U.S. women just took away the gold in the first-ever offering of three-on-three basketball at the Tokyo Olympics. These games are much like the pickup games you see at the outdoor courts all over the Lehigh Valley. Players go for 21 points while loud music, usually hip hop, is blasted in the background. I love these games because they are more free-flowing, faster and tend to be fun. But I also know there;'s at least one person out there who apparently hates it. Her name is Amy (or is it Karen) Zanelli. She'd like to be a magisterial district judge.
I've already told you that she's lied about her previous employment in child protective services. She has portrayed herself as some sort of super caseworker. She even claimed she had to move here because she had been targeted in Jersey. The reality is that she was fired, both in Jersey and in Northampton County.
I've also told you that last month, she was ejected from Fountain Hill pool. She insisted on talking over a pool manager who was admonishing teenagers who had been acting up. One of my readers referred to her as a "Karen" and I think he may very well be right.
I now am in possession of another incident report from the Fountain Hill police. This one concerns a complaint she made in August 2019 about a group of boys playing pick-up basketball at Fountain Hill playground. Because they are minors, I will hold off on publishing the actual report.
As is typical with these pickup games, these young men were playing basketball while blasting music, just like in the Olympics. Just like the warm-ups before any high school or college basketball game. Yes, the lyrics can be vulgar although you really need to pay close attention to catch it.
Zanelli called police over this arguably vulgar music. In fact, according to the Latin juvenile involved, she ran up to him yelling, grabbed his speaker and shut it off, and additionally, threatened to toss it in the garbage.
These young men were Latin, by the way.
Police left the scene without charging anyone.
It's pretty clear to me that Zanelli lacks the temperament to be a judge. This incident is another example. It also betrays that she is less tolerant or understanding of other ethnicities than she pretends to be. .
Loud vulgar music is loud vulgar music. People living near it have a right to complain. Children and others do not need to be forced to hear it. You mix your metaphors and prejudices since you hate this woman. It isn't about honor or ethnic background. Shoot hoops and turn down the damn music. Stop pretending there is anything noble or athletic about ignorant and rude anti-social behavior.
ReplyDeleteI won't be voting for her, but in this instance I can't slam her for what she allegedly did.
ReplyDeleteIt's a public playground. Why should everyone have to listen to music blasting and vulgarities within it? I think this one is a stretch, as a complaint about her candidacy.
You preface your post about kids playing their game by mentioning how the Tokyo Olympics has the same game. How does the Olympic Committee select the playlist of music being blasted, and is their a list of vulgar words allowed during the competition?
This isn't about detesting the game of Three-on-Three. It's about the irritation of kids thinking everyone within 10 blocks of them wants to hear their choice of "song" lyrics.
"Yes, the lyrics can be vulgar although you really need to pay close attention to catch it."
ReplyDeleteLol. That's simply untrue. Give a listen to Shade 45 on SiriusXM and you'll hear nigger, bitch, and pussy more times than you can count in a single song. You hear noise like an old fart. The lyrics are routinely hateful and violent and not fit for young ears - or any ears- in a park. I don't like her a bit. But you're dead wrong on nasty lyrics.
So we're just gonna let this Comment slide right?
DeletePost the report, just edit out the juveniles names, so we can get a more accurate account as to what happened. Be fair, Bernie.
ReplyDeleteI question her behaviors as cited by you in several columns. However, loud music that is intrusive on the neighboring properties should not be characterized as representative of ethnicities and is probably as disliked by the parents of these "little darlings." And please folks spare me the comments about constructive activities by youth that "At least they are not out vandalizing or worse stuff". I think it is possible to be young and not be so intrusive with their fun. It is possible to play basketball and not have loud vulgar music blaring.
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with someone being civil and requesting that music be lowered, but if Ms. Zanelli was abusive, a line is crossed. Why must the majority be subjected to loud, possibly vulgar, music, because a small group (afraid to use the word minority these days) wants to play basketball? My parents raised me to be respectful of others and that seems to be a handicap these days.
