Tag: John Cooper

Emails confirm Mayor Cooper’s administration kept public out of State of Metro in violation of city charter

Jason Steen

In April, Nashville Mayor John Cooper provided the yearly ‘State of Metro’ address to the citizens of Nashville, which is required by the city charter to be open to the public. While the administration claims no one was turned away or denied an invitation, a newly fulfilled open records request details people who were told they could not attend, citizens who were turned away at the door because they were not on the invitation list, and a directed change of the announcement text making it ‘invite only’ and specifically not open to the public. The Mayor’s Chief Communications Officer TJ Ducklo claims none of this ever happened, despite the newly released administration emails detailing the denials.

Funk’s Friend Faces Felony: Socialite Brenda Ross jailed on new stalking charge Friday

Jason Steen

67-year-old Brenda Ross is free on a new $2,500 bond after being jailed on a new felony aggravated stalking charge this weekend. The Nashville socialite who hobnobs with the like of the District Attorney, The Mayor, and sitting judges, was initially arrested on May 9th for violating an order of protection. The new warrant, which was signed on May 11th, details multiple instances of Ross sending messages to the victim, Marilyn Jones, via social media, showing up at Jazzy’s where she knew the victim to be, only to sit across the bar and stare at her without saying anything. Once the victim left and went to Larry’s Bar, Ross followed her there. The victim continues to feel harassed and stalked by Ross.

Nashville’s Brenda Ross: Arrested. Stalking. Pics in a Swingers club. Orders of protection. Friend of the Mayor. Friend of Funk.

Jason Steen

67-year-old Brenda Ross has been involved in more entanglements in the last two months than some folks experience in two decades. In March, Jacinta West received an order of protection against Ross after she said Ross, who was one of the first members of Nashville’s Police Community Oversight Board, stalked her. The two share a circle of friends, some of who warned that Ross had posted on social media alluding she was going o fuck them up and that she was “going to get them.” West says Ross then followed and chased her one night at might as she was picking up a friend, even pulling up beside her and yelling curse words at her. Previously in January, Ross reportedly grabbed West’s wrist while at a nightclub. West states she remains in fear of Ross, and her “political ties” only make the situation worse. Ross is an East Nashvillian who has served on several mayoral-appointed commissions over the years and can be found hobnobbing with the city’s elite on any given night of the week. Ross was jailed on Monday for violating one of the many current orders of protection. She is free on a $1,500 bond.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s Office offers escorted tours of homeless people living in the city’s parks

Jason Steen

#NotAParody: Nashville Mayor John Cooper has now scheduled multiple “Jurassic Park” style tours of the city’s most vulnerable and unhoused humans who have resorted to living in tents and makeshift shelters inside public park space, many times for their own safety. The tours, offered to Metro Council Members and accompanying media, come complete with personal escorts from the city’s police force. An invitation notes the office will offer “UTV availability for those who want to go further into the encampment”. The next tour group will gather at Azafran Park Tuesday at 4 p.m., should you wish to attend and see if your Metro Council Person brought their binoculars or care packages.

Man assaults wife, threatens to blame disarray on her, have cops take away kids, if she calls 911 — Jamil Sameen

Jason Steen

Metro Police say 50-year-old Jamil Sameen picked up a kitchen chair and struck his wife in the back with it, knocking her down, and then began to strangle her when attempted to call 911. He reportedly then took cellphone video of the disarray of the home from the multiple assaults, and told her if she told the police he would show them the video and blame her and have the children taken away. He is charged with two felony accounts of aggravated assault (deadly weapon & strangulation), and immediately posted a $30,000 bond. Samil is an employee of the Metro Nashville Government, as a Program Supervisor with the Nashville Public Library.

Nashville retreats to Phase II of re-opening plan, mostly; bars must close for 2 weeks.

Jason Steen

In an announcement Tuesday morning, city officials announced that Nashville will retreat to a hybrid version of Phase II of the COVID-19 reopening plan. Bars will be closed for two weeks, starting tonight. No downtown fireworks. No large gatherings.

In a move to appease neighborhoods, Mayor asks for 5mph speed reduction – at a cost.

Jason Steen

Next month, Nashville Mayor John Cooper will ask the traffic and parking commission, and then the Metro Council, to reduce the speed limit within neighborhoods from 30 to 25 mph. The cost of sign updates, community education, and related engineering improvements is 1.5 million. Is such a small change worth the cost?