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Holy crap, Batman!

Schutze,

Help here please. Did you delete the names in the e-mails or did they come to you that way?

Dallas politics at it's best, throw in a mexican or two and you have what has been going on forever

Good Lord, said this was going to get interesting and it has, but didn't realize it was going to get this gritty.

Like it or not this is going to be a public mess for the city and I feel for the friends and loved ones that did nothing wrong but will have to live through it.

Holy mother Mary.. This is just getting jucier and jucier.

This is better than the crime/drama novels i'm addicted to. I'm hooked.

There's something I want to say, but.. I'm just going to wait a bit... or let someone else say it.. Don't want to offend anyone this early in the whole tragic situation.

Not even 24 hours after the Shaws' deaths, and you're already posting this stuff. I bet you were just drooling when you found out the news this morning.

And you think DMN is full of scuzzy journalists? PLEASE.

OK...

How much more mud-slinging till we let her and her husband rest in peace?

This is a tragic story.

Were her decisions and actions questionable?

Most certainly...

Will there be some backlash to all this?

I am sure...

Her freaking body isnt cold yet. C'mon!!!

delicious.

I know you gotta do you job Jim and I respect that but I was just thinking what it would be like for my family if somebody published some of my more interesting email the day after I was murdered by my husband.

Ditital communication via email is so very inadequate that it begs misinterpertation.

I didn't know the lady 'n I don't have a dog in the hunt in Dallas (especially south of the river) but I really wonder what difference it would make if it took a month or so for this stuff make it into the public domain?

I agree with warden62 and POV. This post just reeks in general, and no matter who died in the last 24 hours, a trace of respect should at least be hinted at. I'll hold out my judgment until the story comes out tomorrow, but as I see it now, you just went down quite a few pegs Schutze.

well jimmy how fast did those in these emails contact YOU?

damn this story is gonna be big.

pjw

guys there is NO reason Jimmy has to sit on this news.

We are a 24hr news world, and the good and the bad come out at the same time.

but damn the timing is unreal, i think jimmy was just getting to something, and they decided to not be around for it.

and don't get all preachy guys, for i did the detail posting of dealing with suicidal depression.

PJW

Sheesh, these apologists are just amazing.

Let me guess - If Jim had NOT published these posts today, but chose to wait until the newspaper hit the streets on Wednesday, you would still complain that the Observer was too fast on the draw and should have let the bodies get cold and be buried and decayed before posting the story.

Fact is, the sad deaths of these two people - whether you agreed with their style of politics or not - is now as much a part of the story as the emails, the forged letter, and the apparent misbehavings of Mayor Leppert.

Can we get a do-over on the Trinity vote now??

This doesn't smell good.

Even if Jim waited a week to release these emails, the same people would be complaining that the info was released to soon.

It look like Jim was going to release these emails within a few days, he didn't know that these crazy fuckers were going to call their son and tell him, bye! We are checking out!

And holy crap! The city of Dallas could be used for the next version of "The Wire"

I couldn't disagree more.

This is now a public policy matter. It's news that affects how the city operates. The living are most affected, not the dead.

These e-mails lift a curtain on an operation we all knew was there, but no one would be so impolite as to point out by name. The fact that this was all coming to light this week most certainly played a part in the tragedy on Monday.

But these e-mails are not personal, they are political.

Publishing them is the right thing to do. And brave because you knew last night you'd get this kind of backlash. Please follow this story all the way to the top.

Since no one else has dared ask this, and it seems like the obvious question...

Is it only a coincidence that Schutze lets Ms. Shaw know that he's got these emails, and mere hours later, she and her husband leave this earth? Maybe it was the straw that broke the camel's back?

And if anyone wants to get mad, get mad about the Shaws doing this to their children. They're the ones who deserve our sympathy.

I think POV et al. have it backwards -- This story was surely already going to print before they died. Jim isn't capitalizing on the deaths, and you don't stop the presses at this point.

Isn't it much more likely that they made their tragic decision because of what's going to be out tomorrow? I think Jim had to put this out now, to give some context to the story tomorrow and how the timing of it relates to the deaths.

