From an email I just sent out:-)
Prof Glenn Reynolds and other new/alternative media bloggers:
A bleg for a link:-) Prof. Reynolds this is your concept of An Army of Davids in action to counter big media and governmental bureaucracy. Unfortunately critical mass has not been reached yet to expose these criminal acts. This could be an excellent PJTV segment. See this compelling YouTube video:
‘Deathtrap’
Cowles media dynasty called hub of
organized crime by two former lawmen
Woman died, public threatened because of
government collusion with powerful family, they say
This is a real Shakespearean/Greek tragedy at multiple levels with the death of Jo Ellen Savage in the Cowles’ owned RPS parking garage at the visceral level and the white collar fraud aspect of the elite and powerful that was the proximate of her death. The regional media outlet, The Spokesman-Review, has been thoroughly co-opted by its owners to conceal its criminal acts – a very unique circumstance.
The Cowles own a considerable amount of real estate in Downtown Spokane and their illegal dealings are generally self-censored and/or under reported by the S-R in deference to their owners. So far the perpetrators by owning, controlling and or by extorting the Spokane region’s media market, have been able to keep this major story under wraps. Without being challenged by an aggressive local newspaper, the public remains uniformed and consequently is not storming city hall with pitchforks and shovels in outrage demanding justice.
The Cowles Co was founding a member of the AP and have served on its board. From the geographic/political isolation of Spokane this remains a company town. No news leaves this town that the Cowles Co doesn’t control re its AP feed. If the light of the free world’s press were to shine on Spokane, the Cowles Co stranglehold on Spokane would be broken. With the new/alternative media the Cowles Co can no longer can control the flow of info out of Spokane. So hence my bleg for others to spread the word to help us gain critical mass to break this story around the Cowles’ logjam on the flow of information/news.
This story needs to be reported by media outside of this regional market so that the citizens of Spokane will be informed and can take appropriate action to hold their elected and others accountable. This is like we witnessed in Katrina when folks were stuck on roofs and used their cell phones/newsroom blogs to send messages out of the disaster zone to report their location/condition to rescuers. An earlier as we witnessed by troops on the ground in Greneda using phone cards to use local phone to communicate critical information that they couldn’t pass on their official gov’t com equipment between the differnce military service branches.
Please note that nationally famous former Sheriff Tony Bamonte from the book Breaking Blue concurs with my assessment and Tim Connor award winning investigative jounalist and former mayor of Spokane, Col. John Talbott (Ret. USAF) join in my request for action by WA Gov. Christine Gregoire
This is now up at my site:
BREAKING – Criminal complaint filed against Spokane Co Prosecutor Steve Tucker
Forbes magazine just release this story. The door is slowly creaking open. The frauds Mr. Barrett cite are small potatoes compared with the Cowles’ led $100M RPS bond fraud et al :
Fraud: Scam Capital of America
William P. Barrett, 05.06.09, 06:00 PM EDT
Forbes Magazine dated May 25, 2009
Rugged individualism often goes hand in hand with cutting corners. Washington State’s second-largest city is a prime example.
There’s the diploma mill that sold 10,000 phony college degrees to buyers in 131 countries. The $31 million parking-garage bond hustle that snared fund firms Vanguard, Nuveen and Smith Barney. And the many questionable enterprises around the continent that turn for legal and accounting services to firms in the heart of the Pacific Northwest’s Inland Empire. . .
Det. Ron Wright (Retired)
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: rocketsbrain <nar9350@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, May 5, 2009 at 2:59 PM
Subject: BREAKING – Criminal complaint filed against Spokane Co Prosecutor Steve Tucker
To: “Verner, Mary” <MVerner@spokanecity.org>,
Mayor Verner and City Council:
This is not in general release yet. I thought I would give you some advance notice. As I said in my letter to Ast. AG Scott Marlow I have major ethical and professional concerns with how Mr. Tucker handled this investigation. To put it bluntly he didn’t do “crap” and buried the Savage case from public scrutiny. I will not let him get away with this.
BTW I have yet to hear from you re my formal demand for an immediate inspection of the RPS parking garage. The City Attorney indicated that the City would wait until after Tucker made his decision – well that was almost a month ago.
I find myself in agreement with Doug Clark’s column this morning. Seems to me this topic has more relevance than the safety/sign bus bench issue that you are spending considerable time on.
Det. Ron Wright (Retired)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 5, 2009
SUBJECT: Criminal complaint filed against Spokane Co Prosecutor Steve Tucker and others with Gov. Christine Gregoire
Spokane, WA – A criminal complaint was filed with Gov. Christine Gregoire today by retired police Det. Ron Wright. Det. Wright is a seasoned criminal investigator having previously worked for Riverside PD, CA for thirty-five years and retired to Spokane two years ago. . .
[See link above re complaint filed for complete text of release]