ReplyDeleteWe as a society encourage and cultivate people like she is instead of ostracizing them. There are so many self centered individuals in society today. Even many of us that post to this blog. Society today is based on rewarding f'ups, failures, and fools. The criminals started it and the politicians realized they could make big bucks off of like behaviors. Mean while they wrote laws allowing themselves to legally do what other would be punished for.
ReplyDeleteIf you have nt noticed the level of dysfunctional individuals running for a political office has been increasing along with the erosion of their common decency. AZ is prime example of that. She cannot function in a real job or meet most societal norms so she heads to politics not for helping the people but to provide a means to bolster her accounts.
And we are stupid enough to pick the least of the two evils many times instead of trying something completely new. Heck when you know that the prime 2 parties are putting up questionable characters perhaps it is time to take the thirds option if there is one.
Don't get in the way of this lady who's getting ready to hang herself. The issue was the music and her reaction to it. Has nothing to do with Basketball. I agree she has zero qualifications for the position she seeks, but don't try too hard to sink her battleship.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to pass on the outrage on this one. Without the context of the report, which would indicate time place etc. the post just shows her lack of self control. That should be enough to disqualify her.
My deaf Grandmother plays her music too loud, does it make a difference that these boys were Latin? should that add to the outrage? try again BO, you are falling into the trap that has half the country yelling "Fake News!"
What makes this story serious is that this woman "appears" to have a temper. Is that an
ReplyDeleteemotion a judge should display? Why wasn't she happy a bunch of teens were playing ball. Music has always been a partner to city life. How does she know her neighbors didn't enjoy watching the teens have fun?
I will edit and post the report so you can all draw your own conclusions. Even if the music was vulgar, she had no right to grab the speaker from the juvenile and threaten to throw his property in the garbage. I also do suspect that this supposed bastion of tolerance is less so than she presents herself.
ReplyDeleteNo fan of "Crazy Amy", and I agree that the last place she should be is in any position to judge others, BUT...
ReplyDelete1) I don't think it's fair to say she's against Three-on-Three hoops. Her problem in the 2019 incident you wrote about is clearly with the music, likely both the volume and language.
2) With your old man hearing, you might "need to pay close attention to catch" the vulgar lyrics, but as a parent I can tell you that small kids can pick the vulgar lyrics out quite easily. Just because the parents of those playing the music might have given up on raising their children correctly doesn't mean the parents of other children on the playground have given up on better conduct for their kids.
3) I haven't watched much of the Olympics, much less Three-on-Three basketball at the Olympics, but I suspect that the lyrics played at the Olympics are screened/censored to avoid offending those watching.
4) Even if I'm wrong about that, an Olympic venue is vastly different from a public park where people take their children to play.
5) While making such a charge might do the most political damage (which I understand is the purpose of this post), I also think it's unfair to brand Zanelli as somehow racist or less tolerant of other ethnicities because of this incident. Tolerance, understanding and respect are two-way streets. Nobody should get a pass on basic civility just because of their skin color.
6) I do agree that she should not have grabbed the speaker to turn off the music. That crossed the line.
7) Other than that, I think she did what any reasonable person would have done. First, she talked to the person/persons she had an issue with (although it sounds like she could have done a better job at that). Then she contacted the proper authorities to help resolve the situation.
8) Without a copy of the actual report, I don't know how things ultimately ended. While I think it's appropriate that nobody was charged, I doubt that the officer told those playing to continue to blare their music across the park. Most likely, the officer(s) told them to turn off (or at least turn down) the music and continue to enjoy their game. That seems fair.
9) Finally, how the hell does Three-on-Three basketball become an Olympic sport? I'm not arguing that there is athleticism and talent needed to play the game. But it's a lesser version of a sport that already exists. I realize the world has gone nuts, but this is one step from cornhole becoming an Olympic event.
It's an Olympic sport bc it is fast, exciting, requires athleticism and appeals to the young. I like its addition. Cornhole is none of those things, lol.
