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iPhone Video Reveals Truths In Houston Councilwoman's Firehouse Visit
RICK CASEY
Houston Chronicle
Reprinted with Permission
A video record can accuse, or it can exonerate.
A group of Houston cops is feeling the searing heat of the former, while Houston City Councilwoman Jolanda Jones is enjoying the comforting warmth of the latter.
The irony is that when Jones was accused across a variety of media platforms by a union leader of cursing at and insulting firefighters during an impromptu visit to a downtown fire station, she wasn't even aware that parts of the visit were captured on video.
Fire union Chief Jeff Caynon had made quite a media splash accusing Jones of confronting the firefighters "with lots of profanity," making offensive comments to the effect that "You guys don't work. You just come in and sit down on your recliners and watch TV all day."
FFN: Houston Councilwoman Criticized Over Firehouse Visit;
Implied Firefighters Were Lazy
Jones and her staff had split up into teams to visit various city departments, using only public transportation and shoe leather, as part of a "team building" exercise. One person in each group was to take photos of the exercise.
Deputy Chief of Staff Jack Valinski drew the assignment in Jones' group. Valinski attempted to photograph Jones with the firefighters with his new iPhone but failed. He has an excuse: He's north of 40 years old.
When Jones and her staff heard the allegations, they checked Valinski's phone to see if the photos showed the firefighters smiling.
But there were no photographs. Then one of the staffers found the files. Valinski without knowing it had pressed the "video" button, which meant not only moving pictures but audio as well.
Firefighters told truth
Jones decided not to mention the videos publicly.
"I wanted to see if the firefighters would tell the truth under oath without knowing about them," she said, referring to the investigation, which she joined in seeking.
She did tell investigators from the city's inspector general's office of the video.
The good news in this story is that the firefighters who were present supported Jones' version: That she did not use a lot of profanity, and that it was a jovial visit in which she teased them about their shiny (literally, with lots of stainless steel) new kitchen and their weight room. There was plenty of laughter on both sides, and no insults given or taken.
"I was told the inspector general would have found for me even if we didn't have the video," Jones said. A well-placed city official confirmed it.
I viewed the videos Tuesday. Because Valinski didn't know he was recording, a lot of it is pictures of the floor, the ceiling and upside-down firefighters.
Time for an apology
But the audio and the pictures make it clear that it was a friendly encounter, with Jones teasing firefighters about how well outfitted the station is, and them responding in kind.
Jones did use an expletive at one point, saying "Are you f------g kidding me?" when shown the new kitchen with multiple ovens. You could hear firefighters laughing.
I listened to that portion of the video several times and couldn't quite hear the offending word.
"I did it," said Jones. "I said it. But I certainly wasn't yelling."
Union leader Caynon, who has clashed with Jones in the past, obviously was too ready to believe some lies he was told. Once the IG's office made it clear Caynon was wrong, he should have done two things.
He should have called his source and chewed him out.
He should have apologized for his cartoonishly inaccurate account of what happened.
Not that hard to do
Let me demonstrate for Mr. Caynon how it's done.
In Sunday's column I wrote that the city's last major riot was in 1976, when two police officers were convicted of a misdemeanor after killing Jose Torres, whose handcuffed body was found in the Buffalo Bayou.
The trial was in 1978, and I was apparently too ready to believe that the officers would throw Torres handcuffed into the bayou.
A reporter who covered the riots tells me that testimony showed the officers beat Torres but removed the handcuffs before throwing him in the bayou and walking away.
I apologize for my gullibility in slandering the officers.
See Mr. Caynon? It's not that hard.
Houston Chronicle
Reprinted with Permission
A video record can accuse, or it can exonerate.
A group of Houston cops is feeling the searing heat of the former, while Houston City Councilwoman Jolanda Jones is enjoying the comforting warmth of the latter.
The irony is that when Jones was accused across a variety of media platforms by a union leader of cursing at and insulting firefighters during an impromptu visit to a downtown fire station, she wasn't even aware that parts of the visit were captured on video.
Fire union Chief Jeff Caynon had made quite a media splash accusing Jones of confronting the firefighters "with lots of profanity," making offensive comments to the effect that "You guys don't work. You just come in and sit down on your recliners and watch TV all day."
FFN: Houston Councilwoman Criticized Over Firehouse Visit;
Implied Firefighters Were Lazy
Jones and her staff had split up into teams to visit various city departments, using only public transportation and shoe leather, as part of a "team building" exercise. One person in each group was to take photos of the exercise.
Deputy Chief of Staff Jack Valinski drew the assignment in Jones' group. Valinski attempted to photograph Jones with the firefighters with his new iPhone but failed. He has an excuse: He's north of 40 years old.
When Jones and her staff heard the allegations, they checked Valinski's phone to see if the photos showed the firefighters smiling.
But there were no photographs. Then one of the staffers found the files. Valinski without knowing it had pressed the "video" button, which meant not only moving pictures but audio as well.
Firefighters told truth
Jones decided not to mention the videos publicly.
"I wanted to see if the firefighters would tell the truth under oath without knowing about them," she said, referring to the investigation, which she joined in seeking.
She did tell investigators from the city's inspector general's office of the video.
The good news in this story is that the firefighters who were present supported Jones' version: That she did not use a lot of profanity, and that it was a jovial visit in which she teased them about their shiny (literally, with lots of stainless steel) new kitchen and their weight room. There was plenty of laughter on both sides, and no insults given or taken.
"I was told the inspector general would have found for me even if we didn't have the video," Jones said. A well-placed city official confirmed it.
I viewed the videos Tuesday. Because Valinski didn't know he was recording, a lot of it is pictures of the floor, the ceiling and upside-down firefighters.
Time for an apology
But the audio and the pictures make it clear that it was a friendly encounter, with Jones teasing firefighters about how well outfitted the station is, and them responding in kind.
Jones did use an expletive at one point, saying "Are you f------g kidding me?" when shown the new kitchen with multiple ovens. You could hear firefighters laughing.
I listened to that portion of the video several times and couldn't quite hear the offending word.
"I did it," said Jones. "I said it. But I certainly wasn't yelling."
Union leader Caynon, who has clashed with Jones in the past, obviously was too ready to believe some lies he was told. Once the IG's office made it clear Caynon was wrong, he should have done two things.
He should have called his source and chewed him out.
He should have apologized for his cartoonishly inaccurate account of what happened.
Not that hard to do
Let me demonstrate for Mr. Caynon how it's done.
In Sunday's column I wrote that the city's last major riot was in 1976, when two police officers were convicted of a misdemeanor after killing Jose Torres, whose handcuffed body was found in the Buffalo Bayou.
The trial was in 1978, and I was apparently too ready to believe that the officers would throw Torres handcuffed into the bayou.
A reporter who covered the riots tells me that testimony showed the officers beat Torres but removed the handcuffs before throwing him in the bayou and walking away.
I apologize for my gullibility in slandering the officers.
See Mr. Caynon? It's not that hard.
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