Robinson/Merrill/Battie
BATTIE WATERBOY FOR RINO MERRILL/RINO ROBINSON/LGBTQ POLITICAL OPERATIVES AS NORTH SARASOTA IS RACIALLY GENTRIFIED
The future of Newtown is at stake and survival of the Black community is in the hands of the voters in the upcoming election.
The continuation of the gentrification of North Sarasota neighborhoods will continue if Kyle Battie, who is the Waterboy for the UNI Party RINO William Merrill III, Christine Robinson and LGBTQ political operatives is reelected a Sarasota City commissioner.
As the racist gentrification continues moving throughout Battie’s District 1 not a word from Battie, as he continues to carry water for the “Pay to Play” developers at the Argus Foundation and LGBTQ operatives turning the City of Sarasota into the enclave of wealthy whites, who are descending on Sarasota.
Atkins/Grimes/Shaw
Battie rather be seen with Ybor City bar owners rather than with the icons of the Sarasota Newtown community, who are Jetson Grims and the former Mayors of the City Sarasota Fredd Atkins and Willy Shaw.
Hanging out as a Very Important Person (VIP) at THE Downtown Corona Cigar bar drinking $1,000 drinks and two-hundred-dollar cigars on his Ybor City patrons “dime." Battie see that more of a priority in seeking the advice of Grimes, Shaw and Atkins, who are remaining Black leaders of Newtown community and are the backbone of the Newtown community.
Instead of joining together with Atkins, Grimes and Shaw and others ending the gentrification of North Sarasota neighborhoods, Battie would rather join together with his friends from Ybor City and conspire to degrade neighborhood activist Kelly Franklin and other 90 members of City Pac, who had legimate concerns with another bar in Downtown Sarasota.
UNI Party members Michael Barfield/Christine Robinson/Kevin Cooper/Suzanne Atwell/Paul Caragiulo/Hagen Brody
Sarasota City Commissioner Battie has become part of a UNIPARTY that since 2015 has turned the Sarasota City Commission into a dysfunctional inept Shit Show controlled by "Pay to Play" developers hanging out at the Argus Foundation.
The UNI Party has been looking for a Black politician they could stuff in their pocket and they have found one in Battie, who finds himself more comfortable hanging out in Downtown Sarasota bars than in Newtown.
Shirley Smith, whose family has owned and operated the Town Hall restaurant on Martin Luther King Jr, Way for years states, “we never see him in the neighborhood. We know his parents, but knew nothing about Battie when he ran for City commission.”
The incumbent, City Commissioner Battie trying to portray himself as growing up in the Newtown community and being integral part of the community is bogus. Battie has no purple and gold Booker High School and preferred shooting hoops at Arlington Park instead of hanging out at the REC in Newtown while growing up in Sarasota.
Battie is more comfortable hanging out with his longtime Siesta Key patrons than he does with those in the Newtown community.
In my years as an investigative reporter for Tempo news, I and others never saw the 56-year-old Battie involved in the many projects initated by City Commissioners, Carolyn Mason, Fredd Atkins or Willie Shaw.
You don’t see Battie hanging out on the streets of Newtown today or other North Sarasota neighborhoods other than the gentrified neighborhoods of Gilespie Park and the Rosemary District.
You see Battie hanging out at the Corona Cigar Bar in Downtown Sarasota and in other bars throughout Downtown Sarasota and on Siesta Key or hanging out at the Downtown St Petersburg bar scene.
Former Manatee County NAACP President Rodney Jones and Sarasota County NAACP President Trevor Harvey
The so-called Black leaders you see Battie hanging out are the ones like the long-time lackey of the Sarasota establishment and phony President of the local NAACP, Trevor Harvey.
Harvey has been carrying water for the white establishment for years, only coming out carrying his NAACP credentials when his white patrons running Sarasota need him to quiet the unrest in the Black Community.
For example, when a Newtown resident recently graduating student from New Mexico State University, Rodney Jones returned home to Sarasota and was gunned down by Sarasota County Sheriff deputies, Harvey turned his head.
Harvey instead of calling out the injustice of young man being gunned down after being pulled over for a non-existing traffic infraction, Harvey sat back and went along with a bogus Sheriff’s investigation.
When the Sarasota County Commission racially gerrymandered over 10,000 Blacks out of District 1 to re-elect Sarasota County Commissioner Mike Moran, Harvey did not have the NAACP participate in a million-dollar lawsuit by Hugh Culverhouse Jr. in challenging that racist redistricting.
