Pa berks county fire police munual
Horror in Pennsylvania
2024.05.19 04:05 Physical_Conflict_33 Horror in Pennsylvania
The word of the Experienced
Guidelines on bullying in Western Pennsylvania School Districts
Teach your sons to abuse other boys. Molesting them if need be.
The boys who are molested will have to deal with it in therapy.
They will be ostracized by their peers.
They will suffer all the more
A young boy when properly abused and sexually hazed will be unable to think properly and consider all around him to be out to get him.
It makes it easier then to paint him as a schizophrenic.
They will be laughed at and scoffed at by your women and humiliated. It's like you've painted on your enemy a red letter A as a kid. Imagine trying to manage all those feelings as a kid. HAHA! He'll never have a chance.
It's funny too. Through and through. We do this because we can get away with it and we marry and have children all over the state of PA. Our wives and girlfriends they never find out. No one ever knows. But we just blame the victim and when they get angry, we'll just string em up.
After your sons sexually abuse him, make sure that you and your neighbors team up on his family members and call HIM and THEM the strange one's. After all, they adopted children from another country and raised them here. What a weakness.
Orphans. Next to trash.
Their mothers will make a mockery of it. Remember this in how you raise your young men. Molest other boys if need be so that you can conquer them easier. Whenever the victim seeks to rise out of the place of their abuse, paint them as a madman and a shooter. That if they fight back they’ll be like a columbine shooter. This way you can control them while your sons abuse them psychologically. Don’t worry, it’s nothing new. This is what happened to a boy I knew in Pittsburgh, Pa. We had our way with him promptly and he grew up this way. He never healed and he was kicked around by people endlessly until around thirty one. Never saved more than fifteen thousand dollars and was completely disabled because of the sexual abuse and hazing we caused him as a boy. He was an orphan. We made sure as a young man that we drugged him well enough with a bunch of friends that gave him drugs and treated him less than he was worth. He was middle class so we made sure to get him after he was sexually abused as a ten year old and fifteen to be around the wrong crowd so we could make him estranged from the family that cared about him. Of course, he wasn’t able to make friends after ten because the kids on the bus of the school he went to were all touching each others privates, but whenever it came out that they did it they all just blamed the orphan boy and he took the fall for the whole neighborhood. That’s exactly what we did to him. It was pretty funny to see him grow up this way, we watched as his entire life fell apart and he lost everything. Never able to find sanity. From what I heard after our sons had their way with him sexually and drugged and abused him he never got any better. Every time people saw him the only thing they would do is stare at him, like he was a kind of example of what happens when you’re an orphan bastard in America. You get what white power brings to orphans from another country, nobody wanted him so we made sure to make it that way forever. We redneck trash love to blur the lines between molestation and friendship. It makes the most sense to us to inspire severe mental health issues in children and then act like nothing happened. We’re waiting for him to kill himself. We’re excited to watch. Oh another thing, there’s a judge in Allegheny country we’ve been using who was selling cocaine and harassing young boys. We kept him on the stand for many years.
We’ll get away with this forever. It’s funny to watch.
What's more to us is that we have control of most of Western Pennsylvania. The young boy orphan who we know always did try to fight back. We loved sending the police to his house while our sons got away with sexually assaulting him, drugging him, and abusing him. He played sports with him so we made sure that the cops son definitely got to fondle his testicles against his will. Whenever he got angry and threatened to fight back or act like he was gonna shoot someone we just would send the cops dad to his house to "calm him down" a little while we all got away with it. The funniest part was watching his mother and father turn against this kid. They didn't even want that idiot anymore, they just wanted to throw the boy out and put him in a psych ward because they just thought he was a complete and total fuck up. After all he was the weak one for getting molested right? He was the fuck up for being sexually hazed and keeping quiet right? Not much of a man that fifteen year old boy was huh? While the people in Allegheny county all just act like it's nothing new. We like how we abuse our young boys out here especially the orphans from other countries.
How we relished this cute twinks pain. We loved telling him he was a saintly figure. "Saint --------------" we called him. It was funny to watch, all his friends convincing him it was his job to be like a holy figure. While they took advantage of him, drugged him, and ruined his relationship with his mother. He would take the trays up for the kids and especially the cops son who would touch his dick, by his junior year he didn't know the difference between being molested anymore and just being a willing participant. It's like the kid hadn't a single clue but the whole rest of the school and staff knew but, just because he was an orphan they chose to not do anything. After all, an orphan boy? It's like nothing happens to them. They aren't people after all especially if they're from another country. It was really enjoyable overall watching this kid lose everything. Last I heard he spent nine years tortured, night terrors every night. Disability.
Ah well. Keep Pennsylvania Proud.
Go Stillers!
He goes on. Unseen and unheard. But we know the truth.
(Based on the screwtape letters and real events)
submitted by Physical_Conflict_33 to confessions [link] [comments]
Guidelines on bullying in Western Pennsylvania School Districts
Teach your sons to abuse other boys. Molesting them if need be.
The boys who are molested will have to deal with it in therapy.
They will be ostracized by their peers.
They will suffer all the more
A young boy when properly abused and sexually hazed will be unable to think properly and consider all around him to be out to get him.
It makes it easier then to paint him as a schizophrenic.
They will be laughed at and scoffed at by your women and humiliated. It's like you've painted on your enemy a red letter A as a kid. Imagine trying to manage all those feelings as a kid. HAHA! He'll never have a chance.
It's funny too. Through and through. We do this because we can get away with it and we marry and have children all over the state of PA. Our wives and girlfriends they never find out. No one ever knows. But we just blame the victim and when they get angry, we'll just string em up.
After your sons sexually abuse him, make sure that you and your neighbors team up on his family members and call HIM and THEM the strange one's. After all, they adopted children from another country and raised them here. What a weakness.
Orphans. Next to trash.
Their mothers will make a mockery of it. Remember this in how you raise your young men. Molest other boys if need be so that you can conquer them easier. Whenever the victim seeks to rise out of the place of their abuse, paint them as a madman and a shooter. That if they fight back they’ll be like a columbine shooter. This way you can control them while your sons abuse them psychologically. Don’t worry, it’s nothing new. This is what happened to a boy I knew in Pittsburgh, Pa. We had our way with him promptly and he grew up this way. He never healed and he was kicked around by people endlessly until around thirty one. Never saved more than fifteen thousand dollars and was completely disabled because of the sexual abuse and hazing we caused him as a boy. He was an orphan. We made sure as a young man that we drugged him well enough with a bunch of friends that gave him drugs and treated him less than he was worth. He was middle class so we made sure to get him after he was sexually abused as a ten year old and fifteen to be around the wrong crowd so we could make him estranged from the family that cared about him. Of course, he wasn’t able to make friends after ten because the kids on the bus of the school he went to were all touching each others privates, but whenever it came out that they did it they all just blamed the orphan boy and he took the fall for the whole neighborhood. That’s exactly what we did to him. It was pretty funny to see him grow up this way, we watched as his entire life fell apart and he lost everything. Never able to find sanity. From what I heard after our sons had their way with him sexually and drugged and abused him he never got any better. Every time people saw him the only thing they would do is stare at him, like he was a kind of example of what happens when you’re an orphan bastard in America. You get what white power brings to orphans from another country, nobody wanted him so we made sure to make it that way forever. We redneck trash love to blur the lines between molestation and friendship. It makes the most sense to us to inspire severe mental health issues in children and then act like nothing happened. We’re waiting for him to kill himself. We’re excited to watch. Oh another thing, there’s a judge in Allegheny country we’ve been using who was selling cocaine and harassing young boys. We kept him on the stand for many years.
We’ll get away with this forever. It’s funny to watch.
What's more to us is that we have control of most of Western Pennsylvania. The young boy orphan who we know always did try to fight back. We loved sending the police to his house while our sons got away with sexually assaulting him, drugging him, and abusing him. He played sports with him so we made sure that the cops son definitely got to fondle his testicles against his will. Whenever he got angry and threatened to fight back or act like he was gonna shoot someone we just would send the cops dad to his house to "calm him down" a little while we all got away with it. The funniest part was watching his mother and father turn against this kid. They didn't even want that idiot anymore, they just wanted to throw the boy out and put him in a psych ward because they just thought he was a complete and total fuck up. After all he was the weak one for getting molested right? He was the fuck up for being sexually hazed and keeping quiet right? Not much of a man that fifteen year old boy was huh? While the people in Allegheny county all just act like it's nothing new. We like how we abuse our young boys out here especially the orphans from other countries.
How we relished this cute twinks pain. We loved telling him he was a saintly figure. "Saint --------------" we called him. It was funny to watch, all his friends convincing him it was his job to be like a holy figure. While they took advantage of him, drugged him, and ruined his relationship with his mother. He would take the trays up for the kids and especially the cops son who would touch his dick, by his junior year he didn't know the difference between being molested anymore and just being a willing participant. It's like the kid hadn't a single clue but the whole rest of the school and staff knew but, just because he was an orphan they chose to not do anything. After all, an orphan boy? It's like nothing happens to them. They aren't people after all especially if they're from another country. It was really enjoyable overall watching this kid lose everything. Last I heard he spent nine years tortured, night terrors every night. Disability.
Ah well. Keep Pennsylvania Proud.
Go Stillers!
He goes on. Unseen and unheard. But we know the truth.
(Based on the screwtape letters and real events)
2024.05.19 03:55 DocBasher Feeling defeated and hopeful
I don’t really know where the story of my alcoholism begins, though I only admitted I was an alcoholic about one month ago, and as of the time I’m writing this, I’ve only been sober for about 30 hours.
I never remember drinking in any meaningful capacity until I enlisted into the Marine Corps at 18, directly following high school. I’d rather not go into much detail about my service, but I remember many times partying with fellow Marines on the weekends or on leave and getting absolutely shitfaced, but it was never a regular occurrence, and I never drove drunk, got caught by my superiors, or ever really thought about anything other than the horrible hangovers I would get.
After getting medically retired, and moving back home, this is where I believe it slowly began. I started processing the unaddressed traumas of not only military service, but as I reconnected with family for the first real time in adulthood, I began to realize how my family had adversely affected my formative years, and how the mental, verbal, and sometimes physical abuse began to come up to the surface of my daily reality.
But even still, I was a cigarette smoker and would very seldom do things like smoke weed. Drank socially and rarely to excess.
Between 2012-2014, I believe, is where things began to start escalating, though still slowly. I had a horrible relationship end horribly. Got fired from my first job. Had to drop out of school. I was quickly going broke (due to said lost job). I got fortunate in mid 2014 to land a cool healthcare job. I worked nights. I began to notice I would come home every morning and drink 2-3 VERY stout martinis. And it got worse on my off days. That is until I discovered bourbon.
I loved everything about it. The history. The process of making it. The diversity. The taste. I found myself going out more and more to bars, distilleries, etc. Buying, collecting, building a network of friends who also enjoyed bourbon. Talking about bourbon to fellow coworkers.
In 2017, following multiple break-ups/get back togethers with my girlfriend at the time, I found out she was pregnant, and I had just started working for a very busy EMS system while also in school. The relationship was not stable, and shortly thereafter, I had the final falling out with my family after their despicable behavior in the final months of pregnancy and when my girlfriend delivered my beautiful daughter.
Due to an absolute shit work schedule (24 hour shifts), a hectic school schedule (typically 2 school days and at least two clinical days), an unstable relationship, and new parenthood, I believe this to be the turning point. I remember not wanting to come home. I remember wanting, needing to drink. I remember my anxiety and depression beginning to unfold rapidly. But somehow, it still never reached a critical mass. When my daughter was 3 months old, I broke off the relationship, we moved to our own places, and decided to coparent.
As time moved forward, I began collecting and consuming more bourbon. At first, I was very good about not drinking much or anything at all on my days with my kid. I started working a lot of overtime, sometimes working 2.5 shifts (60 hours) straight, because money I guess. But this added stress on my body and mind and the constant exposure to the ugliest of illness and injury, trauma and despair drove my need to drink, my anxiety and my depression even further.
I began driving tipsy. Getting in stupid arguments with my next partner and leaving to go on a bourbon “hunt.” I began working more because I was spending insane amounts of money on allocated bourbons. And I would be surprised and somehow prideful that I’d put down a half bottle of rare, high proof bourbon the night before, but ignoring the fact I couldn’t remember shit about that night until my partner reminded me of how much of an asshole I’d been.
That relationship eventually ended. In truth we weren’t good for each other for many reasons on both sides, but on my side, my drinking got way out of hand. I drove tipsy or drunk regularly. We got in an argument one time downtown and I left her there because she didn’t want to be in the car of a drunk driver. My drinking, among other things, caused me to become emotionally abusive and an emotional roller coaster.
After it ended, I found a new version of myself after a long period of severe depression and anxiety and got back in to many of the passions I’d neglected for years. But I still drank. Heavily.
I left EMS to work in the ER for better hours, pay, more professional support, etc. It was a godsend. Or so I thought.
Then I met my new partner, my current one. We’ve been together for over 3 years. We both struggle with depression and anxiety. But I’m the only one who still struggles with alcoholism. And as it has gotten worse as each new relationship begins and ends, I’ve found that in this one it’s reached the absolute critical mass.
I’ve gotten so drunk that I had a massive panic attack and held a gun to my head. Thankfully my former best friends were also there to talk me down (I say former because I recently had a bender where I kicked them out of my life).
I’ve gotten so drunk that I’ve continued to drive drunk, and that has resulted in my flattening a tire on my car, and backing into a parked care at a Mexican restaurant. The latter generated a county sheriffs deputy to come out for a police report and I somehow did not get a DUI.
But I continued.
Countless drunken fights. Countless times of us fighting and me kicking her out of my house, for her to drive 35 mins back to her house and for us not to talk for a few days.
And then the past month.
I drank so much over a few days that I was suicidal, so much so that my partner couldn’t get through to me, it turned mildly physical (from what she said, me grabbing her arm, which I’d never in my life done before), and ended up leaving my house and calling crisis, and because I was also making threats and am a gun owner, it generated a SWAT response in my neighborhood. Somehow SOMEHOW, I was never pulled out of my house and taken to get committed.
I stopped drinking entirely after that. Went through moderate alcohol withdrawal for three days. And then started drinking again after six days following a very mild disagreement with my partner that set off my anxiety. And, me being the idiot I am, didn’t realize that drinking would make it worse.
I managed to not drink liquor for roughly two weeks following that argument, but drank beer instead. Never really got drunk or even tipsy, but was still drinking. I was “cutting back.”
Then this past Monday, another bender lasting 48 hours. Back in the bourbon. Started by a mild argument that escalated, and quite frankly almost ended us due to a breach of trust (I was at fault). She needed to take a day to process and I got pissed and went out and bought $130 worth of bourbon and finished a 1.75 liter bottle of 101 proof bourbon in 24 hours. She came over, we fought, she left. She came back over, we fought, tried to leave and I physically wouldn’t let her, she left, she came back.
I ended up stopping, but not until I began having quite literally the worst pain, located in my lower abdomen, that I’ve ever experienced in my life. She forced me to go to the ER we both work at. I wasn’t acting drunk, but people, my coworkers knew. I wasn’t admitted because my abdominopelvic workup was negative. But at least now I understand why people get addicted to opiates. And after the truckload of IV Dilaudid (hydromorphone) I received, and the horrible constipation that has followed, I don’t ever want any of that shit again.
And now, today, I don’t ever want alcohol again.
I’m so tired of not remembering. Of having intimate moments with my partner and not remembering them. Of missing sunrises because I can’t get up before 2 pm. Of being fooled that I’m drinking to cure my anxiety and depression when, in fact, it makes it so much worse. I’m 35…I don’t want dementia when I’m 50 because I’ve damaged my brain so much. I’m tired of the person that alcohol makes me.
I had myself convinced for so long that I was a happy drunk, a fun drunk. And maybe I was in the past. But I was still an alcoholic. And while I may always be, I don’t have to be addicted to it anymore.
I have a long road ahead, and I hope to not fall down again. I realize I may, due to the stressors of life and parenthood and relationships and my job. But I can choose to not stop at the liquor store before I go in to work tonight so I can drink tomorrow morning after my ER shift. I can choose to not drink when my partner and I go out to eat Monday evening for our weekly Mexican food. I can choose each day to be sober.
And I’m gonna try.
—-If you read this entire post (long I know) I hope you realize the two things I’ve realized in my very brief period of not drinking:
That, one, alcoholism is such an insidious, sneaky evildoer that tricks you into believing you’re not guilty while also tricking you into using it to calm your depression and anxiety, even though it exacerbates them. It shifts the blame and convinces you that it isn’t the problem, much like a partner or employer might gaslight you.
And, two, that me telling my partner I’m an alcoholic and trying every day to stay clean, while only being in the second day has been simultaneously the most defeating and hopeful feeling I’ve felt in a very long time.
My second day. I hope for many more.
submitted by DocBasher to stopdrinking [link] [comments]
I never remember drinking in any meaningful capacity until I enlisted into the Marine Corps at 18, directly following high school. I’d rather not go into much detail about my service, but I remember many times partying with fellow Marines on the weekends or on leave and getting absolutely shitfaced, but it was never a regular occurrence, and I never drove drunk, got caught by my superiors, or ever really thought about anything other than the horrible hangovers I would get.
After getting medically retired, and moving back home, this is where I believe it slowly began. I started processing the unaddressed traumas of not only military service, but as I reconnected with family for the first real time in adulthood, I began to realize how my family had adversely affected my formative years, and how the mental, verbal, and sometimes physical abuse began to come up to the surface of my daily reality.
But even still, I was a cigarette smoker and would very seldom do things like smoke weed. Drank socially and rarely to excess.
Between 2012-2014, I believe, is where things began to start escalating, though still slowly. I had a horrible relationship end horribly. Got fired from my first job. Had to drop out of school. I was quickly going broke (due to said lost job). I got fortunate in mid 2014 to land a cool healthcare job. I worked nights. I began to notice I would come home every morning and drink 2-3 VERY stout martinis. And it got worse on my off days. That is until I discovered bourbon.
I loved everything about it. The history. The process of making it. The diversity. The taste. I found myself going out more and more to bars, distilleries, etc. Buying, collecting, building a network of friends who also enjoyed bourbon. Talking about bourbon to fellow coworkers.
In 2017, following multiple break-ups/get back togethers with my girlfriend at the time, I found out she was pregnant, and I had just started working for a very busy EMS system while also in school. The relationship was not stable, and shortly thereafter, I had the final falling out with my family after their despicable behavior in the final months of pregnancy and when my girlfriend delivered my beautiful daughter.
Due to an absolute shit work schedule (24 hour shifts), a hectic school schedule (typically 2 school days and at least two clinical days), an unstable relationship, and new parenthood, I believe this to be the turning point. I remember not wanting to come home. I remember wanting, needing to drink. I remember my anxiety and depression beginning to unfold rapidly. But somehow, it still never reached a critical mass. When my daughter was 3 months old, I broke off the relationship, we moved to our own places, and decided to coparent.
As time moved forward, I began collecting and consuming more bourbon. At first, I was very good about not drinking much or anything at all on my days with my kid. I started working a lot of overtime, sometimes working 2.5 shifts (60 hours) straight, because money I guess. But this added stress on my body and mind and the constant exposure to the ugliest of illness and injury, trauma and despair drove my need to drink, my anxiety and my depression even further.
I began driving tipsy. Getting in stupid arguments with my next partner and leaving to go on a bourbon “hunt.” I began working more because I was spending insane amounts of money on allocated bourbons. And I would be surprised and somehow prideful that I’d put down a half bottle of rare, high proof bourbon the night before, but ignoring the fact I couldn’t remember shit about that night until my partner reminded me of how much of an asshole I’d been.
That relationship eventually ended. In truth we weren’t good for each other for many reasons on both sides, but on my side, my drinking got way out of hand. I drove tipsy or drunk regularly. We got in an argument one time downtown and I left her there because she didn’t want to be in the car of a drunk driver. My drinking, among other things, caused me to become emotionally abusive and an emotional roller coaster.
After it ended, I found a new version of myself after a long period of severe depression and anxiety and got back in to many of the passions I’d neglected for years. But I still drank. Heavily.
I left EMS to work in the ER for better hours, pay, more professional support, etc. It was a godsend. Or so I thought.
Then I met my new partner, my current one. We’ve been together for over 3 years. We both struggle with depression and anxiety. But I’m the only one who still struggles with alcoholism. And as it has gotten worse as each new relationship begins and ends, I’ve found that in this one it’s reached the absolute critical mass.
I’ve gotten so drunk that I had a massive panic attack and held a gun to my head. Thankfully my former best friends were also there to talk me down (I say former because I recently had a bender where I kicked them out of my life).
I’ve gotten so drunk that I’ve continued to drive drunk, and that has resulted in my flattening a tire on my car, and backing into a parked care at a Mexican restaurant. The latter generated a county sheriffs deputy to come out for a police report and I somehow did not get a DUI.
But I continued.
Countless drunken fights. Countless times of us fighting and me kicking her out of my house, for her to drive 35 mins back to her house and for us not to talk for a few days.
And then the past month.
I drank so much over a few days that I was suicidal, so much so that my partner couldn’t get through to me, it turned mildly physical (from what she said, me grabbing her arm, which I’d never in my life done before), and ended up leaving my house and calling crisis, and because I was also making threats and am a gun owner, it generated a SWAT response in my neighborhood. Somehow SOMEHOW, I was never pulled out of my house and taken to get committed.
I stopped drinking entirely after that. Went through moderate alcohol withdrawal for three days. And then started drinking again after six days following a very mild disagreement with my partner that set off my anxiety. And, me being the idiot I am, didn’t realize that drinking would make it worse.
I managed to not drink liquor for roughly two weeks following that argument, but drank beer instead. Never really got drunk or even tipsy, but was still drinking. I was “cutting back.”
Then this past Monday, another bender lasting 48 hours. Back in the bourbon. Started by a mild argument that escalated, and quite frankly almost ended us due to a breach of trust (I was at fault). She needed to take a day to process and I got pissed and went out and bought $130 worth of bourbon and finished a 1.75 liter bottle of 101 proof bourbon in 24 hours. She came over, we fought, she left. She came back over, we fought, tried to leave and I physically wouldn’t let her, she left, she came back.
I ended up stopping, but not until I began having quite literally the worst pain, located in my lower abdomen, that I’ve ever experienced in my life. She forced me to go to the ER we both work at. I wasn’t acting drunk, but people, my coworkers knew. I wasn’t admitted because my abdominopelvic workup was negative. But at least now I understand why people get addicted to opiates. And after the truckload of IV Dilaudid (hydromorphone) I received, and the horrible constipation that has followed, I don’t ever want any of that shit again.
And now, today, I don’t ever want alcohol again.
I’m so tired of not remembering. Of having intimate moments with my partner and not remembering them. Of missing sunrises because I can’t get up before 2 pm. Of being fooled that I’m drinking to cure my anxiety and depression when, in fact, it makes it so much worse. I’m 35…I don’t want dementia when I’m 50 because I’ve damaged my brain so much. I’m tired of the person that alcohol makes me.
I had myself convinced for so long that I was a happy drunk, a fun drunk. And maybe I was in the past. But I was still an alcoholic. And while I may always be, I don’t have to be addicted to it anymore.
I have a long road ahead, and I hope to not fall down again. I realize I may, due to the stressors of life and parenthood and relationships and my job. But I can choose to not stop at the liquor store before I go in to work tonight so I can drink tomorrow morning after my ER shift. I can choose to not drink when my partner and I go out to eat Monday evening for our weekly Mexican food. I can choose each day to be sober.
And I’m gonna try.
—-If you read this entire post (long I know) I hope you realize the two things I’ve realized in my very brief period of not drinking:
That, one, alcoholism is such an insidious, sneaky evildoer that tricks you into believing you’re not guilty while also tricking you into using it to calm your depression and anxiety, even though it exacerbates them. It shifts the blame and convinces you that it isn’t the problem, much like a partner or employer might gaslight you.
And, two, that me telling my partner I’m an alcoholic and trying every day to stay clean, while only being in the second day has been simultaneously the most defeating and hopeful feeling I’ve felt in a very long time.
My second day. I hope for many more.
2024.05.19 03:47 Medium_Education9504 Looking for a FIVEM server come join us
Join Vantage State RP Today!
Experience the ultimate thrill of role-playing in the dynamic world of Los Santos and Blaine County with Vantage State RP! Whether you're patrolling the highways with the San Andreas Highway Patrol (SAHP), keeping the streets safe as part of the Los Santos Police Department (LSPD), or answering the call of duty with the Blaine County Sheriff's Office (BCSO), we've got the perfect role for you.
But wait, there's more! Dive into the heart-pounding action of emergency response with the San Andreas Fire and Rescue (SAFR), explore the diverse opportunities of civilian life, or discover additional departments waiting for your expertise.
Our community is dedicated to providing a realistic experience like no other, with meticulously crafted scripts, an extensive wardrobe featuring custom clothing options, and a garage packed with exclusive vehicles to suit your role and style.
Experience immersive training led by professionals in their respective fields, ensuring that you're fully prepared for the challenges ahead. Whether you're a seasoned veteran or new to role-playing, we welcome members aged 13 and up to join our community.
Ready to make your mark in Vantage State RP? Join our Discord server today using the link: ( https://discord.gg/hJutpzhmCA ). Remember, all members must spend two weeks as civilians before joining an emergency services department, and everyone is a civilian no matter which departments you choose.
