Here are some facts that wasn't reported. Ms Batton is a 32 yr old 275 lb dyke, and has been gay since childhood. The officer supposedly was angry with her for over 18 yrs worked at this property for 6 years and waited until 2009 for revenge. WOW what's wrong with this story.
Peggy Bazart is attempting to raise four grandkids that her "no good" daughter don't have time for. No wonder the 14 yr old was caught having sex in the public library with a 22 yr old last year. Almost everyone here at the SQUARE knows Peggy Buzzart and her bad ass grandchildren. That OLD goat is NUTS.
Why does an accusation of sexual harrassment -- made against no less than sex fellow officers! -- "lend an air of legitimacy" to these other complaints? After all, there are plenty of news stories about women lying about rape and sexual harrassment, often driven by the most petty and frivolous of motivations.
This naive attitude enables these misandrist hate crimes.
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