North Carolina State Auditor Goes After Charlotte City Council

Republican state auditor Dave Boliek is investigating the City of Charlotte for "the $100,000 to $300,000 in public dollars may have been given" to police chief Johnny Jennings to avoid a potential lawsuit.

City staff have not confirmed to the public how much money was paid or even whether a payment exists, as Boliek underscored in a letter sent Tuesday to Charlotte City Council.

"Even if the payment was worth one penny, it should be disclosed to the public in a timely and transparent matter," Boliek wrote. "There is no tax dollar free from public scrutiny."

According to multiple media reports, the council voted behind closed doors on May 5 to pay Jennings $300,000 so he would not take legal action against the city for comments former council member Tariq Bokhari made.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles would later publicly apologize to the Chief saying in part that she should have spoken up sooner. 

In texts published by WFAE, Bokhari told Jennings he would call on the chief's resignation and work to "cripple" his legacy if he did not agree to let officers wear outer carrier vests.

The city has not confirmed the settlement. Instead, officials — including interim City Attorney Anthony Fox and City Council member Malcolm Graham — have discussed investigating leaks of information to the media.

Meanwhile, the Fraternal Order of Police is taking a no-confidence vote against Jennings, and fractures within council are being revealed.

"It is my understanding there is a possibility that as much as $100,000 to $300,000 in public dollars may have been given to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Chief Johnny Jennings for a legal settlement that may have been entered into by the City Council," Boliek wrote in his letter.

Boliek continued, "This is only what has been gathered by the Auditor's Office from news reports, social media, and conversation. The truth of the matter remains unclear."

The reported settlement may be higher than Jennings' yearly salary of just over $280,000.

Boliek remarked that the mayor's office could quickly release information that answers some of the most pressing questions — "which I strongly encourage."

Per state law, the city can vote on settlements behind closed doors, but it must publicly share the terms "as soon as possible" after finalizing the deal, as the Charlotte Observer reported.

However, the city has a poor track record of timeliness and transparency, from taking excessive time to fulfill public records requests to failing to publish city minutes.

The settlement fiasco has revealed ruptures within the council. WSOC reported that one council member's vote was counted as a "yes" because they left the room without being formally excused. That brought the tally to six votes, just enough for the settlement to pass.

Cedar's Take:

Liberal media even Axios which is somewhat more centric are fast to point out the Boliek who holds an elected position is a Republican. 

But his criticism of Charlotte City Council is well founded. What city government or any elected body would be allowed to settle a "pending lawsuit" that had little if any merit without a full understanding and public discourse or record meeting minutes as much as 3 years after the meeting has concluded. 

Currently the city clerk is only 26 months behind which is a nice improvement over 2022. But in a real world setting of local government, meeting minutes are formally entered into the record at the next following meeting. 

The city staff explain that since there is a video posted the next day the minutes are an unnecessary burden. 

Let's face facts the Mayor is ceremonial the council are all democrats with the exception of the two "Ed's" - Ed Peacock and "bidenesque" Ed Driggs neither of which have the drive to out the grift and DEI hires. Bravo to Dave Boliek for pointing out the obvious.

But the City of Charlotte's troubles run deeper than just sketchy City Council. It is clear to long time residents there has been a noticeable change in just about everything. 

Streets and Roads are awful

Street signs are in sad shape or completely missing.  

Traffic Enforcement is nearly non-existent.

Public Parks are unsafe

Every intersection is covered with litter and accident debris.

City management is disproportionately African American.

Police Call response time and 911 are far from what they used to be.

Solid Waste is a circus.   

Cost of city water is outrageous.

Property Tax is insane.

And it is only going to get worse.

Local News Media Dog Piles CMPD Chief

You know things are not looking good when the liberal media starts asking real questions.

The "Local Paper" came up with "Four Questions" running the following story (plus countless pop up and spammy links and adverts.) on line and on social media. 

More than a week after news broke of the Charlotte City Council agreeing to a settlement with the city’s chief of police, key questions about the situation remain unanswered. WSOC and WFAE reported May 6 the City Council agreed in closed session to a financial settlement with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings. 

The deal reportedly prevented a potential lawsuit over now former-Council member Tariq Bokhari’s push to get new bulletproof vests for police officers. 

Council member Victoria Watlington sparked fresh controversy over the reported deal when she sent an email to supporters saying she was “extremely concerned with the level of unethical, immoral, and frankly, illegal activities occurring within City government.” The email didn’t specify what she was referring to, and Watlington told The Charlotte Observer she was concerned about “the culture of the organization and how work is done.” 

The email prompted a press conference Wednesday with Mayor Vi Lyles and other council members, who called the claims “unfounded” and for Watlington to produce evidence to support her comments. Watlington sent another email Thursday saying she does not have concerns about “financial or widespread corruption.” 

But the city has not confirmed a settlement deal. 

Officials also haven’t announced what, if any, investigations will arise from the incidents. Here are some still lingering questions about the reported settlement. 

How much will Charlotte pay Jennings? 

The city has not publicly announced the terms of the settlement with Jennings, including the exact amount of any payout. WFAE reported it’s a six-figure amount, and Council member Tiawana Brown said on Facebook the amount was $300,000. 