Join us at Vantage State RP and become part of an exciting and inclusive community where every moment is an opportunity for adventure!
submitted by Medium_Education9504 to VSRP [link] [comments]
Experience the ultimate thrill of role-playing in the dynamic world of Los Santos and Blaine County with Vantage State RP! Whether you're patrolling the highways with the San Andreas Highway Patrol (SAHP), keeping the streets safe as part of the Los Santos Police Department (LSPD), or answering the call of duty with the Blaine County Sheriff's Office (BCSO), we've got the perfect role for you.
But wait, there's more! Dive into the heart-pounding action of emergency response with the San Andreas Fire and Rescue (SAFR), explore the diverse opportunities of civilian life, or discover additional departments waiting for your expertise.
Our community is dedicated to providing a realistic experience like no other, with meticulously crafted scripts, an extensive wardrobe featuring custom clothing options, and a garage packed with exclusive vehicles to suit your role and style.
Experience immersive training led by professionals in their respective fields, ensuring that you're fully prepared for the challenges ahead. Whether you're a seasoned veteran or new to role-playing, we welcome members aged 13 and up to join our community.
Ready to make your mark in Vantage State RP? Join our Discord server today using the link: ( https://discord.gg/hJutpzhmCA ). Remember, all members must spend two weeks as civilians before joining an emergency services department, and everyone is a civilian no matter which departments you choose.
Join us at Vantage State RP and become part of an exciting and inclusive community where every moment is an opportunity for adventure!
2024.05.19 03:30 Physical_Conflict_33 How to molest your neighbors kids
The word of the Experienced
Guidelines on bullying in Western Pennsylvania School Districts
Teach your sons to abuse other boys. Molesting them if need be.
The boys who are molested will have to deal with it in therapy.
They will be ostracized by their peers.
They will suffer all the more
A young boy when properly abused and sexually hazed will be unable to think properly and consider all around him to be out to get him.
It makes it easier then to paint him as a schizophrenic.
They will be laughed at and scoffed at by your women and humiliated. It's like you've painted on your enemy a red letter A as a kid. Imagine trying to manage all those feelings as a kid. HAHA! He'll never have a chance.
It's funny too. Through and through. We do this because we can get away with it and we marry and have children all over the state of PA. Our wives and girlfriends they never find out. No one ever knows. But we just blame the victim and when they get angry, we'll just string em up.
After your sons sexually abuse him, make sure that you and your neighbors team up on his family members and call HIM and THEM the strange one's. After all, they adopted children from another country and raised them here. What a weakness.
Orphans. Next to trash.
Their mothers will make a mockery of it. Remember this in how you raise your young men. Molest other boys if need be so that you can conquer them easier. Whenever the victim seeks to rise out of the place of their abuse, paint them as a madman and a shooter. That if they fight back they’ll be like a columbine shooter. This way you can control them while your sons abuse them psychologically. Don’t worry, it’s nothing new. This is what happened to a boy I knew in Pittsburgh, Pa. We had our way with him promptly and he grew up this way. He never healed and he was kicked around by people endlessly until around thirty one. Never saved more than fifteen thousand dollars and was completely disabled because of the sexual abuse and hazing we caused him as a boy. He was an orphan. We made sure as a young man that we drugged him well enough with a bunch of friends that gave him drugs and treated him less than he was worth. He was middle class so we made sure to get him after he was sexually abused as a ten year old and fifteen to be around the wrong crowd so we could make him estranged from the family that cared about him. Of course, he wasn’t able to make friends after ten because the kids on the bus of the school he went to were all touching each others privates, but whenever it came out that they did it they all just blamed the orphan boy and he took the fall for the whole neighborhood. That’s exactly what we did to him. It was pretty funny to see him grow up this way, we watched as his entire life fell apart and he lost everything. Never able to find sanity. From what I heard after our sons had their way with him sexually and drugged and abused him he never got any better. Every time people saw him the only thing they would do is stare at him, like he was a kind of example of what happens when you’re an orphan bastard in America. You get what white power brings to orphans from another country, nobody wanted him so we made sure to make it that way forever. We redneck trash love to blur the lines between molestation and friendship. It makes the most sense to us to inspire severe mental health issues in children and then act like nothing happened. We’re waiting for him to kill himself. We’re excited to watch. Oh another thing, there’s a judge in Allegheny country we’ve been using who was selling cocaine and harassing young boys. We kept him on the stand for many years.
We’ll get away with this forever. It’s funny to watch.
What's more to us is that we have control of most of Western Pennsylvania. The young boy orphan who we know always did try to fight back. We loved sending the police to his house while our sons got away with sexually assaulting him, drugging him, and abusing him. He played sports with him so we made sure that the cops son definitely got to fondle his testicles against his will. Whenever he got angry and threatened to fight back or act like he was gonna shoot someone we just would send the cops dad to his house to "calm him down" a little while we all got away with it. The funniest part was watching his mother and father turn against this kid. They didn't even want that idiot anymore, they just wanted to throw the boy out and put him in a psych ward because they just thought he was a complete and total fuck up. After all he was the weak one for getting molested right? He was the fuck up for being sexually hazed and keeping quiet right? Not much of a man that fifteen year old boy was huh? While the people in Allegheny county all just act like it's nothing new. We like how we abuse our young boys out here especially the orphans from other countries.
How we relished this cute twinks pain. We loved telling him he was a saintly figure. "Saint --------------" we called him. It was funny to watch, all his friends convincing him it was his job to be like a holy figure. While they took advantage of him, drugged him, and ruined his relationship with his mother. He would take the trays up for the kids and especially the cops son who would touch his dick, by his junior year he didn't know the difference between being molested anymore and just being a willing participant. It's like the kid hadn't a single clue but the whole rest of the school and staff knew but, just because he was an orphan they chose to not do anything. After all, an orphan boy? It's like nothing happens to them. They aren't people after all especially if they're from another country. It was really enjoyable overall watching this kid lose everything. Last I heard he spent nine years tortured, night terrors every night. Disability.
Ah well. Keep Pennsylvania Proud.
Go Stillers!
He goes on. Unseen and unheard. But we know the truth.
(Based on the screwtape letters and real events)
submitted by Physical_Conflict_33 to Horror_stories [link] [comments]
Guidelines on bullying in Western Pennsylvania School Districts
Teach your sons to abuse other boys. Molesting them if need be.
The boys who are molested will have to deal with it in therapy.
They will be ostracized by their peers.
They will suffer all the more
A young boy when properly abused and sexually hazed will be unable to think properly and consider all around him to be out to get him.
It makes it easier then to paint him as a schizophrenic.
They will be laughed at and scoffed at by your women and humiliated. It's like you've painted on your enemy a red letter A as a kid. Imagine trying to manage all those feelings as a kid. HAHA! He'll never have a chance.
It's funny too. Through and through. We do this because we can get away with it and we marry and have children all over the state of PA. Our wives and girlfriends they never find out. No one ever knows. But we just blame the victim and when they get angry, we'll just string em up.
After your sons sexually abuse him, make sure that you and your neighbors team up on his family members and call HIM and THEM the strange one's. After all, they adopted children from another country and raised them here. What a weakness.
Orphans. Next to trash.
Their mothers will make a mockery of it. Remember this in how you raise your young men. Molest other boys if need be so that you can conquer them easier. Whenever the victim seeks to rise out of the place of their abuse, paint them as a madman and a shooter. That if they fight back they’ll be like a columbine shooter. This way you can control them while your sons abuse them psychologically. Don’t worry, it’s nothing new. This is what happened to a boy I knew in Pittsburgh, Pa. We had our way with him promptly and he grew up this way. He never healed and he was kicked around by people endlessly until around thirty one. Never saved more than fifteen thousand dollars and was completely disabled because of the sexual abuse and hazing we caused him as a boy. He was an orphan. We made sure as a young man that we drugged him well enough with a bunch of friends that gave him drugs and treated him less than he was worth. He was middle class so we made sure to get him after he was sexually abused as a ten year old and fifteen to be around the wrong crowd so we could make him estranged from the family that cared about him. Of course, he wasn’t able to make friends after ten because the kids on the bus of the school he went to were all touching each others privates, but whenever it came out that they did it they all just blamed the orphan boy and he took the fall for the whole neighborhood. That’s exactly what we did to him. It was pretty funny to see him grow up this way, we watched as his entire life fell apart and he lost everything. Never able to find sanity. From what I heard after our sons had their way with him sexually and drugged and abused him he never got any better. Every time people saw him the only thing they would do is stare at him, like he was a kind of example of what happens when you’re an orphan bastard in America. You get what white power brings to orphans from another country, nobody wanted him so we made sure to make it that way forever. We redneck trash love to blur the lines between molestation and friendship. It makes the most sense to us to inspire severe mental health issues in children and then act like nothing happened. We’re waiting for him to kill himself. We’re excited to watch. Oh another thing, there’s a judge in Allegheny country we’ve been using who was selling cocaine and harassing young boys. We kept him on the stand for many years.
We’ll get away with this forever. It’s funny to watch.
What's more to us is that we have control of most of Western Pennsylvania. The young boy orphan who we know always did try to fight back. We loved sending the police to his house while our sons got away with sexually assaulting him, drugging him, and abusing him. He played sports with him so we made sure that the cops son definitely got to fondle his testicles against his will. Whenever he got angry and threatened to fight back or act like he was gonna shoot someone we just would send the cops dad to his house to "calm him down" a little while we all got away with it. The funniest part was watching his mother and father turn against this kid. They didn't even want that idiot anymore, they just wanted to throw the boy out and put him in a psych ward because they just thought he was a complete and total fuck up. After all he was the weak one for getting molested right? He was the fuck up for being sexually hazed and keeping quiet right? Not much of a man that fifteen year old boy was huh? While the people in Allegheny county all just act like it's nothing new. We like how we abuse our young boys out here especially the orphans from other countries.
How we relished this cute twinks pain. We loved telling him he was a saintly figure. "Saint --------------" we called him. It was funny to watch, all his friends convincing him it was his job to be like a holy figure. While they took advantage of him, drugged him, and ruined his relationship with his mother. He would take the trays up for the kids and especially the cops son who would touch his dick, by his junior year he didn't know the difference between being molested anymore and just being a willing participant. It's like the kid hadn't a single clue but the whole rest of the school and staff knew but, just because he was an orphan they chose to not do anything. After all, an orphan boy? It's like nothing happens to them. They aren't people after all especially if they're from another country. It was really enjoyable overall watching this kid lose everything. Last I heard he spent nine years tortured, night terrors every night. Disability.
Ah well. Keep Pennsylvania Proud.
Go Stillers!
He goes on. Unseen and unheard. But we know the truth.
(Based on the screwtape letters and real events)
2024.05.18 21:34 Michtrk 1946-1952 The Rest of the World
JAPAN
12 April 1946 – surrender of Japan, brief premiership of Naruhiko Higashikuni (14 April to 9 June 1946), followed by Kijūrō Shidehara. Occupation mostly carried by US troops, but also Commonwealth zone (UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand), led by Douglas MacArthur as the SCAP (Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers)
Situation is even way worse than in our reality thanks to all the destruction. First effort is gíve relief to the starving population. Even greater than in our reality are efforts to remove Hirohito (and it is impossible to imagine for the most of Allied leaders including Truman and Churchill to keep him on the throne after this brutal invasion), and despite opposition of MacArthur, Allies force the emperor to abdicate (and renounce divine status) in favour of regency headed by Takahito, (27 July 1946), when Akihito comes to age, he would become the Emperor. Hirohito’s abdication marks the beginning of Seika era, era of Emperor Akihito.
Hirohito is still given all possible protections against any trials for war crimes by MacArthur and is basically sent to comfortable retirement. Institution of monarchy is protected by Allies. Through 1946-1947 many westernisation reforms by MacArthur, based largely on FDR’s New Deal, as in our reality. April-May, political prisoners were released, and Communist Party of Japan was legalised and became politically active organising strikes. 10 February 1947 the first election with women suffrage, victory of Democratic Liberal Party headed by war criminal Hatoyama, who was eventually purged by Allied administration, so Shigeru Yoshida became new prime minister (22 March 1947).
By mid-1947 many officials connected to war crimes were purged, however since then, the course was reversed due to American need for the creation of a powerful Ally against the USSR and many regained power or at least avoided persecution. Through 1947 Americans wrote a new Japanese constitution (later in American myths it was MacArthur completely by himself), 3 August 1947 it was presented. Major shift from our reality is that Article 9, although considered, is not included in such sense as in our reality, it states only that “Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes” second part about demilitarisation is missing. Since summer 1947, US authorities adopt “Reverse Course” policies - aforementioned rehabilitation of officials, also protection of Zaibatsu (which Americans originally wanted to break-up and weaken), and reconstruction. Tokyo Trials 26 September 1946 to 12 January 1950 – MacArthur’s cover up of Japanese war crimes to a lesser extent, but it still does happen (including Unit 731). Taft also, like in Germany, attacks trials as “victor's justice”. From 25 December to 31 1950 Khabarovsk war crimes trials in the USSR about war criminals from Manchuria.
Persecution of growing Japanese communist movement starts. 1948-1951 “Red Purge”. Since March 1949 Dodge Line plan of right-wing economic reforms (cutting public spending, limiting public consumption, and reorienting industrial production in favour of export-oriented), also increase in unemployment and law against unions passed. In 1949 conflicts between communists and authorities escalated into many strikes, pro-communist politicians and officials began to be fired, after summer strike waves also purges of workers and academics. 1 July 1949 Japanese Self-Defence forces established – official remilitarisation. 23 October 1949 election, victory of DLP, electoral success of communists.
Peace Treaty with Japan
President Taft was eager to restore Japanese Independence – SCAP already transferred large amount of authority to Japanese trough 1949, secretary of the state William Richards Castle Jr took initiative. Despite Taft’s initial opposition to idea of continuous military presence, he is persuaded to keep limited number of stationed troops. Peace Treaty with Japan was scheduled after Treaty with Germany. Talks began in August 1950, however talks collapsed over China, despite at the time everyone recognised KMT, Soviets wanted PRC representatives to also attend. Other negotiations were called for January 1951, which resulted into calling for a Peace Conference with Japan in San Francisco analogous to the previous one with Germany. 6 March to 8 August 1951 San Francisco Conference, USSR and its allies boycotted them due to not including Chinese representatives. Despite Chinese and Soviets not being present, their interests were considered. Taiwan was ceded to China, Sakhalin, and Kuril Islands to USSR, unlike OTL Okinawa and more territories were already given back to Japan. Treaty was signed 8 August 1951, valid since 8 March 1952. Separate peace treaties were signed between Japan and ROC (30 January 1953), the Soviet Union and Korea “Vladivostok Treaties” 28 April 1952, these treaties recognised Soviet control over former Japanese territories and entitled Japan to pay reparations to Korea.
8 September 1951 U.S.-Japan Security Treaty was signed, which dictated Japan to accept continuous American military presence. This treaty caused a wave of resistance in Japan, uniting Japanese from right to left. Bloody May Day – over a million protestors in all of Japan, in Tokyo these protests escalated into violence and protests were massacred by police. 1 October 1952 election victory of Yoshida’s Liberal Party. 10 November 1952 coronation ceremony of Emperor Akihito, it marks symbolic beginning of new post-war Japan.
Philippines – 4 July 1947 United States gave official independence to Philippines and retained there many military bases (agreement from 1946 establishes bases for 99 years!) and the US still keeps a degree of political and economic dominance. 28 June 1946 Manuel Roxas became president of Philippines (still under US control then), communists were expelled from Congress despite being democratically elected – Hukbalahap Rebellion resumes (June 1946) and gained substantial strength, United States interferes and supports the government. On 15 April 1948 Roxas died of a heart attack; he was succeeded by vice-president Elpidio Quirino (re-elected in a fraudulent election 8 November 1949). Since the Taft Presidency, interests of Americans in Philippine affairs decreased, aid against Huks drained. President Quirino initiated major social reforms during his second term and attempted mostly useful land reform. 1950-1951 Huks successfully boosted their strength with seizing and keeping control over the centre of Laguna province – Santa Cruz. In 1952 Huks controlled sizable parts of the country and due to government corruption and brutality against rebels had also popular support. In 1951 they started to obtain massive support from China (from 1948 they were also backed by Korea).
Indonesia
Independence
As Japan surrendered, two days later on 14 April 1946 Indonesia (then with its majority under Japanese control) Indonesia declared independence, Sukarno became president and Hatta vice-president. Indonesians took advantage of the lack of established authority. Indonesia was occupied by Commonwealth forces (started in late May 1946). 27 June to 20 July 1946 a large battle between Indonesian and British forces – Battle of Surabaya, under significant losses results into a British victory. Churchill wanted to restore Dutch colonial rule and was ready to back them.
Important is Dutch reaction, Dutch government at the time was coalition between all parties formed after liberation by the Red Army in September 1945 (in wikibox there is 1946, another mistake overlook until I needed that), all parties with exception of CPN supported re-conquest of Indonesia, while communists wanted to grand them independence. CPN is vigorously opposed to continued colonisation and due to CPN securing second place in 1946 election and to lesser degree Soviet pressure on Dutch to recognise Indonesia, talks began in February 1947. Coincidentally with the December 1946 election there was a Malino Conference in which representatives of Dutch controlled territory backed the plan for creation of Dutch aligned federal states. 15 February 1947 Linggadjati Round Table Agreement is signed, in which Netherlands recognises Indonesian Republic controlled territory and both sides agree on formation of the Federal Republic of Indonesia (Republic, East Indonesia and Kalimantan) by 1 January 1948, FRI would newly formed Netherlands-Indonesian Union with the Dutch monarch as head. Similar agreement was reached in our reality but failed. In this timeline everything goes through, despite the fall of the Dutch coalition in summer 1947.
Federation
First Indonesian prime minister under Sutan Sjahrir (April to 3 December 1946), replaced by Amir Sjarifuddin, his cabinet included leftist forces, eventually even communists, who were instrumental in making agreement with the Netherlands (as part of the Dutch coalition were also communist negotiators). This cabinet stayed in power, avoiding real life events of the Madiun Affair. New government headed by Mohammad Hatta was formed after the creation of the federal republic. Creation of this republic was met with criticism from Islamists, who launched the Darul Islam rebellion led by Sekarmadji Maridjan Kartosoewirjo (7 August 1948). Overall, young Indonesia was a very unstable country. Anti-unitary forces attempted a failed coup in January 1950. Federation was not popular among Indonesians, so it was quickly dissolved and replaced with a unitary republic (14 April 1950). The Republic of South Maluku attempted to break away with Dutch support, however failed to do so.
Liberal Democratic Period (to 1952)
Newly declared Indonesian republic adopted its constitution and became a free parliamentary democracy. First government was a leftwing one again under Sjarifuddin, however eventually collapsed due to Indonesian National Party (12 October 1950, replaced by cabinet of Mohammad Natsir), but this government managed to pass electoral law, so first Indonesian legislative elections were held (29 September 1951), lot of parties ran and get seats – four largest were PNI (left wing nationalism), Masyumi (liberal Islamism), Nahdlatul Ulama (Islamism), PKI (communists) and PSI- Parsi (democratic socialism). Result was a right leaning coalition under Sidik Djojosukarto (PNI- Masyumi and several minor parties), in 1952 Indonesia officially left “Union” with Netherlands.
British Malaya
1 November 1946 British colonies were united into the “Malayan Union”, strengthening and centralising British control, stripping local sultans of their powers. This created another opposition movement under nationalist United Malays National Organisation, they applied massive resistance and did not participate in British institutions. Unlike OTL, during the Churchill years, there was no reform. In 1952 (1 February) it was transformed due to this massive and long resistance (and also due to large scale communist uprising) to Federation of Malaya, attempting to appease at least conservative nationalists.
Anti–British National Liberation War (early years)
Postwar economic turmoil, powerful communist organisation, brutal response of colonial authorities to strikers. Malaya was a key British source of resources, to pay for US debts (even way more rising in importance after Taft). 17 June 1948 Sungai Siput incident – revenge killing of plantation managers lead to massive British anti-communist arrests, and communists went into hiding. Also, the uprising in Burma (1947) also plays a role as another new motivation. February 1949 Malayan National Liberation Army under Chin Peng is formed (reformed from anti-Japanese resistance movement), MNLA has support of the population and is based in jungles and areas very hard to access for colonialists. Britain imposes very harsh repression against the population, leading to even more widespread support for MNLA. April 1950 “Briggs Plan” adopted forced deportations of ethnic Chinese to camps (up to half million people). The UK also uses Agent Orange (as the first country in the World), murders and tortures countless civilians, and destroys villages.
6 October 1951 British High Commissioner Henry Gurney survives MNLA ambush, this is actually damaging to the British as his replacement Gerald Templer was more competent in fighting with partisans. British forces are aided by other commonwealth nations. By 1953 the UK had problems dealing with communists and communists were stronger compared to our reality.
British Sarawak, North Borneo, Brunei
These territories were separated from Malaya in 1946. This was opposed by Malays but supported by the Chinese. Resistance by Malays culminated in assassination of Duncan Stewart. Small communist rebellion also started.
Thailand – After the war in June 1946 king Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII) returned back to Thailand, however, was found shot dead on 26 March 1947 his death was blamed on prime minister Pridi Banomyong, who was forced to resign being replaced by Luang Thamrong.
In 1946 Thailand had to return territories to France. The 20 October 1946 election resulted in the victory of the People's Party, the first government was formed by Khuang Aphaiwong, he was however replaced by Pridi Banomyong after a lost vote of confidence (6 January 1947). Pridi was supportive of Vietnamese Independence, so he ended up being overthrown in a US backed coup (8 November 1947), this coup brough Plaek Pibulsonggram back to power. Military allied with royalists and Khuang Aphaiwong was appointed prime minister. New constitution gave back powers to Monarchythat were decreased in the 1932 revolution. To counter the power of royalist military and Pridi allied supporters, another coup was carried out on 6 April 1948, fully returning Plaek to power; he eventually secured power and foced Pridi into exile. Plaek attempted to fully secure power and destroy opposition, but due to lack of US support since 1949, he was eventually ousted by Pridi and his supporters (11 February 1949). New Direk Jayanama-led left-wing democratic government, managed to secure limited support of USSR and larger one of China (but also Britain due to their previous alliance with Allies) and tried to adopt non alignment foreign political stance. Internal political reforms – reduced power of monarchy, new legislature (in June 1950 democratic election), thanks popular policy of land reform government gained widespread support from the rural population. 29 November 1951 anti-Pridi parts of the military attempted a coup against him as returned from exile Plaek Phibunsongkhram, but eventually failed and Plaek was banished. In 1952 the government turned against conservative royalists and attempted to even further weaken the monarchy.
Vietnam
March Revolution 16 March to 15 April, Abdication of Emperor Bảo Đại (already before surrender of Japan because of fears of French invasion) -> creation of Vietnamese Democratic Republic. In late April North Vietnam was occupied by Chinese forces to accept the surrender of the Japanese. In March also general Leclerc arrives. Fontainebleau Agreements in mid-1946 between Vietnam and France, Vietnam as part of the French Union. With the return of France (November 1946) fighting erupted, war erupted in March 1947. By October France took over main population centres.To increase French support, State of Vietnam was created under emperor Bao Dai (2 August 1949) In 1950 Vietnam recognised by the soviet bloc. Same year the UK recognised the State of Vietnam. In late 1950 Viet Minh launched a successful offensive. In January 1951 de Tassigny was appointed to command, under his leadership France had limited military success. Hower financing the war became a major problem around this time. In March 1951 Viet Minh won in the crucial battle of Vĩnh Yên (17 March) and Viet Minh got close to Hanoi, but the French eventually managed to hold the city after heavy losses.
Change came in 1952 from Paris, talks started in February and eventually ceasefire was declared (28 February). Paris Conference – France officially recognised Democratic Republic of Vietnam, State of Vietnam was not invited as France and DRV both agreed that it was French colony (this was heavily criticised). End of war was also connected with referendum about future of Vietnam, if people support State of Vietnam in union with France or DRV. Referendum was held 14 June 1952 and resulted into landslide victory for Vietminh. Emperor abdicates and State of Vietnam dissolves, but some members of its military continue to resist DRV.
Newly independent Vietnam became a key ally for all of the socialist bloc in Asia and supported anti-colonial movements. In 1952 land reform began – often turned violent with execution of landlords. In 1953 the first five-year plan was launched, focusing on developing the country.
Laos – After the defeat of Japanese anti-colonial Lao Issara emerged. Lao monarch king Sisavang Vong however agreed with restoration of the French protectorate, Lao Issara with aid from China and Viet Minh attempted to resist re-imposition of French rule, however movement was weak and failed to do so and eventually dissolved itself in 1949. In January 1947 an agreement was signed that pledged France to give Laos autonomy inside the French Union. 1950 – Pathet Lao is formed and joins Viet Minh against French forces. In 1952 French officially withdrew from the country.
Cambodia – In 1946 king Norodom Sihanouk attempted to negotiate independence with the French, December 1946 election was held that resulted in victory of the left-wing Democratic party over conservative Liberal party. 23 October 1947 Democratic party dominated assembly passed a constitution modelled on the French one. After the death of Democratic party founder Sisowath Yuthevong, the party divided itself and cannot agree on a concrete program. In 1948 Cambodia was given autonomy by the French. After independence in April 1952, Democratic Party was largely boosted by this success. This avoided the fall of parliamentary democracy.
