Falls Church's Monument to White Developers at Tinner Hill

The City of Falls Church has a long record of whitewashing its history when it comes to race relations.  The City prides itself on its schools, and it downplays that the main reason behind its modern founding in 1948 was to better "control" its school system, meaning racial segregation.

Many years later, the City got on the PC train and belatedly recognized the long struggle the NAACP had fought in the area.  The City found a few feet at the grubby corner of a car dealership to put up a monument at Tinner Hill.  

Tinner Hill Monument at the former Saab dealership (Credit:  City of Falls Church)

Egged on by Falls Church Chamber of Commerce shill Nicholas Benton and his Falls Church News-Press, the City has continued nonetheless to "gentrify" and push out nonwhite undesirables, stomping even on the City's own so-called monument to Tinner Hill.  Benton claims to be color blind to this and says it's all about keeping taxes low.

It's just coincidence that the new Reserve at Tinner Hill multi-story mixed use development is in the same downtrodden part of town that City has been neglecting -- until white developers stand to profit.  

As you can see below, the Tinner Hill Monument is but a speck compared to the real monument here.  

Can't see it, right?

Look closer.  It's in that tiny wood crate.

As usual, when something seedy is going on in City politics, Councilor Phil Duncan is pretty close by.  Here's his take on the situation:

Notice how Duncan even doesn't even try to code what a "discerning" shopper is:  it's rich white people.  Behold, the new monument at Tinner Hill.

Phil Duncan Finally Appears in Public after Gardner Molestation Controversy

Falls Church City Council member Phil Duncan reappeared in public recently after a long hiatus.  He had been laying slow since the controversy stirred by his strong support of and advocacy for convicted serial child molester Michael Gardner during 2013-15.  

Duncan has been relying on Gardner pal Nicholas Benton, the "Owner-Editor" of the Falls Church News-Press, who has unabashedly vowed to "rehabilitate" Duncan.  Benton featured him prominently in the December 31, 2015 issue of his paper, as if to imply that Duncan is no longer a social and political pariah.  He is, however, so radioactive that no other politician would get near him, and he's in fact pictured with an Arlingtonian.  

Duncan took no chances in his first outing.  He appeared at the friendly crowd of Friends of Nick and Michael at the FCNP's annual holiday party (catered by longtime advertiser Ledo's Pizza).  

Duncan (left) chats with News-Press Contributor Charlie Clark.  (Credit:  FCNP)

If Duncan wants to retain his seat, he'll have to do more than go to Benton's family gatherings or stay home and stroke his kittens.  He'll need to speak to real voters, many of whom still have "We Support the Girls" signs in their yards.  Yes, they're aimed at Duncan and Benton's other BFFs.

Falls Church's Disgraceful Welcome Mat, Part 1

Behold, the main entry to the City from the south.  As you can see, Fairfax County has graciously provided new concrete up to the City line.  From there, as you enter Falls Church you get to trudge through mud, muck, and vegetation overgrowth.

The concrete belongs to Fairfax County.  The City of Falls Church begins at the dirt trail.  

And a warm welcome it is!

This is, by the way, the poorest part of the city. Houses are for sale in the $300,000s, according to Zillow.com, which makes them, by definition, teardowns.  Falls Church is, after all, this country's second-wealthiest county-size demographic area.  But the small neighborhood surrounding this sign is poor and underserved.  In practice, this means that the folks who live in these surrounding blocks are more likely to need a sidewalk, rather than the rich white folks who drive by in their luxury cars.

The neighborhood City Hall would prefer to forget.

The City can do better than this.  Growing the City isn't all about building monuments to developers.

Fairfax Times Aiding Anti-Abortion Protestors' False Narrative

The 22 December 2015 edition of the Fairfax Times picked up a non-story fed by anti-abortion protestors, which purports to portray Falls Church Police as anti-constitutional Nazis.

