Wednesday, June 18, 2008

June 18

23-year-old Sandy Howard was fatally shot as she drove in the 4100 block of Mariban Ct. in Brooklyn. Her passenger and a bystander who was sitting on the back porch were both injured.

An unidentified man was shot repeatedly and killed last night on the corner of Clifton Ave. and N. Monroe St.

Today's Ink covers nine murders, including the first mention I've seen of an unidentified woman whose body was found in a Hampden apartment on Buena Vista Ave. She was originally thought to be an overdose victim, but the ME determined that she was strangled.

Oops. I forgot to link to last week's Murders Revisited column. Charges were dropped against the kid who had been charged with killing Jennifer Morelock (who was pregnant) and Jason Woycio, then sending a text that read "I killed 2 white people around my way 2day & 1 of them was a woman." Boyfriend stabber Antoinette White wasn't so lucky.

The man killed Friday morning on Brighton St. has been ID'd as 30-year-old Samuel Bobrow, and Herlinda Rodolfo is being held at Central Booking after being extradited from San Antonio and charged with the murder of Valerie Barnes.

The Sun perfectly captures how utterly useless our mayor and media can be: "Target of raid goes to gym, investigators gather evidence, press clutters lawns." Other stories on Sheila D's investigation from the Sun, the Examiner, WJZ, and WBAL. Meanwhile, Mary Pat says "Leave the mayor alone!"

Margaret Burns apologized by phone and by email, and she still claims that Melody Simmons misrepresented her. Was her apology enough?

30 comments:

ppatin said...

Mary Pat Clarke is a retard.

"The search warrant drew criticism from some, including City Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke - considered by many to be an independent voice on the council - who likened the raid to a "home invasion""

*sigh*

Last time I checked home invaders normally don't come with a search & seizure warrant...

Stewie del Gato said...

Breaking news!:

"Around lunchtime, a worker for the state prosecutor's office arrived in a Dodge Caravan minivan and walked into the house with a Trader Joe's grocery bag."

What on earth could have been be in that bag? Maybe the last season of The Wire had an effect on the Sun. I looks as though they have hired some real investigative reporters. I would like to know what the investigators has for breakfast though and what radio station they were listening to in the minivan.

Mr. Mephistopheles said...

Aw, don't diss Mary Pat. She tried her darnedest to oust do-nothing Kurt Schmoke in 1995. Unfortunately, the media tried to portray the race as black vs. white and thus guaranteed Schmoke's reelection.

ppatin said...

What has she done since then, other than try to close down bars in Charles Village?

John Galt said...

Well, let's see,... one of the Council's main functions is to mind the City's purse-strings.

When the Mayor's budget came to a vote,... she abstained.

Again. Like last year.

So,.. pretty much, she could just as well have resigned.

Except then she probably wouldn't be invited to events at the BMA and those hors d'oevres are so good!!

burgersub said...

well, she tried to get all the corner stores in CHUM closed down because bad people loiter outside them too much or something. nevermind that they're like the only convenient places for lots of people in that neighborhood to buy the necessities.

burgersub said...

oh also, you can't report a murder in hampden right before honfest! it'll scare away all the suburbanites.

John Galt said...

This story will really make you think about the symbolic repertoire which young people in this City's subculture carry around with them and how well it serves them in the larger world. Little wonder they just don't fit into mainstream life.

And the City's institutions seem to enable, if anything. Perhaps they need to be more openly critical of the Lifestyle.

ppatin said...

Shanae Watkins is unemployed, a single mother of THREE (probably to three different babydaddies...), a food-stamp using parasite and a convicted murderer, and people are calling her a role model? Christ.

ppatin said...

By the way, have you ever wondered why the Department of Corrections is so f***'d up?

"She has applied to be a correctional officer. During the job interview, she was asked if she had ever been arrested. Yes, she said. After demurring on the details, she told her interviewer about the murder charge. She's unsure about her chances."

She KILLED someone, yet she still got an interview! Unbelievable!

Christian Dunn said...

FYI:

I have lived in cities my entire adult life and have never had any thing serious happen to me. That almost changed last evening while still light out in the middle of Canton.