I've been waiting all day for Schutze's post. While it is not surprising that his work at least bore a highly coincidental relationship to the timing of the Shaw's deaths, it is disappointing that in this post he doesn't even comment on that aspect or give a nod to the tragedy of this story. As is evident from some of the other posts, the callous focus on the scandal that led these two parents to leave their children orphaned is downright chilling.

Jim - It's your job as a journalist to write the story that is there....you certainly can't help the players or actions involved in that story. This is all so tragic and heartbreaking, but it is what it is....like it or not - people will want to know why.

And to all of the people that say it's so horrible for writing about this the day after this event......you sure are quick to read the stories that reference the Shaws.....we that comment on the stories are the ones that keep them going. That's reality.

The nature of the investigation into Flint Shaw was about to change, because District Attorney Watkins is now bowing out. It isn't clear who was bowing in. The point is now that no one is going to investigate, because there is no one to charge. I do think it's important for citizens of Dallas to know that Flint Shaw's problems have deep tentacles in local government and politics. Wait a month, and all of this is just gone. It's ancient history and yesterday's news. And, by the way, in our business, we don't do yesterday's news.

Jim's not revelling in her death or her downfall, just reporting on the city and what appear to be some very dirty goings on at very high levels.

You people have to be kidding. The story here isn't that some group thinks they control the mayor, it's that it's stated that the mayor agreed with them!

Granted it's just hearsay, but Lynn Shaw is just where this story is starting. There's a lot to go yet.

Warden,

I think the point is that Schutze planned to publish this story tomorrow and called Ms. Flint Shaw for comment. The anticipated publication of the story (coupled with the other criminal and civil matters she was facing) may have been the impetus for her and Mr. Shaw's suicide.

I understand that you think that her death warrants spiking the story, or at least sitting on it for awhile. But I disagree for a number of reasons:

1) The reasons for the Shaw's suicide is a matter of public concern, and this story sheds some light on it.

2) The story is also a matter of public concern because it implicates the mayor in what is best described as "shaddiness" and worst described as "corruption."

I am of two minds on it. Instinctively, I agree with you. My Nana told me never to speak ill of the dead. But at the same time, I don't think these things should be swept under the rug just because of the tragic events of the past 24 hours.

...And people think other cities governments are corrupt? Just goes to show the power of the (white) institutions remain in tact! Power, Greed and Money...it does sound like a soap opera...in reality though this ploy has RACISM written ALL OVER!

Looks like Sandra Crenshaw was exactly right in her long, rambling post about South Dallas politics a while back. It was hard to read, mind you, but she was exactly right.

I'm very sorry for the Shaws' children and loved ones, but I don't see how any responsible journalist could sit on this story, especially since the paper version is already coming out tomorrow. It's a pity the Shaws can't come out swinging or admit mistakes or prove there is another side to the story and other facts to consider. Mr. Shaw took those options away when he killed himself and his wife, and it makes me so sad.

The story obviously has to be told. The question some of us are asking is simply this: how does Schutze feel about possibly having made the call that ultimately triggered the deaths of two (obviously very troubled) people? I know it's really none of our business, but since Schutze is happy to tell us how he feels about any number of things in this blog, one would think (hope?) he would at least make a passing reference to this aspect of the day's events.

Oh, ick. Corrupt North Dallas aligns with corrupt South Dallas. No wonder the decent citizen activists can't catch a break in this cesspool of a town.

solid confirmation that Chicago-style ward politics has arrived in Dallas. wonder what else will be turned up.

Ron asks about my feelings here. I'm in the position of knowing too much, I think. I can only sound like I'm making excuses or covering myself if I say I don't feel responsible for these deaths, but in fact I know that what I had was not enough to be the trigger. There has to be some other major shoe to fall here, something we don't know about yet but will soon.

By taking personal responsibility, I would actually be making myself a good deal more important than I am.

But I will say this: I feel god awful for their son.

Thanks, Jim. I know you don't owe any of us your thoughts, but I'm gratified that you offered what you did. I can imagine that you've had a very tough day.

I agree that there must have been more to it than just your stories and investigation. And I cannot imagine what their poor children are going through.