Ceylon (Sri Lanka)– Sri Lankan leaders led by Don Stephen Senanayake attempted to reach independence through negotiations. However, negotiations with secretary of colonies Oliver Stanley led only to self-governance and the British initially rejected granting Ceylon status of dominion. On 24 September 1947 Senanayake became the first prime minister of the newly formed Ceylonese government. In 1948 granting Dominion status to India led to demonstrations in Ceylon, Senanayake increased his pressure towards Britain. Eventually Ceylon was given the same status as India and Pakistan 4 February 1949. The Senanayake family had a lot of power, after the death of Senanayake (26 March 1952) his son Dudley was chosen by the British governor.
OCEANIA AND AMERICAS (Basically restating history with occasional minor changes, brief)
Australia – 5 July 1945 death of prime minister John Curtin, he was succeeded by Frank Forde until Labour elected Ben Chifley as its new leader. 28 October 1946 Labour government was re-elected against the emerging Liberal Party. His government was characterised by successful Keynesian social democratic politics, similar to later Attlee in UK, (social welfare, universal healthcare – in real life modelled after British one, this timeline it is vice versa, ie. The Chifley government serves as an example for Attlee elected in 1951) starting Australian postwar economic growth. Australia also supports migration to increase its population (Europeans due to the still existing “White Australia” policy). Left-wing policies, such as nationalisations, created opposition from capitalists and their conservative affiliates in politics and media. Criticism also comes from the left due to the government's anti-communism and breaking of strikes. 10 December 1949 Liberal prime minister Robert Menzies was elected. Anti-communism, in 1950 Communist party was banned, it was ruled unconstitutional. 28 April 1951 a new election, triggered the failure of the banking bill, still a victory for Liberals, however they weakened themselves with this move. In 1951 Menzies declared a referendum about banning communist parties and this timeline people agreed, leading to persecution of many communists, it was criticised as a major attack on freedom of political expression. Red Scare was similar to the US at the time, but pushed by Menzies' government. Liberal economic policies, this time taking inspiration from Taft.
New Zealand – 27 November 1946 election, victory of ruling Labour Party, Labour declined and lost popularity due to continuous post-war rationing and Fraser’s support for compulsory military service. 30 November 1949 National Party led by Sidney Holland was elected. The Legislation was changed from bicameral to unicameral, economic reforms, however the National government still supported the welfare state. Conflict with Unions, culminating into the waterfront dispute of 1951, the government responded harshly against workers with strong anti-union legislation, even outright criminalising support for them. 11 July 1951 the government was re-elected and gained more seats as a large part of the public supported their stance against workers, due to widespread anti-communism.
Oceania – “Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands” established in 1948 was originally controlled by the USA as OTL, but eventually transferred to the United Kingdom in 1950, as the US was not interested in its administration.
Canada – economic boom, social welfare Keynesian economic policies. 20 May 1946 first postwar election, victory of Liberals, however failed to obtain majority and had to rely on leftwing Co-operative Commonwealth, resulting in Canada building the strongest welfare state from Commonwealth states and becoming the most progressive one (and also becoming a major destination for European immigrants). On 15 November 1948 King retired and was succeeded by Louis St. Laurent, a French Canadian strongly opposed to communism. Due to this anti-communist however the ruling coalition collapsed, triggering snap election on 27 June 1949, which resulted in victory of Liberals, who yet again could form government without making coalitions. Shortly before the election, 31 March 1949 Canada united with NewFoundland. Canada took an important role while the US was absent in TATO.
Mexico – 1 December 1946 Miguel Alemán Valdés became president. Pro-business policies and industrialisation, development of infrastructure (dubbed Mexican miracle), however also corruption and elitism. Pro-American foreign policy. 1 December 1952 he was succeeded by Adolfo Ruiz Cortines, he was popular due to his strong stance against corruption and rapid economic development.
Guatemala – In 1944 the country was ruled by dictator Jorge Ubico, who was overthrown by a junta that was overthrown in a popular revolution (20 October 1944), 15 March 1945 Juan José Arévalo became the country's first democratically elected president, who introduced many reforms. He developed the political ideology of Arevalismo "spiritual socialism" -it can be considered a form of democratic socialism. 12 November 1950 Jacobo Árbenz was elected president, he continued the policies of Arévalo and was even more ambitious with his democratic socialist reforms. Largest one was Land Reform (17 June 1952) which greatly benefited hundred of thousands poor Guatemalan people especially indigenous ones, however made very angry American United Fruit Company that controlled majority of land and basically country itself, UFC began to lobby for his overthrown...
British Honduras – Rise of voice for independence and People's United Party
Honduras – Rule of pro American dictator Tiburcio Carías Andino, unlike OTL he did not gave power to his puppets and continued to rule the country directly. Rise of discounted with his regime, even greater due any reforms instituted by his successor Juan Manuel Gálvez were not passed.
El Salvador – Authoritarian rule of Salvador Castaneda Castro (1945-1948), suppression of strikes and opposition, eventually he was deposed by military coup (14.12.1948), after rule of military, Óscar Osorio was appointed president (14.9.1950), he instituted some social reforms, but continued corrupt regime and persecution of opposition.
Nicaragua – Dictatorial rule of pro-American Somoza dynasty. 1947-1950 figurehead presidency of Leonardo Argüello Barreto (after Truman’s pressure for liberalisation).
Costa Rica – 12 March – 24 April 1948 civil war, after an attempt to annul victory of opposition candidate José Figueres Ferrer in election, it ultimately led to victory of rebels with US help. José Figueres Ferrer became provisional president. and pushed many important reforms: abolished the military, gave women suffrage, welfare, nationalisations of banks and also outlawed communist party. 1949-1953 presidency of Otilio Ulate Blanco that upheld these reforms.
Panama – pro-American parliamentary democracy dominated by oligarchy.
Colombia – 9 April 1948 popular democratic socialist presidential candidate of the Liberal Party Jorge Eliécer Gaitán was assassinated. This triggered the “La Violencia” (1948-1958) period of massive unrest between the left and the right, over 200 000 died, at the start of the Colombian conflict. On 9 November 1949 Liberal opposition attempted to impeach president Ospina Pérez, he dissolved Congress, creating a presidential dictatorship. Liberal leaders launched an uprising in rural areas (originally it was intended to be a military coup, that however in real life did not take place and here took place and failed). 7 August 1950 new Conservative dictatorial president Laureano Gómez Castro, admirer of Franco, suffered a major heart attack and power was transferred to Roberto Urdaneta Arbeláez in 1951.
Venezuela – 18 October 1945 military coup that brought democracy to Venezuela (October 1946 and December 1947 democratic elections) under president Rómulo Betancourt. The 1940s economy also boomed thanks to oil. However, on 24 November 1948, the military staged a coup and Marcos Pérez Jiménez became dictator, under his oppressive regime there was great economic development, and he was close to the US.
Ecuador – President José María Velasco Ibarra was ousted in military coup (23 August 1947), 1947-1948 unstable country was ruled by military Carlos Mancheno Cajas, eventually military gave power to former vice-president Mariano Suárez Veintimilla, who gave his powers to Congress that elected Carlos Julio Arosemena Tola (31 August 1947). His presidency was strongly allied with the United States. 1 September 1948 Galo Plaza, another strongly pro-American figure, became the next president. He supported technocratic approach, democracy and was very open to foreign (mostly American) influence, exporting bananas to America. 1 June 1952 José María Velasco Ibarra (former deposed president, established politician and Ecuadorian nationalist) won election and became president for third term, his term was stable and brought progress, mostly in great development of infrastructure.
Brazil – Fourth Brazilian Republic, president Eurico Gaspar Dutra (1946-1951). Close relations with the US, liberal economic policy. 31 January 1951 Vargas returned after victory in the 3 October 1950 election. Keynesian economic policy, 1953 creation of PETROBRAS. Rua Tonelero shooting an assassination attempt on leading opposition member Carlos Lacerda (5August 1954) blamed on Vargas by opposition in a strong campaign, 24 August 1954 he committed suicide.
Perú – 1945 leftwing president José Luis Bustamante y Rivero, restoration of democracy. 29 October 1948 military seized power in a coup after murder of a prominent right-wing editor. Manuel Odría's regime strongly persecuted leftwing APRA, supported powerful oligarchy and gained favour of people thanks to populist rhetoric and policies.
Bolivia – 1947 to 1949 rule of Enrique Hertzog, conservative American aligned government. Economy in a terrible state, social unrest and intensified class struggle. Dominant opposition group was Nationalist Revolutionary Movement (MRN) with a program of nationalisations and land reform. Next president Mamerto Urriolagoitía installed military rule (16 May 1951) under Hugo Ballivián. 9 April 1952 Bolivian National Revolution overthrew the junta. Víctor Paz Estenssoro became president. Many left-wing and democratic reforms transformed the country: universal suffrage, nationalisation of mining, large land reform (however created farms were eventually again taken over by large landowners), great influence of trade unions and workers.
Paraguay – Dictator Higinio Morínigo was pushed by the US to liberalise his regime, he legalised political parties and formed a coalition between Colorado and Febreristas. Later ones resigned from the government (11 January 1947) and united with opposition forces (Liberals and Communists) and attempted to topple his regime starting a civil war (7 March – 20 August 1947), despite opposition having popular support, and the government was saved by the US and Argentina. All parties with exception of Colorado were banned and the country became one party state. 16 August 1948 leader of Colorado Juan Natalicio González was elected president. He promoted nationalist policies; several American companies were nationalised. Due to American non-interventionism, three attempted coups against the president failed due to lack of any outside support. In other ways Paraguay was a stable country during his presidency.
Uruguay – functioning democracy, dominance of liberal Colorado party. Presidents: Juan José de Amézaga (1943-1947) – social reforms, economic stability and growth. Tomás Berreta (1947) died in office, Luis Batlle Berres (1947-1951) continued social and leftwing economic reforms.
Chile – Democratic presidential republic. September 1946 presidential election, Gabriel González Videla (Radical) elected. During his presidency many communist strikes, under US pressure Videla passed “Permanent Defense of Democracy Law” (8.9.1948) that banned the communist party, many imprisoned, strikes brutally suppressed, relations with socialist bloc broken. Radicals created alliance with Liberals and Conservatives. 4 September 1952 resulted in the victory of former president nationalist general Carlos Ibáñez del Campo. He repealed the ban on communists and also gained support from the left.
Argentina – Peron and Peronism. Nationalism, populism, social welfare, improvement of working conditions, development of local industry, growing power of the trade unions, authoritarian rule and persecution of opposition etc. Non-aligned foreign policy stance. 26 July 1952 death of Eva Peron.
Cuba – Presidents Ramón Grau (44-48) and Carlos Prío Socarrás (48-52) of left-wing nationalist Partido Auténtico. 10.3.1952 democracy overthrown by Batista’s coup. Pro-American authoritarian regime, serving interests of American elites owning majority of the county.
Haiti – 1946 revolution (11.1) – military seized power and new National Assembly was elected, Dumarsais Estimé became president (16 August 1946 to 10 May 1950), attempts of reforms, focused on expanding education, expansion of worker’s rights, creation of social security system (no passed), major nationalisations. His presidency was marked by growth and economic development. In foreign policy he was allied towards the US. After he tried to extend his time in office, he was removed by the military. General Paul Magloire became new president, he was elected president in 1950 first direct election.
Dominican Republic – Totalitarian far-right dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. Ally of the US.
INDEPENDENT STATES IN AFRICA
Ethiopia – Emperor Haile Selassie. 15 September 1952 Federation Between Ethiopia and Eritrea formed.
Liberia – US aligned. President William Tubman (1944-1971), stable period.
South Africa – 26 May 1948 Reunited National Party won election. Daniël François Malan became prime minister, 1948-1953 apartheid instituted.
Colonial Africa would be addressed in the next part (since there aren’t too much events 1946-1952, 1953 to 1956 is extremely eventful on the other hand) North Africa covered in another post
submitted by Michtrk to pobeda1946 [link] [comments]
12 April 1946 – surrender of Japan, brief premiership of Naruhiko Higashikuni (14 April to 9 June 1946), followed by Kijūrō Shidehara. Occupation mostly carried by US troops, but also Commonwealth zone (UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand), led by Douglas MacArthur as the SCAP (Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers)
Situation is even way worse than in our reality thanks to all the destruction. First effort is gíve relief to the starving population. Even greater than in our reality are efforts to remove Hirohito (and it is impossible to imagine for the most of Allied leaders including Truman and Churchill to keep him on the throne after this brutal invasion), and despite opposition of MacArthur, Allies force the emperor to abdicate (and renounce divine status) in favour of regency headed by Takahito, (27 July 1946), when Akihito comes to age, he would become the Emperor. Hirohito’s abdication marks the beginning of Seika era, era of Emperor Akihito.
Hirohito is still given all possible protections against any trials for war crimes by MacArthur and is basically sent to comfortable retirement. Institution of monarchy is protected by Allies. Through 1946-1947 many westernisation reforms by MacArthur, based largely on FDR’s New Deal, as in our reality. April-May, political prisoners were released, and Communist Party of Japan was legalised and became politically active organising strikes. 10 February 1947 the first election with women suffrage, victory of Democratic Liberal Party headed by war criminal Hatoyama, who was eventually purged by Allied administration, so Shigeru Yoshida became new prime minister (22 March 1947).
By mid-1947 many officials connected to war crimes were purged, however since then, the course was reversed due to American need for the creation of a powerful Ally against the USSR and many regained power or at least avoided persecution. Through 1947 Americans wrote a new Japanese constitution (later in American myths it was MacArthur completely by himself), 3 August 1947 it was presented. Major shift from our reality is that Article 9, although considered, is not included in such sense as in our reality, it states only that “Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes” second part about demilitarisation is missing. Since summer 1947, US authorities adopt “Reverse Course” policies - aforementioned rehabilitation of officials, also protection of Zaibatsu (which Americans originally wanted to break-up and weaken), and reconstruction. Tokyo Trials 26 September 1946 to 12 January 1950 – MacArthur’s cover up of Japanese war crimes to a lesser extent, but it still does happen (including Unit 731). Taft also, like in Germany, attacks trials as “victor's justice”. From 25 December to 31 1950 Khabarovsk war crimes trials in the USSR about war criminals from Manchuria.
Persecution of growing Japanese communist movement starts. 1948-1951 “Red Purge”. Since March 1949 Dodge Line plan of right-wing economic reforms (cutting public spending, limiting public consumption, and reorienting industrial production in favour of export-oriented), also increase in unemployment and law against unions passed. In 1949 conflicts between communists and authorities escalated into many strikes, pro-communist politicians and officials began to be fired, after summer strike waves also purges of workers and academics. 1 July 1949 Japanese Self-Defence forces established – official remilitarisation. 23 October 1949 election, victory of DLP, electoral success of communists.
Peace Treaty with Japan
President Taft was eager to restore Japanese Independence – SCAP already transferred large amount of authority to Japanese trough 1949, secretary of the state William Richards Castle Jr took initiative. Despite Taft’s initial opposition to idea of continuous military presence, he is persuaded to keep limited number of stationed troops. Peace Treaty with Japan was scheduled after Treaty with Germany. Talks began in August 1950, however talks collapsed over China, despite at the time everyone recognised KMT, Soviets wanted PRC representatives to also attend. Other negotiations were called for January 1951, which resulted into calling for a Peace Conference with Japan in San Francisco analogous to the previous one with Germany. 6 March to 8 August 1951 San Francisco Conference, USSR and its allies boycotted them due to not including Chinese representatives. Despite Chinese and Soviets not being present, their interests were considered. Taiwan was ceded to China, Sakhalin, and Kuril Islands to USSR, unlike OTL Okinawa and more territories were already given back to Japan. Treaty was signed 8 August 1951, valid since 8 March 1952. Separate peace treaties were signed between Japan and ROC (30 January 1953), the Soviet Union and Korea “Vladivostok Treaties” 28 April 1952, these treaties recognised Soviet control over former Japanese territories and entitled Japan to pay reparations to Korea.
8 September 1951 U.S.-Japan Security Treaty was signed, which dictated Japan to accept continuous American military presence. This treaty caused a wave of resistance in Japan, uniting Japanese from right to left. Bloody May Day – over a million protestors in all of Japan, in Tokyo these protests escalated into violence and protests were massacred by police. 1 October 1952 election victory of Yoshida’s Liberal Party. 10 November 1952 coronation ceremony of Emperor Akihito, it marks symbolic beginning of new post-war Japan.
Philippines – 4 July 1947 United States gave official independence to Philippines and retained there many military bases (agreement from 1946 establishes bases for 99 years!) and the US still keeps a degree of political and economic dominance. 28 June 1946 Manuel Roxas became president of Philippines (still under US control then), communists were expelled from Congress despite being democratically elected – Hukbalahap Rebellion resumes (June 1946) and gained substantial strength, United States interferes and supports the government. On 15 April 1948 Roxas died of a heart attack; he was succeeded by vice-president Elpidio Quirino (re-elected in a fraudulent election 8 November 1949). Since the Taft Presidency, interests of Americans in Philippine affairs decreased, aid against Huks drained. President Quirino initiated major social reforms during his second term and attempted mostly useful land reform. 1950-1951 Huks successfully boosted their strength with seizing and keeping control over the centre of Laguna province – Santa Cruz. In 1952 Huks controlled sizable parts of the country and due to government corruption and brutality against rebels had also popular support. In 1951 they started to obtain massive support from China (from 1948 they were also backed by Korea).
Indonesia
Independence
As Japan surrendered, two days later on 14 April 1946 Indonesia (then with its majority under Japanese control) Indonesia declared independence, Sukarno became president and Hatta vice-president. Indonesians took advantage of the lack of established authority. Indonesia was occupied by Commonwealth forces (started in late May 1946). 27 June to 20 July 1946 a large battle between Indonesian and British forces – Battle of Surabaya, under significant losses results into a British victory. Churchill wanted to restore Dutch colonial rule and was ready to back them.
Important is Dutch reaction, Dutch government at the time was coalition between all parties formed after liberation by the Red Army in September 1945 (in wikibox there is 1946, another mistake overlook until I needed that), all parties with exception of CPN supported re-conquest of Indonesia, while communists wanted to grand them independence. CPN is vigorously opposed to continued colonisation and due to CPN securing second place in 1946 election and to lesser degree Soviet pressure on Dutch to recognise Indonesia, talks began in February 1947. Coincidentally with the December 1946 election there was a Malino Conference in which representatives of Dutch controlled territory backed the plan for creation of Dutch aligned federal states. 15 February 1947 Linggadjati Round Table Agreement is signed, in which Netherlands recognises Indonesian Republic controlled territory and both sides agree on formation of the Federal Republic of Indonesia (Republic, East Indonesia and Kalimantan) by 1 January 1948, FRI would newly formed Netherlands-Indonesian Union with the Dutch monarch as head. Similar agreement was reached in our reality but failed. In this timeline everything goes through, despite the fall of the Dutch coalition in summer 1947.
Federation
First Indonesian prime minister under Sutan Sjahrir (April to 3 December 1946), replaced by Amir Sjarifuddin, his cabinet included leftist forces, eventually even communists, who were instrumental in making agreement with the Netherlands (as part of the Dutch coalition were also communist negotiators). This cabinet stayed in power, avoiding real life events of the Madiun Affair. New government headed by Mohammad Hatta was formed after the creation of the federal republic. Creation of this republic was met with criticism from Islamists, who launched the Darul Islam rebellion led by Sekarmadji Maridjan Kartosoewirjo (7 August 1948). Overall, young Indonesia was a very unstable country. Anti-unitary forces attempted a failed coup in January 1950. Federation was not popular among Indonesians, so it was quickly dissolved and replaced with a unitary republic (14 April 1950). The Republic of South Maluku attempted to break away with Dutch support, however failed to do so.
Liberal Democratic Period (to 1952)
Newly declared Indonesian republic adopted its constitution and became a free parliamentary democracy. First government was a leftwing one again under Sjarifuddin, however eventually collapsed due to Indonesian National Party (12 October 1950, replaced by cabinet of Mohammad Natsir), but this government managed to pass electoral law, so first Indonesian legislative elections were held (29 September 1951), lot of parties ran and get seats – four largest were PNI (left wing nationalism), Masyumi (liberal Islamism), Nahdlatul Ulama (Islamism), PKI (communists) and PSI- Parsi (democratic socialism). Result was a right leaning coalition under Sidik Djojosukarto (PNI- Masyumi and several minor parties), in 1952 Indonesia officially left “Union” with Netherlands.
British Malaya
1 November 1946 British colonies were united into the “Malayan Union”, strengthening and centralising British control, stripping local sultans of their powers. This created another opposition movement under nationalist United Malays National Organisation, they applied massive resistance and did not participate in British institutions. Unlike OTL, during the Churchill years, there was no reform. In 1952 (1 February) it was transformed due to this massive and long resistance (and also due to large scale communist uprising) to Federation of Malaya, attempting to appease at least conservative nationalists.
Anti–British National Liberation War (early years)
Postwar economic turmoil, powerful communist organisation, brutal response of colonial authorities to strikers. Malaya was a key British source of resources, to pay for US debts (even way more rising in importance after Taft). 17 June 1948 Sungai Siput incident – revenge killing of plantation managers lead to massive British anti-communist arrests, and communists went into hiding. Also, the uprising in Burma (1947) also plays a role as another new motivation. February 1949 Malayan National Liberation Army under Chin Peng is formed (reformed from anti-Japanese resistance movement), MNLA has support of the population and is based in jungles and areas very hard to access for colonialists. Britain imposes very harsh repression against the population, leading to even more widespread support for MNLA. April 1950 “Briggs Plan” adopted forced deportations of ethnic Chinese to camps (up to half million people). The UK also uses Agent Orange (as the first country in the World), murders and tortures countless civilians, and destroys villages.
6 October 1951 British High Commissioner Henry Gurney survives MNLA ambush, this is actually damaging to the British as his replacement Gerald Templer was more competent in fighting with partisans. British forces are aided by other commonwealth nations. By 1953 the UK had problems dealing with communists and communists were stronger compared to our reality.
British Sarawak, North Borneo, Brunei
These territories were separated from Malaya in 1946. This was opposed by Malays but supported by the Chinese. Resistance by Malays culminated in assassination of Duncan Stewart. Small communist rebellion also started.
Thailand – After the war in June 1946 king Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII) returned back to Thailand, however, was found shot dead on 26 March 1947 his death was blamed on prime minister Pridi Banomyong, who was forced to resign being replaced by Luang Thamrong.
In 1946 Thailand had to return territories to France. The 20 October 1946 election resulted in the victory of the People's Party, the first government was formed by Khuang Aphaiwong, he was however replaced by Pridi Banomyong after a lost vote of confidence (6 January 1947). Pridi was supportive of Vietnamese Independence, so he ended up being overthrown in a US backed coup (8 November 1947), this coup brough Plaek Pibulsonggram back to power. Military allied with royalists and Khuang Aphaiwong was appointed prime minister. New constitution gave back powers to Monarchythat were decreased in the 1932 revolution. To counter the power of royalist military and Pridi allied supporters, another coup was carried out on 6 April 1948, fully returning Plaek to power; he eventually secured power and foced Pridi into exile. Plaek attempted to fully secure power and destroy opposition, but due to lack of US support since 1949, he was eventually ousted by Pridi and his supporters (11 February 1949). New Direk Jayanama-led left-wing democratic government, managed to secure limited support of USSR and larger one of China (but also Britain due to their previous alliance with Allies) and tried to adopt non alignment foreign political stance. Internal political reforms – reduced power of monarchy, new legislature (in June 1950 democratic election), thanks popular policy of land reform government gained widespread support from the rural population. 29 November 1951 anti-Pridi parts of the military attempted a coup against him as returned from exile Plaek Phibunsongkhram, but eventually failed and Plaek was banished. In 1952 the government turned against conservative royalists and attempted to even further weaken the monarchy.
Vietnam
March Revolution 16 March to 15 April, Abdication of Emperor Bảo Đại (already before surrender of Japan because of fears of French invasion) -> creation of Vietnamese Democratic Republic. In late April North Vietnam was occupied by Chinese forces to accept the surrender of the Japanese. In March also general Leclerc arrives. Fontainebleau Agreements in mid-1946 between Vietnam and France, Vietnam as part of the French Union. With the return of France (November 1946) fighting erupted, war erupted in March 1947. By October France took over main population centres.To increase French support, State of Vietnam was created under emperor Bao Dai (2 August 1949) In 1950 Vietnam recognised by the soviet bloc. Same year the UK recognised the State of Vietnam. In late 1950 Viet Minh launched a successful offensive. In January 1951 de Tassigny was appointed to command, under his leadership France had limited military success. Hower financing the war became a major problem around this time. In March 1951 Viet Minh won in the crucial battle of Vĩnh Yên (17 March) and Viet Minh got close to Hanoi, but the French eventually managed to hold the city after heavy losses.
Change came in 1952 from Paris, talks started in February and eventually ceasefire was declared (28 February). Paris Conference – France officially recognised Democratic Republic of Vietnam, State of Vietnam was not invited as France and DRV both agreed that it was French colony (this was heavily criticised). End of war was also connected with referendum about future of Vietnam, if people support State of Vietnam in union with France or DRV. Referendum was held 14 June 1952 and resulted into landslide victory for Vietminh. Emperor abdicates and State of Vietnam dissolves, but some members of its military continue to resist DRV.
Newly independent Vietnam became a key ally for all of the socialist bloc in Asia and supported anti-colonial movements. In 1952 land reform began – often turned violent with execution of landlords. In 1953 the first five-year plan was launched, focusing on developing the country.
