We were burgled while out eating dinner in New Orleans. Not that I knew it then, but right before we left the home, somebody in the St. Roch League of Non-Aligned Residents reported: A 30ish black male about 5’6″ wearing a blue t shirt and gold shorts on a light colored bike (off white, I think) was hopping fences on…
Writing in the Baltimore Sun, co-authored with my friend, Leon “HL Mencken” Taylor: Mr. Nero, who had but a tangential role in Gray’s detention, should never have been charged. He committed no crime. … The prosecutor, in her desire to achieve “justice” for Freddie Gray, wanted somebody — anybody it seems — to pay for his death. But justice doesn’t…
The latest from Page Croyder. It’s all good, but this is the part that clarified what exactly was being argued: They argued to trial judge Barry Williams that in the 2-3 minutes after Gray was handcuffed, but before the illegal knife was found on him, Nero, by not instantly finding out why the supervisor wanted Gray detained, committed a crime.…
Here is one person’s decision to pack up and leave the city. It’s well worth reading. It’s a short move, two miles north, to the burbs. And he’s taking his tax dollars with him. This is especially worth reading if you think the biggest problem facing Baltimore is racism and policing. Or if you’re privileged enough to live in a…
Good. Judge Williams used the law. There was no case. I don’t find this surprising. But then I’ve learned to be surprised by these absurd trials. And I was speaking to a friend here in New Orleans who, naturally, assumed the officers are guilty. She hadn’t read my primer and had no idea this trial had nothing (except politics) to…
It’s not so much the wheeling a dead body on a metal dollythat gets me. It’s the how do you get arrested 52 times by age 31?
I’m in New Orleans, not that you asked. But if that means anything to you, let me know! (Be smart and figure out how to contact me via email, twitter, whatsapp, carrier pigeon, or comment). I’ll be here through the 29th, with a bicycle and an airbnb place in St. Roch. (Yeah, a three short blocks from a murder last…
Shoplifting has gotten a boost in California. From the AP: Shoplifting reports to the Los Angeles Police Department jumped by a quarter in the first year, according to statistics the department compiled for The Associated Press. The ballot measure also lowered penalties for forgery, fraud, petty theft and drug possession. … The increase in shoplifting reports set up a debate…
For all ya’ll too lazy to read Illinois v. Wardlow (2000), here is the key part that relates to the constitutionality of chasing suspects who run from a drug corner. The Freddie Gray scenario is almost exactly similar to Wardlow. (I’ve selectively bolded and also removed the citations, but you can click through for the court cases and such): In…
Why in the world are people reporting on last year’s data when we have current data at our fingertips? Does reality only happen after numbers are published on DOJ letterhead? NBC News reports: Number of Police Officer Killings Drops, Reversing 2014 Spike. Do reporters not have the wherewithal to see what the current situation is? It is but a mouse-click…