Dallas circus makes Tarrant place to live
by Keith Ludwick, Photo Editor

   Watching the circus of Dallas politics unfolding, I shake my head and sigh. I refer to the events surrounding the firing of Police Chief Terrell Bolton. I applaud City Manager Ted Benavides for making this long-overdue decision.
   True to form, Bolton claimed not to know why he was fired. That is exactly why he was fired. Bolton has gone out of his way to prove he is incompetent of holding such an important position.
   When I am working at my job, I know exactly what I am supposed to do. I also know exactly when I'm not performing those tasks and know there could be consequences, including termination. Bolton's claim of ignorance is as ridiculous as it is unbelievable.
   But just to clear it all up for Bolton, let us look at just a few of his claims to fame.
   When he was hired for his position, he fired nine top-level commanders without due process. That action cost the City of Dallas more than $6 million in lawsuits.
   His handling of scandals, such as the fake drugs fiasco, was pathetic. He also ignored simple procedures such as background investigations for new officers like Derrick Evans who failed a polygraph test in an unsolved murder investigation.
   The morale of Dallas officers is at an all-time low. Not counting claims of overtime abuse and personal tours of strip clubs, Dallas has the highest crime rate of any city in America. What an honorable statistic to be proud of.
   Bolton is now playing the race-card, hinting that being African-American actually caused him to lose his job. Nothing is his fault. Race is usually a last resort defense. But Bolton began with it because he has no other cards. Bolton's gross negligence is simply shameful and embarrassing to the city. He has allowed Dallas to be torn apart over claims of racism rather than accept responsibility for mishandling his job.
   One of the Bolton camp's outrageous claims is that Mayor Laura Miller was pitting minorities against one another by secretly agreeing to hire a Hispanic police chief. Miller has been a long-time antagonist of Bolton. However, she denied this claim on a radio talk show. I wouldn't have responded to such outlandish accusations.
   Now, the Hispanic culture is beginning to make its presence known. Latinos are unhappy with Bolton and Commissioner John Wiley Price, and I cannot blame them. This situation is spinning out of control.
   So as Dallas erupts yet again into the possibility of racial violence, do not blame Bolton. He has nothing to do with any of it. He is the innocent little victim in this all-out assault against the color of his skin. Besides, he probably won't even know that his city is burning. Shame on you, Mr. Bolton. Shame on you.