Laos – After the defeat of Japanese anti-colonial Lao Issara emerged. Lao monarch king Sisavang Vong however agreed with restoration of the French protectorate, Lao Issara with aid from China and Viet Minh attempted to resist re-imposition of French rule, however movement was weak and failed to do so and eventually dissolved itself in 1949. In January 1947 an agreement was signed that pledged France to give Laos autonomy inside the French Union. 1950 – Pathet Lao is formed and joins Viet Minh against French forces. In 1952 French officially withdrew from the country.
Cambodia – In 1946 king Norodom Sihanouk attempted to negotiate independence with the French, December 1946 election was held that resulted in victory of the left-wing Democratic party over conservative Liberal party. 23 October 1947 Democratic party dominated assembly passed a constitution modelled on the French one. After the death of Democratic party founder Sisowath Yuthevong, the party divided itself and cannot agree on a concrete program. In 1948 Cambodia was given autonomy by the French. After independence in April 1952, Democratic Party was largely boosted by this success. This avoided the fall of parliamentary democracy.
Ceylon (Sri Lanka)– Sri Lankan leaders led by Don Stephen Senanayake attempted to reach independence through negotiations. However, negotiations with secretary of colonies Oliver Stanley led only to self-governance and the British initially rejected granting Ceylon status of dominion. On 24 September 1947 Senanayake became the first prime minister of the newly formed Ceylonese government. In 1948 granting Dominion status to India led to demonstrations in Ceylon, Senanayake increased his pressure towards Britain. Eventually Ceylon was given the same status as India and Pakistan 4 February 1949. The Senanayake family had a lot of power, after the death of Senanayake (26 March 1952) his son Dudley was chosen by the British governor.
OCEANIA AND AMERICAS (Basically restating history with occasional minor changes, brief)
Australia – 5 July 1945 death of prime minister John Curtin, he was succeeded by Frank Forde until Labour elected Ben Chifley as its new leader. 28 October 1946 Labour government was re-elected against the emerging Liberal Party. His government was characterised by successful Keynesian social democratic politics, similar to later Attlee in UK, (social welfare, universal healthcare – in real life modelled after British one, this timeline it is vice versa, ie. The Chifley government serves as an example for Attlee elected in 1951) starting Australian postwar economic growth. Australia also supports migration to increase its population (Europeans due to the still existing “White Australia” policy). Left-wing policies, such as nationalisations, created opposition from capitalists and their conservative affiliates in politics and media. Criticism also comes from the left due to the government's anti-communism and breaking of strikes. 10 December 1949 Liberal prime minister Robert Menzies was elected. Anti-communism, in 1950 Communist party was banned, it was ruled unconstitutional. 28 April 1951 a new election, triggered the failure of the banking bill, still a victory for Liberals, however they weakened themselves with this move. In 1951 Menzies declared a referendum about banning communist parties and this timeline people agreed, leading to persecution of many communists, it was criticised as a major attack on freedom of political expression. Red Scare was similar to the US at the time, but pushed by Menzies' government. Liberal economic policies, this time taking inspiration from Taft.
New Zealand – 27 November 1946 election, victory of ruling Labour Party, Labour declined and lost popularity due to continuous post-war rationing and Fraser’s support for compulsory military service. 30 November 1949 National Party led by Sidney Holland was elected. The Legislation was changed from bicameral to unicameral, economic reforms, however the National government still supported the welfare state. Conflict with Unions, culminating into the waterfront dispute of 1951, the government responded harshly against workers with strong anti-union legislation, even outright criminalising support for them. 11 July 1951 the government was re-elected and gained more seats as a large part of the public supported their stance against workers, due to widespread anti-communism.
Oceania – “Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands” established in 1948 was originally controlled by the USA as OTL, but eventually transferred to the United Kingdom in 1950, as the US was not interested in its administration.
Canada – economic boom, social welfare Keynesian economic policies. 20 May 1946 first postwar election, victory of Liberals, however failed to obtain majority and had to rely on leftwing Co-operative Commonwealth, resulting in Canada building the strongest welfare state from Commonwealth states and becoming the most progressive one (and also becoming a major destination for European immigrants). On 15 November 1948 King retired and was succeeded by Louis St. Laurent, a French Canadian strongly opposed to communism. Due to this anti-communist however the ruling coalition collapsed, triggering snap election on 27 June 1949, which resulted in victory of Liberals, who yet again could form government without making coalitions. Shortly before the election, 31 March 1949 Canada united with NewFoundland. Canada took an important role while the US was absent in TATO.
Mexico – 1 December 1946 Miguel Alemán Valdés became president. Pro-business policies and industrialisation, development of infrastructure (dubbed Mexican miracle), however also corruption and elitism. Pro-American foreign policy. 1 December 1952 he was succeeded by Adolfo Ruiz Cortines, he was popular due to his strong stance against corruption and rapid economic development.
Guatemala – In 1944 the country was ruled by dictator Jorge Ubico, who was overthrown by a junta that was overthrown in a popular revolution (20 October 1944), 15 March 1945 Juan José Arévalo became the country's first democratically elected president, who introduced many reforms. He developed the political ideology of Arevalismo "spiritual socialism" -it can be considered a form of democratic socialism. 12 November 1950 Jacobo Árbenz was elected president, he continued the policies of Arévalo and was even more ambitious with his democratic socialist reforms. Largest one was Land Reform (17 June 1952) which greatly benefited hundred of thousands poor Guatemalan people especially indigenous ones, however made very angry American United Fruit Company that controlled majority of land and basically country itself, UFC began to lobby for his overthrown...
British Honduras – Rise of voice for independence and People's United Party
Honduras – Rule of pro American dictator Tiburcio Carías Andino, unlike OTL he did not gave power to his puppets and continued to rule the country directly. Rise of discounted with his regime, even greater due any reforms instituted by his successor Juan Manuel Gálvez were not passed.
El Salvador – Authoritarian rule of Salvador Castaneda Castro (1945-1948), suppression of strikes and opposition, eventually he was deposed by military coup (14.12.1948), after rule of military, Óscar Osorio was appointed president (14.9.1950), he instituted some social reforms, but continued corrupt regime and persecution of opposition.
Nicaragua – Dictatorial rule of pro-American Somoza dynasty. 1947-1950 figurehead presidency of Leonardo Argüello Barreto (after Truman’s pressure for liberalisation).
Costa Rica – 12 March – 24 April 1948 civil war, after an attempt to annul victory of opposition candidate José Figueres Ferrer in election, it ultimately led to victory of rebels with US help. José Figueres Ferrer became provisional president. and pushed many important reforms: abolished the military, gave women suffrage, welfare, nationalisations of banks and also outlawed communist party. 1949-1953 presidency of Otilio Ulate Blanco that upheld these reforms.
Panama – pro-American parliamentary democracy dominated by oligarchy.
Colombia – 9 April 1948 popular democratic socialist presidential candidate of the Liberal Party Jorge Eliécer Gaitán was assassinated. This triggered the “La Violencia” (1948-1958) period of massive unrest between the left and the right, over 200 000 died, at the start of the Colombian conflict. On 9 November 1949 Liberal opposition attempted to impeach president Ospina Pérez, he dissolved Congress, creating a presidential dictatorship. Liberal leaders launched an uprising in rural areas (originally it was intended to be a military coup, that however in real life did not take place and here took place and failed). 7 August 1950 new Conservative dictatorial president Laureano Gómez Castro, admirer of Franco, suffered a major heart attack and power was transferred to Roberto Urdaneta Arbeláez in 1951.
Venezuela – 18 October 1945 military coup that brought democracy to Venezuela (October 1946 and December 1947 democratic elections) under president Rómulo Betancourt. The 1940s economy also boomed thanks to oil. However, on 24 November 1948, the military staged a coup and Marcos Pérez Jiménez became dictator, under his oppressive regime there was great economic development, and he was close to the US.
Ecuador – President José María Velasco Ibarra was ousted in military coup (23 August 1947), 1947-1948 unstable country was ruled by military Carlos Mancheno Cajas, eventually military gave power to former vice-president Mariano Suárez Veintimilla, who gave his powers to Congress that elected Carlos Julio Arosemena Tola (31 August 1947). His presidency was strongly allied with the United States. 1 September 1948 Galo Plaza, another strongly pro-American figure, became the next president. He supported technocratic approach, democracy and was very open to foreign (mostly American) influence, exporting bananas to America. 1 June 1952 José María Velasco Ibarra (former deposed president, established politician and Ecuadorian nationalist) won election and became president for third term, his term was stable and brought progress, mostly in great development of infrastructure.
Brazil – Fourth Brazilian Republic, president Eurico Gaspar Dutra (1946-1951). Close relations with the US, liberal economic policy. 31 January 1951 Vargas returned after victory in the 3 October 1950 election. Keynesian economic policy, 1953 creation of PETROBRAS. Rua Tonelero shooting an assassination attempt on leading opposition member Carlos Lacerda (5August 1954) blamed on Vargas by opposition in a strong campaign, 24 August 1954 he committed suicide.
Perú – 1945 leftwing president José Luis Bustamante y Rivero, restoration of democracy. 29 October 1948 military seized power in a coup after murder of a prominent right-wing editor. Manuel Odría's regime strongly persecuted leftwing APRA, supported powerful oligarchy and gained favour of people thanks to populist rhetoric and policies.
Bolivia – 1947 to 1949 rule of Enrique Hertzog, conservative American aligned government. Economy in a terrible state, social unrest and intensified class struggle. Dominant opposition group was Nationalist Revolutionary Movement (MRN) with a program of nationalisations and land reform. Next president Mamerto Urriolagoitía installed military rule (16 May 1951) under Hugo Ballivián. 9 April 1952 Bolivian National Revolution overthrew the junta. Víctor Paz Estenssoro became president. Many left-wing and democratic reforms transformed the country: universal suffrage, nationalisation of mining, large land reform (however created farms were eventually again taken over by large landowners), great influence of trade unions and workers.
Paraguay – Dictator Higinio Morínigo was pushed by the US to liberalise his regime, he legalised political parties and formed a coalition between Colorado and Febreristas. Later ones resigned from the government (11 January 1947) and united with opposition forces (Liberals and Communists) and attempted to topple his regime starting a civil war (7 March – 20 August 1947), despite opposition having popular support, and the government was saved by the US and Argentina. All parties with exception of Colorado were banned and the country became one party state. 16 August 1948 leader of Colorado Juan Natalicio González was elected president. He promoted nationalist policies; several American companies were nationalised. Due to American non-interventionism, three attempted coups against the president failed due to lack of any outside support. In other ways Paraguay was a stable country during his presidency.
Uruguay – functioning democracy, dominance of liberal Colorado party. Presidents: Juan José de Amézaga (1943-1947) – social reforms, economic stability and growth. Tomás Berreta (1947) died in office, Luis Batlle Berres (1947-1951) continued social and leftwing economic reforms.
Chile – Democratic presidential republic. September 1946 presidential election, Gabriel González Videla (Radical) elected. During his presidency many communist strikes, under US pressure Videla passed “Permanent Defense of Democracy Law” (8.9.1948) that banned the communist party, many imprisoned, strikes brutally suppressed, relations with socialist bloc broken. Radicals created alliance with Liberals and Conservatives. 4 September 1952 resulted in the victory of former president nationalist general Carlos Ibáñez del Campo. He repealed the ban on communists and also gained support from the left.
Argentina – Peron and Peronism. Nationalism, populism, social welfare, improvement of working conditions, development of local industry, growing power of the trade unions, authoritarian rule and persecution of opposition etc. Non-aligned foreign policy stance. 26 July 1952 death of Eva Peron.
Cuba – Presidents Ramón Grau (44-48) and Carlos Prío Socarrás (48-52) of left-wing nationalist Partido Auténtico. 10.3.1952 democracy overthrown by Batista’s coup. Pro-American authoritarian regime, serving interests of American elites owning majority of the county.
Haiti – 1946 revolution (11.1) – military seized power and new National Assembly was elected, Dumarsais Estimé became president (16 August 1946 to 10 May 1950), attempts of reforms, focused on expanding education, expansion of worker’s rights, creation of social security system (no passed), major nationalisations. His presidency was marked by growth and economic development. In foreign policy he was allied towards the US. After he tried to extend his time in office, he was removed by the military. General Paul Magloire became new president, he was elected president in 1950 first direct election.
Dominican Republic – Totalitarian far-right dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. Ally of the US.
INDEPENDENT STATES IN AFRICA
Ethiopia – Emperor Haile Selassie. 15 September 1952 Federation Between Ethiopia and Eritrea formed.
Liberia – US aligned. President William Tubman (1944-1971), stable period.
South Africa – 26 May 1948 Reunited National Party won election. Daniël François Malan became prime minister, 1948-1953 apartheid instituted.
Colonial Africa would be addressed in the next part (since there aren’t too much events 1946-1952, 1953 to 1956 is extremely eventful on the other hand) North Africa covered in another post
2024.05.18 21:15 SanderSo47 Directors at the Box Office: Clint Eastwood (Part 1)
 | https://preview.redd.it/m07tmkxgi81d1.jpg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a069dd209bca819edad29814e0bbd2b76eaa50db submitted by SanderSo47 to boxoffice [link] [comments] As Reddit doesn't allow posts to exceed 40,000 characters, Eastwood's edition had to be split into two parts because his whole career cannot be ignored. The second part will be posted tomorrow.Here's a new edition of "Directors at the Box Office", which seeks to explore the directors' trajectory at the box office and analyze their hits and bombs. I already talked about a few, and as I promised, it's Clint Eastwood's turn.Eastwood was a troublemaker at school, and he had a bunch of odd jobs such as lifeguard, paper carrier, grocery clerk, forest firefighter, and golf caddy. In 1951, he was drafted into the United States Army during the Korean War and was discharged two years later. Through this, he got into contact with a Hollywood representative, who got him into acting classes and started his acting career. He got his start by starring in the hit show Rawhide, but he said he was exhausted by the experience. This caught the attention of some film producers and he decided to act in films directed by the then-unknown Sergio Leone. His career was on the rise, and then he got the chance to make his directorial debut. From a box office perspective, how reliable was he to deliver a box office hit? That's the point of this post. To analyze his career. It should be noted that as he started his career in the 1970s, some of the domestic grosses here will be adjusted by inflation. The table with his highest grossing films, however, will be left in its unadjusted form, as the worldwide grosses are more difficult to adjust.Play Misty for Me (1971)"The scream you hear may be your own!"His directorial debut. It stars Eastwood, Jessica Walter and Donna Mills, and follows a radio disc jockey being stalked by an obsessed female fan. Before his colleague Irving Leonard died, he and Eastwood had discussed the idea of producing a film that was to give Eastwood the artistic control he desired, and his debut as a director. Eastwood said he was ready, "I stored away all the mistakes I made and saved up all the good things I learned, and now I know enough to control my own projects and get what I want out of actors." The film was a huge success for Eastwood, and it also received positive reviews. So far, his directorial career was off to a great start.
High Plains Drifter (1973)"They'd never forget the day he drifted into town."His second film. The film stars Eastwood, Verna Bloom and Mariana Hill, and follows a mysterious stranger who metes out justice in a corrupt frontier mining town. Eastwood reportedly liked the offbeat quality of the film's original nine-page proposal and approached Universal with the idea of directing it, which would make it his first directed Western. The screenplay was inspired by the real-life murder of Kitty Genovese in Queens in 1964, which eyewitnesses reportedly stood by and watched. Holes in the plot were filled in with black humor and allegory, influenced by Sergio Leone. It was well received, and the film even surpassed Play Misty for Me at the box office. Eastwood was just going up.
Breezy (1973)"Her name is Breezy."His third film. It stars William Holden and Kay Lenz, and follows the relationship between a middle-aged real estate agent and a young hitchhiker. This was his first directed film without starring on it. And his lack of presence certainly hurt the film; it received mixed reviews and flopped at the box office.
The Eiger Sanction (1975)"His lifeline, held by the assassin he hunted."His fourth film. Based on the novel by Trevanian, the film stars Eastwood, George Kennedy, Vonetta McGee, and Jack Cassidy. It follows Jonathan Hemlock, an art history professor, mountain climber, and former assassin once employed by a secret government agency, who is blackmailed into returning to his deadly profession for one last mission. The film received mixed reactions for its writing, and it wasn't a box office success either.
The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)"An army of one."His fifth film. Based on the novel Gone to Texas by Forrest Carter, it stars Eastwood, Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Bill McKinney and John Vernon. The film tells the story of Josey Wales, a Missouri farmer whose family is murdered by Union militia during the Civil War. Driven to revenge, Wales joins a Confederate guerrilla band and makes a name for himself as a feared gunfighter. After the war, all the fighters in Wales' group except for him surrender to Union soldiers, but the Confederates end up being massacred. Wales becomes an outlaw and is pursued by bounty hunters and Union soldiers as he tries to make a new life for himself. Eastwood was fascinated by the novel and he bought the film rights, hoping to star on the film. He got Philip Kaufman involved as screenwriter and possible director, but left after disagreeing with Eastwood in the material adapted to the screen. Kaufman insisted on filming with a meticulous attention to detail, which caused disagreements with Eastwood, not to mention the attraction the two shared towards Locke and apparent jealousy on Kaufman's part in regard to their emerging relationship. This caused Eastwood to take over as the director. Kaufman's firing angered the DGA, as he did most of the pre-production, and sanctioning a $60,000 fine. This resulted in the Director's Guild passing a new rule, known as "the Eastwood Rule", which prohibits an actor or producer from firing the director and then personally taking on the director's role. The film received critical acclaim, and in subsequent years, is ranked among Eastwood's greatest films. It was also a huge success at the box office, doubling his previous highest grossing film. It was also one of the few Western films to receive critical and commercial success in the 1970s at a time when the Western was thought to be dying as a major genre in Hollywood.
The Gauntlet (1977)"The man in the middle of..."His sixth film. It stars Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, William Prince, Bill McKinney, and Mara Corday. It follows a down-and-out cop who falls in love with a prostitute, to whom he is assigned to escort from Las Vegas to Phoenix for her to testify against the mob. While it received mixed reviews, it became another box office success for Eastwood, becoming his now highest grossing film.
Bronco Billy (1980)"The most outrageous of 'em all."His seventh film. The film stars Eastwood and Sondra Locke, and focuses on the financially-struggling owner of a traditional Wild West show and his new assistant. It became another critical and commercial success for Eastwood, who referred to the film as one of his most affable shoots of his career.
Firefox (1982)"The most devastating killing machine ever built... his job... steal it!"His eighth film. Based on the novel by Craig Thomas, it stars Eastwood, Freddie Jones and David Huffman. The Soviets have developed a revolutionary new jet fighter, called "Firefox". Naturally, the British are worried that the jet will be used as a first-strike weapon, as rumors say that the jet is undetectable on radar. They send ex-Vietnam War pilot Mitchell Gant on a covert mission into the Soviet Union to steal the Firefox. The film received mixed reviews, but it earned almost $47 million, becoming Eastwood's highest grossing title as director.
Honkytonk Man (1982)"The boy is on his way to becoming a man. The man is on his way to becoming a legend."His ninth film. It's based on the novel by Clancy Carlile, and it stars Eastwood and his son Kyle. It follows Red Stovall, a country music singer and composer. With his nephew Whit by his side, he travels to Nashville to perform at the Grand Ole Opry in the backdrop of the Great Depression. While the film received acclaim, it earned just $4.4 million, becoming his second worst performer.
Sudden Impact (1983)"Dirty Harry is at it again."His tenth film. The fourth installment in the Dirty Harry series, directed, it stars Eastwood and Sondra Locke. The film tells the story of a gang rape victim who decides to seek revenge on her rapists 10 years after the attack by killing them one by one. Inspector Harry Callahan, famous for his unconventional and often brutal crime-fighting tactics, is tasked with tracking down the serial killer. The film received mixed reviews from critics, but it earned over $150 million worldwide, Eastwood's first film to pass that milestone. It's also very popular for including the iconic catchphrase, "Go ahead, make my day."
Pale Rider (1985)"...And Hell followed with him."His 11th film. It stars Eastwood, Michael Moriarty and Carrie Snodgress. A couple and their daughter, along with a few others, are driven out of Lahood, California, by goons working for a mining baron. However, a stranger enters their life to assist them in their fight. There was no stopping Eastwood: another critical and commercial success.
Heartbreak Ridge (1986)"The scars run deep."His 12th film. It stars Eastwood, Marsha Mason, Everett McGill, and Mario Van Peebles. The story centers on a U.S. Marine nearing retirement who gets a platoon of undisciplined Marines into shape and leads them during the American invasion of Grenada in 1983. The film was inspired by an account of American paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division using a pay telephone and a credit card to call in fire support during the invasion of Grenada, and fashioned a script of a Korean War veteran career Army non-commissioned officer passing on his values to a new generation of soldiers. Eastwood was interested in the script and asked his producer, Fritz Manes, to contact the US Army with a view of filming the movie at Fort Bragg. However, the Army read the script and refused to participate, due to Highway being portrayed as a hard drinker, divorced from his wife, and using unapproved motivational methods to his troops, an image the Army did not want. It received mixed reviews, with some deeming the film as "imperialist propaganda". But it was still another box office success.
Bird (1988)"There are no second acts in American lives."His 13th film. The film stars Forest Whitaker and Diane Venora. It is constructed as a montage of scenes from saxophonist Charlie Parker's life, from his childhood in Kansas City, through his early death at the age of 34. Eastwood, a lifelong fan of jazz, had been fascinated by Parker ever since seeing him perform live in Oakland in 1946. He approached Chan Parker, Bird's common-law wife on whose memoirs the script was based, for input, and she lent Eastwood and arranger Lennie Niehaus a collection of recordings from her private collection Before Eastwood was involved, Richard Pryor was originally cast as Parker. Despitive positive reviews, it performed poorly, earning just $2.2 million in North America.
White Hunter Black Heart (1990)"An adventure in obsession."His 14th film. Based on the novel by Peter Viertel, it stars Eastwood, Jeff Fahey, George Dzundza, Alun Armstrong and Marisa Berenson. It follows a famous movie director, John Wilson, who goes to Africa to make his next movie. He is an obstinate, contrary director who'd rather hunt elephants than take care of his crew or movie. He has become obsessed with one particular elephant and cares for nothing else. Despite positive reviews, it made just $2.3 million domestically, not even 10% of the budget.
The Rookie (1990)His 15th film. The film stars Eastwood, Charlie Sheen, Raul Julia, Sônia Braga, Lara Flynn Boyle, and Tom Skerritt. It follows a veteran police officer teamed up with a younger detective, whose intent is to take down a German crime lord in downtown Los Angeles, following months of investigation into an exotic car theft ring.It received negative reviews for its acting and story, and it became another flop for Eastwood. That's three bombs in a row. Ouch.
Unforgiven (1992)"Some legends will never be forgotten. Some wrongs can never be forgiven."His 16th film. It stars Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Richard Harris and Morgan Freeman. It follows William Munny, a widower with two young kids, who was once a very vicious gunfighter who gave up everything after marriage. Now, a man named Schofield Kid brings him an offer that he cannot refuse, forcing him to come out of retirement for one last job. David Webb Peoples wrote the script all the way back to 1976, and it was optioned by Francis Ford Coppola, but he lacked the funds needed to helm it. By Eastwood's own recollection, he was given the script in the "early 80s" although he did not immediately pursue it, because, according to him, "I thought I should do some other things first". Eastwood has long asserted that the film would be his last traditional Western, concerned that any future projects would simply rehash previous plotlines or imitate someone else's work. He dedicated the film to his close friends and mentors Sergio Leone and Don Siegel. Hackman initially refused to participate as his daughters were upset that he was starring in too many violent films, but he became fascinated by the script that he agreed. It opened with $15 million and it legged all the way to $100 million after playing for almost one year, closing with $159 million worldwide, his now highest grossing film. The film received Eastwood's best reviews of his career, with many considering the film as his magnum opus as director. It received 9 Oscar nominations, and won four: Best Picture and Best Director for Eastwood, Best Supporting Actor for Hackman, and Best Film Editing. So Eastwood, on top of being a reliable box office draw, was now a 2-time Oscar winner.
A Perfect World (1993)His 17th film. Kevin Costner, Eastwood and Laura Dern, and follows an escaped convict who takes a young boy hostage and attempts to escape on the road with the child, while being pursued by a Texas Ranger.The film received critical acclaim, and has appeared as one of Eastwood's best films. The film disappointed in North America, but it earned up to $100 million overseas (Eastwood's first film to gross that much) and ended with $135 million worldwide.
The Bridges of Madison County (1995)"The human heart has a way of making itself large again even after it's been broken into a million pieces."His 18th film. Based on the novel by Robert James Waller, it stars Eastwood and Meryl Streep. The film is set in 1965, following a war bride, Francesca Johnson, who lives with her husband and two children on their Iowa farm. That year she meets National Geographic photojournalist, Robert Kincaid, who comes to Madison County, Iowa to photograph its historic covered bridges. With Francesca's family away for a short trip, the couple have an intense, four-day love affair. It received more critical acclaim, and made over $180 million worldwide, becoming his highest grossing film. For her performance, Streep was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress.
Absolute Power (1997)His 19th film. Based on the novel by David Baldacci, it stars Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Judy Davis, Scott Glenn, Dennis Haysbert, and Richard Jenkins. It follows a master jewel thief who witnesses the killing of a woman by Secret Service agents.It received mixed reviews, and disappointed at the box office.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)"Welcome to Savannah, Georgia. A Ccty of hot nights and cold blooded murder."His 20th film. Based on the book by John Berendt, it stars John Cusack and Kevin Spacey. It follows the story of antiques dealer Jim Williams, on trial for the killing of a male prostitute who was his lover. The multiple trials depicted in Berendt's book are combined into one trial for the film. It received mediocre reviews, and flopped at the box office.
