Change is coming to Coatesville

From the Daily Local News
http://www.dailylocal.com

‘Legree, 55, died of natural causes on Dec. 21. He was a Coatesville power player who served as a constable and often took a behind-the-scenes role in city government. He had a heavy hand in getting four city council members elected in 2005. These council members later made big changes to city administration and hired a police chief that Legree is thought to have hand-picked.”

"I would be on the phone with Richard Legree three times a day," said Coatesville City Councilwoman Patsy Ray. "Whenever I needed advice or whenever something needed to be done in the city, he was there."

“He will not be buried until early next week because there is a chance that his son, Richard Legree Jr., will be temporarily released from federal custody to pay his final respects. He is awaiting sentencing for drug offenses.”

Legree’s son is not just awaiting sentencing, his testimony is needed. I think that he is in virtual solitary confinement in the SDU mostly for his own protection. It would take extraordinary security for Legree Jr. to “pay his finial respects”. – Jim Pitcherella

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The very first thing that Paul Janssen did was to make the streets of Coatesville safe for ordinary people and off limits to drug dealers. In my view the streets of Coatesville have now been returned to the drug dealers.

I suppose that a lot of people thought that the 2005 City Coatesville Council Elections were about a farm in Valley Township. In my opinion it was over a loss of behind the scenes control of the city and regaining that control.

In my opinion we have had an extraordinary growth in over all crime in Coatesville and especially drug related crime since the new city council took office. Lesser known is what I view as allegedly letting scofflaw slumlords off the hook in Coatesville and allegedly discouraging certain developers interested in the city while encouraging selected developers.

It is a shame that Legree Sr. can’t testify. I think that many people in Chester County are greatly relieved that he cannot testify.
Jim

See the articles in today’s Daily Local below:

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The Daily Local (dailylocal.com), Serving Chester County, PA
Mourners recall Legree Sr. as larger-than-life presence
A polarizing figure in local politics, he was considered a guiding hand behind the scenes
Sunday, December 28, 2008 9:16 AM EST
By DAN KRISTI COATESVILLE — Friends and family remembered Richard Legree Sr. as a larger-than-life character who was fiercely loyal to those he liked.

And while some people either loved or hated Legree, he was just as polar in his judgment of others, they said.
More at:
http://www.dailylocal.com/articles/2008/12/28/news/srv0000004368075.txt

The Daily Local (dailylocal.com), Serving Chester County, PA
2008 in Review: Execution-style slayings shock city
Sunday, December 28, 2008 9:48 AM EST


Authorities continue to investigate the murder of a woman and her boyfriend who were gunned down this summer execution style inside a Coatesville home.

Carnell Parker, 24, and his girlfriend, Shontae Peterson, 21, of Valley, were shot July 6 in Parker's dining room in the 200 block of Charles Street. No one has been arrested.

The double homicide happened in the midst of several armed home invasions that occurred this year in the city and surrounding area.

More at:
http://www.dailylocal.com/articles/2008/12/28/news/srv0000004329696.txt

The Daily Local (dailylocal.com), Serving Chester County, PA
2008 in Review: Troubling crime plagues city
Sunday, December 28, 2008 9:54 AM EST
Coatesville saw a rash of crime spread through the city in 2008, including numerous shootings, troubling arsons, a spate of armed robberies and several crimes directed against Hispanic residents.

In 2008, 15 people were shot here and two people were killed by firearms. All are still under investigation. Authorities have said the shootings are all drug related.

The city is also investigating a robbery ring that has targeted businesses and people on the street. This year, Coatesville police have received 40 reports of armed robberies. Last year, the city handled 25 cases, up from 19 incidents in 2006 and seven incidents in 2005, according to Pennsylvania State Police Uniform Crime Reports.

Additionally, the city has experienced over a dozen arsons, one of which took the life of a Holocaust work camp survivor. This month, police made three arrests related to the arsons that were set, for the most part, in the west end of the city.
More at:

http://www.dailylocal.com/articles/2008/12/28/news/srv0000004368075.txt



Jim Pitcherella

“For as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on earth is my story even possible.”
Barack Hussein Obama