I can only sound like I'm making excuses or covering myself if I say I don't feel responsible for these deaths

No, not at all. Even if your reporting did trigger this (and as you say, that's unlikely), it's not anything that could have been reasonably expected.

I can understand everyone's observations and points. I guess my initial reaction was that Schutze, who typically writes with a clear opinion and passion on the subjects on which he covers, sounded very cold in this blog/article.

I did not mean to imply that the news business should sit on a story or anything. I was simply reacting to the tone in the writer's words, which was empty of feeling.

I didn't know the Shaws. However, as a human being, my heart goes out to the family and friends. No matter what, it's a troubling tragedy.

I remember Lynn and Rufus from the mid-80's when they came in my Executive Suite to rent an office for Lynn's fledgling business. They were delightful, smart and articulate. Every one in the suite enjoyed their company and we love having Rufus regale us with his humor in our after-hours sessions. I loved and respected them and am so sad to hear of their passing in such a tragic manner.

I hope their childen come around and will remember than many years ago they were happy, involved people without all their current troubles.

May they rest in peace!

Heads need to roll and someone needs to bore down HARD on Leppert. This guy has obviously been compromised. Who will take the lead? Is this a matter for the FBI?

Another piece of this story has me baffled. Why did the DA's office recuse itself from prosecuting Ms. Shaw? Did someone in the DA's office assist Ms. Shaw?

I am not trying to put words in his mouth....but I think Jim, like the rest of us who knew the Shaws, are just shocked and stunned at their deaths.

It will take us all a while to come to terms with this loss....but like Jim, I think there has to be more to the story to have caused this.

My heart aches for their son, and family...and my brain is reeling with each and every turn this situation has taken.

Lakewooder,

I think the reason the DA's office recused itself is because Craig Watkins thought he or one of his assistants might be called to the witness stand. Afterall, it was his signature that Mrs. Shaw was accused of forging.

JimS says:
Ron asks about my feelings here. I'm in the position of knowing too much, I think. I can only sound like I'm making excuses or covering myself if I say I don't feel responsible for these deaths, but in fact I know that what I had was not enough to be the trigger.

******************

Believe me, Schutze, I in no way blame you for the tragedy, but I will say that having had two family members die from cancer and two more very ill with it (one currently ill with a rare, weird form of cancer), you get drained and everything loses its perspective whether you are the patient or the caregiver. I don't know if there is another trigger out there or not, but it is indeed possible that what you had could have been the trigger for two people who have been dealing with the enormity of cancer for a while. Again, I do not intend to make you feel guilty at all here. Who knows? Maybe my pithy comments on this blog about the forgery stuff were festering away and they were the trigger. When you're worn out and your internal reserves are depleted, even a small thing might be just the last straw.

Not sure what my point is, only that maybe there isn't another shoe waiting to drop out there and the molehill seemed like a mountain to the Shaws. I'm so sorry for their children.

Lakewooder,
As numerous stories have pointed out, the DA needed to recuse himself because it was his name she allegedly forged and his letterhead she allegedly used to claim the check she was paying the debt with was stolen. He would likely be called as a witness at the trial, as would some of his staff.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/031108dnmetshaw.35cdf06.html

Before we get angry about how awful it is to talk about these people so soon after their deaths, let's consider something. When you put yourself out there in the spotlight, you are asking for more scrutiny. Then, while you are in the spotlight, keep your freaking hands clean! Lastly, how bizarre that her legal problems weren't that awful, yet these two felt so hopeless that they had to die. Please! Some people have real problems! If you can't take the heat, well, you know....

I feel like this is just a continuation of the WIRE. Weird.

If these emails have been in your possession since last summer... Why did you deem it necessary to post any information today at 3:55 knowing the details of the day...Ah.. so sad.. there is something called taste... even in journalism. right?

After reading Jim Schutze's article, I'm wondering if Dallas Hispanic contractors should go to Willis Johnson instead of Mayor Leppert in order to obtain a fair piece of the business procurement contracts at the City of Dallas.

I hope this is not the fact. I'd like to believe otherwise but at some point in time, Mayor Leppert needs to bring clarity and light into this mess. Mayor Leppert, don't keep Dallas' Hispanic community in the dark on this matter. Mayor Leppert, exactly what was Mrs. Shaw alluding to when Mrs. Shaw asked you to let her know what she was supposed to do with Willis Johnson in relation to Transit-Oriented Development or Cherokee?