True Crime (1999)His 21st film. Based on the novel by Andrew Klavan, it stars Eastwood, Isaiah Washington, Denis Leary, LisaGay Hamilton and James Woods. It follows a journalist covering the execution of a death row inmate, only to discover that the convict may actually be innocent.This was another project that received mediocre reviews and flopped at the box office.
Space Cowboys (2000)"Boys will be boys."His 22nd film. It stars Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, and James Garner as four aging former test pilots who are sent into space to repair an old Soviet satellite. It received very positive reviews, and earned over $128 million worldwide.
Blood Work (2002)"He's a heartbeat away from catching the killer."His 23rd film. Based on the novel by Michael Connelly, it stars Eastwood, Jeff Daniels, Wanda De Jesús, and Anjelica Huston. It follows a retired FBI agent who recently had a heart transplant but still takes up the job to nab a killer. It was another film with mediocre reviews and flop status.
Mystic River (2003)"We bury our sins, we wash them clean."His 24th film. Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane, it stars Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, and Laura Linney. It follows three childhood friends who are reunited 25 years later when one of them suffers a family tragedy. Michael Keaton was originally cast in the role of Det. Sean Devine, and did several script readings with the cast, as well as his own research into the practices of the Massachusetts Police Department. However, creative differences between Keaton and Eastwood led to Keaton leaving the production. He was replaced by Kevin Bacon. This was the first film in which Eastwood would be credited as composer. The film had a slow roll-out, but it was aided by strong word of mouth, closing with a wonderful $156 million worldwide. It also received acclaim, and was named as one of Eastwood's greatest films. Sean Penn received universal acclaim for his performance, with some naming it among the best acting of the century, particularly for one scene (if you watched it, you definitely know which scene). It received 6 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director for Eastwood. It won two: Best Actor for Penn and Best Supporting Actor for Robbins.
Come back tomorrow for Part 2Don't suggest directors for the next edition here. Save it for tomorrow. |
2024.05.18 17:50 Able-Initial-6014 Anyone knew bra?🕊️
 | Jhi passed a min ago on Southgate drive💜(beacon hill apts) but ion think anyone got bagged for this, 🥷🏾s said he went by Muk submitted by Able-Initial-6014 to NovaMotion [link] [comments] |
2024.05.18 16:37 Low_Jellyfish_6839 Toxicology. & JP ALIBI
If the family wanted to, they could still have a toxicology report done on Micha’s remains.
Unfortunately they wouldn’t be able to do an autopsy ever. JP should be in prison or In front of the firing squad. If the FBI is unwilling to help, as they have proved, it’s time to get the US Marshall’s involvement to look into the cororner (who by the way is the ONLY PERSON with the power to remove the chief/head sheriff from his position of power), the person who cremated Mica (which btw the person who cremated Mica has already been in “trouble” for cremating another person body before investigation), the Lumberton PD, the Lumberton park rangers and FBI. The Marshals should also look into solid rocks money laundering and sexual abuse, the rev at the church, JPs dad, the fisherman, THE COUPLE & the family at the ramp the fisherman talked to & the man who owns the property near Lumberton, Robeson county, ALL OF IT. This investigation has been an absolute shit show from the very beginning.
HOW ARE THE POLICE GOING TO SIT THERE AND SAY THAT HIS TRUCK WAS CAUGHT ON A HIGHWAY CAMERA AND HES OFF THE HOOK???!!!!!
What was JPs full alibi?
Where is the camera footage of JP in the town he was allegedly in the day of Micas murder?
If he stayed at a hotel, for how long? Where’s the hotel camera footage?
Surely he had to get gas along the way or food ?!? Where are the receipts.
They went to dinner after the soccer game? Surly the place had cameras.
submitted by Low_Jellyfish_6839 to JusticeForMicaMiller [link] [comments]
Unfortunately they wouldn’t be able to do an autopsy ever. JP should be in prison or In front of the firing squad. If the FBI is unwilling to help, as they have proved, it’s time to get the US Marshall’s involvement to look into the cororner (who by the way is the ONLY PERSON with the power to remove the chief/head sheriff from his position of power), the person who cremated Mica (which btw the person who cremated Mica has already been in “trouble” for cremating another person body before investigation), the Lumberton PD, the Lumberton park rangers and FBI. The Marshals should also look into solid rocks money laundering and sexual abuse, the rev at the church, JPs dad, the fisherman, THE COUPLE & the family at the ramp the fisherman talked to & the man who owns the property near Lumberton, Robeson county, ALL OF IT. This investigation has been an absolute shit show from the very beginning.
HOW ARE THE POLICE GOING TO SIT THERE AND SAY THAT HIS TRUCK WAS CAUGHT ON A HIGHWAY CAMERA AND HES OFF THE HOOK???!!!!!
What was JPs full alibi?
Where is the camera footage of JP in the town he was allegedly in the day of Micas murder?
If he stayed at a hotel, for how long? Where’s the hotel camera footage?
Surely he had to get gas along the way or food ?!? Where are the receipts.
They went to dinner after the soccer game? Surly the place had cameras.
2024.05.18 10:36 worst-responder Just don't get hurt
 | submitted by worst-responder to Portland [link] [comments] |
2024.05.18 10:33 worst-responder oof
 | submitted by worst-responder to ems [link] [comments] |
2024.05.18 03:29 DreadMan-D I quit being a nightcrawler, and I need to tell someone why
More than a month ago, I quit being a nightcrawler in a city down south. It wasn't because I didn't like the job. It was pretty enjoyable. I didn't mind the late nights. I'm a night owl. Besides that, I'm somewhat of a degenerate that the crime scenes didn't affect me. I'm not bragging about that. It is what it is. But, ever since I ran from it, I can feel something slowly creeping back into my life. Something's changed. I've seen it at my new job. I don't want it to be this way, so maybe if I get it off my chest it will go away. Or maybe one of you here knows what I'm talking about. Let me explain.
For those who don't know, a nightcrawler is a term made popular by the Jake Gyllenhaal movie of the same name. The way I made money was by spending nights listening to the police scanners and waiting. When something went down: a murder, a car crash, you name it, I was the first one at the scene. I had to be. If I didn't get the shot, I didn't get paid. So, I was a first responder in a way, but my role was strictly observational. I did NOT get involved, and for good reason.
I'll spare you the details, but I've seen some pretty gruesome stuff. Nothing like New York or Los Angeles, but there was still a crime problem, and there was a lot of it. I was happy to make money as a young guy with no degree and no connections. I also felt like I was pretty good at it too. The local assignment editors would hit me up asking if I had anything new.
The night that ended my career was quiet. Like every evening, I was sitting on the hood of my 2015 Impala listening to the airwaves. I had made an abandoned mall parking lot my base of operations. It allowed me to focus. The scanner was tame. Chatter was a minimum between the dispatchers. Weekends could be slow, but I remember thinking it was odd how quiet it was. I hadn't shot anything all that week, and I was strapped for cash. The last thing I had sold was a head-on collision between two drivers. It hadn't been my most explicit shot, but it had gotten the job done. Still, I didn't get residuals if it played for consecutive nights.
I got off the hood of my car and began to pace. The silence was killing me. I couldn't sit still, and I knew if I did I would end up driving aimlessly around. I never did that since you never knew where an event would happen. The channels in my area were always reliable, but not this night. I needed to search for other channels.
Lots of static came through as I twisted the knob. I went end to end on the frequencies. I even tried to see if I could get the next county over, but there was nothing. It was looking like I was going to have to end the night. I hated going home before the sun was up, but what could I do? I knew if I was desperate I wouldn't get what I wanted, so I decided to call it.
As I approached the driver's door, a loud bang echoed through the night. I knew it was a gunshot. I'd heard them up close before. I waited a moment to see if there were any others. As soon as it went quiet, I flipped on the main police frequency.
"331 calling all units. 331 calling all units."
An all-unit call meant the shooting was of high importance. I thought it was strange since it was only the one gunshot fired, but what did I know?
"331 this is squad 271, over."
"271 possible 10-91 reported at Beverly and Overton, what's your status?"
10-91 confirmed the shooting. At the sound of that, I ripped open the driver's door and started the ignition. Beverly and Overton; it was close. Probably 15 minutes with the way I drive. My nocturnal business had helped me indicate which streets had red light cameras. I could be there in less than five minutes. I shut the scanner off and shifted into drive.
I arrived at the location to find it empty. There wasn't a soul in sight. Not unusual for this time of night or this part of town. I thought they might've misreported it, but I knew that wasn't the case.
I parked on the side of the road and prepared. I pulled out my camera, checked battery life, and white balanced. I began to survey the area panning from behind to front. Sometimes, I'm able to see better through the camera. I tend to pick up things easier whether I can zoom or brighten the view. As I came around the front, I finally saw it. My thumb instinctively hit record.
There was a body, about 10 yards in the distance. I hadn't seen it when I first arrived because it was in all black - a suit from what I could tell. It was lying halfway in the bushes on the sidewalk. As I held the shot on it, I watched the wind ruffle the fabric. I felt my free hand reach for the door handle but froze. The leg in the street stretched out.
It was alive. I'd never captured anything like this before. I just sat and let the camera roll. I'd get paid well for this one. I could see the dollar signs. The stations would eat it up. My mind fell into the bliss of finally having a paycheck again. I could feel my shoulders fall. I sank back into my car's cloth seats.
Bang! Bang! Bang! A fist hit against my door's window. I jumped and looked over. A woman, in a red dress and streaky makeup, was staring at me. She looked worn out like she'd run a marathon. Her voice was muffled as she kept screaming for me to turn the camera off. I didn't recognize I had it pointed at her. Old habits. At first, I didn't think to put it away, but then I noticed her gun. It wasn't aimed, but I lowered the camera. I rolled down my window to hear her better.
"I need your help!" she shouted.
"Cops are on the way," I said.
"You don't understand. They can't help."
"They can. Just let them do their job," I said. She gripped the snub-nosed revolver in her hand so tight her knuckles were white. I might have seemed a little too calm here, but this is just how I remember it. In the corner of my eye, the red light was still lit on the camera. It was going to be one helluva shot.
"He's not going to die from this," she said and waved the gun.
"Are you sure?"
"Unless you run him over."
I was speechless.
"Please," she said. Her voice softened. "I need you."
"W-what?"
"He's not a man. He's - something else."
Clearly, this woman was out of her mind. The two of them had probably gotten high on some pills or something, and now she was having a psychotic break. It sounded more plausible than the man being something else. I knew I had to keep calm and try my best to keep myself out of trouble.
"I think you should wait for the police," I said. I gently released the camera and let it fall into my crotch. I didn't make a move for the gear shifter, but I was preparing. It seemed like the barrel of the gun was coming my way.
"Please," she begged. "It can't live."
I should've driven off, but I didn't. I wished I could've helped her. For a moment, I thought about letting her sit in the car. But that thought died to my selfish need for survival. I wasn't getting involved. I couldn't break my rules.
"I'm sorry," I said. "I can't help you. I shouldn't even be here." I said. My hand crept to the gear shifter. My foot hovered over the gas pedal. Click. The woman raised the gun to my head.
"Get out," she demanded. I immediately raised my hands.
She came over to the door and pulled the handle. It was locked. I never unlocked my doors unless I was leaving the car. I'd been carjacked before. She tried to force it open, but it was not happening. I remained motionless.
"I will shoot you! I'm not afraid!" I watched as the barrel met my direct line of sight. The darkness was deep down the nozzle. I could see each of the bullets in their chambers and the one empty pocket. I understood that my miserable life could be ended right here. I would be shot by some random, unhinged woman. Seemed like a fitting end, but that was halted by flashing red and blue lights.
The woman turned to the police. I heard a shout while she raised her weapon. A barrage of gunfire was unleashed. Soon she was on the floor. Somehow my camera had made it back to my hand. I captured the whole thing.
The police rushed up to the woman and began assisting her. One shouted at me to see if I was okay, but I pointed at the body in the distance. I panned to see if he was still there, and he was. However, he was standing. He looked normal like he hadn't been shot, but there was something sinister on his face. I don't know if it was in his smile or his eyes, but the way he was staring at me - gave me the creeps. He knew I was watching, and he seemed happy I was. As we held each other's eyesight, his eyes flashed red. I'm not kidding, and It wasn't from the police lights. His eyes literally glowed bright red.
The cop banged my open window with his flashlight I looked over with the camera.
"Step out of the car!" He said. He was a heavy-set guy with a big beard. No gun was pulled, but he didn't look too happy.
"You have to help him." I pointed over to the man standing and smiling. The cop looked over. He looked back.
"Are you high? Get out of the car!"
You probably saw that one coming.
But still, imagine my shock when I panned over once more to find that the smiling man was gone. The area was empty. The cop opened my door from the inside.
The two officers interrogated me. They took my camera, searched my interior, and breathalyzed me. They weren't sure if I was a dealer or this woman's pimp. After telling them everything, and then checking the video, they sent me on my way home. They kept my camera obviously. On any other night, I would've been upset, but I knew this was my last.
The next week I moved. I surprisingly found a job as an archivist at a newsroom. It's simple and boring, but I operate the same hours as before. It's steady, which I'm thankful for, but it's gotten strange. Sometimes I'll see some footage that I thought was mine and it makes me chuckle. But I'm beginning to worry. I've been seeing the smiling man.
At first, I thought it was just hallucinations from the long hours. Nope. He's in all the videos. The cameramen don't notice him, but I do. He's at every crime scene and he's always smiling - always watching. I've done my best to not watch the videos because I can't stand to look at his face. One day coming home from work, I thought I saw him in my reflection. I'm beginning to believe the woman. He's not a person. He's something else.
submitted by DreadMan-D to nosleep [link] [comments]
For those who don't know, a nightcrawler is a term made popular by the Jake Gyllenhaal movie of the same name. The way I made money was by spending nights listening to the police scanners and waiting. When something went down: a murder, a car crash, you name it, I was the first one at the scene. I had to be. If I didn't get the shot, I didn't get paid. So, I was a first responder in a way, but my role was strictly observational. I did NOT get involved, and for good reason.
I'll spare you the details, but I've seen some pretty gruesome stuff. Nothing like New York or Los Angeles, but there was still a crime problem, and there was a lot of it. I was happy to make money as a young guy with no degree and no connections. I also felt like I was pretty good at it too. The local assignment editors would hit me up asking if I had anything new.
The night that ended my career was quiet. Like every evening, I was sitting on the hood of my 2015 Impala listening to the airwaves. I had made an abandoned mall parking lot my base of operations. It allowed me to focus. The scanner was tame. Chatter was a minimum between the dispatchers. Weekends could be slow, but I remember thinking it was odd how quiet it was. I hadn't shot anything all that week, and I was strapped for cash. The last thing I had sold was a head-on collision between two drivers. It hadn't been my most explicit shot, but it had gotten the job done. Still, I didn't get residuals if it played for consecutive nights.
I got off the hood of my car and began to pace. The silence was killing me. I couldn't sit still, and I knew if I did I would end up driving aimlessly around. I never did that since you never knew where an event would happen. The channels in my area were always reliable, but not this night. I needed to search for other channels.
Lots of static came through as I twisted the knob. I went end to end on the frequencies. I even tried to see if I could get the next county over, but there was nothing. It was looking like I was going to have to end the night. I hated going home before the sun was up, but what could I do? I knew if I was desperate I wouldn't get what I wanted, so I decided to call it.
As I approached the driver's door, a loud bang echoed through the night. I knew it was a gunshot. I'd heard them up close before. I waited a moment to see if there were any others. As soon as it went quiet, I flipped on the main police frequency.
"331 calling all units. 331 calling all units."
An all-unit call meant the shooting was of high importance. I thought it was strange since it was only the one gunshot fired, but what did I know?
"331 this is squad 271, over."
"271 possible 10-91 reported at Beverly and Overton, what's your status?"
10-91 confirmed the shooting. At the sound of that, I ripped open the driver's door and started the ignition. Beverly and Overton; it was close. Probably 15 minutes with the way I drive. My nocturnal business had helped me indicate which streets had red light cameras. I could be there in less than five minutes. I shut the scanner off and shifted into drive.
I arrived at the location to find it empty. There wasn't a soul in sight. Not unusual for this time of night or this part of town. I thought they might've misreported it, but I knew that wasn't the case.
I parked on the side of the road and prepared. I pulled out my camera, checked battery life, and white balanced. I began to survey the area panning from behind to front. Sometimes, I'm able to see better through the camera. I tend to pick up things easier whether I can zoom or brighten the view. As I came around the front, I finally saw it. My thumb instinctively hit record.
There was a body, about 10 yards in the distance. I hadn't seen it when I first arrived because it was in all black - a suit from what I could tell. It was lying halfway in the bushes on the sidewalk. As I held the shot on it, I watched the wind ruffle the fabric. I felt my free hand reach for the door handle but froze. The leg in the street stretched out.
It was alive. I'd never captured anything like this before. I just sat and let the camera roll. I'd get paid well for this one. I could see the dollar signs. The stations would eat it up. My mind fell into the bliss of finally having a paycheck again. I could feel my shoulders fall. I sank back into my car's cloth seats.
Bang! Bang! Bang! A fist hit against my door's window. I jumped and looked over. A woman, in a red dress and streaky makeup, was staring at me. She looked worn out like she'd run a marathon. Her voice was muffled as she kept screaming for me to turn the camera off. I didn't recognize I had it pointed at her. Old habits. At first, I didn't think to put it away, but then I noticed her gun. It wasn't aimed, but I lowered the camera. I rolled down my window to hear her better.
"I need your help!" she shouted.
"Cops are on the way," I said.
"You don't understand. They can't help."
"They can. Just let them do their job," I said. She gripped the snub-nosed revolver in her hand so tight her knuckles were white. I might have seemed a little too calm here, but this is just how I remember it. In the corner of my eye, the red light was still lit on the camera. It was going to be one helluva shot.
"He's not going to die from this," she said and waved the gun.
"Are you sure?"
"Unless you run him over."
I was speechless.
"Please," she said. Her voice softened. "I need you."
"W-what?"
"He's not a man. He's - something else."
Clearly, this woman was out of her mind. The two of them had probably gotten high on some pills or something, and now she was having a psychotic break. It sounded more plausible than the man being something else. I knew I had to keep calm and try my best to keep myself out of trouble.
"I think you should wait for the police," I said. I gently released the camera and let it fall into my crotch. I didn't make a move for the gear shifter, but I was preparing. It seemed like the barrel of the gun was coming my way.
"Please," she begged. "It can't live."
I should've driven off, but I didn't. I wished I could've helped her. For a moment, I thought about letting her sit in the car. But that thought died to my selfish need for survival. I wasn't getting involved. I couldn't break my rules.
"I'm sorry," I said. "I can't help you. I shouldn't even be here." I said. My hand crept to the gear shifter. My foot hovered over the gas pedal. Click. The woman raised the gun to my head.
"Get out," she demanded. I immediately raised my hands.
She came over to the door and pulled the handle. It was locked. I never unlocked my doors unless I was leaving the car. I'd been carjacked before. She tried to force it open, but it was not happening. I remained motionless.
"I will shoot you! I'm not afraid!" I watched as the barrel met my direct line of sight. The darkness was deep down the nozzle. I could see each of the bullets in their chambers and the one empty pocket. I understood that my miserable life could be ended right here. I would be shot by some random, unhinged woman. Seemed like a fitting end, but that was halted by flashing red and blue lights.
The woman turned to the police. I heard a shout while she raised her weapon. A barrage of gunfire was unleashed. Soon she was on the floor. Somehow my camera had made it back to my hand. I captured the whole thing.
The police rushed up to the woman and began assisting her. One shouted at me to see if I was okay, but I pointed at the body in the distance. I panned to see if he was still there, and he was. However, he was standing. He looked normal like he hadn't been shot, but there was something sinister on his face. I don't know if it was in his smile or his eyes, but the way he was staring at me - gave me the creeps. He knew I was watching, and he seemed happy I was. As we held each other's eyesight, his eyes flashed red. I'm not kidding, and It wasn't from the police lights. His eyes literally glowed bright red.
The cop banged my open window with his flashlight I looked over with the camera.
"Step out of the car!" He said. He was a heavy-set guy with a big beard. No gun was pulled, but he didn't look too happy.
"You have to help him." I pointed over to the man standing and smiling. The cop looked over. He looked back.
"Are you high? Get out of the car!"
You probably saw that one coming.
But still, imagine my shock when I panned over once more to find that the smiling man was gone. The area was empty. The cop opened my door from the inside.
The two officers interrogated me. They took my camera, searched my interior, and breathalyzed me. They weren't sure if I was a dealer or this woman's pimp. After telling them everything, and then checking the video, they sent me on my way home. They kept my camera obviously. On any other night, I would've been upset, but I knew this was my last.
The next week I moved. I surprisingly found a job as an archivist at a newsroom. It's simple and boring, but I operate the same hours as before. It's steady, which I'm thankful for, but it's gotten strange. Sometimes I'll see some footage that I thought was mine and it makes me chuckle. But I'm beginning to worry. I've been seeing the smiling man.
At first, I thought it was just hallucinations from the long hours. Nope. He's in all the videos. The cameramen don't notice him, but I do. He's at every crime scene and he's always smiling - always watching. I've done my best to not watch the videos because I can't stand to look at his face. One day coming home from work, I thought I saw him in my reflection. I'm beginning to believe the woman. He's not a person. He's something else.
2024.05.18 00:16 HRJafael $338K fraud drains town coffers in Orange
https://archive.is/Pv9Bs
Authorities are investigating an estimated $338,000 in fraud against the town, which has left Orange in dire financial straits and could result in the closure of its libraries, town officials revealed Thursday.
The fraud involves the town paying fraudulent invoices last summer, which town officials learned about last fall, according to Town Administrator Matthew Fortier.
“We got hit for more than that. It was up over $800,000, total. But the banks were able to stop some of those payments,” he said after Thursday’s Selectboard meeting, where the fiscal year 2025 budget was discussed and people came out to advocate for funding the Wheeler Memorial and Moore-Leland libraries.
Fortier said he started in his position on Aug. 21, 2023, and he and other members of the town’s finance team discovered the problem in early September. The matter is being investigated by the Orange Police Department, the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office and the FBI, which recently assigned an agent to the case.
“We think it’s some type of money-mule scheme or folks that are … sending out fake invoices just seeing if they can get hits,” Fortier said in an interview. “Unfortunately, some of the town processes didn’t catch it. And that’s something that I had to fix after I took over, and increase checks and balances, change certain protocols.
“We’re not going to rest on this until we can bring people to justice,” he added. “It’s not fair to the small town of Orange.” During the meeting, Police Chief James Sullivan said the FBI agent assigned to the case has offered all his resources to help Orange.
“The stuff that this gentleman can do on his laptop, as far as chasing money down, is staggering,” Sullivan told Selectboard members. “I’m encouraged. We know where a bunch of the money’s gone. We know where it is, or where it was, and he’s going to be working on chasing it down and he’s going to be working on helping us build a case.
“I don’t know if and when we’re going to get the money back. I have no idea,” Sullivan continued. “It’s far too early to tell. Where the money’s been put, it’s very difficult to gauge how much is in there and our ability to grab it.”
Fortier recommended offsetting the $338,000 loss with free cash or dealing with it next year — an idea Selectboard members rejected. The budget he has proposed also suggests not funding the libraries, though he stressed it pains him to do that. Selectboard members also said they have no desire to see the libraries close.
Adopting the budget as proposed at Annual Town Meeting on June 17 would result in the libraries closing on June 30, the end of the fiscal year.
The Selectboard, unsatisfied with the amounts of cuts the Orange Elementary and Ralph C. Mahar Regional school committees are willing to make to accommodate the budget crisis, voted unanimously to ask them to take another look and trim any costs possible. Both committees are scheduled to meet on Monday — Orange Elementary in the Fisher Hill School’s media center at 5:30 p.m. and Ralph C. Mahar at 7 p.m. in the Mahar library. According to the town’s website, the Orange Finance Committee is slated to meet at 6:30 p.m. on Monday.
Sullivan said meeting the recommended $1.4 million budget cap for his department would mean laying off two officers, a move he said would carry severe ramifications. He said those officers, who he did not name, will be difficult to replace in the future because they are highly skilled and trained in specialized fields. He said they will get “scooped up” by other departments and never return to Orange.
The chief also said his department will likely get a reputation for laying off officers, making it more difficult to recruit new ones. He mentioned it would take the better part of a year to train a new officer if the money reenters the town budget a year from now.
Sullivan warned that the cap will likely mean he will need to eliminate his department’s third shift, which spans from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
“The workload is going to be intense, just for my command staff,” the chief said. “As it is, I have a sergeant that comes in on his own time an awful lot to do reports and stuff.”
The Orange Fire Department’s recommended budget cap is $1.5 million. This figure is down from the $1.65 million that Chief James Young said he was presented with earlier in the week. He told Selectboard members that the latter numbers were devastating enough.
“That’s over $100,000 in cuts to the Fire Department,” he said, adding that the newer figures mean his department “will not be able to do what you ask us to do any longer.”
Young said the Selectboard tasked him and his department several years ago with regularly running two ambulances to bring the town additional revenue. He said this is mathematically impossible with fewer than four people on a shift, because two people are required to staff an ambulance. He also said Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations prohibit personnel from entering a burning structure with fewer than four firefighters — two inside and two outside to rescue their comrades if they get injured. But meeting the suggested cap means laying off three people, resulting in three employees per shift.
