JOHN E. SETTLE JR
The Shreveport city council had its Mon. work session/administrative conference yesterday.
If you missed the first 30 minutes or so during the citizen comments, then you need to view it on Mayor Adrian Perkins FB page.
Last week I texted council members James Green and Tabitha Taylor asking if they had requested my email to be blocked from the city's email domain. The other five council members had previously denied any involvement.
I also had texted all seven council members requesting that Shreveport's IT director Keith Hanson appear at the meeting and advise which council member had requested the drastic action. I also indicated I would speak to the council on the matter.
By way of background info, Hanson had advised members of the media that on May 4 I had been blocked "at the request of the council". Note the reference to "council" could be to one member, a majority of members or a council vote.
Hanson advised that the block was put in place on May 4 and removed on May 17.
Ron Lattier was on the cover of the April 29-May 5 Issue of The Inquisitor with the headline " Is Shreveport City Attorney Double-Dipping?" This issue was on the news stands the day I was blocked.
Lattier and Taylor have been long time paramours.
The comment portion of the agenda featured two well known speakers who took me and my paper to the proverbial woodshed.
One of them even signalled city attorney Ron Lattier with a "thumbs up" signal after he finished his diatribe. Lattier returned the hand signal.
Then council member James Green had fellow council member John Nickelson read my two text on his cell phone into the record. Green then denied any involvement in the phone block.
Then IT director Hanson was called forward and asked a carefully drafted question "Did any member of the city council ask you to block me." Note the question was NOT "were you instructed to block" Settle.
The rehearsed answer was a "No".
Thereafter council member Tabitha Taylor went into a long winded rant that was not really relevant to the issue. She did NOT deny demanding or directing that I be blocked from the city domain.
I had previously decided to NOT address the council, so the well schemed trap was avoided.
It was a circus to say the least, even with clowns.
It was a kangaroo court, but no kangaroos.
It was a dog and pony show, with no animals but plenty of pony poop on those involved.
Friday's edition of The Inquisitor will feature the players in the new "Shreveport email block caper."