ReplyDeleteAgree about vulgar music in a neighborhood such as Fountain Hill but if she had asked the players to lower the music and explained why, maybe that would have been enough to address her concerns.
ReplyDeleteThe music played at the Olympics 3x3 games has no lyrics. Just fast-paced music to compliment fast play. I've watched professional cornhole. Even bowling is more exciting.
ReplyDeleteIf this is what is known about Zanelli, I have to wonder what goes unknown? Sadly, people won't care. But, they should. She seeks a position of trust. It's clear she lacks the temperament, judgment, and integrity to be an MDJ.
ReplyDeleteListen, if "Curling" can be in the Olympics so can Cornhole. Like Quoits, all are excellent games that can be played with a beer in one hand and allows me to semi-realistically dream of one day being an Olympian!
ReplyDeleteZanelli has intimated in an interview and in advertising materials that Van Scott, her opponent, should not be elected as he is a retired police officer and would be swayed to side with law enforcement. Seems like she has her own law enforcement issue. She is just winding up on the wrong side. Can she be impartial as it is clear she has issues with authority figures?
ReplyDeleteBernie...I do get what you are trying to portray. Zanelli does whatever she wants to do and whenever she wants to do it. She cannot handle people point blank. She goes to FH pool and because she's Amy Zanell, she gets involved with everyone else's situation. She goes to FH Playground and does not like the music or the volume, she takes matters in her own hands. Simply said, all she had to do was call the authorities and they would have taken over. Honestly, when I was a juvenile and if she took my speaker away from me, I probably would have stuck my foot in her A%^!!!
ReplyDeleteZanelli does not have the patience, character, experience, tempermant, or integrity to sit on a MDJ bench. Zanelli is not a nice person like some people are "hood winked" to believe.
Zanelli is all about politics and her beautiful self. Pander, Conquer, Self-Destruct, and Repeat. People need to wake up and see what A,me! is really about or we will be reading about her in future and it will not be good for our community. In the future "told you so" should not be an option, and "thank God we didn't" should be !!!
This woman along with the other nut case running against Executive McClure are NOT FIT for PUBLIC OFFICE PERIOD! Its time we wake up and NOT elect mentally unstable people to elected office regardless of your political party.
ReplyDeleteSigned, A Republican FOR McClure!
She is full of her self. Who in their right mind goes over and confronts some young kids. How about calling the police and reporting loud vulgar noise after hours. Why does she think she has the right to touch someone else's property? Something isn't right with this woman.
ReplyDeleteThe Latins do this everywhere. No one should be forced to listen to overly loud obscene music. Much like her twin Zirinski, Zanelli is a pure talentless self-promoter. You however you are letting your emotions get the better of you again and are grasping at straws on this one.
ReplyDeleteI see. The Latins. You have proved my point about bigotry. Thank you.
ReplyDelete5:06 "The Latins" How dare you!!! Let me give you some facts. 80% of the Hip Hop/Rap vulgar music is listened and purchased by Caucasions ! I do not like the music what-so-ever, but it makes a hell of alot of money purchased by white people. Zanelli had a choice that day. She needed to contact the police (wait isn't she a believer and follower of Defunding the Police?) and let them do the job they were trained to do.
ReplyDeleteBernie you are right bigotry is alive and thriving. Why don't we make this about an MDJ who has shown that she does not communicate with others and her opinion is the only one that counts, let alone all the negative crazy very true stories about her.
People think that Bernie is attacking Zanelli, nothing can be further from the truth. Zanelli has proven to be a politician (not very good at it) with very serious agendas and platforms. She needs to stay in politics and selling houses (not good at that either) and steer away from a Magisterial District Judge position. Bernie has bought out many negative points regarding Zanelli throughout her short political career that should bury anyone trying to secure a position on a respected judical bench. Why can we not see through her smoke in mirrors?
The problem is, at least in Fountain Hill according to primary results, it doesn't matter how she behaves, she'll win.
ReplyDelete