That’s more than Jennings’ annual salary of $280,334. Brown told the Observer Monday what she posted was an estimate based on what she’s heard from others because she was absent from the April 28 closed session. 

The Observer and other media outlets filed public records requests with the city for the settlement terms. 

Will Charlotte disclose settlement amount? 

State law allows for closed session votes on settlements, but the terms must be made public “as soon as possible with a reasonable time after the settlement is concluded,” attorney Mike Tadych told the Observer. 

Asked when and if the city would announce the settlement amount, interim City Attorney Anthony Fox told reporters after Wednesday’s press conference he would “comply with the law.” But he stopped short of explicitly pledging to release settlement details. 

Tadych, who specializes in First Amendment law, noted the city’s history of struggling to fulfill records requests and produce meeting minutes swiftly. “Given Charlotte’s near failure to keep minutes of their meetings in a timely fashion, who knows when that will occur,” he said. 

What would Jennings have sued for? 

Jennings has not commented publicly on the situation. Based on the limited information available, Jennings could sue on civil allegations of defamation or emotional harm, University of North Carolina School of Law professor Rick Su told the Observer. Defamation suits require false statements be published to a third party and have caused injury to the plaintiff’s reputation. As a public figure, Jennings also would have to prove “actual malice,” a legal distinction that says the allegedly defamatory statement had to have been said with knowledge of or reckless disregard for its falsity. Su said he saw nothing in current news reports to suggest that Bokhari’s statements “would be knowingly false and done purely out of malice.” 

Will city attorney investigate closed session leaks? 

During Wednesday’s press conference, City Council member Malcolm Graham called for city leaders to consider an investigation into who is responsible for leaking information about closed session meetings. 

“They impact the ability for the City Council and the manager’s office to have a relationship that works, that’s built on trust and transparency,” Graham said of leaks. “Many of the leaks to the media in front of me are half truths about a wide variety of issues, and because we cannot disclose they go unanswered.” 

Fox told reporters that day any investigation would likely involve bringing in outside counsel. 

He also suggested leaking closed session details could lead to criminal penalties. 

But Fox walked back that comment Friday, releasing a statement through a city spokesperson saying he meant to say a person “could be subject to criminal sanctions” if they share information from a personnel file under state privacy law. A city spokesperson had not answered follow-up questions from an Observer reporter about whether Fox will pursue an investigation as of Tuesday afternoon. Lyles did not address the potential of a leak investigation at Monday’s council meeting, but she did announce a plan to partner with Council member Renee Perkins Johnson on efforts to change and improve the council’s processes.

Cedar's Take:

You can't really believe a word the Mayor says after all according to the city website: "The mayor is the ceremonial head of the city government" but was happy to accept a free membership at Myers Park Country Club.

The City Clerk is only 3 years behind in recording council meeting minutes. 

The City Attorney is "interim" and suddenly has no intent of seeking the job on a full-time basis.

The entire saga was instigated by NAACP queen Corin Mack who is best equated to a combination of Al Sharpton and Maxine Waters.

The pearl clutching mayor Vi Lyles tossed fuel on the fire then held a presser in chambers to apologize to the chief.

CP talked to CMPD working the PGA Championship and most were more concerned about the continued rain vs the fate of Chief. The general consensus is JJ has somehow forgotten that every day they are insulted by some of Charlotte's finest citizens and no one at Charlotte City Council is offering to pay them a bonus.

The best comment came from a unnamed sergeant who suggested that "Maybe Bokhari and Jennings should just patch up thier "bromance" over a couple of beers and hug it out" . 

More from Quail Hollow later. CP

Opossum Burned Alive Charloot Thug Charged

Last month a video surfaced on Facebook showing an opossum being doused with a flammable liquid and then set on fire. 

Leave it to Charlotte the spawning ground to black scum to be the quickly determined as the location. 

North Carolina wildlife officers investigated the incident after the video was posted on April 24, 2025. They found the burned opossum on the side of the road and it didn't take long for the perpetrator, Cameron Bernard Torrence, age 30 to be identified and arrested.

Torrence Photo Courtesy of MCSO

Torrence is facing charges, including instigating cruelty to animals, fleeing and eluding arrest and probation violation. He was issued a $15,000.00 bail and released 24 hours later.

No surprise this violent thug has a long history of violence and a total lack of impulse control.

The mugshots above are just 7 of the dozens taken over the last ten years. (Keep in mind that Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden limits mugshots to the most recent 3 years). Torrence has seen 100's of charges most resulting in voluntary dismissals. However he did earn a 6 year sentence for robbery with a dangerous weapon and was released from the Albemarle Correction facility in August of 2017.

Recent charges include domestic violence safe cracking drugs and weapons charges and endless motor vehicle violations. 

Besides his thug handle and street name "HeFe HeFe" NCDOC says he's also known to use the alias of "Rhonda Norris".

Officer Affidavit:

On Thursday 24 April 2025, video was posted and observed on Facebook of individuals dousing an opossum with an accelerant and then lighting the opossum on fire. Numerous tips and reports from the public stated that the video originated from profile named "Hefe Hefe". The username "Hefe Hefe" (Associated Facebook User Number 100089544943313) has been identified as an account belonging to defendant Cameron Bernard Torrence (DOB: 01/07/1995).