Just for the record, Hispanics also live in Dallas' Southern Sector. Is this yet another example where the Dallas Hispanic community is playing second fiddle and where Dallas' black business community is using Dallas' Hispanic population numbers to pad their business contracts? This is what Adelfa Callejo was alluding to recently. If this is the fact, this is not only wrong, it may be against the law.

Jesse Diaz, President
Dallas LULAC Council 4496

The DAs office had to recuse because some of the lawyers there were witnesses once the complaintant called and asked if the letter was real.

If one lawyer in a firm/office is recused they all are.

So read nothing into that, other than the DAs office follows the ethics rules.

I moved here from Chicago last year - or am I still there?

"As above so below."

There are reports of corruption all over our Nation. Washington, D.C., New York, Dallas, etc., etc.

90% of politicans are Eliot Spitzers or Lynn Flint Shaws. Any politican, just about, can be outed for all types of corruption.

My mother committed suicide because she couldn't see a way out of her misery. It must have miserable for Mr. Shaw, and Ms. Shaw towards the end. There is always something going on just beneath the surface. We all keep things from each other.

We have become a predatory society, and we seem to relish the negative, the tradegy, the embarassment, the reality TV Shows.

Could Jim's emails have triggered it, been te last straw? Possibly. Lets look at the Shaws as just two more people crying out...

"HEY EVERYONE, THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG BIG TIME IN BIG D!!!"

Let's not let the deaths of two people who were loved and respected by their constituency go to vain.

Maybe something really good will come from it...LIKE LEPPERT RESIGNING.

Knotty Girl, you are spot on with your observation that when a person doesn't have any reserves left, little things can become the nail in the coffin - go to AdSpy.com to see how that blog-stoning campaign helped drive another ad exec from ddb Chicago to his own death. As I stated on another post response, yes you have the freedom of speech, but also remember the pen is definitely mightier than the sword, so be careful and responsible with such a deadly weapon.

Schutze - why did you omit certain names from the email? Being such the ethical journalist I would think you should print it in it's entirety. also, how did you come to receive an email that was only between Ms. Shaw and Leppert? And "a fax confirming the letters were authentic" - a fax? really? Why not an email in this day and age? Why didn't you post an image of the fax or it's content? Sure smells like BS to me. Oh, and you lost the Trinity Toll vote because it was idiotic to postpone the project any longer and the economics around every tollway in DFW is better then our economics in North Oak Cliff where I live. A monkey with a shovel could have made more progress on the Trinity project by now - so good for Tom for battling that blockade. The blockade died because Dallas voters are smarter than you think, thank goodness.

Connie, you need to do your homework on suicide and it's causes before you throw out such callous judgement.

The truth shall set you free.... Actions speak louder than words.....

I don't know, I'm just a Texan. But if I were a frustrated black man living in South Dallas, I might dance on their graves and kick Willis Johnson's ass on principle.

As a white man, I wonder what I will do if confronted with George Bush. Even though retired, he too is deeply deserving of a crack to the jaw. This is how we common folk kept the elite in check.

We can't threaten death. The "leaders" love death, the revel in death, they are truly death merchants. But, these assholes surely aren't too good to get popped in the jaw. It ain't life threatening, it's just some measure of justice rather than more and more "just us."

I have long heard tales about how the black leaders were selling out their constituents. This sounded racist especially coming from the old white racists that seemed to always be armed with this info. But apparently there is some truth to the old charges that if one wanted to build a factory or plant or any development you had to grease John Wiley's pocket or whomever was the villified man of color.

Sometimes the racists are right too I guess. But clearly one thing that know no racial bounds is that our leaders are all too quick to sell us out for their own greed. Remember hold deep and hot contempt for our leaders, especially your own. For we elect people to betray us, NEVER FORGET this. We elect leaders to betray us, put that truth in your polical calculations.

