There is a bizarre story out of Los Angeles where the Los Angeles Police Department spent $22,000 (and had 38 LAPD employees work 320 hours) to bring Rene “Boxer” Enriquez, the infamous ex-Mexican Mafia leader, to an exclusive dinner for private executives. He was featured as a secret, surprise speaker for the well-heeled group called the Young Presidents’ Organization, which describes itself as “the world’s premier peer network of chief executives and business leaders.” Making things worse was the use of an invalid prior order to justify the excursion of “Boxer” Enriquez to entertain the wealthy patrons.
While Enriquez has cooperated with prosecutors, Gov. Jerry Brown recently denied him parole (over the recommendation of prosecutors) due to his history of violence and Brown’s view that he still presented “an unreasonable danger to society if released.”
There is an inescapable fear of the Roman games era in this dinner. Gladiators were often brought to dinners to thrill the wealthy Roman citizens. The invitation for the dinner promised a once in a lifetime opportunity for the audience to hear a surprise guest and that attendees would be “amazed, shocked, blown away and maybe even a little scared.”
Strangely, a commanding officer at LAPD characterized the event as a law enforcement training session when he asked for approval of the event. The visit required a massive amount of administrative personnel and time, including a police helicopter to scout his route to the building and SWAT officers who secured the area.
Four LAPD officers attended the event with the 175 wealthy diners as well as 10 other “high-ranking law enforcement executives” from other agencies. The audience was thrilled when Enriquez was first shown in silhouette behind a curtain as a voice built up excitement. The curtain was then raised to show Enriquez in a black business suit, with his hands cuffed to waist chains and his legs in shackles.”
They all then had a lovely dinner and Enriquez signed copies of a 2009 book about his life.
Source: LA Times
I wonder to what extent this Mafia boss is a role-model to those in attendance.
From where I’m sitting, the error appears to have been fixed.
Professor, you really do need a good copy editor. All the time, I’m afraid.
It’s “well-heeled,” not “well-healed.”
Why is anybody surprised??? Wall Street has become a haven for crooks and scam artists. Anti-social personality disorder is rampant among the 1%, and I think maybe the top 10%.
http://www.npr.org/2011/05/21/136462824/a-psychopath-walks-into-a-room-can-you-tell
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
@ Paul C. Schulte
“Roman matrons liked to bonk the gladiators. Were extra services provided?”
In the first place, Paul, it’s “boink,” not “bonk,” and in the second place, there was only one mafioso, who could hardly handle the duties of five or ten well-conditioned gladiators.
They may have had an after-dinner partay with some well-remunerated escorts in attendance for the single Young Presidents, whereat the Armanis, Guccis, and Dolce & Gabbanas came flying off, but that’s another story.
For future reference, the verb “bonk” is closely related etymologically to the word “bonkers,” meaning crazy, as in “Her spending habits drove him bonkers.”
To bonk someone, then, is to drive him crazy.
No offense, but I can see why you aren’t invited to attend, let alone arrange, these high-class soirees __ you don’t know the 1%’s lingo.
Ken – you need to read more.
bonk verb (HAVE SEX)
› [I or T] UK humorous slang to have sex with someone:
“I bonked the prince, says sexy Sarah” declared the newspaper headline.
@ JT
“He was featured as a secret, surprise speaker for the well-healed group called the Young Presidents’ Organization, which describes itself as ‘the world’s premier peer network of chief executives and business leaders.’ ”
They may be “well-heeled,” but I’d have to see some evidence that they’re “well-healed.”
Perhaps the American Empire’s Gibbon will write about the psychological affinity of members of America’s upper-class and members of the American and Mexican Mafias.
The film “King Kong” had a scene like that, arranged by profit-hungry promoters to entertain the public. The idea that a prisoner, even a murderer, would be treated similarly, is appalling. Did any employees of the LAPD receive incentives for their role in the event?
And for all those who don’t live in border states, supporting open borders and the US becoming more of a region than a nation, this is a timely mention of the savage Mexican drug cartels pouring in.
I really think that those who support amnesty should be forced to live in one of those unsellable properties by the border, where the owners can’t be home alone and have to sleep with a gun by their bed.
They are just copying academia, which brings in murderers to speak and hire them as professors.
And this does absolutely point out the ease with which one can spend “other people’s money”.
Can CA PLEASE try to stay out of the news and stop embarrassing its residents for one stinking day? Honestly, we’re worse than FL during the elections with the hanging chads.
Paul
Yeah, but behind a curtain in silhouette only, with chains a jingling and a jangling.
Roman matrons liked to bonk the gladiators. Were extra services provided?
Honor among thieves?
Disgusting.
I have worked for the govt. and run my own small biz. Those are the polar opposites in being frugal. It is what helped make me a libertarian, believing all govt. needs to be cut in half. Then, wait a few years, and cut it in half again.
Another case of other people wasting other people’s money.
I just thought about this, Bulger hid in plain sight in LA for over a decade.
This has been a story out here in SoCal for awhile. It reminds me of the Whitey Bulger Boston FBI/US Attorney cabal. Cops manipulate bad guys and vice versa.
The criminal-LEO complex versus citizens.
Citizens lose.
I read his book about la Eme. Pretty violent perp. I think he should rot in jail till he dies. He did something almost no other inmates do: took advantage of lawyer meetins to try and commit a murder. From wiki: “In 1991, Enriquez and another man assaulted Mexican Mafia leader Salvador “Mon” Buenrostro at a lawyers’ interview room in the Los Angeles County Jail. They stabbed him 26 times, but Buenrostro survived.”
“well-healed group”
A Freudian slip, perhaps. They could do with a little healing.