As of 25 April 2025, the initial video has been removed from the Facebook page, but the opossum is still being discussed on his profile. North Carolina Wildlife Officers have screen recording of the original post. North Carolina Wildlife Officers S. Parker and K. Blankenship went to the area of St. Mark Street Charlotte, NC to canvass the area regarding the killed opossum on 25 April 2025. North Carolina Wildlife Officers observed the burned opossum on the side of St. Mark Street Charlotte, NC. Officers went to the house associated with this address, 1909 St. Mark Street, to do knock and talk but were unable to make contact with any occupants of the home.

In the originating video, the name "Hefe" was mentioned many times. The affiant believes that defendant Cameron Bernard Torrence was present during the act of animal cruelty and then posted the video to his Facebook profile, "Hefe Hefe" (Associated Facebook User Number "100089544943313). Since the video, multiple posts from the profile "Hefe Hefe" have been made regarding the burned opossum.

This affiant knows that Facebook is social media platform that allows users who utilize the application to post videos or other content to reach wider audience thereby generating more engagement with the post. Furthermore, this affiant is aware of at least popular social media accounts within the Meta ecosystem, CMPD R&P 11-2016 specifically Instagram, that either referenced the Facebook video made by user account "Hefe Hefe" or reposted the video of the opossum being set on fire and same was further exposed to several hundred thousand followers. The two Instagram accounts, "thenorthcarolinabeat" and "charlitttnc" have combined follower count of 341,000 users. As of today's date, May 2025, the video reposted to "thenorthcarolinabeat"

Instagram account received 2,745 likes, 986 comments and was shared 3,732 times.

At this time, this affiant believes that probable cause exists to charge defendant Cameron Bernard Torrence with instigating or promoting cruelty to animals.

Krista Bokhari's Statement

Answering the Call for Proof

I have worked hand-in-hand with my husband for the last 7 years serving not only the constituents of District 6, but so many more across the entire city.

This involvement includes the efforts to support our police officers. Over the last year, I have had a front row seat to the events that came to a head over the last 2 weeks publicly.

Normally I would do what I always do- stay quiet publicly while carrying the weight of frustration for the lack of truth and transparency. With the unprecedented actions taken by the Council and City leadership recently and the call by several leaders to provide evidence of unethical, immoral, and potentially even illegal activities that are occurring in the City of Charlotte…I seem to be the only person that can actually provide answers to that call - so I am no longer willing to be silent.

Under any other circumstance one would provide these facts to the City Attorney as he requested for investigation, but since he is a party to so many of them, WE the people of Charlotte cannot rely on him to investigate himself - so I am releasing these details to the citizens of Charlotte, who I have faith will ensure the proper investigations and follow ups occur so we can arrive at the truth and take appropriate action for those involved. Since I fear we will not be able to rely upon the standard complaints process of the city to validate these facts, I am hopeful the investigative journalists in our city can challenge or validate these facts until we arrive at a full and transparent understanding of this situation.

​​​​After consulting with several experts, this statement relays all the facts that simply need to be verified to confirm, hold those accountable, and close out this sad chapter in our city.

It has been an honor to serve alongside my husband to serve the Queen City. I know in releasing this information, I put my appointment to the District seat at risk, but this is too important and is a risk I’m more than willing to take!

Evidence of unethical, immoral, and illegal activities in the City of Charlotte:

Withholding of Critical Information: From January 10 through February 19, Vi Lyles, Marcus Jones and Anthony Fox were intimately aware of the submission, review and ultimate ruling of dismissal (due to lack of merit) of an ethics complaint submitted by NAACP President Corrine Mack accusing Councilman Bokhari of inappropriately attacking Chief Jennings. These 3 were also aware of the FOIA request made by Mack in the previous 3 months with specific keyword parameters that would ultimately scope in the text messages between Chief Jennings and Bokhari. 3 months later, nearly the identical claim was brought to City Council in closed session on April 28th, with a threat of litigation and request for settlement of over $300k (representing a year of salary plus payout of vacation time). The City Attorney reversed course and advised Council to approve the settlement — but did not disclose (nor did Lyles, or Jones) that he had already reviewed and dismissed the same claims through the ethics process less than 3 months before. On Friday of that week, when the WSOC story dropped (not only making public the existence of this prior investigation, but also providing evidence that the FOIA request and Ethics Complaint filed by Mack was directed and in many parts even written by the 2 top aides to Chief Jennings), nearly all of the other council members learned of this information that was withheld from them for the first time.

Recommending Settlement of Taxpayer Dollars Lacking a Legal Claim: Anthony Fox, despite not actually having a lawsuit submitted to the court, recommended to council a settlement was warranted to avoid 1) public embarrassment, and 2) a potentially costly legal fight that they could ultimately lose. This was a premeditated falsehood that he presented to his clients that he is bound to serve. As any attorney would quickly know - there has to be some valid form of a legal claim. The only 2 legal claims that could be argued as relevant to this situation are defamation and hostile work environment, and it is clear to anyone operating with a legal license and a cursory review of the details of the case, that they have no merit:

Defamation: Legal standards for defamation require public, false statements of fact communicated to a third party. Private messages, like the text messages between Jennings and Bokhari, do not meet this standard. Taking those out of the scope, the website and public comments Bokhari made to the media were either fact, or his opinion which he believed to be factual (of which to date no specific items have been challenged as false, and certainly not knowingly false by Bokhari at the time). Based upon these indisputable facts, there is no basis for a Defamation claim by Jennings against the City, and therefore no justification for recommending or approving a settlement.