Kelley, the black vote carried the Trinity No campaign. Without them, the Vote Yes crowd would have won. Look at the election results. Which leads one to ask, "Why did South Dallas voters and South Dallas politicos come out so strongly for the toll road?" They knew there was no guarantee of positive growth in South Dallas, but maybe if they could squeeze a bunch of minority contracts from Leppert and City Hall, it would be OK. There is something awful going on in City Hall (and DART), and the smell is getting stronger. I'm glad someone like Schutze is around to dig through the filth and bring out the truth.

As for the fax from Shaw's lawyers, it sounds about right. Faxes are still used by corporations and law firms since a bunch of those old school corporate types don't trust the interweb. I am also sure Schutze would be glad to show you those documents, if you asked nicely. He is not your average Michael Blair reporter. Why would he risk his reputation and career for the Shaw story?

BTW, I also feel horribly bad for the Shaw family. For things to be so bad, with seemingly no one to turn to, must be awful. My anger and disappointment will be focused at the ones that drove them to their deaths. I want the FBI to get involved. I want politics as usual and Chicago style insider deals to stop. And don't blame it on the little fish. Blame the big dogs - the rich men behind the curtain, they are the facilitators of this tragedy.

To borrow from Paco Bell's list of hyperbole: Honest people keep other honest people honest.

Well, glad they decided to give the son a freakin' phone call to let him know their parents were giving up. I'm sorry, but that's unforgiveable in my mind. That is absolutely horrible.

Do NOT let this investigation stop just because ONE of the figures involved is no longer with us. DEMAND that the Dallas D A's office get another prosecutor named immediately to continue the investigation that now must include Johnson & Leppert and the redacted names from the emails.

As tragic as this story is, Jim made the right call going forward with the emails. Its not surprising that groups who help someone win an election want quid pro quo, however wanting to be the point man for all of South Dallas is a bit shocking. I wonder who else was included in this circle? Maybe the story tomorrow will shed the light.

This is just the first peel of the onion of what is a really big deal about "minority contracts" with DART et all.To do do buisness in Dallas you have to do it a "certain way". We have seen the tragic result of just this one instance of "doing buisness" in Dallas. Dallas is a fake plastic city that is blind to the corruption. This is why Dallas is becoming "the Detroit" of the south. The city will be a shell of itself very soon.

We need to demand that the STATE investigate what else the Shaws were doing. And Leppart and our lovely DA who so happily let someone forge his name.

This is a case of racism -- the race for the green that only politicos can skip. Black, White, Yellow, Brown and inbetween have been bent over by the like of the Shaws and their ilk.

I am sorry for their families. But we tax payers have been screwed and few of us seem to care.

Señor Schutze, enjoy your spurious muckraking while you can.

I have every confidence my Dallas Morning News will soon trump this trivial chatter with a breakthrough account of how enterprising migrants have turned their neighborhood into a new urban hiking space that Rawlins has already crisscrossed and approved and which my adorable Gidget Ms. Willey cannot wait to dedicate with her portable bird feeder.

That, Señor, is what true journalism is all about.

Emilio

Looks like Willis might have some explaining to do.

All of you who are so quick to crucify Leppert need an intervention called due process. From the emails that Jim has shared thus far, all we know is that Leppert made some campaign promises to make sure that South Dallas got its fair shake on contracts. That's called politics. Would he not make the same promises to the Hispanic community? What is clear is that Lynn had a clearinghouse in motion for her sphere of influence and that she wanted Leppert to heed her instructions. We have not seen how Leppert responded to her emails, but perhaps Jim's article will shed some light on this.
I trust Jim's journalistic skills and that the rest of the story will be told.

Emilio-

I love you!!

I hope this is not the fact. I'd like to believe otherwise but at some point in time, Mayor Leppert needs to bring clarity and light into this mess. Mayor Leppert, don't keep Dallas' Hispanic community in the dark on this matter. Mayor Leppert, exactly what was Mrs. Shaw alluding to when Mrs. Shaw asked you to let her know what she was supposed to do with Willis Johnson in relation to Transit-Oriented Development or Cherokee?

Just for the record, Hispanics also live in Dallas' Southern Sector. Is this yet another example where the Dallas Hispanic community is playing second fiddle and where Dallas' black business community is using Dallas' Hispanic population numbers to pad their business contracts? This is what Adelfa Callejo was alluding to recently. If this is the fact, this is not only wrong, it may be against the law.