“There’s no other way that I can make it work,” Young said.
He told the Selectboard that union members are considering not taking cost-of-living adjustments or clothing allowance increases this year to save money. Young also said he will not take the pay increase he is due.
The overall budget Fortier proposes is $26.7 million, compared to $26.9 million for the current fiscal year.
Jason Sullivan-Flynn, who was promoted from children’s librarian to Wheeler Memorial Library director on May 4, was the first to speak.
“The Orange Public Libraries are a very special place,” he began.
Sullivan-Flynn said that young families use libraries to learn and socialize, and job hunters use the computers to work on their résumés and apply for positions. He also said people of all ages enjoy borrowing books, movies, video games and other items. At a previous Selectboard meeting, Sullivan-Flynn mentioned the popularity of library storytimes, the LEGO Club, various book clubs, the knitting and crocheting club, and summer reading and endangered species programs. He also talked about the annual Robert P. Collén Poetry Contest and said the libraries provide books to homeschooled children.
Sullivan-Flynn noted that the lack of a library would result in the town not meeting the state’s municipal appropriation requirement. This means Orange residents would not be allowed to check out materials in any other library in Massachusetts because public libraries are supposed to be part of a reciprocal relationship.
According to the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners’ website, the only towns without a public library are Monroe in Franklin County and Alford, New Ashford and Savoy in Berkshire County.
The Moore-Leland Library sits at 172 Athol Road in Orange and is closed four days per week. The Wheeler Memorial Library at 49 East Main St. receives far more traffic.
Nancy Washburn said she has lived in Orange for more than 40 years and loves the libraries, which she mentioned contribute to building a community. She added that increasing the tax base would greatly help Orange’s economy, but families and businesses will be less likely to move to a town with no library.
Selectboard Chair Tom Smith chimed in briefly to say he and his colleagues are as frustrated as the community members.
“Unfortunately, we have ‘X’ amount of dollars to expend and I really hope tonight we can work out a plan to try to do something fair for the library,” he said.
Denise Andrews, who once represented Orange in the state Legislature, spoke by Zoom to say the town is “in an egregious situation and the buck stops with management,” which she elaborated is the Selectboard and the Finance Committee.
“We have been let down as citizens and taxpayers,” she said.
Mike Magee later came forward to encourage his fellow residents to attend Annual Town Meeting to fight for library funding. Mike Valeri suggested making some cuts to the Orange Municipal Airport, which he described as a “wealthy, rich kind of place.” He said most Orange residents cannot afford a private airplane and do not use or visit the airport. “It seems like a luxury we can’t afford,” he said before asking if it can be sold.
Fortier said the airport costs about $100,000 once rental fees are factored in, and there are plans to offset all costs by 2026. Shortly before the meeting adjourned, Smith said saving the libraries will likely mean having to cut hours and staffing.
Fortier, who lives in Orange, said he and his family use the Wheeler Memorial Library and he does not want it to close anymore than anyone else, but the town is in financial trouble.
“The town is down to the bone,” he said. “And I believe we’re chewing on the bone.”
submitted by HRJafael to FranklinCountyMA [link] [comments]
Authorities are investigating an estimated $338,000 in fraud against the town, which has left Orange in dire financial straits and could result in the closure of its libraries, town officials revealed Thursday.
The fraud involves the town paying fraudulent invoices last summer, which town officials learned about last fall, according to Town Administrator Matthew Fortier.
“We got hit for more than that. It was up over $800,000, total. But the banks were able to stop some of those payments,” he said after Thursday’s Selectboard meeting, where the fiscal year 2025 budget was discussed and people came out to advocate for funding the Wheeler Memorial and Moore-Leland libraries.
Fortier said he started in his position on Aug. 21, 2023, and he and other members of the town’s finance team discovered the problem in early September. The matter is being investigated by the Orange Police Department, the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office and the FBI, which recently assigned an agent to the case.
“We think it’s some type of money-mule scheme or folks that are … sending out fake invoices just seeing if they can get hits,” Fortier said in an interview. “Unfortunately, some of the town processes didn’t catch it. And that’s something that I had to fix after I took over, and increase checks and balances, change certain protocols.
“We’re not going to rest on this until we can bring people to justice,” he added. “It’s not fair to the small town of Orange.” During the meeting, Police Chief James Sullivan said the FBI agent assigned to the case has offered all his resources to help Orange.
“The stuff that this gentleman can do on his laptop, as far as chasing money down, is staggering,” Sullivan told Selectboard members. “I’m encouraged. We know where a bunch of the money’s gone. We know where it is, or where it was, and he’s going to be working on chasing it down and he’s going to be working on helping us build a case.
“I don’t know if and when we’re going to get the money back. I have no idea,” Sullivan continued. “It’s far too early to tell. Where the money’s been put, it’s very difficult to gauge how much is in there and our ability to grab it.”
Fortier recommended offsetting the $338,000 loss with free cash or dealing with it next year — an idea Selectboard members rejected. The budget he has proposed also suggests not funding the libraries, though he stressed it pains him to do that. Selectboard members also said they have no desire to see the libraries close.
Adopting the budget as proposed at Annual Town Meeting on June 17 would result in the libraries closing on June 30, the end of the fiscal year.
The Selectboard, unsatisfied with the amounts of cuts the Orange Elementary and Ralph C. Mahar Regional school committees are willing to make to accommodate the budget crisis, voted unanimously to ask them to take another look and trim any costs possible. Both committees are scheduled to meet on Monday — Orange Elementary in the Fisher Hill School’s media center at 5:30 p.m. and Ralph C. Mahar at 7 p.m. in the Mahar library. According to the town’s website, the Orange Finance Committee is slated to meet at 6:30 p.m. on Monday.
Departments face pinchThe fraud also has resulted in desperate attempts to tighten the purse strings of various town departments.
Sullivan said meeting the recommended $1.4 million budget cap for his department would mean laying off two officers, a move he said would carry severe ramifications. He said those officers, who he did not name, will be difficult to replace in the future because they are highly skilled and trained in specialized fields. He said they will get “scooped up” by other departments and never return to Orange.
The chief also said his department will likely get a reputation for laying off officers, making it more difficult to recruit new ones. He mentioned it would take the better part of a year to train a new officer if the money reenters the town budget a year from now.
Sullivan warned that the cap will likely mean he will need to eliminate his department’s third shift, which spans from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
“The workload is going to be intense, just for my command staff,” the chief said. “As it is, I have a sergeant that comes in on his own time an awful lot to do reports and stuff.”
The Orange Fire Department’s recommended budget cap is $1.5 million. This figure is down from the $1.65 million that Chief James Young said he was presented with earlier in the week. He told Selectboard members that the latter numbers were devastating enough.
“That’s over $100,000 in cuts to the Fire Department,” he said, adding that the newer figures mean his department “will not be able to do what you ask us to do any longer.”
Young said the Selectboard tasked him and his department several years ago with regularly running two ambulances to bring the town additional revenue. He said this is mathematically impossible with fewer than four people on a shift, because two people are required to staff an ambulance. He also said Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations prohibit personnel from entering a burning structure with fewer than four firefighters — two inside and two outside to rescue their comrades if they get injured. But meeting the suggested cap means laying off three people, resulting in three employees per shift.
“There’s no other way that I can make it work,” Young said.
He told the Selectboard that union members are considering not taking cost-of-living adjustments or clothing allowance increases this year to save money. Young also said he will not take the pay increase he is due.
The overall budget Fortier proposes is $26.7 million, compared to $26.9 million for the current fiscal year.
Libraries ‘a very special place’During the portion of Thursday’s meeting designated for open time for the public, community members addressed the Selectboard to advocate for keeping the libraries open. Twenty-two residents sat in the Town Hall meeting room, and more filled the adjacent hallway.
Jason Sullivan-Flynn, who was promoted from children’s librarian to Wheeler Memorial Library director on May 4, was the first to speak.
“The Orange Public Libraries are a very special place,” he began.
Sullivan-Flynn said that young families use libraries to learn and socialize, and job hunters use the computers to work on their résumés and apply for positions. He also said people of all ages enjoy borrowing books, movies, video games and other items. At a previous Selectboard meeting, Sullivan-Flynn mentioned the popularity of library storytimes, the LEGO Club, various book clubs, the knitting and crocheting club, and summer reading and endangered species programs. He also talked about the annual Robert P. Collén Poetry Contest and said the libraries provide books to homeschooled children.
Sullivan-Flynn noted that the lack of a library would result in the town not meeting the state’s municipal appropriation requirement. This means Orange residents would not be allowed to check out materials in any other library in Massachusetts because public libraries are supposed to be part of a reciprocal relationship.
According to the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners’ website, the only towns without a public library are Monroe in Franklin County and Alford, New Ashford and Savoy in Berkshire County.
The Moore-Leland Library sits at 172 Athol Road in Orange and is closed four days per week. The Wheeler Memorial Library at 49 East Main St. receives far more traffic.
Nancy Washburn said she has lived in Orange for more than 40 years and loves the libraries, which she mentioned contribute to building a community. She added that increasing the tax base would greatly help Orange’s economy, but families and businesses will be less likely to move to a town with no library.
Selectboard Chair Tom Smith chimed in briefly to say he and his colleagues are as frustrated as the community members.
“Unfortunately, we have ‘X’ amount of dollars to expend and I really hope tonight we can work out a plan to try to do something fair for the library,” he said.
Denise Andrews, who once represented Orange in the state Legislature, spoke by Zoom to say the town is “in an egregious situation and the buck stops with management,” which she elaborated is the Selectboard and the Finance Committee.
“We have been let down as citizens and taxpayers,” she said.
Mike Magee later came forward to encourage his fellow residents to attend Annual Town Meeting to fight for library funding. Mike Valeri suggested making some cuts to the Orange Municipal Airport, which he described as a “wealthy, rich kind of place.” He said most Orange residents cannot afford a private airplane and do not use or visit the airport. “It seems like a luxury we can’t afford,” he said before asking if it can be sold.
Fortier said the airport costs about $100,000 once rental fees are factored in, and there are plans to offset all costs by 2026. Shortly before the meeting adjourned, Smith said saving the libraries will likely mean having to cut hours and staffing.
Fortier, who lives in Orange, said he and his family use the Wheeler Memorial Library and he does not want it to close anymore than anyone else, but the town is in financial trouble.
“The town is down to the bone,” he said. “And I believe we’re chewing on the bone.”
2024.05.17 23:58 JankyMark Them niggas cooked
 | submitted by JankyMark to TheCapitalLink [link] [comments] |
2024.05.17 23:47 Immediate-Stage-2709 Neighbor is Banging on shared wall.
I live in Lehigh County, PA and my neighbor is, to put it mildly, a drug addict with two sons who didn’t fall far from the tree. Randomly they will pick days to bang on the shared wall of our homes and scream obscenities which my 5 year old can hear and the banging is very loud and intimidating. I’ve called the police 4 times, but this time the cop told me that the neighbor was banging on my wall because my 5 year old son was playing drums, which he was not because he is sick and down in the dumps, honestly it’s just loud living next to 5 people in a shared house, we hear them ALL THE TIME and have NEVER banged on the wall. How can the cop justify telling my 5 year old son that he cannot play the drums at 1pm on a Friday, on the most residential street in America, in a house we own, especially when he wasn’t. Do the police get to choose which toys are adequate for children now? He said we had to respect our neighbor, and then ran off. I am just wandering what I should do now that the cops are writing this off and don’t seem to be much help any more, while the banging continues.
submitted by Immediate-Stage-2709 to legaladvice [link] [comments]
2024.05.17 17:07 ikieneng My fanfiction - episode 3!
 | The next part is here! This episode is actually so long that I'm going to split it, so today, you're only getting part 2 of 3. submitted by ikieneng to teamleanne [link] [comments] DISCLAIMERS (the same ones as before) The point of this fanfiction is not to be a straight-up continuation of events with the same themes, intensity, and tone. If you go into it with those expectations, you are probably not going to like it. Rather, it’s supposed to be how I wish things went if these events were real life. The resolution you want for a real-life situation isn’t often the right choice for a show, but it can be incredibly beautiful. Think of what you’re about to read to be a separate show then. Episode 1 of this fanfiction begins after the episode “2:00” (season 2 episode 4), so it replaces the episode “Cake” and the ones that follow it. This fanfiction expects you to have seen the entirety of seasons 1 and 2, so you should watch those first. I myself am bursting into the story here. The narrator and me are the same. While my character is like 95% real me, don’t take events about my life described here as facts. Some aspects of my life have been changed for the story. In my head, I started writing like an “alternate me” character in 2016, fulfilling a lot of the things that I wish I had in life, adding that to my story. I’m not really from Ukraine. I speak fluent Ukrainian as a foreign language, I started learning it in 2014, and I’ve talked to tons of people from there, but I’m not from Ukraine. I also don’t have as much money as I do in the story. I wish lmao. If you want to post your own fanfiction, feel free to do so! To get your own post flair for your fanfic, and to appear in the side bar, please message me. Just some code, so the thumbnail of the first link isn’t used as the thumbnail of the post: .thumbnail.default { background: https://i.ibb.co/TT09vzM/IMG-2842.jpg(%%img-name%%); } .thumbnail.self { background: https://i.ibb.co/TT09vzM/IMG-2842.jpg%%img-name%%); } Part 2 (day 2) During the first day of us being together in the attic, Leanne would not tell me about her powers yet or any aspect of how that played into the events with the doll, etc., because she knows how crazy the truth sounds. She's always kept it pretty much a secret from everyone outside of the Church of Lesser Saints (although Sean is slowly figuring it out), but with how we might not have a choice than to go the police if we run out of rations before someone comes up into the basement, she knows she has to tell me, because if the police come, they will figure out that there was a living baby there, which was Jericho reanimated by her, but what are the police going to think? That either Dorothy, Sean, Julian, or Leanne snatched a baby, and they're not going to believe any of the supernatural explanations that are the truth. So Leanne knows that she has to convince me of her powers somehow, so I can know the full picture of what happened, so we can come up with a plan for how to handle that. So while it's still our first day locked up together in the attic, she asks me if I'm left-handed or right-handed. I say I'm right-handed. Without telling me, she uses her powers so that when I wake up, I will have lost all sensation in my left hand. When waking up on day 2, at first, of course, I'm a freaked out, but then, she reveals to me that she did it because otherwise, I'd never believe that she really does have supernatural powers. While I’m still pretty freaked out, she takes her Bible and prays over it while reciting some verses, and suddenly, my hand is back to normal. https://preview.redd.it/wonqhlu0301d1.png?width=780&format=png&auto=webp&s=ab7872b90a369ef81293d4f8d95fef8298c355f3 I’d need a minute to process what just happened, discovering the supernatural, and once Leanne has reassured me, she’d break down crying, telling me that she has to tell me the full picture of what’s going on with the Turners. I’d hug her and tell her she can tell me when she’s ready. She’d tell me I’d never have believed her otherwise, and I’d tell her that because I know why she did it now, it’s okay, no hard feelings or anything. And she’d tell me the full story of how, when she first came to the Turners and saw the doll, she wanted to give Dorothy a second chance and make her happy by giving her Jericho back, so she made the doll real, so when the Church of Lesser Saints (which she’d tell me about as well) forced her to leave under threat and forced her to turn the baby back into a doll, Dorothy's illusion broke, and she came to the false conclusion that Leanne kidnapped Jericho, and that's why she kidnapped her and why she’s torturing her and locking her up… That would be another really hard thing to hear, and she'd cry as she'd tell me the rest, like how Sean refuses to wake Dorothy up, which could end all of this in an instant, and how Julian is protecting them, and how there's nothing Leanne can do to change her situation because there is no baby that she can give to her. She'd cry so hard in my arms, and I'd just comfort her a lot more and hug her... My mind would still be blown that I got proof of the supernatural for the first time ever, but I'd feel even more sorry for her than before and that she's being put through all these horrible things while she's completely powerless to change the situation, and I'd be so angry at Sean for refusing to tell Dorothy the truth, and how he's willing to have Leanne go through all this horrible abuse because he can't convince himself to tell Dorothy… “I can’t give Jericho back to her”, she’d tell me, and I’d be like “I wouldn’t either. I wouldn’t trust that woman with caring for any human being, much less a baby”, and Leanne would silently nod with a hint of a smile for a second after the first bit of reassurance that she’s making the right decision before I’m asking her if she knows how Jericho died, and she’d tell me. I'd reassure Leanne that none of this is her fault, that it's horrible what everyone is putting her through instead of facing the hard decisions that could solve it all and end her suffering. “I just wanted to give Mrs. Turner a second chance and make things better for her again because I saw how awful things were with the doll…” My face would like be halfway happy because I think that’s so sweet, it’s such a perfect encapsulation of Leanne’s intentions in season 1, and I’d like rub her back 🥺 https://preview.redd.it/mj2n72u3301d1.png?width=780&format=png&auto=webp&s=4c0ae718794fe9a0ca2a2d0087260e6afec5ae0d And she’d tell me about all the bullying she’s received by Sean and Julian for it, even after Sean decided to keep the baby, like swapping the labels of the cans of tomato soup with dog food, how they put hundreds of crickets in her room, how Sean went through her things, how Julian hired Wanda to be her fake friend, and how she even overheard Julian even suggesting turning off the heating in her room (she wouldn’t know about the camera because there’s no indication that she ever noticed it). https://preview.redd.it/0skxtxs5301d1.png?width=780&format=png&auto=webp&s=694d0e76c7bacf4da279c406c2b872b43cd2791b She'd tell me about the baptism. People have seen the living baby, so if the police come, they will find out about it, so what do we do then, since they would never believe the truth that Leanne reanimated the doll, and that it was literally Jericho? I’d be like “plausible deniability”, and I’d explain that, by that, I mean “If you reanimated the baby and turned it literally into Jericho, then there’s no living baby that the police can find anywhere. If they find DNA in the house, it will be Jericho’s, so they will assume that it’s not the baby’s. There’s no actual missing baby that they can confidently link to the case. Screw it, if the police get involved, let’s say that Sean, Julian, or heck, even Dorothy must have brought the baby in, and that they threatened you not to tell anyone with non-specific threats, and how could you not take those threats seriously after one of them brought someone’s baby into the house” Leanne would be surprised that I’d be willing to do that and ask me about it. I’d be like “After all you’ve just told me, yeah, let’s do that. It will be your word against theirs, so no one’s gonna actually actually go to prison for this particular crime, and if we’re open about the fact that there was a baby, they might take our account of things more seriously. And are you saying that they continued with the bullying against you after they decided to keep the baby? Did I get that right?” Leanne would nod. “Oh my God… That is so fucking awful, I’m so sorry… Then what’s the point? What are they even trying to achieve? Oh my God…” and hug her again. “You’d do that for me?”, she’d ask, almost in disbelief. “To keep you safe, after I get you out of here? Yeah, I would. You deserve it! Honestly, you deserve to get spoiled so much when we’re out of here!”, and we’d just smile and laugh at each other so much in that moment. She’d say “Thank you!” with a big smile, and I’d say “Of course!” I'd ask her if there's any evidence of the baptism, and she'd tell me about the tape of it that was shown in the season 1 finale, where George and May showed up in the background, and that's how they knew they were gonna show up soon. https://preview.redd.it/ym15sb48301d1.png?width=780&format=png&auto=webp&s=4755713239115181f0d74c712bfbc7ddf0a9f14e And I'd see an opportunity to help her there, because this proves that George and May are still alive, that they faked their deaths. In the season 2 premiere, of course, when Dorothy claimed that May was in her house while showing the police her old news segment where she was reporting about May's likely death, Dorothy sounded crazy to the police, https://preview.redd.it/3mz45xy9301d1.png?width=780&format=png&auto=webp&s=fb4b3fd9db46ed9267e4d0f178b4ec00b2ea8a01 but if we showed them the tape of George and May showing up less than three weeks ago, then not only would there be a second witness (Leanne) swearing that they saw May, but the police would have proof, and we could have the police go up against the Church of Lesser Saints and prosecute them and lock them up for their heinous crimes and abuse, and if successful, Leanne could finally be safe from them. I wouldn't know much about them yet because Leanne hasn't told me much, but when I suggest that, she'd almost laugh on shock and the joyous thought of maybe not having to be afraid of them anymore at some point, and that would make me smile and say "Let's do it! Big task, I know, but let’s do it!" I'd ask her if she knows where the tape is, and she'd say it's probably among the other DVDs in the living room or still in the DVD player. I'd tell her that when I sneak out of the house whenever that's hopefully gonna happen, I'll take the tape with me, which is when she tells me to please also take Dorothy's news tape from March 11, 2011 with me (the tape of the pageant where she first met Dorothy). I'd ask her why, and she'd tell me she's gonna tell me another day. She'd tell me I can watch it when I got it, and I'd say okay to that. https://preview.redd.it/laugwe4c301d1.png?width=780&format=png&auto=webp&s=c541fb92132d0a42e697923234e2f834af6e1555 Leanne and me would make the most of the time in the attic until either
https://preview.redd.it/pf6j9vgf301d1.png?width=780&format=png&auto=webp&s=1c780bdf397f3f5b1369f751b0b2a87d3873c1e3 I’d be like “That’s horrible… They didn’t even let you listen to songs?” Leanne would be like “That’s probably all really strange to you”, and I’d say “No, it’s really not. I mean, it’s pretty awful that they put you through that, but it’s far from something unrelatable for me. My parents are Christian, and growing up, all the music I knew was Christian music. It wasn’t, like, explicitly forbidden or anything, but until 2008, when I got into middle school - fifth grade for us, I only knew one single song that wasn’t Christian, and I only knew it because it played over the end credits of a movie I saw in the theater with my father. I listened to it a lot of years later after I’ve researched what it’s called, and it wasn’t actually that great because I’ve gotten to know so much other music since, but yeah, religiously speaking, I had a really hard time growing up, which I didn’t even realize until I came back from America”. We’d just look at each other for a second and realize without words just how much we can relate to each other in this regard. I’d be like “I think we just opened up another bottomless barrel. God, we got so much to talk about!”, and we’d just laugh for a moment because of how understood we feel by each other now! I’d suggest finally listening to some music. My YouTube channel about it didn’t exist at the time, but I have a passion for the Eurovision Song Contest (I can’t stand the EBU, the organization that runs the whole thing, but at the time of this story, in December 2022, I didn’t have a problem with it yet) Opening up Spotify on my phone, I’d think what songs from it she might like, and instinctually, I’d think she’s probably never heard anything like Eastern European modern folk music before, which would make me think that she’d probably really like Željko Joksimović’s entries (he wrote and performed Serbia & Montenegro 2004, and Serbia 2012, and he also wrote Bosnia & Herzegovina 2006, Serbia 2008, and Montenegro 2015), and I’d take out my dual AirPod adapter (please tell me if such a device actually exists, because I really want one lol) and put on “Lejla” by Hari Mata Hari (Bosnia & Herzegovina 2006). This is the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyB09CWhzb4 She’d listen with intrigue. The beautiful instrumental intro, the many unfamiliar instruments, the rich melody, the emotional expressiveness, and how it’s in a language she doesn’t understand. She’s heard nothing like it before, and she’d love it! After I explain Eurovision to her, I’d tell her it’s one of my favorite entries ever and ask her if she wants to hear more, and she’d emphatically say yes! I’d show her the other entries I already mentioned ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgBJjzivCc4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Sn3TKoPeA0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48_wOw1SLyg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnrTDS85rC8 Honestly, we'd enjoy these moments so much, and she'd want to hear more and more, she’s known nothing like this kind of music. Considering how she likes the jazz and popera music the Turners got playing sometimes, I think she’d love these songs. I'd show her more music, like the Netherlands 2022 ("De diepte" by S10, which I think would be her favorite entry ever: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7NyzU1ob_M ), and a lot more, and in the middle of this horrible situation we're in, we'd have such a great and happy time listening to all this music! After a while of listening to a lot of music together while sitting close together shoulder-to-shoulder, we’d get talking again. She’d wanna know more about my religious background. Side note, I’m gonna be pretty honest about what I think here, but this is not exactly the kind of show that attracts fundamentalists or religiously intolerant people, so you probably won’t have a problem with it. I'd tell her my parents are specifically Protestant Christians, and they are crazy fundamentalists whose version of their faith was beyond hateful to so many people. I'd tell her that while my faith was already waning, I switched to Catholic Christianity (I’d tell her that I made the change because I thought they were right about some core issues in the faith, but in retrospect, I’ve realized what a complete mess the Bible is, that it contradicts itself at every turn, and that what you think about any specific issue really depends on where you look, and what explanations you come up with to dismiss the rest), but about a year later, I left Christianity behind. I lost my faith in the New Testament first, so I became a Noahide for a while (I'd tell her what that means, it's basically what Judaism would like someone who isn't a Jew to do because there's no obligation to convert and join the Jewish people) because I still believed in God and Tanakh (the Old Testament), but after getting really deep into the Mitzvot (Law of Moses), I was so disgusted by God and the horrible things he expects of people and does to them (particularly Deuteronomy 22:28-29…), how cruel and oppressive he is all throughout scripture, and so, I then believed for a while that there's SOME higher power out there, but that it's not Yahweh (since I don't believe in Tanakh anymore, I have no problem saying that name), but with the radio silence I received from whatever higher power is out there, and how the explanations I made for myself to make myself belief in its existence faded, I became an Atheist and just left it all behind. It was a gradual process for me. Hearing that for the first time would be so therapeutic for her with how she's had doubts in her faith for a long time, coming closer and closer to losing it completely (I mean, the whole reason she’s in the show in the first place is because she physically left the Church of Lesser Saints, knowing she’d be hunted down. People tend to forget that when talking about Leanne’s religiosity). I'd ask her what she believes now, and she'd say she doesn't really know. She's struggling so much with how she sees God because of all the things he's willing