Hostile Work Environment: Such claims require evidence of discrimination based on protected characteristics (e.g., race, gender). Policy disagreements and personal criticisms, even if intense, do not meet this threshold. If Councilman Bokhari had no easily identifiable underlying driver for his actions other than because of Chief Jennings’ race, there could be grounds for a case. But since it is publicly clear the vests were the underlying reason, as well as evidence in the text messages of friendship and positive sentiments before and after the hostility, it is clear there is no credible legal claim of hostile work environment that would warrant the consideration of a settlement.

Violating Rules of Procedure to Subvert the Council’s Will: Anthony Fox, Vi Lyles and Marcus Jones (along with the rest of the council members), left the first closed session on April 28th under the impression that the vote failed to pass, and another vote would need to be scheduled the following Monday to enact their plan. When the council members reconvened for the 2nd closed session on May 5th, they walked into a strategically designed trap based upon a technicality. They realized they had the ability to use a nuanced rule of a council member leaving the meeting without being formally excused (where their votes are in the affirmative for the rest of the meeting) to relay that the vote actually passed the week before. They spent the remaining time threatening council members on what the consequences would be of leaking this information. It can be noted to those paying attention the depth of their technical planning by looking at the sections stated in the Attorney’s motion to go into closed session: On April 28 it was both attorney client privilege and personnel matter, but on May 5 it was only attorney client privilege (there was no intention to revisit the content of the settlement, and likely it was their actual plan… if the conversation was forced… to cite they were out of compliance with the scope of the closed session. On May 5th, one council member who had voted in support of the settlement the prior week, after learning from the media everything they hadn’t been told, stated they wanted to change their vote. They were told that was not going to be allowed aggressively. The actual rule is, any member who wants to change their vote from support to opposition can call for a revote in the same meeting. This would have shut down their technicality-based plan to steamroll to a taxpayer payout. While this situation is a bit unprecedented, this request should have been acted upon - because even though the vote was from the previous week, the council was not made aware they were ruling it passed based upon the technicality until that May 5th meeting.

Advising Knowingly False Legal Advise with the Intent of Intimidating a Whistleblower: Anthony Fox, during the May 5th closed session and then subsequently to the media that week, told council members leaking closed session information was a criminal offense, he would be launching an investigation, and there would be consequences. In his own words: “{The city} is obligated to comply with the personnel privacy statute that maintains the confidentiality of the information in the personnel file,” Interim City Attorney Anthony Fox said. As any attorney would know, this is blatantly false, and was knowingly communicated falsely to intimidate those wanting to whistleblow everything cited above. There is only one nuanced situation where leaking closed session information is potentially a criminal offense - when a person shares a personnel file publicly. This does not apply to talking about a personnel file either - it’s the physical sharing of the file. Not only was there no personnel file involved in these closed sessions, making his claim technically impossible, there was actually no personnel content included as any part of these closed sessions. There was Bokhari’s texts, and there was Jennings threats of suit and requests for settlement. At no point was Jennings performance history or any other personnel categorized information discussed. (For the legal nerds, they did not even need to cite personnel matter in the first closed session in hindsight, technically). Boiling down all the threats to silence the whistleblowers in this situation… the absolute worst outcome that can occur is if the council votes to censure, which is a far cry from criminal offense. There is no scenario any City Attorney would not know this. This is grounds for an ethics complaint to be sent to the NC Bar Association for review, and potential disbarment.

Ignoring Clear Workplace Retaliation Instances: In addition to Chief Jenning’s top aides working behind the scenes to attack Bokhari via Mack, the same theme was playing out for Officer Daniel Redford and the FOP. CMPD PIO (Sandy) launched a lawsuit claiming personal reputational damage from Redford and the FOP based on their comments (exactly the same case Jennings threatened to sue the City over Bokhari’s actions, which a judge there out with prejudice - yet another example of how Jennings case had no legal basis), Redford was brought to the civil review board on allegations he used his role in the FOP to comment negatively about the chief during the vest battle, which he received a suspension for. In addition to the fact that he was merely exercising his first amendment right as a private citizen to voice his opinion, there is a long standing policy in the FOP where a board of multiple people approves posts so that no one can be individually singled out - neither of which mattered. When he returned to work, he was demoted from the post he had earned over a career keeping CATS safe, down to patrol. This is a clear cut case of retaliation for doing something within his constitutional rights that the Chief just didn’t like, and presents a significant opportunity to not just deny the settlement, but counter sue Jennings.

