INSIDE INGLEWOOD - One month after a daring daylight break-in of an Inglewood newspaper publisher's house, a rival newspaper's distributor was filmed and photographed following the publisher's niece home from school on Thursday, February 28.
The January break-in of the publisher's house, during which the burglars did not take anything of material value but did leave evidence of rifling through financial files, was caught on video.
The publisher, Teka-Lark Fleming, publishes Morningside Park Chronicle. The newspaper has been deeply critical of the mayor's many policies, financial decisions and political policies. (Full disclosure: this reporter is married to the publisher and is editor-in-chief to the Chronicle.)
The man, whom Inglewood Today owner Willie Brown has refused to identify, was seen following the girls and was thereafter videotaped circling the publisher's house twice before being confronted.
The man made some comments about being photographed before driving quickly away. The exchange was captured on a digital video camera.
After an Inglewood city council meeting on March 5, Brown accused this reporter of following one of delivery drivers. When Brown was informed that the reason his driver was being followed was that his driver had been observed in a van following two young girls—one of whom happened to be the publisher's niece—Brown got angry, made some rude accusations and quickly hurried away.
The exchange took place in front of Inglewood City Hall.
Inglewood Today was started as a promotional newsletter in the 1990s by former Inglewood mayor Vincent Dorn. It remains funded by the City of Inglewood despite having been fined $50k in 2004 for a significant series of CA Political Reform Act violations.
The fine was paid by the City of Inglewood.
Days before the break-in of the publisher's house, Bourbon Street Fish owner Derrick A. Brown, a close friend to Inglewood Today owner Willie Brown, personally made a death threat to the publisher. The threat was caught on tape. The publisher filed a formal complaint against Derrick Brown with the Inglewood Police Department (IPD).
The IPD has failed to investigate either of the incidents after filing reports. IPD Chief Fronterotta has not responded to inquiries regarding the incidents.
Both incidents—and many subsequent related events—remain a matter of grave concern to the Chronicle's publisher owing to her niece having been a witness who can identify two of the four burglars.
Inglewood Today remains a paper that features Inglewood city clerk Yvonne Horton and in every edition advances the agenda of mayor James T. Butts. Inglewood Today is again under investigation by the FPPC for running ads bereft of legally required political disclaimers for municipal candidates whose campaigns were supported by the mayor.
Butts is a 19-year veteran of the IPD, a former chief of police for the Santa Monica Police Department and also a former deputy Executive of Security at LAX. The LAX position requires an FBI clearance of "Secret," a clearance which Butts was granted.
Fronterotta is a former disciple of James T. Butts, having served under Butts decades ago when he first served.
Butts resigned from LAX in 2009 and in early 2010 was elected mayor of Inglewood. At LAX, Butts made more than $200k annually. As mayor of Inglewood his monthly salary is just under $10k.
(Randall Fleming is a veteran journalist and magazine publisher. He has worked at and for the New York Post, the Brooklyn Spectator and the Los Feliz Ledger. He is currently editor-in-chief at the Morningside Park Chronicle, a monthly newspaper based in Inglewood, CA and on-line at www.MorningsideParkChronicle.com)
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 11 Issue 27
Pub: Apr 2, 2013