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"By Hook Or By Crook We Will," MJR’s Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap - Part 2
A video dramatization (though not by much) of the titanic struggle to save our homes from the faceless corporation . . . for sake of clarity and drama, picture me as the guy who’s taking on The System . . . all will be explained on the other side –
There’s not a way in the world to watch that opening and not feel like kicking some well-deserved ass. I get a rush just hearing the music . . . the shot of the gathering storm, the determined stride, the thunderclap as he flings open the doors and pounding the desktop of some mealy-mouthed bureaucrat is just glicken from there on.
in Part 1 of our little saga, I drew the parallel between that British spy drama of one man’s battle against a larger, faceless, oppressive and better financed opponent. The show was “The Prisoner” and is considered by many to be one of the most unusual and thought-provoking television series ever made.
Plus, the parallel to our uncovering of the MJR plot, its subsequent exposure, the scandal and ensuing battle is “spot-on” as my UK clients are fond of saying. And just like the show, I too discovered who my allies were — surprisingly, they were not the residents.
But I’m getting ahead of the story . . .
In the series, Patrick McGoohan (Number Six), played a former British secret agent being held captive by an unidentified power.
Episodes typically featured the unnamed prisoner, labeled “Number Six” by his captors, unsuccessfully attempting to escape from “the Village,” (the name of our apartments was “Redwood Village“) but successfully resisting interrogation and attempts at brainwashing.
Not to let irony slide, MJR often referred to our habitat as “The Village,” which partially inspired this analogy.
And that’s the parallel being drawn here today, folks.
During the pitched battles you’ll soon read about, getting a straight answer from MJR, McClure (the bureaucrats’ spokesmodel) and the owners; all desperate to keep their plot hidden, often went something like this mental dueling swords exchange from the beginning of each episode:
I am the Number Six character and Mike McClure, MJR’s spinmeister (seen interviewed in the King 5 report) is our Number Two.
Number Six: “Where am I?” 
Number Two: “In the Village.”
Number Six: “What do you want?”
Number Two: “Information.”
Number Six: “Whose side are you on?”
Number Two: “That would be telling . . . We want information.
Number Six: “You won’t get it.”
Number Two: “By hook or by crook, we will.”
Number Six: “Who are you?”
Number Two: “The new Number Two.”
Number Six: “Who is Number One?”
Number Two: “You are Number Six.” (Double entendre because there’s a pause after he says “are” which then becomes - ‘You are . . . Number Six’)
Number Six: “I am not a number - I am a free man!”
Here’s What Happened . . .
Several years ago I lived in that apartment complex that was the subject of the puffy little PR spin piece put out by MJR that sparked my first post about them and the “instant karma” now biting their tushkas.
Oh and btw, quick lesson in MJR-speak: if they say “silver lining” and co-opt a local news agency into angling the reportage that way — you can be assured that it’s anything but a happy, shiny silver lining. They did that spin job to soothe nervous investors.
But to then . . . through a contact in the city planner’s office, a fellow journalist got wind that MJR and the owner of my apartment complex were in negotiations to buy the apartments and turn them into condos.
Ok, that’s business and I’ve got no complaints about that.
THIS is what I have/had a problem with — their plan was to hide the sale of the property and then, at the last minute hit us with a “30 Days to Vacate (The Premises)” notice.
THAT I had a problem with. Had I and others not blew the whistle — instead of having a year and a half to prepare, they would have had 90 short days.
And that is when our small band took up arms against them — arms being the Internet, mail and knocking on doors. Can you imagine coming home from a hard week at work one night and finding a notice nailed to your door that you have a scant 90 days to find a new place to live?
Most folks there had families with both parents working, and with kids, jobs and all the other things life throws at you — 90 days is not enough time to find new digs, ensure it’s near good schools, the packing/unpacking etc.
Next up . . . how I helped a cadre of whistleblowers expose the owner’s and MJR’s underhanded master plan.
Hee-hee-heee . . . most fun I’d had in years and I hope you come back and agree after reading.
“Be seeing you,”
Number 6.2
Technorati tags: social activism, dogfooding, MJR development, rental rangers, woodinville village, housing downturn
By Walter |
Topics: Fighting Back, It's A Good Thing, Marketing Mishaps, Pet Peeves |