Making False Public Statements while not Properly Investigating Employee Code of Conduct Violations: When the bombshell proof dropped from WSOC that Jenning’s 2 top aides used their personal emails to direct Mack to make a FOIA request and ethics complaint against Bokhari, within an hour the City of Charlotte released a statement saying they had completed an HR investigation and found there was no violation by those 2 employees, they were acting in their capacity as private citizens voicing their opinions (see Redford conflicting position above), and no action would be taken. This is false. If they had directed Mack to stage a protest against Bokhari, while still shaky, maybe that could be defended. They directed Mack to utilize 2 City assets - the FOIA request process and the ethics complaint process. Additionally, the only reason it was discovered they did this was an accidental forward of that single email from Mack to WSOC. It is reasonable to believe that if they used their personal emails in this one instance, there is likely additional evidence of violations in their personal emails, which certainly would have been deleted by them by now, but can be recovered from the carrier with the proper authority. It is difficult to believe Marcus Jones, Vi Lyles, Anthony Fox, and the HR department completed a comprehensive investigation covering all these aspects plus interviews and potentially questioning under oath… in under an hour… before they publicly cleared them of any wrongdoing.

Breaking Confidentiality Rules of Closed Session, with Knowingly False Statements: Vi Lyles made the following statement to the media during her press conference on May 7th: “The chief was publicly attacked by a former council member who stated his intent was to damage his reputation and end his career. I owe the chief an apology for not publicly supporting him then,” said Mayor Vi Lyles. Not only is this a knowingly false statement (Bokhari did not publicly attack Jennings stating it was his intent to damage his reputation and end his career, as established above, rather privately used that messaging as a final tactic to get the Chief to change his mind and compromise in some way… and this information was only made public by the strategic efforts of 2 top aides of Jennings), Lyles is actually breaking the confidentiality of closed session, publicly talking about the content that was discussed in that room, and relaying the sentiment that the chief was indeed inappropriately attacked (which is the basis of having an actual legal basis for a settlement or not, and the core of what they were discussing in that closed session). Unfortunately, for reasons outlined above, Lyles is only exposed to censure for these actions.

In summary, the City of Charlotte had no legal exposure to a claim by Chief Jennings, yet Vi Lyles, Marcus Jones and Anthony Fox relied on an improperly used procedural technicality and these additional tactics (disregard for the rule of law and dissenting opinions) to approve taxpayer dollars for their friend, and in doing so performed the unethical, immoral and potentially illegal actions they are now exposed to.

Additional Facts Confirming Councilman Bokhari Operated in an Acceptable Manner, and is Not Exposed to Personal Legal Liability:

Legislative Immunity: Councilman Bokhari's advocacy for outer carrier vests for officers was a matter of public concern, especially following a tragic incident where several officers were shot. His communications, including text messages to Chief Jennings, can be viewed as part of his legislative duties, which are protected under legislative immunity.

Truthfulness of Statements: There is no public evidence indicating that Bokhari made any false statements about Chief Jennings. His criticisms focused on policy disagreements, particularly regarding the implementation of protective vests, and did not involve false factual claims.

Use of Official Authority: Bokhari's actions did not involve misuse of his official capacity. He did not leverage his position to enact formal disciplinary measures against Chief Jennings but rather expressed his personal opinions and policy preferences to the public, encouraging their engagement if they agreed.

Private Communications and Defamation: The text messages in question were private communications between Bokhari and Jennings. Defamation claims require that false statements be made publicly to third parties. Since these messages were private and not disseminated publicly by Bokhari (in fact, they were released publicly at the direction of Chief Jennings, through his top aides, to Corrine Mack), they do not meet the standard criteria for defamation.

These blatant violations are echoing inside the walls of City Hall…we deserve better!

Cedar's Take:

I have little patience for long winded women. I don't know Krista Bokhari and have zero desire to know her. Her husband is often described as hubris piece of crap and so I'd expect her to be the same. 

While I have to admit I laughed at his use of Liam Neeson's "Particular Set of Skills" from the movie Taken, to "threaten" Chief Jennings. The only thing that would made this shit show funnier - would be had the chief replied with a simple "Good Luck".

However long winded, to a point were most of Charlotte won't read but 10% of her rambling rant, she's not wrong.

Patton's Speech to the Third Army

There has been a lot of talk about leadership lately. I don't know what has happened to CMPD but this Johnny Jennings mess is pretty sad.

Maybe you need a little motivation. You're not getting it from Command maybe God or General George S. Patton can help.

This is the full text of the speech Patton made prior to D-Day. The date was 5 June, 1944. This is the same profane speech that opens the 1970 movie Patton with George C. Scott walking out on a stage with a giant 48 star flag of our nation as a backdrop only more profane. 

General Patton:

Be seated.

Men, this stuff that some sources sling around about America wanting out of this war, not wanting to fight, is a crock of bullshit.

Americans love to fight, traditionally. All real Americans love the sting and clash of battle.

You are here today for three reasons. First, because you are here to defend your homes and your loved ones. Second, you are here for your own self respect, because you would not want to be anywhere else.

Third, you are here because you are real men and all real men like to fight.

When you, here, everyone of you, were kids, you all admired the champion marble player, the fastest runner, the toughest boxer, the big league ball players, and the All-American football players. Americans love a winner. Americans will not tolerate a loser. Americans despise cowards.

Americans play to win all of the time. I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost nor will ever lose a war; for the very idea of losing is hateful to an American.

You are not all going to die. Only two percent of you right here today would die in a major battle. Death must not be feared. Death, in time, comes to all men. Yes, every man is scared in his first battle. If he says he's not, he's a liar. Some men are cowards but they fight the same as the brave men or they get the hell slammed out of them watching men fight who are just as scared as they are.

