COSTA MESA, CA – Gratitude for first responder heroes on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic is profound, and many are finding ways to thank them, including Costa Mesa’s Torelli Realty.
On May 19, 2020, Torelli Realty joined forces with California Coastal Loans and Wahoo Fish Taco to provide 250 meals (from Wahoos) to the Costa Mesa Police Department and six city fire stations. The event was held at Costa Mesa City Hall and Costa Mesa Police Chief Bryan Glass and Costa Mesa Fire Chief Dan Stefano were both in attendance.
Torelli Realty is a pillar of the Costa Mesa community. They company is known for hosting both the annual Christmas Snow Land and the Egg-Citement Easter Celebration for more than 35 years.
With all regular celebrations on hold, Valerie Torelli (Torelli Realty Founder) is making sure first responders know how much their efforts are appreciated during this unprecedented time. Since the start of this pandemic, she’s made efforts to support the community in many ways and says she has no signs of slowing her efforts.
She’ll stop when the virus does; until then she intends to roll out more and more support initiatives for those in need.
Valerie said:
“It’s a good time to reflect. We need more of this … more community involvement.”
In the last month, Torelli has made donations to local hospitals, catered dinner for Costa Mesa healthcare workers and established a resource hotline to help seniors find supplies or just to talk.
She has also made direct donations (and matched her clients’ donations) to St. Joseph’s and Hoag Hospitals in support of healthcare workers, provided catered dinners to Costa Mesa nurses, and donated 500 hazmat suits to a hospital in Cremona, which is near ground-zero for Italy’s outbreak, where she has family.
In a press release, Torelli Realty was described:
“Founded in 1984, Torelli Realty is the #1 residential real estate company in Costa Mesa. Torelli Realty has become a fixture in the community, hosting events and sponsoring local schools and organizations to show its commitment. The team’s success can best be exemplified by its core values.
“The group calls them the four C’s: commitment, connection, compassion, and community.”
Given all that Valerie Torelli has done for Costa Mesa, every community would benefit from members like her!
This is surely a far cry from another report Law Enforcement Today brought you last week. Here is that story again in cased you missed it.
Since being featured on Gordon Ramsey’s “Kitchen Nightmares” as a failing family business at war with itself, it seems that little has changed for the Spanish Pavillion; at least as far as management is concerned.
Earlier this month, during Teacher Appreciation week, the Harrison (NJ) Education Association teachers banded together and donated food to the Harrison Police Department. Not only did they donate food, they donated enough food to cover every squad for two days.
Considering the immense pressure that teachers have been under to literally redefine education as we know it in these unprecedented times, it was nothing short of humbling that they still took the time to recognize and appreciate the first responders serving their community.
I WISH THAT WAS WHERE THIS STORY ENDED.
According to “Michael Millan Fernandez,” whose family has owned and operated the Harrison, NJ Spanish Pavillion since 1976, when he was made aware of the fact that the food was, in fact, intended to be donated to the local police department, he “tried to tell the teachers to order food elsewhere.”
I would imagine that, realizing that NO small business is in any position to turn down customers during times like these, Michael (clearly grudgingly) obliged the teachers and fulfilled the order.
I WISH THAT WAS WHERE THIS STORY ENDED.
Michael then delivered the order to the police department and posed with a few of the officers for a photo, but not before making inappropriate comments directed at the female officer stating:
“Take a pic of me and her. I’ll try to keep my hands to myself.”
I WISH THAT WAS WHERE THIS STORY ENDED.
Whether because of the fact that neither Michael nor the Spanish Pavillion had anything to do with the benevolent act other than fulfilling an order, or because of Michael’s inappropriate behavior while at the PD or for some other unknown/unadvertised history that likely exists between Michael and members of the Harrison Police Department, when Harrison PD posted about the donation on their social media page, Michael was cropped out of the photo.
No big deal, right?
Guess again.
That simple cropping set Michael off into a tirade suitable for the most anti-cop webpages. Worst of all, he did so using the family restaurant’s social media page, by proxy, speaking on behalf of the family and the business.
