Here are two Cleveland building department workers. The full-bearded man is Khalil Ewais who was just federally-indicted for using a city contractor to get his restaurant's driveway paved for $26,000 instead of $59,000 in exchange for city services. Navid Hussain has not been charged with any crime even though he used his job at the city to get two houses that building inspectors took from two Cleveland property owners that he resold for $200,000. I shared in a post yesterday that he was behind a building department work stoppage and couldn't understand why I was complaining about the free food and gift cards he and other employees received as bribes from contractors doing city business. Ewais appears to be from Palestine. Hussain is from India.

Ewais has been indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice. I am assuming, for now, that he was born in the Middle East and immigrated here. I could be wrong. I've found little on the internet to connect him to the USA other than college. There's nothing about where he was born or attended high school using an "English" translation. I haven't translated his name in Arabic. It would be like looking for "Mike Jones."

Hussain's FB page identifies Hyderabad, India as his place of birth. He has not been charged with committing any crimes although I know he's committing crimes as a building department employee.

In today's USA with Donald Trump as president, Ewais could face deportation upon his conviction and that is only "IF" he immigrated here from the Middle East. If the federal investigation of the building department leads to Hussain then he, too, could face deportation under Trump. Yes. Reading these words should put that level of fear in both men. This is a different place today than it was before and people from here are starting to see things differently because of Trump.

It's obvious from Ewais' indictment and both their published conduct that neither man has been a model citizen. We're trying to build up Cleveland and their tolerance for corruption and misconduct as public employees has criminally obstructed it.

Property owners of this city have complained for years that county and municipal workers were stealing their properties by targeting them for inspections and citations that resulted in charges filed against them in housing court. Our tax dollars are high in part because thieving public employees are inflating the cost of services to contractors with demands for cash, gifts and food. It's bad enough when citizens native to this nation engage in corruption. It's worse when foreign born citizens we've allowed to be naturalized and enjoy the opportunities of citizenship steal from us.

In this case we're talking about two "city of Cleveland" workers of foreign birth fucking over Clevelanders of natural birth to this nation. While I could be wrong the idea of a man from India getting a city job he uses to take homes from two Cleveland property owners, and then reselling them for a huge profit, offends me to my mutha fuckin' core when I think the stolen properties may have been that of Descendants of Slaves. When I think about all the forced servitude without any compensation; the taking of land; the deprivation of education; the lynchings; the deprivation of votes; the anti-black riots; the destruction of our business infrastructure and now the attack on black homeownership his conduct becomes even more offensive.

The biggest political mistake I ever made was to support Emmanuel Onunwor for mayor of East Cleveland. It took a huge chunk of time out of my life to undo it after I asked the FBI and Auditor of State Jim Petro to investigate him. He was born and raised in Nigeria. I served as his chief of staff. He knew "NOTHING" of our culture as citizens of this nation. He saw Forest Hill Park as land that can be used for a dump. He had no appreciation for it being once owned by the world's first billionaire. It made sense for him to con council into raising water and sewer rates by over 60 percent twice to cover the $3.2 million a year CH2M Hill / OMI contract that included his and Nate Gray's $300,000 a year bribe. His father was a "traditional ruler" in Nigeria. Bribery is how they roll. The reality is Emmanuel knew nothing of our constitution and laws even though he took an oath of office. Don't ever forget that I walked through the doors of city hall with him on his first day in office. I know exactly what he didn't know.

Think about it. Do any of you remember in 2000 when the electricity went out around 18th and Superior Avenue that affected the Plain Dealer and other buildings? I was wokring as the editor of Cleveland Life. The area was connected to an electrical panel in the building we were located in across the street from the Plain Dealer. A contractor working on the building hired Ukrainian electricians who couldn't read English. It meant they couldn't read the schematics and they crossed wires. How about a Chase Bank manager from Nigeria who never heard of a "power of attorney?" I met one who disregarded it until he got a call from the corporate office. "I never heard of such a thing," he said. "So why the fuck are you working in a bank with no awareness of the legal instruments of this nation?" Immigrants can't work everywhere just because they've earned degrees. There are areas where their cultural and language differences can cause real harm.

Hussain was the only employee complaining to Ayonna Donald about the free food and gift cards when she held a second meeting to tell them that both the food and gift cards were out. She originally said just the gift cards. She returned with an amendment after she got the "full" memo. Hussain couldn't make the full connect. Even this week he was behind employees not responding to people seeking permits because in his mind it's the holidays and public employees don't have to work as hard. So he criminally obstructed the official business of the city again by operating under India's more relaxed work environment. Relaxation to him meant not returning phone calls for people needing permits or from the mayor's office.

His conduct is reflective of a very basic cultural lack of understanding of the differences in work in the USA and India; as well as demonstrating no knowledge of the charter, ordinances, state and federal laws connected to his public employment. He'd probably think he has a right to a discrimination complaint if he got passed over for a promotion and not realize the only reason he isn't facing criminal charges is because the mayor's administration isn't being managed by two constitutions, general laws, the charter and ordinances of the nation, state and Cleveland. He doesn't respect the opportunity he's been given. This self-entitled dude probably thinks he earned the job and public employee "office" whose duties he's criminally obstructing.

Cleveland's building, housing and community development departments are full of unprosecuted and yet-to-be-discovered criminals who've been fucking over property owners and contractors. I'm not backing down off the word "criminals" because I know every fucking employee down there who ate food from a vendor and received a gift card or cash is a thief who's been obstructing the city's official business. Jack's Donuts Fridays should never have gotten started. You don't obstruct official business to eat donuts.

Consider public employees who have taken no oaths of office and some are operating with fake credentials. The credentials of every single employee operating in an official capacity where certification is required should be investigated. Those who operated with fake credentials should have been prosecuted. All their work "voided." They're thieves and law enforcement officer impersonators, not public employees; and the harm they've caused others and this community is immeasurable. Think of the homes they've illegally declared nuisances and caused to be demolished for a cut of the demolition contract. They could all be prosecuted for what they have already done.

Those words may sound harsh but it's the environment building department employees created on their own as evidenced by a federal investigation that's not over.

To everyone doing business with the building department in Cleveland or elsewhere. Use sections 2935.09 and 2935.10 of Ohio's Revised Code to file a criminal complaint with a judge as a reviewing official if any employee of a local government asks you for cash, food, gift cards or anything of value in exchange for "official acts" they are required to perform by law. Keep complaining in Cleveland through the mayor's hotline. Be relentless about your complaints and don't let up. Send emails to their supervisors when they obstruct official business; and if their supervisors don't respond go over their heads. You can always add the supervisor's name to your criminal complaint using R.C. 2938.09 and 2938.10. They'll eventually learn.

Hussain better get right right with a quickness. His name could be on the next round of indictments and he'll be convicted, jailed and headed back to Hyderabad, upon release from prison, one-way. I don't think Cleveland really understands what's taking place in the USA today under Trump with his deporting immigrants convicted of crimes.

There's "second chance" for U.S. citizens. Immigrants get "one chance." If deportation is connected to Ewais' federal trial and conviction, Cleveland's immigrant community is about to get a very hard core wake up call.