The real hero is the man who fights even though he is scared.

Some men get over their fright in a minute under fire. For some, it takes an hour. For some, it takes days. But a real man will never let his fear of death overpower his honor, his sense of duty to his country, and his innate manhood. Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. It brings out all that is best and it removes all that is base. Americans pride themselves on being He Men and they ARE He Men.

Remember that the enemy is just as frightened as you are, and probably more so. They are not supermen.

All through your Army careers, you men have bitched about what you call 'chicken shit drilling'. That, like everything else in this Army, has a definite purpose. That purpose is alertness. Alertness must be bred into every soldier. I don't give a fuck for a man who's not always on his toes. You men are veterans or you wouldn't be here. You are ready for what's to come. A man must be alert at all times if he expects to stay alive. If you're not alert, sometime, a German son-of-an-asshole-bitch is going to sneak up behind you and beat you to death with a sockful of shit!

There are four hundred neatly marked graves somewhere in Sicily, all because one man went to sleep on the job. But they are German graves, because we caught the bastard asleep before they did.

An Army is a team. It lives, sleeps, eats, and fights as a team. This individual heroic stuff is pure horse shit. The bilious bastards who write that kind of stuff for the Saturday Evening Post don't know any more about real fighting under fire than they know about fucking! We have the finest food, the finest equipment, the best spirit, and the best men in the world. Why, by God, I actually pity those poor sons-of-bitches we're going up against. By God, I do.

My men don't surrender, and I don't want to hear of any soldier under my command being captured unless he has been hit. Even if you are hit, you can still fight back That's not just bull shit either. The kind of man that I want in my command is just like the lieutenant in Libya, who, with a Luger against his chest, jerked off his helmet, swept the gun aside with one hand, and busted the hell out of the Kraut with his helmet. Then he jumped on the gun and went out and killed another German before they knew what the hell was coming off. And, all of that time, this man had a bullet through a lung. There was a real man!

All of the real heroes are not storybook combat fighters, either. Every single man in this Army plays a vital role. Don't ever let up. Don't ever think that your job is unimportant. Every man has a job to do and he must do it. Every man is a vital link in the great chain.

What if every truck driver suddenly decided that he didn't like the whine of those shells overhead, turned yellow, and jumped headlong into a ditch? The cowardly bastard could say, 'Hell, they won't miss me, just one man in thousands.' But, what if every man thought that way? Where in the hell would we be now? What would our country, our loved ones, our homes, even the world, be like?

No, Goddamnit, Americans don't think like that. Every man does his job. Every man serves the whole. Every department, every unit, is important in the vast scheme of this war.

The ordnance men are needed to supply the guns and machinery of war to keep us rolling. The Quartermaster is needed to bring up food and clothes because where we are going there isn't a hell of a lot to steal. Every last man on K.P. has a job to do, even the one who heats our water to keep us from getting the 'G.I. Shits'.

Each man must not think only of himself, but also of his buddy fighting beside him. We don't want yellow cowards in this Army. They should be killed off like rats. If not, they will go home after this war and breed more cowards. The brave men will breed more brave men. Kill off the Goddamned cowards and we will have a nation of brave men.

One of the bravest men that I ever saw was a fellow on top of a telegraph pole in the midst of a furious fire fight in Tunisia. I stopped and asked what the hell he was doing up there at a time like that. He answered, 'Fixing the wire, Sir.' I asked, 'Isn't that a little unhealthy right about now?' He answered, 'Yes Sir, but the Goddamned wire has to be fixed.' I asked, 'Don't those planes strafing the road bother you?' And he answered, 'No, Sir, but you sure as hell do!' Now, there was a real man. A real soldier. There was a man who devoted all he had to his duty, no matter how seemingly insignificant his duty might appear at the time, no matter how great the odds.

And you should have seen those trucks on the rode to Tunisia. Those drivers were magnificent. All day and all night they rolled over those son-of-a-bitching roads, never stopping, never faltering from their course, with shells bursting all around them all of the time. We got through on good old American guts. Many of those men drove for over forty consecutive hours. These men weren't combat men, but they were soldiers with a job to do. They did it, and in one hell of a way they did it. They were part of a team. Without team effort, without them, the fight would have been lost. All of the links in the chain pulled together and the chain became unbreakable.

Don't forget, you men don't know that I'm here. No mention of that fact is to be made in any letters. The world is not supposed to know what the hell happened to me. I'm not supposed to be commanding this Army. I'm not even supposed to be here in England. Let the first bastards to find out be the Goddamned Germans. Some day I want to see them raise up on their piss-soaked hind legs and howl, 'Jesus Christ, it's the Goddamned Third Army again and that son-of-a-fucking-bitch Patton'. We want to get the hell over there.' The quicker we clean up this Goddamned mess, the quicker we can take a little jaunt against the purple pissing Japs and clean out their nest, too. Before the Goddamned Marines get all of the credit.

Sure, we want to go home. We want this war over with. The quickest way to get it over with is to go get the bastards who started it. The quicker they are whipped, the quicker we can go home. The shortest way home is through Berlin and Tokyo. And when we get to Berlin I am personally going to shoot that paper hanging son-of-a-bitch Hitler. Just like I'd shoot a snake!