Michael has since deleted the post and offered a half-hearted apology in which he states that he regrets taking out his anger at the few on the many. So, basically, it’s not “F*ck the Police,” it’s just “F*ck Some of the Police.” Got it.
While the lukewarm apology came, it did not come before Michael engaged in a war of words with pretty much any takers, including our President/Founder, retried NYPD Police Officer Michael J Burke.
During the exchange, Fernandez boasted that he “will die a man of my word,” whatever that means.
Here’s the thing: EVERYONE is under an immense amount of pressure these days. Many are losing their livelihoods…livelihoods that have taken decades to build.
Civil Servants and medical technicians are on the front lines of this Covid virus, worrying every day that they are either going to contract the virus or, worse yet, bring it home to their own families.
Regardless of what you feel about the virus or its origin or how we should be dealing with it as a nation, one this is clear: it can be deadly; and no matter what the survival rate is, for the ones who have infected family members or are infected themselves, it’s either 0% or 100%.
That pressure and that stress are equally as real. However, neither are an excuse.
I am sure that Michael will say his comments were taken out of context, as though there is an appropriate context for “F*ck the Police.”
I am sure that he will try to justify his clear lapse in judgment by citing stress over being a small business owner; all which very well may be true.
However, a lot of Americans are under similar stress and don’t respond with temper tantrums motherfu**ing their local police department. In fact, I myself have “seen red” countless times in my lifetime and, not once, felt compelled to scream that out in hate, let alone put it in writing on behalf of my entire family and business.
The truth is likely less sexy. There is a high probability that Michael has NEVER liked the police. He probably had an interaction early on in his life (or recently for all we know) that angered him and he has harbored that anger for just such a moment where he felt that expressing it would be justified, if not lauded.
This seems to be a growing epidemic in the United States, especially in the age of cell phone cameras and social media. Civilians, especially those with an axe to grind or simple anarchists with no respect for authority, are exploiting the fact that they can fight “dirty” while law enforcement has to follow rules.
The perp can ball up his fists and aim to take a police officer’s head off.
However, God forbid that officer, out of a fight for his OWN survival, uses a tactic not specifically outlined in his/her academy syllabus; he/she is suddenly deemed a murderer.
The affable amongst our ranks can often be heard using lines like, “Pick your battles.” Well, the members of Brothers Before Others and those who think like us have. All of them.
Every false narrative and/or hate speech being directed at our profession will be met here with resistance. Every – Single – Time.
The American law enforcement officer is an American citizen before he is a police officer. As such, he/she is granted the same rights and liberties as every other citizen, including the freedom of speech.
Retired NYPD Police Detective and BBO Board Member Rob O’Donnell commented:
“The common thread between those who are anti-law enforcement or simply want to rebel-rouse against their police is that they throw such insults like ‘Fuck the Police’ out there, comfortable in the fact that the police department and their officers will be required to respond passively according to their departmental restrictions/rules.
“Believing this leads to the belief that they, the instigators, have the upper hand. This is precisely where organizations such as BBO take point. We are comprised of both active AND retired law enforcement, many of whom, now retired, were once respected leaders in their field.
“Challenging keyboard warriors and cowards who hide behind the safety of regulations means nothing to the retired MOS who are still just as passionate about their chosen profession today as they were the day they were sworn in.
“THAT is how we, as a profession, level the playing field. When those who CAN speak up do so and stop accommodating the bulls**t.”
Realizing that Mr. Fernandez is likely no different than any other street mutt waving his middle finger in the air at the police, Michael Burke wrapped things up with this:
“Our goal, as always, is to speak for our sisters and brothers who cannot speak for themselves because of departmental policies/social media policies.
“In a perfect world, this would be the administrations issue to address. However, most seem to lack any interest. But, rest assured, we will not take our foot off of the proverbial ‘gas’ until the rank and file of the Harrison Police Department have indicated that they are satisfied with whatever apology Mr. Fernandez has to offer.
“We do not take our cues from antagonists or their apologists. It is often said that an individual accepts the treatment that he/she feels they deserve.
My message to the American law enforcement officer is that we have collectively allowed the bar to be set way too low.
“We DESERVE so much better; and we will continue to exercise OUR freedom of speech every time anti-police rhetoric is hurled our way.”
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