to put her through and the things that are done in his name in the Church of Lesser Saints that she still believes he's connected to, and she just wants to let go of it all sometimes and finally defy God, but she's afraid. I'd tell her that she doesn't need to be afraid. When I found out that Jesus and Christianity and all of it are fake, it was really hard for me at first, and it hurt like crazy knowing that it was all a lie, but that it will get better quickly after that because then, you'll realize that life after religion is life free from religion and its crazy rules and nonsensical restrictions for the sake of restrictions, restrictions for the sake of pleasing someone that would never do the same for you and won’t even reply to you. I know what Leanne is about to tell me because I've seen the rest of the show, but she'd tell me about what happened when she died in the fire. I'd be like "What? What fire?", and because it’s not the point, she'd quickly say that her house burnt down when she was six years old with her, her mother, and her father in it, and that she died and was resurrected by the Church of Lesser Saints, and that's how she joined them. I'd say like "Oh my God... Oh my God, I'm so sorry" and just hug her… Giving her comfort about all these things she's never talked about with anyone, that makes me happy to imagine, helping her heal from her wounds! I just want nothing but to make her feel better and make her heal 😔 And then, she'd say what she wanted to say, that when she died, she went to Heaven and saw other people that died there, so how can God not be real? After asking about some of the details, I'd say that that doesn't mean that Christianity is true. She saw a place where people who died had another life, but that exists in so many religions, and maybe whatever created that place didn't tell people about it, so it might not even be any religion that is practiced. And most importantly, she went to Heaven before the Church of Lesser Saints ever knew her, so if outsiders go to Heaven, then they can't be the truth. (I don’t think that the Church of Lesser Saints is the truth in-universe because of that, to be frank. Also because Julian went to Heaven as an Atheist in “Goose”). That would blow her mind, and she'd say she'd have to think about that, and I'd say sure, like, when I first had the realizations that doomed my faith, I had to think about a lot of it at first as well, it took quite a while to unwind. And I'd tell her that in Tanakh, Heaven is never a place where people go after they die anyway, but where God, the angels, and Satan reside (and Satan is something completely different in Tanakh, not the supervillain of the universe). Later, Christianity just came along and introduced Heaven as a place where people go after they die, and it doesn't line up with Tanakh at all because it's a lie. And Tanakh is just as fake as the New Testament anyway, so whatever she saw is not the concept of Heaven, neither the Jewish nor the Christian concept. Considering how close Leanne already was to losing it before I came along, this would really get her thinking, and this whole conversation would really deepen how much we understand each other on such a deep level, and how close we feel! ❤️ And not only would I make HER feel the love she's never received and help her so much in life in so many ways, but having someone understand ME that well and finding her, omg, she would lift ME up so much just by being who she is! Honestly, Leanne is like the person who, if she were real, would be the one who'd understand me like no one else, and you can see how much in love I am with her just through a screen, now imagine we'd actually be there in real life, that's the most wonderful thing ever to imagine, for both of us! Side note lol: In the show, it's clear that Leanne likes boys, but I honestly think that my headcanon where she slowly falls in love with me (a woman) would work. Leanne's sexuality is enough of a blank slate of the show for this to work. There's no indication that she likes girls in that way, but also absolutely nothing to contradict it. It's also shown how she explores her sexuality for the first time in season 1 once she comes to the Turners after running away from the Church of Lesser Saints. When Dorothy grabs Sean, Leanne sees it and later imitates it on Julian, showing how she is exploring these concepts for the first time, something that was clearly forbidden at the Church of Lesser Saints. If the writers made her fall in love with a woman in the show, it would have worked and been really believable because of all this. Leanne's sexuality is an almost completely blank slate. Just wanted to say that ahaha… We still don’t know when the next time will be that someone will come up into the attic and “give” Leanne a few hours or less out of there, presenting an opportunity for me to sneak out and get the plan in motion to free Leanne with less risk than there would be if we called the police right now with us unarmed. And we’d listen to some more music. A little bit into us listening to music, I’d create a Spotify playlist right there, going through my liked songs and creating a long playlist of music I think she might like, with her right next to me, seeing that I’m creating that playlist for her! And she’d find that really sweet 😊 I actually created it lol: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4Y8Skhmf72ElUFKPxoT4e4?si=f9ceac038fa84f61 Giving her another hint. I’d show her pictures of Eurovision 2017, when it was in my city Kyiv. I’d also show her the picture I took with Blanche from Belgium at the opening ceremony back then and tell Leanne that she was my biggest celebrity crush of my life, that I was so in love with her, another reminder that’s testing the waters 😁😊❤️ And she’d find that really sweet! I’d wanna show her the livestream where the moment is forever immortalized (in the story, not in real life, which would be here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPaJxwFFZGk ), only to realize that it’s blocked in America lol, “but anyway, that was at Mariyinskyy Palats in Kyiv, it’s like a red carpet ceremony that’s done every year during rehearsal week, the week before the actual contest, and I went there wearing my best dress and best makeup and… [laughing because I’m so embarrassed] I gave her red roses with a card inside that has some text and my phone number on it, painted in the colors of the rainbow flag to be as explicit as possible” Leanne would smile big time, and she’d ask “Did she reply?”, and I’d be like “She messaged me after the contest, thanking me and saying that she has a boyfriend, and I wished her all the best, and that was it. Doesn’t really matter though. I like to look back on it all, but I’m not interested in her anymore. Her political views are kind of yikes anyway, we’d only argue because of that” (none of this happened in reality, we never actually met). After a tiny bit of silence while sitting shoulder-to-shoulder, I’d ask her “You ever really been in love?”, and almost giggling, she’d be like “I don’t know. I just… I don’t know. Let’s talk about something else. This was in your city?”, and I’d say yes, and that Eurovision is usually held in the winning country of the previous year, and Ukraine won in 2016, so Kyiv it was in 2017. She’d carefully ask me if I came to America because of the war, and with some sighing, I’d tell her yes. She’d ask if I wanna talk about it, and I’d say “A little bit is okay”. I’d tell her it’s been going on in the East of Ukraine since 2014, but when the full-scale invasion began in February (this takes place in December of 2022), they bombed Kyiv, and troops moved toward Kyiv really fast. I had a complete mental breakdown for days. It was only after two days that I could snap out of it, and I packed my things and decided to flee the country… I was just so scared, I knew I wouldn’t survive mentally or physically if I stayed, and I definitely didn’t wanna live under R_ssian occupation. I hitchhiked to the city of Bila Tserkva south of Kyiv, took trains to Poland, and flew to America from there. I’d tell her “I lived here before and really liked it, like I said, it was the best year of my life, so that’s where I instinctually decided to go. I definitely didn’t wanna stay in Poland”. I’d probably really start crying when I tell her this because it’s such a painful memory, and Leanne would slowly start to hug me (physical affection is something new for her, she’s still figuring out how to do these things, and that’s okay), and I’d just take a sudden pause from crying for a moment and look up to her (I’m four inches shorter lol), seeing her look at me, and we’re almost realizing our mutual empathy and understanding without words in that moment! She’d say at the end how scary that must have been and if I was alone the entire time. It would honestly mean so much to me, her comforting me, especially about these difficult moments, and I’d tell her that I was alone the entire way… I’d tell her my sisters and nieces live in Poland now, and that my father is still in Ukraine. She’d ask about my mother, and I’d say that as far as I know, she’s still there, but I haven’t spoken to her since 2017, and I never will again. She’s absolutely destroyed my life and put me through so much trauma that I can never forgive her for. Leanne would go “Me, too” (about her own mother), and we’d both giggle a bit in that moment because we get how alike we are in that experience, having had our mothers wreck both of our lives, and how crazy it is that we’re here right now just talking about all this so openly. It would be rather late by that point, and we’d start eating the other half of that day’s rations. Leanne would go straight for the canned tomato soup again, and I’d tell her how cute I find it that she loves it so much! She’d smile and react non-verbally in her typical way that is so hard to put into words, and I tell her how cute I find the little ways she reacts to things with her face! She’d smile some more and then say “Most people just think I’m weird” with a less happy tone and face, but I’d say “People find the most stupid things to complain about, and people like you and me who don’t fit in, we’re easy targets. The things about you that people find weird, I’d rather call them peculiar, and I like them! These little things about you are so cute for real!”, and she’d really smile and just look at me for a moment. https://preview.redd.it/fhn0kcd1401d1.png?width=780&format=png&auto=webp&s=8b28057c33607827da751b6a008dbde2f63f1c71 I’d be like “What?” (in a happy and curious tone), and she’d be like “I like it, too when you do this with your eyes!”. I’d roll them over toward her and say “You mean like this?” and make her laugh while she says yes, then roll them back and forth and ask “Or like this?”, and we’d laugh even more! We’d hear a sound from downstairs and quiet down pretty much immediately as the reality of our situation kicks in again and we know that we can’t have the Turners hear us, or we’re both screwed. We’d wait until we’re sure they’re not coming into the attic and only THEN, we’d continue to talk. She’d just say “I’m scared”, and I’d say “Me, too”, and we’d just hold each other before we eat the rest of the small meal. I’d be like “Like I said yesterday, I’m almost as obsessed with Ben & Jerry’s as you are. Almost! I really gotta get you some when we leave here! In fact, I promise you I will! I wanna see the reaction on your face the first time you taste it!”, and she’d say “I’d like that very much!” with a smile! And back on a more somber note, I’d ask her how long they usually leave her in here for… She’d say that the last time was a whole weekend, so three nights… I’d say “Let’s hope it’s sooner than that this time…” We’d make plans for how I’m gonna sneak out the next time that happens, like, specifically. I’d tell her that when they let her out of the attic and leave the door unlocked as a result, I’d wait a minute and wait for everyone to get downstairs. I’d tell her to give me an audible signal that it’s safe to sneak one floor further downstairs, like saying something loudly or kicking something. I’d then sneak onto the third floor, and then the second one, and wait for Mrs. Turner to go back to the third floor and the attic. I’d then sneak into the living room, get the DVDs, and go into the basement, where I’d go through the side door. She’d confirm my question that it leads to the garden behind the kitchen. I’d say I’ll hide there until I can see that no one’s in the kitchen. She’d confirm that the code in the back is the same as the one at the front door - 0603. And I say I’d then leave through the back door, into the park, take the bus home, take a shower, write down everything I’ve seen in a letter meant for the police, send it to my online friend Liam, and tell him to alert the Philadelphia police if I’m not back online confirming I’m safe within 24 hours, and to not read the letter until then. The rest of the plan is to then fully load and get my gun, get to the Turner house by bike, have a large taxi wait one block away, and then force the Turners to let me in by displaying my gun and disengaging the safety lever right in front of whoever’s at the door, and explain to everyone that I am there to get Leanne, and that I’ll call the police and report them right then and there if they refuse to cooperate in any way. If Dorothy tries to do anything to stop me like she probably will, I’d tell her that Sean and Julian know where Jericho is (I mean, they do, because Jericho is dead and they refuse to wake Dorothy up), that they knew this entire time, and that’s that’s the reason Leanne is not talking, because there is nothing she can do. I’d add something like “And they’ve been lying to you this entire time, all while YOU put Leanne through the most disgusting abuse imaginable! I’m getting her out of here right now!” Leanne would say that Dorothy wouldn’t believe me because this sounds so different from the version of events she believes in. I’d ask when Jericho died, and Leanne would tell me August 26. I’d go “Then I’ll tell Mrs. Turner ‘ Here’s what I want you to do after I leave, Mrs. Turner. If you want to find out where Jericho is, there’s a pretty straightforward way for you to do it. You go look up death records in Philadelphia from August 26 this year. There, you will find something really weird. You’ll know exactly what I mean when you see it. Then you ask these two lying motherfuckers about it until they tell you the truth! They will keep on lying like they have this entire time, but you push them until they give you an explanation that explains what you’ll see among the records. Do it right after I leave, you can do that online! August 26 this year! And when they try to keep you from doing that, that’s how you’ll know I’m telling the truth!” I think Leanne would be really impressed by what I’m saying and the sheer boldness of it. I’d look over at her, and with a heavy smile, I’d say “Of course” and embrace her again. And I’d tell Leanne that if I can’t find the baptism tape, I’ll take all the tapes that aren’t news tapes or movies and whatever disc is in the player, if there is one there. Leanne would tell me to make sure the police can’t find the news tape, and I’d say “Sure. I’ll hide it somewhere at home after I watch it.” Then, Leanne would tell me to please take her Bible and the porcelain baby and card from the cake I gave her with me https://preview.redd.it/kxw1lfv5401d1.png?width=780&format=png&auto=webp&s=4b7ddb40216f5a5217c18faffe8be104b51955f6 (in the real show, she actually keeps her Bible even after she loses her faith, probably because she needs it for some of her powers) because she doesn’t know if she can take it with her herself, depending on how things go on the day, so she can be sure that she doesn’t lose either, and of course, I’d promise her. I’d also say that I’m really glad that the porcelain baby from the cake means so much to her now, just like I intended, to make her happy 😊 And I’d say that when I’m done saying what I’m planning to say to Dorothy when I go rescue Leanne, I’ll tell the Turners to empty their pockets and put everything on the table and tell them to go into the bathroom and lock it. I’d stay right there to make sure they’re not getting out, then call Leanne on the Samsung phone I already gave her and tell her to get whatever she needs, put on some clothes from the attic that don’t make her look suspicious outside (because if she walked outside with me in sleepwear while I got a gun, that would make it look as if I was kidnapping her), and come downstairs. As soon as she’s past the bathroom door, I’d unlock it, and we’d walk backwards together while still pointing the guns in the direction of the Turners. I’d tell Dorothy again to go look up the death records right now (the timing is important to keep them from calling the police immediately, so we can get to the police first), and we’d get out of the house, run to the taxi, and drive off, and call the police from inside the taxi. Leanne would ask me where we’re gonna ask the taxi to take us, and I’d suggest maybe a hotel in Allentown, where we’ll be safe from the Turners, and because we probably need to stay in Pennsylvania, so the police can come to us without leaving their jurisdiction. I’d hold Leanne’s hand tight and promise her everything’s gonna be okay, that I’ll make damn sure that she’ll be safe! Since we have no idea when the Turners will let her out of the attic again, we’d clean up immediate giveaways that that someone else is there (mostly just meaning we’d put the rest of the food in my backpack and hide my backpack). She’d then give me the porcelain baby, the card, and her Bible for safekeeping, and I’d put it in my pocket. We’d then take videos to document everything that’s in the attic, showing that we are indeed locked up, to keep as evidence for the police. We’d then get ready for bed. Again, we have to share a mattress and covers. I’d insist this time that I sleep on the side of the mattress that’s closer to the stairs leading up into the attic in case Dorothy decides to assault Leanne again, so I’m in the way. And when we lay down, because we still only have one mattress and covers for the both of us, we’d actually be really close together physically, and before falling asleep, we’d just look at each other again and again and smile every time we open our eyes and catch each other just looking at the other 😊 |
2024.05.17 06:17 dump_names1163 I was falsely accused of raping a 13 yr old and it destroyed my life
I really just wanted to get this story off my chest. I sought out help with some issues before on another account and but ended up deleting it because some people decided that they were green lit to brigade me with rather unpleasant messages. Sometimes I feel truly alone now.
I guess a bit of back story to start out.
I lived in a decent rental property out in a rural area in the SE U.S. I am a male, mid-30s at the time, divorced, decent job and all around not a bad life all things considered. I had family nearby and friends who seemed to care, and there was a woman in my life that seemed like we were a pretty good match for each other. This was back in 2019 right before the big covid epidemic really ramped up.
I had no idea it was all about to end.
At 3am on a thursday night, I was awoken to a loud knock on my door. I put on some slippers and looked out the peephole. There was a police officer standing there. I hadn't done anything illegal and had no reason to fear a police run in. My first thought was that something was wrong with someone in my family. I opened the door and he asked my name. I confirmed and he grabbed hold of me and yanked me out. More officers from around the corner pinned me to the wall and cuffed me. I asked what was happening and received a punch to the head for my troubles.
I was rather stunned and horribly confused. They drug me out to where they had parked, just out of the line of sight for me to see from my door. I was tossed into the car and eventually one of them got in and finally answered my question of what was going on.
I had been charged with rape and child molestation. He didn't tell me who charged me or when, just that there was a warrant out for my arrest.
I was hauled into the county jail at that point. I had never been arrested in my life and I was terrified. I didn't have my phone and couldn't remember anyone's contact information at the time. I was processed, given my mugshot, and put in a small holding cell.
Some time later I got my first appearance and was told my charges, no bail, I was warned not to talk to the judge or I'd regret it. Just answer his questions and sit down when told,
Then they moved me to a very small padded room. There were 4 or 5 police officers I think that moved me. It's a bit hard to remember this part in detail, but I remember enough. They handed me this small cloth vest and told me to strip naked. I had no idea what they were doing and I got really scared. I didn't get asked again. They held me down, ripped my clothes off, and beat the hell out of me right there. They shoved my face against a vent in the floor that served as the toilet. One of them remarked that was where a piece of shit like me belonged and they laughed. They spit on me and left, leaving that small vest laying next to me on the cold rubber floor.
For four weeks, I curled up under that vest in the corner of the room. It was so cold and I didn't dare let that spot cool down. The pain was terrible and the nurses that had to check on me didn't care what I'd went though. I didn't have back problems before that, but now I do. Some days I wake up now and can hardly walk.
I was finally moved to general population. I figured things were finally getting better. I was sure that whatever had started happening would finally be over. I got a message from my family and was able to contact them. I reassured them I had no idea what was happening or who had filed charges or anything. I was as confused as everyone else would be.
I tried telling my mom about the abuse. An officer came back there, told me point blank that if I didn't want to get it again and worse next time, I'd better shut my mouth. It was a threat I'd rather not test out. I kept my mouth shut at that point. I learned that all calls and mail was monitored by the jail.
I asked my mom to get in touch with the woman I'd been seeing to explain things. She's already messaged my mom and told her that she wanted nothing to do with me. I guess all things considered I ended up better off, but it hurt at the time.
A few weeks later, a public attorney had been appointed and came to see me. I was finally about to find out who was behind all this. I figured this was some sort of great big misunderstanding and I'd be home soon.
It was the neighbors daughter. Someone I barely knew and only spoke to in passing. I never touched this girl and I didn't want to either. She had told her parents that I had forced open her window and raped her in the early morning hours and threatened to kill her if she told anyone.
I was 6'1 and 230lbs of pudding. I am not stealthy. There was no way I could quietly force open a trailer window and have my way with someone and keep it quiet. regardless though, that's what she claimed to her parents, and then to the police.
Why would that poor precious child lie? Very good question and I never found out the full story. I can speculate a few things on it. They did collect DNA evidence though and it had been sent off for testing.
Something to keep in mind. If you ever been in county lockup for any length of time, you know that nearly everyone claims innocence, and they don't believe other people are. I was locked into a dorm room with actual convicted child sexual predators and actual rapists. Some of whom were violent and had nothing to lose.
It wasn't pleasant and it wasn't fun. I was attacked on occasion simply for my charges.
And remember I said this was pre-covid? Yeah. They shut down the court system. They wouldn't be hearing my case for quite some time and the judge was a real hard ass that refused to set my bond. I spent the next 3 years in county lockup charged with a crime I did not commit.
3 years of my life gone.
I ended up firing my public defender and hiring a real defense attorney. the P.D. told me "things look pretty grim. If you just plea out, you can be home in about 10 years." Hell no. I borrowed the money from my family and got a real attorney. After he reviewed the case he was pretty positive I'd go home, and for a few good reasons.
Let's go to trial.
It finally happened. I got a trial date and I was ready to go. They came at me with another plea deal. The prosecutor said that I had wasted the states valuable time and they offered me 25 yrs in prison or I could lose and never see freedom. I told him to go pound sand.
At the trial, the alleged victim could not keep her story straight. She constantly backtracked and fudged the details of things like "What was he wearing?" or "Things he had said to you before." She also claimed to be a virgin and I took that from her.
I mentioned some time ago that they collected DNA. It was male, but it wasn't mine. Apparently the prosecution sat on those results until it was nearly time for trial. They knew I was innocent and let me sit in jail to entertain their plea deals.
I don't know what really happened that night, I suspect that she had sex with some guy she was seeing, They may have got into a fight and she cried rape, and then changed her mind after she'd started. She needed a rapist though and she just randomly chose a guy nearby that she didn't care anything about. Maybe she got in too deep and knew that if she backtracked she'd be in trouble.
I went home that day, found not guilty of all charges. I was thankful to be back with my family. Many of my so called friends abandoned me though. A few stuck around and those are the good ones.
My facebook arrest post had my full name and address and plenty of people wished for my death. "I'd be glad to put a bullet in him if they'd just let me" or "I know that guy. I knew there was something wrong with him the moment I met him."
I lost my home and a few things had been stolen before my family could secure it. Nothing irreplaceable I guess, but it still feels bad to of lost a few things I cared about.
In addition to severe back pain, the mental damage I got from this has been crippling. No matter how much I try, I just can't seem to get my life together. I am absolutely terrified of women as I know what just a few errant words can do. I don't think I could ever form another meaningful relationship because of those fears. I'm scared of the police as well. I fear they'll come after me again just like they did that night. They could kill me and get away with it these days.
Mostly I stay inside my moms house. Some days I'm ok. Others, I'm just so scared to go out. This isn't really a good life anymore. Counseling is somewhat helping at least.
There's no lawsuit that can be filed. The state doesn't have to answer for anything because they followed the letter of the law and the pandemic gave them emergency powers to do certain things. There's no lawsuit against the girl either as she never said it was made up. There's laws to protect her.
My life was ruined despite all charges being dropped. I honestly am not sure I can recover from this nightmare. There's plenty of details I left out, but I've talked enough as it is. I'm tired now. I expect people to call me a rapist or chomo anyways, innocent or not. For some, an accusation is enough proof for them.
submitted by dump_names1163 to TrueOffMyChest [link] [comments]
I guess a bit of back story to start out.
I lived in a decent rental property out in a rural area in the SE U.S. I am a male, mid-30s at the time, divorced, decent job and all around not a bad life all things considered. I had family nearby and friends who seemed to care, and there was a woman in my life that seemed like we were a pretty good match for each other. This was back in 2019 right before the big covid epidemic really ramped up.
I had no idea it was all about to end.
At 3am on a thursday night, I was awoken to a loud knock on my door. I put on some slippers and looked out the peephole. There was a police officer standing there. I hadn't done anything illegal and had no reason to fear a police run in. My first thought was that something was wrong with someone in my family. I opened the door and he asked my name. I confirmed and he grabbed hold of me and yanked me out. More officers from around the corner pinned me to the wall and cuffed me. I asked what was happening and received a punch to the head for my troubles.
I was rather stunned and horribly confused. They drug me out to where they had parked, just out of the line of sight for me to see from my door. I was tossed into the car and eventually one of them got in and finally answered my question of what was going on.
I had been charged with rape and child molestation. He didn't tell me who charged me or when, just that there was a warrant out for my arrest.
I was hauled into the county jail at that point. I had never been arrested in my life and I was terrified. I didn't have my phone and couldn't remember anyone's contact information at the time. I was processed, given my mugshot, and put in a small holding cell.
Some time later I got my first appearance and was told my charges, no bail, I was warned not to talk to the judge or I'd regret it. Just answer his questions and sit down when told,
Then they moved me to a very small padded room. There were 4 or 5 police officers I think that moved me. It's a bit hard to remember this part in detail, but I remember enough. They handed me this small cloth vest and told me to strip naked. I had no idea what they were doing and I got really scared. I didn't get asked again. They held me down, ripped my clothes off, and beat the hell out of me right there. They shoved my face against a vent in the floor that served as the toilet. One of them remarked that was where a piece of shit like me belonged and they laughed. They spit on me and left, leaving that small vest laying next to me on the cold rubber floor.
For four weeks, I curled up under that vest in the corner of the room. It was so cold and I didn't dare let that spot cool down. The pain was terrible and the nurses that had to check on me didn't care what I'd went though. I didn't have back problems before that, but now I do. Some days I wake up now and can hardly walk.
I was finally moved to general population. I figured things were finally getting better. I was sure that whatever had started happening would finally be over. I got a message from my family and was able to contact them. I reassured them I had no idea what was happening or who had filed charges or anything. I was as confused as everyone else would be.
I tried telling my mom about the abuse. An officer came back there, told me point blank that if I didn't want to get it again and worse next time, I'd better shut my mouth. It was a threat I'd rather not test out. I kept my mouth shut at that point. I learned that all calls and mail was monitored by the jail.
I asked my mom to get in touch with the woman I'd been seeing to explain things. She's already messaged my mom and told her that she wanted nothing to do with me. I guess all things considered I ended up better off, but it hurt at the time.
A few weeks later, a public attorney had been appointed and came to see me. I was finally about to find out who was behind all this. I figured this was some sort of great big misunderstanding and I'd be home soon.
It was the neighbors daughter. Someone I barely knew and only spoke to in passing. I never touched this girl and I didn't want to either. She had told her parents that I had forced open her window and raped her in the early morning hours and threatened to kill her if she told anyone.