When a man is lying in a shell hole, if he just stays there all day, a German will get to him eventually. The hell with that idea. The hell with taking it. My men don't dig foxholes. I don't want them to. Foxholes only slow up an offensive. Keep moving. And don't give the enemy time to dig one either. We'll win this war, but we'll win it only by fighting and by showing the Germans that we've got more guts than they have; or ever will have.

We're not going to just shoot the sons-of-bitches, we're going to rip out their living Goddamned guts and use them to grease the treads of our tanks. We're going to murder those lousy Hun cock suckers by the bushel-fucking-basket. War is a bloody, killing business. You've got to spill their blood, or they will spill yours. Rip them up the belly. Shoot them in the guts. When shells are hitting all around you and you wipe the dirt off your face and realize that instead of dirt it's the blood and guts of what once was your best friend beside you, you'll know what to do!

I don't want to get any messages saying, 'I am holding my position.' We are not holding a Goddamned thing. Let the Germans do that. We are advancing constantly and we are not interested in holding onto anything, except the enemy's balls. We are going to twist his balls and kick the living shit out of him all of the time. Our basic plan of operation is to advance and to keep on advancing regardless of whether we have to go over, under, or through the enemy. We are going to go through him like crap through a goose; like shit through a tin horn!

From time to time there will be some complaints that we are pushing our people too hard. I don't give a good Goddamn about such complaints. I believe in the old and sound rule that an ounce of sweat will save a gallon of blood. The harder WE push, the more Germans we will kill. The more Germans we kill, the fewer of our men will be killed. Pushing means fewer casualties. I want you all to remember that.

There is one great thing that you men will all be able to say after this war is over and you are home once again. You may be thankful that twenty years from now when you are sitting by the fireplace with your grandson on your knee and he asks you what you did in the great World War II, you WON'T have to cough, shift him to the other knee and say, 'Well, your Granddaddy shoveled shit in Louisiana.' No, Sir, you can look him straight in the eye and say, 'Son, your Granddaddy rode with the Great Third Army and a Son-of-a-Goddamned-Bitch named Georgie Patton!'"

Charloot's Clown Car Rolls On

Yesterday Johnny Jennings notched a small victory with the clown posse turning out to voice their support for the embattled police chief and the mayor tearfully offering a public apology.

You couldn't make this up if you tried. 

The police chief is apparently butt hurt over some mean tweets and rather than fill out a hurt feelings report and moving on, the leader of Charlotte's thin blue line calls Charlotte City Council and threatens to sue the city, which results in a full blown cryfest with more hugging than a Down Syndrome Convention. 

So what horrible insults to Jennings manhood were said, did the former council member disparage the man's mother? Perhaps liabled and slandered the man? Were the text messages racist? Spiteful? Threatened his wife and children with violence and physical harm? 

How bad are they? What could someone say that would cause City Council to vote to pay this innocent man a reported $300,000.00? 

The back story from a local news station without the endless popups that make the dozen or so text messages unreadable:

The day before the first message was sent, Jennings and Bokhari met, and there was an impasse on this issue.

The contentious messages started the morning of the budget straw votes on May 30.

Bokhari texted Jennings:

“I just want to reiterate. Whatever happens from this point forward is not personal.”

Jennings responded:

“That can be a fine line. As long as you stick to that, we’re fine. Just know that I don’t plan on sitting on my hands either. Hopefully, you will reconsider this and let me make the decisions for my agency.”

Bokhari replied:

“I love you dearly as a friend, and always will, but we are locked in on this path now. I hate this so much but tried everything I could think of to make another path. I’ll pray for you and the dept.”

Jennings then said:

“Not sure of your plan, but it sounds like you’re getting ready to get personal. I hope what you are getting ready to do is worth it for you. It’s a shame that you would resort to this because we disagree on the topic. I would never do that to you.”

The last message that day was this one from Bokhari:

“I promise you I am very good at separating personal versus business. But when I call out why something I believe should happen isn’t happening- why it’s stuck- that points to you and I have to call that out. That is NOT personal, though, that’s business. If I said you just don’t care about the morale implications of this decision, that would be personal, which I have no intention of doing.”

Jennings did not respond.

Later that night, Bokhari launched his campaign to get outer carrier vests for officers.

“I am doubling down on my commitment to find the half a million dollar one time investment from other sources in the city budget and will be applying maximum pressure to enable our rank and file officers to wear them when they are out protecting us,” Councilman Bokhari said in May 30th budget meeting.

Bokhari would go on to launch a website and petition about the issue. It was updated throughout the summer.

On June 14, CMPD released a statement from Jennings explaining his position on the outer carrier vests.

“The outer vest has a military-style appearance that contradicts the community-oriented policing philosophy I have championed for years,” he said.

Bokhari texted Jennings a couple of weeks later on July 6. This was their first message since Bokhari’s campaign started. 

“You’ve made a terrible error in judgment, my friend. I hate what comes next.”