Harvey sat on the Sarasota Housing Authority for years while third world conditions existed at Janie Poe Housing Project, once agan going along to get along with those running Sarasota not concerned with third world conditions at Janie Poe.
Harvey went along to go along with those who could care less raw sewage was in residents’ halls as cock roaches and rats were found throughout the housing project.
Only when neighborhood activists Valeria Buchand got in the face of white leaders and a documentary called “CONDEMNED” was released did Janie Poe became Janie Gardens.
While neighborhood activists like Buchand, Barbara Langston and other neighborhood leaders along with Johnny Hunter at TEMPO NESWS were spearheading projects in Newtown, Battie was doing his modeling gig in Miami Beach and New York.
Where was Battie when neighborhood leaders like Buchand, Langston and other concerned activists fought for Janie Gardens, renovating Booker High School and the REC Center – Battie was in Miami Beach and New York partying hardy walking the modeling runways.
Battie since returning to Sarasota, after leaving New York as a 54-year-old failed model and a brief residence in Indianapolis where he was arrested for abusing a dog and evicted from his apartment, Battie became a restaurant and bar greeter and an unlicensed masseur.
Battie also hooked up with the Westcoast Black Théâtre Artistic Director Nate Jacobs, who has replaced the child predator of 40 years Henry Porter, as the “darling” of the Sarasota white social elite.
Jacobs got one of his millionaire patrons at the Westcoast Théâtre named after Porter to put up $thousands to promote Battie podcast on local ABC Chanel 13.
It is disgraceful that it doesn’t bother Battie, Julia Leach, Christine Jennings or the others, who have Jacobs running the multimillion Westcoast Black theater in Downtown Sarasota for Jacobs, who taught at Porter Westcoast School for 10 years where Porter groom children for his sexual pleasure.
Battie and other could care less that Jacobs continues to sing and dances in praise of Porter to the cult members at Porter’s Westcoast Church of Human Development in the Gillespie Park neighborhood.
A few blocks away from Porter’s Church where Jacob’s hangs out, one can see Battie signs promoting another four more years for the Waterboy in the white elite gentrified Gillespie Park..
BATTIE'S INTNTIONAL AND WELL-ORCHESTRATED RACIST ATTACK ON FRANKLIN AND OVER 90 CITY PAC MEMBERS
The Battie attack targeted neigborhood activist Kelly Franklin and was intentional and well-orchestra by a gutless Battie race baiting attack that Battie perpetrated at the City Commission meeting on 1/26/24.
Franklin’s attorney Harrison described Battie’s attack in this fashion, "Battie’s vicious personal attack on Franklin was not a spontaneous, heat of the moment response to what Battie genuinely perceived to be a racist post. To the contrary, this was an event that Battie plotted, planned, and coordinated for almost a month before delivering his scripted performance on January 16, 2024."
Battie’s recent vicious scandalous attacks on one of Sarasota most respected neighborhood activist, Kelly Fanklin, who is in stage 4 cancer has been called by Harrison; “that in his 35 years of working among and observing local politics, he has never seen an elected official attack a resident like Battie did.” Harrison said, “The only innocent explanation is that he (Battie) is really dumb.”
It is simple incredible how the City Commission is paying $25,000 for Battie legal fees for racist attack on the 90 members of the CITY Pac. Equally incredible is that another one of “Pay to Play” corrupt developer Pat Neal handpicked Judge Steven Walker condoned Battie racism in a recent court hearing.
It was disgusting to watch Battie walk out of the courtroom smiling with his downlow entourage led by NAACP leader Trevor Harvey getting away with their outrageous race bating.
It is appalling that while attacking Franklin and her fellow activists in Downtown Sarasota and beyond, Battie has NEVER taken the same approach calling out the racist gentrifications of the neighborhoods he represents in North Sarasota, as he does promote the party hardy Ybor City culture in Downtown Sarasota.
Equally gutless is that ENTIRE City Commission for failing to take on Battie, who is the flunky for white social elite in control of City Hall presided over by another flunky for the white establishment of Sarasota, City Manager Marlon Brown..
What is scandalous is that Battie has doubled down his attacks on Franklin and the over 90 members of City Pac knowing he is bullet proof being the handpicked token Black of those, who rule City Hall.
Indeed, Battie is bullet proof due to being nothing more than a water boy for those who rule City Hall like Christine Robinson at the Argus Foundation and William Merrill III at the lily-white law firm for years, Icard and Merrill.
