“The years between 2000 and 2010 do not simply constitute a war on marijuana, but a war on black people who use marijuana.” Well said, Ta-Nehisi Coates.
Hospital care and gunshot wounds
A contributing factor to declining homicide. Some more details about what’s gotten better about medical treatment over the past decade. In the BBC.
"It's Torching" — A Traincrash of Speech
There’s a a video on youtube of a guy and his friend (and baby, in babyseat in the back seat) driving toward a fire and then explosion of a train blowing up just outside Baltimore (don’t worry… according to authorities it’s just “toxic” but nothing to worry about). So I’m watching this video thinking, “These guys are likely candidates for…
End Mass Shootings? The Four-Percent Solution.
Of the twenty-five worst shootings in the US since 1994 only one was committed by an African American. The vast majority of shootings, twenty-two of twenty-five, were committed by whites and Asians. And these are the two groups most underrepresented in our criminal justice system. It’s entirely conceivable that African-Americans are underrepresented in the annals of mass murders because of…
Tic-Toc Like Clockwork
Jeanmarie Evelly of DNAInfo.com writes about a “massive drug sweep” in the Queensbridge* and Ravenswood Homes in Astoria/Long Island City. 28 people indicted; 23 others arrested for selling drugs to undercover cops on “hundreds of separate occasions over an eight month span from 2012-2013.” Well, slap my back and declare victory. Just like we I wrote about in 2009. And…
Good Cop
The Reese Witherspoon arrest on video. You know what I like? Reese: “I have to obey your order?!” Officer: “Yes, you do. Well done, officer. Well handled. Grace under pressure. Witherspoon: “Do you know my name… You’re about to find out who am I.” Officer: “That’s fine. I’m not really worried about you, Ma’am.” … Witherspoon: “I’m an American citizen,…
“Crazy Crooks & Kookie Cops”
Seen at a thrift store in Silver City, New Mexico.
The War on Drugs is (Not) Over
Despite the false promises of White House Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske, it’s the same old same old. This from LEAP’s Sean Dunagan: If you haven’t seen it, the National Drug Control Strategy and accompanying budget and performance summaries are out. Requested funding for 2013 totals $25.6 billion, a $415 million increase over last year. The allocation is 58.8% for law…
Women shot by LAPD in Dorner manhunt get $4 million payout
Back in February, when Christopher Dorner was busy killing cops, two unarmed hispanic women delivering newspapers in a blue Toyota Tacoma were shot at 100 times because the cops were afraid it was a Dorner, black man, driving a gray Nissan Titan. Now I’m not normally one to criticize police… And indeed, I wasn’t there… And yet… The cops just…
Now Hiring
The Nueva Leon (Mexico) Fuerza Civil needs you! I picked this up at recruiting stand in the Mexico City subway last month. Here’s a CBC (Canadian) story about the area. According to Fox News Latino: The Fuerza Civil is an elite unit “trained in military and police techniques, receive a college level education, which include ethics classes, and are paid…