Jennings didn’t respond, but an hour later, Bokhari sent him this message: 

“As your friend, I want you to know what happens next: I’ll be demanding your resignation starting Monday. I’ll be hammering you from the press, the private sector, the foundations, the General Assembly, Congress, and several high-profile national organizations. I’ll put maximum pressure on the city manager to fire you from all those angles as well. I may not ultimately win - but I will not stop and it will cripple your legacy you’ve worked so hard for. Just a final bit of food for thought. You have 36 hours to call it all off by compromising in some small way. Otherwise, it’s in God’s hands. I want you to know I still have a lot of love for you as a friend. But this is much more important than any of that. I’ve given you several weeks while I’ve been restrained going only 10%. That’s all over starting Monday morning unless you start seeing the light and being reasonable to find middle ground for the rank and file, you have a sacred responsibility to support. As I said - I may not win - but I was blessed with a set of skills that I can promise you will be very uncomfortable to experience. This will be my last communication.”

Jennings didn’t respond.

Bokhari’s petition gathered thousands of signatures and on the Aug. 1, the chief changed his tune.

CMPD HR sent an email saying all officers now have the option to wear outer carrier vests as a preventive health measure.

The move was celebrated by Bokhari and the Fraternal Order of Police, which supported the former councilman’s efforts.

Bokhari sent one more message on Aug. 5.

“Thank you for allowing more access to vests. I know this was a difficult decision but it means a lot.”

Jennings gave a thumbs-up to the message.

CMPD Chief "Butt Hurt" Over Mean Texts

This past week Charlotte City Council decided to give the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department Chief a $300,000 bonus. Next week Council will select 100 lucky Charlotte Residents to pay the bill. Don't worry if you're selected you'll only have to hand over $3,000.00 of your hard earned pay check dollars.

This is because the City Council voted in closed session Monday night to preemptively settle a potential lawsuit by Johnny Jennings.

According to local press, Jennings was upset over threatening text messages he received last year from former City Council member Tariq Bokhari. Bokhari said in the texts he would try and get Jennings fired and work to "cripple his legacy."

At the time, the two men were in a fight over whether CMPD officers should be allowed to wear outer carrier protective vests.

Jennings had not filed a lawsuit before the settlement was voted upon.

WSOC and Joe Bruno first reported on the closed session and settlement talks last week.

Jennings has reportedly said the disclosure of the text messages damaged his reputation and could have cost him future opportunities after he retired, according to people familiar with the issue.

Council members have discussed paying Jennings as much as $300,000.

A dispute after a tragedy

Last year, Bokhari wanted Jennings to allow officers to wear outer-carrier vests that could provide them more protection. Bokhari had pushed for the vests for roughly two years, but he ramped up his pressure campaign on the chief after a wanted man shot eight law enforcement officers who were trying to serve a warrant in east Charlotte. Four were killed, including one CMPD officer, in the deadliest day in Charlotte’s law enforcement history.

The vests — which feature pockets for ammunition and other gear, similar to soldiers’ battle dress — were already used by units like SWAT and vice officers.

But Jennings said at the time the vests wouldn’t necessarily offer any additional protection, noting that three of the officers killed in April had been wearing them. He also said it was a “military-style appearance that contradicts the community-oriented policing philosophy I have championed for years.”

That prompted Bokhari to increase public and private pressure against the chief, culminating in a series of private text messages in which Bokhari told Jennings he would be demanding his resignation and "cripple his legacy."

In early July 2024, he texted Jennings that the chief had “made a terrible error in judgment, my friend. I hate what comes next.”

He continued: “As your friend, I want you to know what happens next. I’ll be demanding your resignation starting Monday. I’ll be hammering you from the press, the private sector, the foundations, the general assembly, congress and several high-profile national organizations.”

He said he would put maximum pressure on the city manager to fire Jennings.

Bokhari acknowledged he might not win, but wrote: “I will not stop and it will cripple your legacy you’ve worked so hard for. Just a final bit of food for thought. You have 36 hours to call it all off by compromising in some small way. Otherwise it’s in God’s hands.”

In Charlotte’s form of government, council members are generally supposed to voice their concerns through the city manager, to whom nearly all city employees report. Council members only directly vote to hire or fire the city manager, city attorney and city clerk. And council members aren’t supposed to threaten to destroy an employee’s reputation.

Jennings and the city began negotiating a possible financial settlement weeks ago. Council members first discussed the issue during a closed session last week. That was first reported by WSOC.

Bokhari is no longer a City Council member. He resigned last month to take a high-level job at the Federal Transit Administration in the Trump administration.

Cedar's Take:

Bokhair is a pompous POS. Neither a friend to Charlotte or the GOP he is a hubris unengaged politician who deserves neither votes nor respect.  Yes, he promoted outer carry vests but so did most of Charlotte. His legacy will be that he is a self serving idiot who quit the job he was elected to in favor of a federal gig while sticking Charlotte residents with an unnecessary $300,000.00 bill.

As for Jennings he is nothing but a race card playing yes man. He's also in it only for himself. 

I have friends and family with CMPD who admit he's better than Rodney but worse than Putney.  They also acknowledge he has the same MO of do nothing just collect the check as most large metro department chiefs out of touch with zero command presence. 

Thin skin and little smarts, if JJ was had any sense he'd fill out a "hurt feelings report" and we'd just move on. Rather he's just jerk enough to take a check equal to pulling four seasoned officers off the streets pocket the money and expect it will be business as usual.

Seriously if JJ takes the check he's out in six months, but before you do your "happy dance" rumor has it that Anne Kirkpatrick of New Orleans has already expressed an interest.