Cornell McCleary, Former 610 - WTVN Radio Bad Boy

Joe Mammana is no joke - Mammana is a real bad boy

Attack on Crime Stoppers Chief a test for the community

On Sunday, November 20, 2006, Kevin Miles, President of Central Ohio Crime Stoppers, after having an early morning breakfast with me and another friend was stalked and assaulted with a baseball bat in his own neighborhood while walking his dog later that same morning.  When Kevin called me and gave me a very very general idea of what happened, without hesitation, I told him that Joe Mammana just sent him a message.  Kevin's response was how do you know that?  I then told Kevin that it is real simple for me to figure that out.  The suspect did not attempt to rob you.  It was a white male.  They attacked you in broad daylight in a residential neighborhood where there is a high probability that someone would observe what was happening.  The suspect attacked you with a bat even though you had that big ass dog of yours with you and, didn't care if you saw what he looked like or the car that he got into and drove away in.  I then said my man this was a hit gone bad because you pulled your gun out and your dog was raising hell.  The suspect is most likely from out of town and the car was most likely stolen.  Kevin then asked me what comes next?  I told him war.

Joe Mammana, a former criminal turned business man, is from my hometown Philadelphia.  When I personally met Mammana when I was on the Crime Stopper's Board of Trustees, I warned Kevin then that Mammana was the real deal and that he had street written all over him.  Being a former Philly gangster myself, power recognizes power.  Mammana and I never said much to each other but we both readily identified with our roots without saying a word.  There was a look and a hand shake.  That is all it took.  We both knew that we were homeboys.

Mammana made some very public commitments to our community using Crime Stopper's as the vehicle of his so-called commitment to fight crime.  It now appears that when the time came to pay up, Mammana, for whatever reason, choose not to deliver.  Kevin, being the fighter that he is, publicly called Mammana out and, using Columbus attorney Kinsley Nyce, on behalf of Crime Stoppers, filed a law suite against  Mammana.  The public dialog leading up to the law suite between Kevin Miles and Joe Mammana got personal and, I strongly believe that Mammana did what comes natural for a street person, hit back personally in a way that comes easy for him.

Central Ohio Crime Stoppers represents one of the most viable anti-crime citizens programs in Ohio.  Kevin Miles without question is it's leader.  All appearances are that Mammana has made street moves against both Miles and attorney Nyce (Nyce has indicated that a suspect fitting the description of Mile's assailant showed up at his office) without thinking things through.  This is not Philly and this is not Mammana's turf.  Experienced should have told Mammana, before yous bust a move, you should know who all you are moving against.  Kevin Miles is a well known and respected member of our community and it is a big mistake on the part of Mammana to convince himself that where Kevin walks he walks alone.

From one homeboy to another, let's call an end to this drama and settle things the right way, in a court of law, while this is still a viable option.

Columbus' Black Mayor, Safety Director and Chief of Police need to send a very clear and public message to black community now

Police shooting of black male clearly justified

An article in the Columbus Dispatch 11/09/06, headlined "Man dies in struggle with police" sent a surge of rage through me when I read the article.  Written beneath the headline was the commentary: He was shot as he fought for gun of female officer, police say, his family is furious.  It is the community who should be furious and outraged.

The article reports that Larry D. Parks, a 33 year old black male was observed by a female Columbus Police officer fighting with another man in the parking lot of a United Dairy Farmer store located on the far East Side of Columbus at Noe-Bixby and Refugee roads.  The police officer properly intervened and Parks began fighting with her and ultimately end up trying to take the officer's weapon.  Other CPD officer's arrived on the scene and observed Park's attempts to take the female officer's weapon and took him out like they were suppose to.

Parks has a criminal history of 3 convictions, drug trafficking, drug possession and receiving stolen property.  He also has a past confections of resisting arrest.  Park's life choices clearly put him on a collision course with the law enforcement community and his family knew it.  To act outraged at Park's logical self-imposed demise on the part of his family is BS.  Park's family could not stop him, influence him or control him so society had to.  In this instance, society is represented by the police.

It is of the utmost importance for the Columbus community in general and the black community in particular, that the City's key black public officials, in a very public way, address this issue because it is both a known fact and a growing problem with blacks in particular aggressively and frequently, challenging the authority of the police in very threatening ways.  This crap has to stop and the police need strong public support when face with situations like this that we all know is going to be turned into a race issue by some so-called community leaders in the black community.

The message that the Mayor, Safety Director and Chief of Police needs to clearly send to the black community is that if you pull a weapon or attempt to use a weapon against a police officer, you are going to die.  If you don't it will be a factor of it just was not your time to go but, the police are trained and will do everything that they can to take you out.  Make no mistake about it.  End of story.