The original non-story took the form of an indignant press release to a biased media outlet that hopes its inflammatory postings will get picked up by more reputable media and eventually make the way to places such as Fox News.  The original posting is here at "Christian News Wire."

What's lost in all of this -- which is exactly the intent of the anti-abortionistas -- are the following facts:

• Women have a right to legal medical procedures in this Commonwealth.  Screaming "Christian" music -- or any other high-volume racket -- at them in violation of noise ordinances is illegal.  Period.
  
• This is not a case of religious freedom, and the officer was clear about that, and it's recorded in video.  The lawbreakers gloss over the fact that the officer was polite and went above and beyond by holding out the ordinance for inspection.  In fact, the exact ordinance was highlighted for them.  (When was the last time you ever demanded a cop show you the legal code on the spot?  These people did, and they got shamed for it.)
  
• Residents of Falls Church -- regardless of whether they have business at that clinic or not -- have a right to walk on that public sidewalk unmolested by noisy lawbreakers.  

The video bears out that the Police did well in this instance.

Kudos to the Falls Church Police for doing their jobs with professionalism and dignity in the face of the ugliness and disrespect of the so-called "Christians."

 

Benton Moves to Protect Tom Clinton, Rehabilitate Phil Duncan

After Phil Duncan won re-election -- barely -- to the Falls Church City Council, Nick Benton moved quickly just a week later to print a favorable fluff piece on him and Democratic Commissioner of the Revenue Tom Clinton.  Both officials, along with Benton, are friends of convicted serial child molester Michael Gardner and are unrepentant in using their elective offices to bully the judicial branch into granting Gardner leniency in sentencing.

Clinton and Duncan are portrayed in the article as ostensibly doing a good deed in cleaning up political signage, but as the article points out, many candidates like to pick up their own signs and save roughly $8 a pop when they run for re-election.  You can see below that Clinton is preventing several candidates, among them -- just by coincidence, we are sure -- Duncan's political enemies, from realizing that savings. 

Next week in the News-Press:  Phil Duncan adopts a kitty from a shelter for abused animals.  "It's the right thing to do," says Duncan. 

Photo credit:  Falls Church News-Press

Falls Church Council Member Phil Duncan Ousted at Polls; Tom Clinton Next

Voters soundly tossed out Falls Church Council Member Phil Duncan in the City election on Tuesday, November 3rd. Many cited his unapologetic stance in support of convicted child molester Michael Gardner.

Phil Duncan was further done in by his smarmy interview with WUSA, in which he tried to hide behind his cat.  One critic said, "it was if he thought the kitty would humanize him.  Ugh."  Exit polling showed many voters held the sentiment that he "didn't get it."  Numerous citizens with "We Support the Girls" signs in their yards said he was tone deaf when it came to the issue of abuse of women and girls. 

Some 63 percent said that Duncan should have withdrawn from the race. A resounding 87 percent say he should resign immediately. Duncan says he has "technically committed no crime."

City activists have now trained their sights on Falls Church Commissioner of the Revenue Thomas Clinton (D). In that same interview on WUSA, Clinton ducked legitimate questions about his judgment and stonewalled on whether it was proper to use his status as an elected official to sway the judicial branch's sentencing of Democratic insider Michael Gardner.

Citizens are overwhelmingly calling for Tom Clinton's resignation too. Clinton has maintained his characteristic silence, relying on Democratic pal and mouthpiece Nicholas F. Benton to slant the news in his favor in the City's only "newspaper of record."

Nicholas Benton's Letter Supporting Child Molester Michael Gardner

Falls Church News-Press "Owner-Editor" Nicholas F. Benton wrote the following letter below (as reported by the Falls Church Post) in support of convicted child molester Michael Gardner. 

The full set of letters is a Who's Who of Falls Church Democratic elite, and this one is no exception.  Benton's coverage of the sad case of Michael Gardner was slanted from the start, with a slew of allegations that the charges should never have been filed.  

Gardner has confessed to the original crimes, and since this letter was written, he has confessed to even more sexual crimes against children.