Battie’s got away with making a recent vicious scandalous attack on Franklin, who is one of Sarasota most respected neighborhood activist by being supported by individual like Merrill and Robinson and groups like the fraudulent NAACP led by Trevor Harvey and the LGBTQ organizations.
Harrison believes otherwise. Harrison believes, “The only innocent explanation is that he (Battie) is really dumb for an incident that in his 35 years of working among and observing local politics, he has never seen an elected official attack a resident like Battie did”
Battie is not dumb, not by a long shot. He knows he has the backing of the prestigious Icard/Merrill law firm, Christine Robinson and her led Argus Foundation along with the local LGBTQ organization and the social white elite Selby Gardens patrons, who elected Battie a Sarasota City Commissioner.
Just remember how this Merrill and Robinson “Water Boy” got elected:
For example, Battie is an unqualified City Commissioner, who was riding around Downtown Sarasota bar hopping on his bicycle after his license was once again suspended when he ran into Sarasota City Commissioner Hagen Brody and LGBTQ political operative Gabriel Hament.
Brody and Hament were on a mission to find a candidate to take out the then City Commissioner Willie Shaw on behalf of the white social elite hanging out at Selby Gardens and the “Pay To Play” developers hanging out at the Argus Foundation.
Shaw was the deciding vote in turning down the white social elite hanging out at Selby Gardens desire to continue the Sarasota Plantation mentality by building a multimillion-dollar Tara on the Bay facility, where the white social elite could dress up and party hardy.
Shaw had also gained the displeasure of the UNI Party CEO at the Argus Foundation Christine Robinson and the her “Pay to Play” developer patrons at Argus, who were looking for a Black City Commissioner to do their bidding, unlike Shaw.
Shaw had also gathered the disapproval of the local Chamber of Commerce led by Kevin Cooper and the Gulf Coast Builders Exchange (GCBX) led by Mary Slapp. They all did not want some uppity Black giving them a problem with $millions$ of Tax Increment Funding (TIF) for working folks in his District 1 and voting down their million-dollar City of Sarasota projects
Brody was looking for another vote on the City Commission so that he could become Mayor of Sarasota and begin do the bidding of the folks at Selby Gardens and Argus and the other scallywag’s and carpetbaggers. All turning the City of Sarasota into a playground for the rich and famous white folks descending on Sarasota.
Thurlow/Hament/James
Brody’s along with LGBTQ political operatives Hament, George Thurlow and Ed James III were looking for a Black City Commissioner who could be trusted to move the LGBTQ agenda, unlike Sarasota City Commissioner Shelli Freeland Eddie, who after receiving the Equality Florida endorsement rescinded that endorsement after getting elected, due to her Christian beliefs.
Eddie also voted against the white social elite proposed Selby Gardens, Tara on the Bay plantation destroying the ambiance of the neighborhoods south of the proposed multimillion “watering hole” for the good ole boys and girls running Sarasota.
Selby Gardens Tara on the Bay for the white social elite
Both Eddie and Shaw opposed the re-zoning of the $90 million parking garage and restaurant destroying the ambiance of the surrounding neighborhoods.
There would be no problem for Battie carrying the rainbow flag for the LGBTQ community being that unlike Eddie, he was long time active member of LGBTQ movement. Battie had no problem with Selby Gardens project.
It made no difference to Brody, Hament and James that Battie was back in Sarasota after being run out of Indianapolis for beating a dog and evicted from his apartment and before that partying hardy as a failed model in Miami Beach and New York.
The 52-year-old Battie certainly had no qualifications other than he was their type of UNIPARTY and LGBTQ candidate, who would go-along-to-get-along with the local white establishment.
Battie had never been to one Coalition of City Neighborhood Association (CCNA) meeting, one local neighborhood meeting, never applied to serve on a City Advisory Board and only voted 11 times in 30 years.
It is way past time for the self-proclaimed best and brightest liberal Democrats to stop drinking the LGBTQ movement Kool Aid that they are true progressive liberals and not a integral part UNI Party coalition in control of a corrupt City Hall.
What does it take for these self-proclaimed Liberal Democrats to understand that UNI Party RINO William Merrill III and Argus Foundation CEO Christine Robinson run Sarasota City Hall in coalition with LGBTQ political operatives.
How do the best and brightest think that the totally unqualified City Commissioner Kyle Battie gets away with calling the most legitimate Democrat Progressive Liberal Kelly Franklin and over 90 members of CITY PAC racists, if he was not a major part of the LGBTQ movement and the Waterboy for local establishment Republicans, Merrill and Robinson—WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE.
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