I was 6'1 and 230lbs of pudding. I am not stealthy. There was no way I could quietly force open a trailer window and have my way with someone and keep it quiet. regardless though, that's what she claimed to her parents, and then to the police.
Why would that poor precious child lie? Very good question and I never found out the full story. I can speculate a few things on it. They did collect DNA evidence though and it had been sent off for testing.
Something to keep in mind. If you ever been in county lockup for any length of time, you know that nearly everyone claims innocence, and they don't believe other people are. I was locked into a dorm room with actual convicted child sexual predators and actual rapists. Some of whom were violent and had nothing to lose.
It wasn't pleasant and it wasn't fun. I was attacked on occasion simply for my charges.
And remember I said this was pre-covid? Yeah. They shut down the court system. They wouldn't be hearing my case for quite some time and the judge was a real hard ass that refused to set my bond. I spent the next 3 years in county lockup charged with a crime I did not commit.
3 years of my life gone.
I ended up firing my public defender and hiring a real defense attorney. the P.D. told me "things look pretty grim. If you just plea out, you can be home in about 10 years." Hell no. I borrowed the money from my family and got a real attorney. After he reviewed the case he was pretty positive I'd go home, and for a few good reasons.
Let's go to trial.
It finally happened. I got a trial date and I was ready to go. They came at me with another plea deal. The prosecutor said that I had wasted the states valuable time and they offered me 25 yrs in prison or I could lose and never see freedom. I told him to go pound sand.
At the trial, the alleged victim could not keep her story straight. She constantly backtracked and fudged the details of things like "What was he wearing?" or "Things he had said to you before." She also claimed to be a virgin and I took that from her.
I mentioned some time ago that they collected DNA. It was male, but it wasn't mine. Apparently the prosecution sat on those results until it was nearly time for trial. They knew I was innocent and let me sit in jail to entertain their plea deals.
I don't know what really happened that night, I suspect that she had sex with some guy she was seeing, They may have got into a fight and she cried rape, and then changed her mind after she'd started. She needed a rapist though and she just randomly chose a guy nearby that she didn't care anything about. Maybe she got in too deep and knew that if she backtracked she'd be in trouble.
I went home that day, found not guilty of all charges. I was thankful to be back with my family. Many of my so called friends abandoned me though. A few stuck around and those are the good ones.
My facebook arrest post had my full name and address and plenty of people wished for my death. "I'd be glad to put a bullet in him if they'd just let me" or "I know that guy. I knew there was something wrong with him the moment I met him."
I lost my home and a few things had been stolen before my family could secure it. Nothing irreplaceable I guess, but it still feels bad to of lost a few things I cared about.
In addition to severe back pain, the mental damage I got from this has been crippling. No matter how much I try, I just can't seem to get my life together. I am absolutely terrified of women as I know what just a few errant words can do. I don't think I could ever form another meaningful relationship because of those fears. I'm scared of the police as well. I fear they'll come after me again just like they did that night. They could kill me and get away with it these days.
Mostly I stay inside my moms house. Some days I'm ok. Others, I'm just so scared to go out. This isn't really a good life anymore. Counseling is somewhat helping at least.
There's no lawsuit that can be filed. The state doesn't have to answer for anything because they followed the letter of the law and the pandemic gave them emergency powers to do certain things. There's no lawsuit against the girl either as she never said it was made up. There's laws to protect her.
My life was ruined despite all charges being dropped. I honestly am not sure I can recover from this nightmare. There's plenty of details I left out, but I've talked enough as it is. I'm tired now. I expect people to call me a rapist or chomo anyways, innocent or not. For some, an accusation is enough proof for them.
2024.05.17 05:37 ivan_enriquez Please, if you see something, say something. If this vehicle looks familiar to you in the Orange County area please call the Irvine Police Department
 | Today, we lost a brother of local 952 to fire arm violence, a drive by shooting while parked stationary on a break. They pulled him out of the truck and attempted to resuscitate him but it was too late. If you or anyone in Orange County recognizes this vehicle please contact the Irvine Police Department at +1 (949) 724-7000; https://ktla.com/video/ups-driver-shot-killed-while-sitting-in-his-van/9703056/ submitted by ivan_enriquez to UPSers [link] [comments] |
2024.05.17 02:32 chefB0420 My brother ailinated himself from my family now is harassing me at work.
Hello, so here is some context: my brother , 36, and my self, 38, have been estranged. Infact he has estranged himself from our entire family. He has a history of mental health problems and has been on multiple 72 hour holds in state hospital over the years. He is irrational and does crazy shit all the time. 2 months ago he was arrested for calling 911 over 50 times in one day during a civil standby in which his roommates were collecting their things after moving out the shared house. It came out that he had called over 300 times that month. They arrested him and charged him with a felony and a misdemeanor and is out on bond currently. We haven't talked in several months and all of a sudden he is calling my place of employment and telling them I'm a sex offender and that he is my victim and is demanding they fire me and asks them how they can hire me etc. Obviously I'm not a sex offender. I've passed multiple back ground checks for this job and my work doesn't believe him its just he calls amd tells who ever answers the phone a bunch of serious allegations. He called 6x 2 weeks ago and called 3 times this week demanding they fire me or he is gonna start taking it public etc. Local police say I need to file a protection order from county court house but when I picked it up and explained to the clerk what was going on she pretty much said it's gonna be tough to get a protection order and basicly said I should try. Any advice what to do? Aside form being extremely embarrassed I feel like my work is only going to put up with this for so long before they decide to let me go
submitted by chefB0420 to legaladvice [link] [comments]
2024.05.16 22:19 RainInMyBr4in The brutal murder of Emer O'Loughlin
Emer O'Loughlin was a 23 year old Irish woman who was brutally murdered on April 8th 2005. Despite a known suspect, no motive has ever been uncovered and the person of interest hasn't been located, leaving this case unresolved.
Emer O'Loughlin was a student from Galway. She was studying art at college in the city and was described as a "talented artist with a love for photography and drawing". Her family also described her as a "gentle soul who loved living in the rural country". Emer and her long-term boyfriend, Shane Bowe, had arrived back in Ireland after a year long world trip and were sharing a caravan in an effort to save money. They planned to live on the site in Ballybornagh, County Clare until they could save enough to build their own house. Friday the 8th of April 2005 was a bit different for Emer as normally she would be at college but it was a public holiday due to the funeral of Pope John Paul II so she was off. Shane had to leave for work that morning but recalled that the electricity supply to their caravan had encountered a fault and so wasn't working. Emer's phone had died and she needed to charge it so he suggested that she go and ask their neighbour in an adjoining field to charge it for her. He then left for work, not knowing he wouldn't see Emer again.
At some stage during the day, while at work, Shane got a call to inform him that there was a caravan on fire at his site. He rushed back home to discover that the caravan owned by his neighbour, a man called John Griffin, was fiercely ablaze. Horrifically, after the fire was extinguished, human remains were found among the wreckage. It was stated that the body was so disfigured and mutilated, investigators couldn't tell if they were male or female. A week later, the remains were positively identified as Emer O'Loughlin. John Griffin, the owner of the caravan, was nowhere to be found however and a Garda search began. He was eventually located in Galway City and when interviewed, stated that he had stayed with a relative the night before and had no idea about the fire.
Two days after being interviewed, John travelled to the island of Inis Mór and barricaded himself inside the ancient fort of Dun Aengus. After a 9 hour standoff with Garda, he was eventually subdued and taken to a psychiatric hospital in Galway city. However, only 5 days later, John walked out of St Bridgid's psychiatrist hospital in Ballinasloe. He had shaved his head and beard and was last seen boarding a ferry back to the island of Inis Mór. Garda later found a pile of his clothes, neatly folded, at the edge of a cliff on the island.
At the time of Emer's demise, the coroner was unable to accurately determine a cause of death due to the condition of her remains. However, her family were adamant she had met foul play and that this wasn't an accidental death. After much campaigning on their behalf, her body was eventually exhumed in 2010 and a second autopsy was conducted. This investigation revealed some very concerning things, most notably numerous cuts on the skull and spine. It was concluded that Emer had met a very violent and aggressive death with a machete-like knife prior to the fire and that the caravan was destroyed to conceal the crime scene. It was also revealed that a traditional Nepalese knife had been recovered from the wreckage at the time. The case was immediately upgraded to a murder investigation and an Interpol notice for John's arrest was sent out.
Garda and Interpol don't believe that John ended his own life and that he faked his own death before fleeing the country. It has now been over 19 years since Emer's life was cruelly cut short and the key suspect has never been caught. However, there have been numerous alleged sightings in that time. It's believed that he is living under an alias somewhere in Europe. He had previously lived in Scotland under the name 'John McDermott' prior to returning to Ireland. In 2014, it was revealed that Griffin might have been living in Edinburgh after an alleged paper trail was discovered. Then, in 2022, he was tracked down to a drug rehabilitation facility in Scotland following co-ordination between gardaí, Scottish police and Interpol. However, by the time his whereabouts were revealed, he had been discharged. He has not been seen or heard from since. Emer's family has still not received any justice and believe that he may not be caught, stating that "He could be anywhere in the world now, using any name". The Garda investigation continues to this day but unless John Griffin is apprehended, Emer's case won't be closed and her family will never receive the peace and justice they so desperately deserve.
Sources: https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/family-of-emer-oloughlin-appeal-for-information-on-19th-anniversary-of-her-violent-death/a902392677.html
https://m.sundayworld.com/crime/irish-crime/sister-of-murdered-emer-oloughlin-publishes-last-known-image-of-chief-suspect/a176727619.html
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-13287177/The-tragic-murder-Emer-OLoughlin-suspect-faked-death-19-years-later.html
submitted by RainInMyBr4in to UnresolvedMysteries [link] [comments]
Emer O'Loughlin was a student from Galway. She was studying art at college in the city and was described as a "talented artist with a love for photography and drawing". Her family also described her as a "gentle soul who loved living in the rural country". Emer and her long-term boyfriend, Shane Bowe, had arrived back in Ireland after a year long world trip and were sharing a caravan in an effort to save money. They planned to live on the site in Ballybornagh, County Clare until they could save enough to build their own house. Friday the 8th of April 2005 was a bit different for Emer as normally she would be at college but it was a public holiday due to the funeral of Pope John Paul II so she was off. Shane had to leave for work that morning but recalled that the electricity supply to their caravan had encountered a fault and so wasn't working. Emer's phone had died and she needed to charge it so he suggested that she go and ask their neighbour in an adjoining field to charge it for her. He then left for work, not knowing he wouldn't see Emer again.
At some stage during the day, while at work, Shane got a call to inform him that there was a caravan on fire at his site. He rushed back home to discover that the caravan owned by his neighbour, a man called John Griffin, was fiercely ablaze. Horrifically, after the fire was extinguished, human remains were found among the wreckage. It was stated that the body was so disfigured and mutilated, investigators couldn't tell if they were male or female. A week later, the remains were positively identified as Emer O'Loughlin. John Griffin, the owner of the caravan, was nowhere to be found however and a Garda search began. He was eventually located in Galway City and when interviewed, stated that he had stayed with a relative the night before and had no idea about the fire.
Two days after being interviewed, John travelled to the island of Inis Mór and barricaded himself inside the ancient fort of Dun Aengus. After a 9 hour standoff with Garda, he was eventually subdued and taken to a psychiatric hospital in Galway city. However, only 5 days later, John walked out of St Bridgid's psychiatrist hospital in Ballinasloe. He had shaved his head and beard and was last seen boarding a ferry back to the island of Inis Mór. Garda later found a pile of his clothes, neatly folded, at the edge of a cliff on the island.
At the time of Emer's demise, the coroner was unable to accurately determine a cause of death due to the condition of her remains. However, her family were adamant she had met foul play and that this wasn't an accidental death. After much campaigning on their behalf, her body was eventually exhumed in 2010 and a second autopsy was conducted. This investigation revealed some very concerning things, most notably numerous cuts on the skull and spine. It was concluded that Emer had met a very violent and aggressive death with a machete-like knife prior to the fire and that the caravan was destroyed to conceal the crime scene. It was also revealed that a traditional Nepalese knife had been recovered from the wreckage at the time. The case was immediately upgraded to a murder investigation and an Interpol notice for John's arrest was sent out.
Garda and Interpol don't believe that John ended his own life and that he faked his own death before fleeing the country. It has now been over 19 years since Emer's life was cruelly cut short and the key suspect has never been caught. However, there have been numerous alleged sightings in that time. It's believed that he is living under an alias somewhere in Europe. He had previously lived in Scotland under the name 'John McDermott' prior to returning to Ireland. In 2014, it was revealed that Griffin might have been living in Edinburgh after an alleged paper trail was discovered. Then, in 2022, he was tracked down to a drug rehabilitation facility in Scotland following co-ordination between gardaí, Scottish police and Interpol. However, by the time his whereabouts were revealed, he had been discharged. He has not been seen or heard from since. Emer's family has still not received any justice and believe that he may not be caught, stating that "He could be anywhere in the world now, using any name". The Garda investigation continues to this day but unless John Griffin is apprehended, Emer's case won't be closed and her family will never receive the peace and justice they so desperately deserve.
Sources: https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/family-of-emer-oloughlin-appeal-for-information-on-19th-anniversary-of-her-violent-death/a902392677.html
https://m.sundayworld.com/crime/irish-crime/sister-of-murdered-emer-oloughlin-publishes-last-known-image-of-chief-suspect/a176727619.html
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-13287177/The-tragic-murder-Emer-OLoughlin-suspect-faked-death-19-years-later.html
2024.05.16 15:24 m4moz Cobb County police respond to arrest that led to 2 officers being fired
 | submitted by m4moz to Bad_Cop_No_Donut [link] [comments] |
2024.05.16 04:27 BetPsychological2100 Taking landlord to small claims court (Delaware County, PA)
Hello you guys, I have a bit of a sticky situation with my former landlord in Delaware County, PA:
submitted by BetPsychological2100 to legaladvice [link] [comments]
- In May 2023, I signed a year lease in a building with about a dozen units owned by a retiree.
- The basement unit flooded twice in June. The property manager made some amends/repairs. I didn't want to move out at that time because I believed the issue was resolved.
- After the tenant above me moved out, the property manager and handyman proceeded to gut the apartment over my head, running power tools late into the night and on weekends for the whole month of November, even after I asked them not to. This was a noise code violation. Because the only way to make an official record of this was to call the police, I decided not to (as a single woman living alone, I didn't want to escalate the situation).
- I was ready to leave after the two floods and the noise. I went into a deep rabbithole doing legal research on the many numerous building and fire code issues in my unit. One of my findings was that my unit had *NEVER* received a certificate of occupancy from the borough, which I take to mean I had been living in an illegal basement conversion that was deceptively passed off to me as a habitable living space.
- In December, the unit flooded again! This time I called the borough's code enforcement department. One of the inspectors came over the same day and later filed a report with a short paragraph on the inspection and the photos he took. He told me he never would have passed the unit.
- I moved out at the end of December and now live about an hour away.
- Here's where I might have fucked up: when I left, the property manager sent me an email stating I wouldn't be getting my security deposit back. I never formally asked for the deposit back. I was extremely overwhelmed by dealing with all the issues, moving twice in seven months, a demanding corporate job, and everything else.
- In April, I sent the landlord a certified demand letter to his personal address asking for the ~$1,500 deposit back. He never responded but I have the return receipt he signed.
- Knowing the upper limit for small claims court is $6,000, and I am out $1,500 (security deposit) + $1500 (moving expenses) + $7,000 in rent for an "apartment" whose landlord breached the warrant of habitability and covenant of quiet enjoyment, can I ask for the full $6,000 if I file in May after moving out on December 31?
2024.05.15 21:48 offairarcade What to do in San Jose: 5/15 thru 5/19
Hey hey! Here are some fun things that are happening around town this week:
submitted by offairarcade to SanJose [link] [comments]
Wednesday
- Santana Row Farmer’s Market Santana Row (Between Olin Ave. and Olsen Dr.) 4-8 p.m. FREE Sample fresh fruits, veggies, and other treats from South County farmers. (Runs through 9/25)
- Tully Night Market Tully Community Ballfields (880 Tully Rd., San Jose) 5:30 p.m. FREE Check out local makers, artists, and shakers to live music with the Trujillo Selena Tribute band.
- San Jose Shakeout Series Creekside Socials (20 Barack Obama Blvd., San Jose) 6-8 p.m. FREE The third week of this weekly running event features live music from Blue House and DJ Sumabat, with food and drink from Churros el Guero and Hot Papa. (Runs through 5/29)
- Electric Six + Supersuckers + Volk The Ritz (400 S. First St., San Jose) 7 p.m. $20 Advance, $25 Day of Show Don’t you want to know how we keep startin’ fires? It’s my desire! Danger! Danger! High voltage!
- The Caravan Lounge Comedy Show Caravan Lounge (98 S. Almaden Ave., San Jose) 9:30 p.m. FREE Ato Walker hosts this week’s rotating list of local comedians.
Thursday
- Off The Grid Night Market Gordon Biersch (357 E. Taylor St., San Jose) 5-9 p.m. FREE Groove to music from San Jose Jazz while you sample over 50+ food trucks and brews at the inaugural event. (Runs through 7/11)
- Bay to Breakers Shakeout Sunnyvale Bay Trail (293-327 W. Caribbean Dr., Sunnyvale) 6 p.m. FREE Don your Bay to Breakers gear and run, jog, or walk to your own pace at this running series.
- Dwight Clark Legacy Series California Theater (345 S. First St., San Jose) 7 p.m. $30-$287 Along with lively conversations with current and former 9ers players, NBC Sports hosts a presentation of the Dwight Clark Awards.
- Drink and Draw Art Boutiki (44 Race St., San Jose) 7 p.m. FREE Bring out your inner artiste while you sip on a tasty beverage and enjoy the sound of Digging Sound Collect. Crayons, paper, pencils, and other utensils provided.
- Chris Porter San Jose Improv (62 S. Second St., San Jose) Thu 8 p.m., Fri 7:30 + 9:45 p.m., Sat 7 p.m. + 9:30 p.m. $22-$72 From NBC’s “Last Comic Standing,” and his Netflix special “Ugly and Angry,” this comedian has distinguished himself as a no-frills, no-sound cues, no puppets performer. (Runs through 5/18)
- Austin Nasso Rooster T Feathers Comedy Club (Address) Thu-Fri 8 p.m., Sat-Sun 7 p.m. $25 Admission, $35 VIP You may know this former Microsoft software engineer from his recurring appearances on “The Howard Stern Show.” (Runs through 5/19)
- Pressure Drop DJ Night Caravan Lounge (98 S. Almaden Ave., San Jose) 9 p.m. FREE Join DJs Norbert + Fuchsia for a night of punk, ska, reggae, soul, and R&B.
Friday
- Salsa y Cerveza Garden at the Flea (1590 Berryessa Rd., San Jose) 5-9 p.m. FREE Learn to Salsa dance and browse flea market deals while you groove to Union Timbera and gnosh on bites from local food trucks.
- Movie Night in the Park: “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” Meadowfair Park (Corda Dr. + Barberry Ln., San Jose) 6-10 p.m. FREE Bring your blanket + lawn chair, and enjoy lawn games, crafts, and food trucks as you watch one of the coolest, most stylish animated films from last year.
- SJBP - Bikers of the Caribbean Ride! Berryessa BART Station (958 Berryessa Station Way, San Jose) 7:30 p.m. FREE Dress like a pirate, or wear your street gear to join other bike enthusiasts for a 15-20 mile ride through North San
- Bay FC vs San Diego Wave FC PayPal Park (1123 Coleman Ave., San Jose) 7:30 p.m. $20-$196 After losses on the road to Chicago and Portland, our team returns home for a “Bay Area Unite” game.
- Sofia Niño de Rivera California Theater (345 S. First St., San Jose) 8 p.m. $49-$109 You may know this comedian as Mexico City’s “Woman of the Year” 2016, or from the Netflix dramedy “Club de Cuervos.”
- Dark Satellite + Orbit 17 + Dear Banshee Art Boutiki (44 Race St., San Jose) 8 p.m. $15 Advance, $20 Day of Show Bay Area indie rockers collide at a stellar showcase of prog, jazz, and otherworldly riffage.
- Alicia Villarreal San Jose Civic (135 W. San Carlos St., San Jose) 8 p.m. $39.50-$149 See the two-time Latin Grammy Award-winning singer for her “Donde Todo Comenzo” tour.
- Electric Feels: Indie Rock + Indie Dance Party The Ritz (400 S. First St., San Jose) 9 p.m. $15-$20 Advance, $25 Day of Show From MGMT to Vampire Weekend, alt-J to Hot Chip, dance along to your favorite indie tracks from yesteryear.
- Panacea + HRIF + Perarez Caravan Lounge (98 S. Almaden Ave., San Jose) 9 p.m. FREE Chunky riffs, ear-splitting growls, and dense-packed crowds fill one of the most intimate venues in the South Bay.
Saturday
- Bored Teachers Comedy Tour California Theater (345 S. First St., San Jose) 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. $35-$55 Ring in the end of the school year with the No. 1 teacher comedians in the world performing skits and stand ups.
- Culture Night Market Discovery Meadow (180 Woz Way, San Jose) 4-10 p.m. FREE Featuring local vendors, food trucks, and businesses, to hoppin’ stage performances from Universal Grammar, Los Jefes, L James, Thatfool Al, Sutro, DJ Say, and Real Ignorant.
- All Out for Al-Nakba San Jose Peace and Justice Center (48 S. Seventh St., San Jose) 4 p.m. FREE Join community members and activists for a screening and discussion of Al Jazeera’s “Al-Nakba: The Palestinian Catastrophe 1948” documentary series as a part of Anti-War Action Network’s national week of action.
- Hey Girl! Sexy Slumber Party Splash Video Dance Bar (65 Post St., San Jose) 6 p.m. FREE before 7:30, $10 after Dress in your best pajamas or sexy sleepwear and dance along with fellow fems, femmes, and femme fatales to the tunes of local DJ Rogue Mermaid.
- Nate Jackson San Jose Civic (135 W. San Carlos St., San Jose) 7 p.m. $39.50-$200 You know he has to be funny, because his tour’s called the “Super Funny World Tour.” It’s just science.
- The ABBA Concert Experience Montgomery Theater (271 S. Market St., San Jose) 7:30 p.m. $39-$59 This family-friendly singalong show highlights the enduring success of one of the world’s most beloved pop supergroups.
- San Jose Earthquakes vs. Orlando City SC PayPal Park (1123 Coleman Ave., San Jose) 7:30 p.m. $22-$185 Join the Quakes for Vietnamese Heritage night, with special merch for sale, and limited items with purchase of a ticket.
- Take on Me: The Ultimate 80’s Party The Ritz (400 S. First St., San Jose) 8 p.m. $17-$20 Advance, $20 Day of Show Don your favorite hot pants and pastel colors for this celebration of synths and gated reverb drums.
- Nineteen Jazz Orchestra Art Boutiki (44 Race St., San Jose) 8 p.m. $25 Advance, $30 Day of Show Along with classic soul, jazz, and R&B, this local professional jazz group will be performing “Obama Suite,” composed by their their former trumpet player, the late Eric Bolvin.
- Nature of the Beast SJZ Break Room (310 S. First St., San Jose) 8 p.m. $25 Bay Area jazz legends return to the SJZ stage to perform select songs from Herbie Hancock’s discography.
- Dead River Rebels + American Standard + Akira XX Caravan Lounge (98 S. Almaden Ave., San Jose) 9 p.m. FREE DIY punk meets stoner rock at this showcase of local talent.
Sunday
- Boogie Music Fest Downtown Campbell 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday FREE Admission Enjoy food, beer, and wine, plus artisan booths, a kids zone, and a funky “Best Dressed” contest, with live music on two stages both days.
- AAPI Pride Brunch Holiday Inn San Jose - Silicon Valley (1350 N. First St., San Jose) 11 a.m.-3 p.m. FREE Celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander History Month with local drag performers, poetry, Mahjong, and trivia games.
- Halfway to Halloween Rumble City Boxing (866 Park Ave., San Jose) 2-6 p.m. FREE From spooky wares to Halfoween artistry, check out local artist booths with live music and food.
- Homayoun Shajarian + Anoushiravan Rohani San Jose Civic (135 W. San Carlos St., San Jose) 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. Two legendary performers, one from Tehran and the other from Iran, blend Eastern and Western musical traditions.
- Jakob’s Castle + The Happys The Ritz (400 S. First St., San Jose) 7 p.m. $15 Advance, $20 Day of Show SoCal rock and ska royalty Jacob Nowell brings his sublime punk sensibilities to the stage.
- Sammy Obeid San Jose Improv (62 S. Second St., San Jose) 8:30 p.m. $30-$90 One of my favorite comedians of all time, Sammy’s been a part of the Bay Area comedy scene for the past two decades. Check out some of his bits on Instagram/TikTok!
Thanks so much for reading!
You can get this entire post emailed to you each week in my newsletter.But hold on, aren’t there other newsletters in San Jose???
Yep! And those are all super groovy! My newsletter is primarily a place for me to compile a curated list of things happening all over town, not just in the downtown spaces. There are small, DIY shows almost every day, and they generally don’t have a budget or the know how to promote themselves on platforms where you’re going to see. I’m pretty closely connected with a lot of the folks who organize these events (and have even helped organize many myself!) I occasionally include interviews with locals, newsy bits, and other things as they pop into my brain. Either way, I hope you enjoyed this post, and I hope it helped you find something to do this week. 🙂- Gregg