The Boy Who Would Be Sheriff

[Valerie]

Floating Lantern

Seattle's Anarch Free Press since 1986 • floatinglantern.bloodspot

The Boy Who Would Be Sheriff
1.31.15

As an Anarch, I understand that the flow between personal and the political moves both ways. No personal action should be taken without its motives being examined, and all politicians hold a party line because it allows them some sort of personal gain. Holding fast to morals which shield ourselves, friends or even strangers from oppression and destruction is as much about manifesting benefits as it is exercising your right to liberty. Individuals who really jack things up but cry that their personal failures should not impact their sociopolitical credibility are often correctly pegged as exhibiting either willful ignorance or outright idiocy. The Camarilla’s fondness for letting these clowns hold on to positions of influence because it’s somehow their birthright is not only a prime example of how the sect is doomed to undo itself, but how susceptible it is to crumbling beneath the weight of honest questioning. This, of course, brings to the most timely topic of this week's blog: Sheriff Carnifex, and whether or not the Kindred of Seattle will ever recognize that his complete lack of foresight continues to place the very city which he has been charged to protect in great danger.

A dispute occurred with regards to whether or not Big Lou Giovanni tried to take a wallet from some individual within the Brujah clan a couple of weeks ago. Facts on the matter are thin - whether or not the wallet was actually taken, why the wallet was being taken, if it was taken but immediately returned, so on. Do not let this lack of evidence dissuade your desire for judgement, gentle readers! Carnifex, the banner of justice and prudence which this domain has decided to hang one of its greatest responsibilities on, decided to skip straight on to staking Big Lou in a room full of other Kindred quite early on in the evening. He then took to delivering a blessedly short, self-indulgent speech about the matter, and Big Lou was dragged off to a back room full of Brujah. A short while later, we were greeted to the sight of the prisoner running from custody, screaming that the Brujah were attempting to murder him. Surprise!

At this time I chose to shake off Harpy Eberhart’s attempts at using powers of the blood to enforce a stupefied calm among the gathered so that I could assist Big Lou in escaping his attackers. (Making a nod to the opening of this blog, I recognize that there are some individuals who will view this action as tacit endorsement of the Giovanni. I barely know the guy. What I do explicitly endorse is preventing other Kindred from being destroyed in cold blood at a gathering, especially when the individual is officially recognized as a political emissary within the domain and their accused sins are just about the most petty shit I’ve ever heard an elder get ruffled about.) Wisely, after the victim had flown the coop, it was decided that this disagreement could be handled in a satisfactory manner using… drumroll please… prestation.

As much as I enjoy editorializing, please recognize that the situation is in fact exactly as asinine as I’ve made it sound.

If staking someone in the middle of a gathering over allegedly attempting to take a wallet from someone was deemed the correct course of action by the Kindred trusted to make these decisions, there's a good chance that the person who made that decision is a total meathead and shouldn't be allowed to decide things like that anymore. Within the first month of office this new Sheriff has killed a Kindred that the Prince specifically requested be detained alive, claimed the destruction was totally an accident, gotten arrested by mortal law enforcement, and made a Broadway production out of staking someone because someone said they touched their stuff.

Why are we allowing this sort of nonsense to stand by pretending this sort of sloppy bloodshed constitutes effective enforcement of the law? Here's the problem with police brutality: the more that it happens, the fewer people feel like they can rattle up the chain when something happens that they aren't equipped to handle as an individual. There’s quite a lot of that going around right now. In case you forgot, our gatherings have been attacked by a number of parties, including but not limited to what appear to be small children distributing accelerants disguised as popcorn. Right now, I can't think of a single person who would consider the Sheriff's management of these threats skillful, trustworthy, or even existent. I certainly haven't heard any support of it, either from other folks in the peanut gallery or those rubbing elbows at salons. The only real talk and walk regarding fixing this is coming from someone whose position is completely made-up.


Even Carnifex himself seems to have realized that his actions condemn him to being a liability much louder than they speak to his assets. He paid Keeper Devlin-Price quite a favor as an apology for disrupting the gathering and making a bloody mess of the site - a much heavier boon than Big Lou himself was announced to have paid for the slight to the Brujah. While it could be argued that being publicly ridiculed and needlessly perforated by the Sheriff could have made up the majority of the payment, given Seattle's current investment in thinking that boons from more "worthy" individuals are in fact more valuable... how many trivial favors from Big Lou would that make a major IOU from a very well-known guy such as Carnifex worth, anyway?

Given the facts about these events, it's grossly illogical to assume that the Sheriff is somehow ignorant to his own failures and how they cause the city to perceive not only his own (lack of) aptitude, but the aptitude of the Prince from whose decrees he derives both power and assignment. This doesn’t even speak to the sort of shadow his aggressive simple-mindedness casts upon the city as far as our reputation as a whole is concerned. Carnifex is a bully, plain and simple. He is not tactical. He is not smart. He does not do a good job, and is difficult to imagine that he will be able to lead us in securing ourselves against external threats because he’s too busy threatening us himself.

It's in the domain's best interests that he find his way out of a job - or ideally, the city - lest Jaroslav's Disappointment become our own.

Valerie

[Sir Eric Locke]

LOLS

Michael

[Sir Eric Locke]

Kindred of Seattle,

We all have our demons. Some wear them on the outside for all to see, while others are driven by them. All actions we take have repercussions. In our world more so than any other. When one is surrounded by the police your options are either kill them all and cover up the horror or get arrested and get out later after showing that you’re innocent.

I was made for combat. My sire didn’t see in me something he wanted to preserve from all times or a broken soul to fix. He saw a weapon. One already forged in battle and proven able to survive in conditions that most other men would have curled up and died in.

I was not fully prepared for the civilized world. I however am not a complete monster incapable of learning from my missteps. This is not an apology, this is a statement of purpose. When someone upset my sire, he would send me to them. No threat, no parlay, just me showing up to bring the ashes back to him when I was done.

I now do this for Prince Orleans.

I might make missteps but please do not take them for foolishness. No one calls a Brujah foolish twice.
I really like this city, it is so different from Corpus Christy I don’t have the words to describe it. I want to make it truly my home. I was stationed at Corpus Christy, I have not known a home for longer than most of you have been undead.

I am adjusting, I thank you for your understanding during this period.

You might have noticed I don’t carry my ax’s at court any longer. This is my pledge of respect for all members of the city. I have not had an ax beyond arms reach in a very long time. When they are in my hands to steal a line from a play, I feel my arm is complete.

Understand my pledge for what it is. I want to make this city my home. To do so, I must treat it as a home and not a battleground.

I am a Brujah, like my sire and his sire and so on and if you cross me you will feel the passion that burns under my skin like the sun at high noon.

If you reach out and welcome me to your city, treat me as a brother, as a member of this family. I will bring the noble might of my soul to protect you from our enemies.

I hold all members of the Ivory Tower in high regard. Double so to the ones who have already reached out to me and treated me well.

Remember this. We are not safe, threats are at our door. Knocking wanting to come in. This is the time for us to pull together as a city and fight against this threat. To say No More. If you’re not involved ask to be. Everyone can do their part. When the smoke clears and we are left standing victorious do not be the one everyone saw standing in the corner whispering behind backs while the true heroes fought to protect our city. The City of Emeralds, The great city of Prince Orleans.

-John “Carnifex” Smith