Jessie The Hispanic Contractors have their inside guy as well. Lets not pontificate. Look at the DFW airport board and other governmental boards. The whole thing stinks.

Richie Sheridan as a clinically depressed person who fights suicidal thoughts daily (i went into that in detail in the first posting of this tragic issue) my heart goes you to your and yours.

Connie please please checkout my first posting on this and do a simple google search on suicide.

kelley thank for you letting Connie know she needs to be educated.

PJW

"Emilio Velasquez, Jr."

Sir i hope your posting is a poor attempt of satire.

PJW

I guess I'm at a loss over the righteous indignation shown by some that in the election process in exchange for support favors are expected in return. It's been an open secret for some time that certain promises were made in exchange for support in the mayor and Trinity elections. I guess the Leppert and vote no offered more than Oakley and the vote yes crowd. It appears to me that the e-mails referenced above are the first solid evidence of the rumors.

Also, as some of you may recall Ms Shaw was a canidate and withdrew from the city council race after her husband's diagnosis of cancer. There also was a story that there were issues with her campaign expense reports in that I believe the name was Sorrells was paid $20,000 but he said he only got $1500. Jumping to conclusions one could speculate she converted the campaign donations to her personal expenses. So I thiink there is certainly more to come and it won't paint the Shaws in a nice way.

Why in the world didn't she just stick with her "ORIGINAL" career as a Speech Pathologist??? Clearly her job as the ENFORCER did not pan out as well as she would have liked.

Has it crossed anyone's mind while we are praising the life of Mr. Shaw that he murdered his wife? Let me repeat that. He murdered his wife! If he hadn't killed himself, he would be sitting in a jail cell cell. If O J would have killed himself, would he be a hero today?

how selfish were they to call their son in virginia and leave that kind of news with him in college and away from home. many people have hardship, illness and fall from "grace" and other things in their life. but as i see it, everyday is character building, well that is all i will say. i still take issue with telling a child that is approsimately 1500 miles away that mother and dad do not want to live any more. so try to go on with your life in essence.

Can chemo/Rx trigger depression? - Yes
Can getting in over one's head create fear? - Yes
Can getting busted red-handed cause panic? -Yes
Can getting the runaround after working your heart out for someone make you bitter? - Yes
Can power become intoxicating? - Yes
Can financial worries cloud your judgment? - Yes

Does any of that make suicide/homicide any less of a chickenshit way to avoid being held accountable? Not in my book...

Jim, you just keep digging, keep asking questions, and don't you dare stop writing every little scrap of Truth you come across.
Then call the fucking Texas Rangers and the FBI if that's what it takes. Jesus, where's Elliot Ness when you need him.

Some day the Shaw kids will get around to reading this blog. It's what the survivors do. They search for others memories of their lost ones to corroborate their own memories.

I hope when they do they have the presence of mind to accept what's here for what it is, nothing more, slightly less.

I also wish them strength and I wish them wisdom. The wisdom to understand depression is about disease and not character. Suicide is a the result of the most serious kind of depression.

I believe Bill Young is a little hysterical when he defines assisted suicide as tantamount to murder in the first degree.

Nothing new in the emails. We have always known that a bloc vote from South Dallas would support any big ticket project or candidate that the white powers wanted. Such support demands payments: cash, contracts, board appointments, inside information on land acquistions, and whatever else it takes.

Everyone's jumping to the conclusion that this is a story like that of Budd Dwyer, the state of Penn. official, who killed himself on live TV after getting busted in an insurance scam. Let's wait and see

This was my first time reading the blogs. I am floored with all the comments from so many perfect people who are obviously free of sin. It's a good thing that the woman who was caught in the act of adultery isn't alive today. She would have been in serious trouble when Jesus said "let he who is without sin cast the first stone." And from some of these comments, it seems like Jesus would have had some serious competiton for His seat next to the Father.

My hope is that some one gets this---

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." (Matthew 7:1-5 RSV)

LIFE IS BETTER!

"Don't let your worries get the best of you; remember, Moses started out as a basket case."

I pray for their son and family.