Last evening at 7:30 pm I was attacked by 4 youths in Canton on the corner of Kenwood Ave. and Foster Ave. while riding my scooter from one appointment to another. The 4 youths were at the corner and as I prepared to stop at the intersection, they all step out towards me and asked to see my scooter. Fortunately I understood what was going on and as I sped up they ran after me with a broomsticks and struck me in my shoulder, luckily not my head. Shook up and a little freaked out, I did not report it right away but went to my appointment. Later when I did report it, the police officer said there was nothing she could do because it was after the fact and did not take a report. I feel fortunate that I was able to recognize what was happening and averted any serious harm. But if I was 2 seconds slower to react my belief is something significant could have happened. Four youths walking around Canton with broomsticks seems like a recipe for disaster. As they ran after me they all had smiles on their faces, I think this is just a game to them.

Be careful, be safe, and keep your eyes open.

Sean said...

Christian, weren't you wearing a helmet? Sorry, feel compelled to ask. Glad you're okay!

John Galt said...

And that's a good deal of the reason why crime is purportedly down. They just aren't taking reports on perfectly credible incidents.

Do you know that when gunshots are clearly heard, yet no proximate victim (ie. a lifeless body or wounded individual) is found, absolutely no report is taken?

Our stats are no longer a measure of crime incidence, but rather of the visibility of victims. When one hoodlum assaults another, since neither wants to see 5-0, it never happened. And even if it jeopardized third parties, if they were not in fact gravely injured, the report will not be taken. It never happened.

O.K., I get it. Nothing ever happens. Baltimore is perfectly safe. Just the same, if you see three punks here carrying any kind of sticks....

Mr. Mephistopheles said...

Christian,

Did you get the officer's name? If so contact Major Roger Bergeron at the SE Police District: roger dot bergeron at baltimorepolice dot org. He has told us, at our community meetings, that he will not tolerate officers who refuse to write up police reports.

Mr. Mephistopheles said...

Christian,

If you are ever a victim of a crime again (but hopefully not), and an officer refuses to write up a report (or discourages you), ask for the officer's badge number and tell him/her that you will follow up with his/her commander. Most likely, he/she will grudgingly write up the report.

Maurice Bradbury said...

maybe you just happened upon them sweeping and the sight of the scooter filled them with joy?

taotechuck said...

... and they beknighted you by tapping your shoulder with their royal broomsticks?

ppatin said...

Attacked at 7:30 PM at the corner of Kenwood & Foster? That's more than a bit scary, since I would never think of that as a dangerous area when it's still light out. Come to think of it, isn't there a CVS right on that block?

Christian Dunn said...

They didn't all have broomsticks, or whatever they were but the ambush seemed to be coordinated, almost tactical. these kids knew what they were doing, it was a game. they aren't stupid, just heavily mis-guided.

ppatin said...

"they aren't stupid, just heavily mis-guided."

It's a pity that floggings are no longer a legal penalty in our judicial system. There's nothing like a good thrashing to get a misguided youth back on the straight & narrow.

Christian Dunn said...

"Come to think of it, isn't there a CVS right on that block?"

Yes, it is a Rite-Aide, an un-suspecting place. It was a major shock to me too! I have been much more vunerable in 100X scarey places with nothing happening to me. This is just a case of lawlessness and bad parenting... which afflicts our city. I am very lucky, Thankfully.

*Side note: It was a beautiful night in Canton with very few people out.

The best defence is an active neighborhood. Get outside!

taotechuck said...

I have known a few people who've been robbed of scooters/mopeds in the city over the past couple years. From what I understand, scooters don't have any kind of license plates or registration or anything, so it's very easy to steal one, duck into someone's garage, paint it, and either use it or resell it.

As for the police reports, there's got to be a better choice than either (a) having a cop sit there for 15 minutes writing a report, or (b) having the cop refuse to write the report, which essentially negates the official occurrence of the crime.

Surely, an IT system exists that will create a report when a 911/311 call is logged, and then the cop can go in and add to the report once he is on the scene. If gunshots are reported but he doesn't find anything at the site, just mark a checkbox that says "nothing found." A report is generated, and it requires virtually no time from the cop.

I had a cop sit in front of my house for 20 minutes while he wrote a report on someone who hit my car then drove away. What a complete waste of manpower.

ppatin said...

"The best defence is an active neighborhood. Get outside!"

Yep yep. That's one of the advantages of living in Fells Point, the area is almost always bustling. I can feel fairly safe at two in the morning.

Christian Dunn said...

"Yep yep. That's one of the advantages of living in Fells Point, the area is almost always bustling. I can feel fairly safe at two in the morning."

I live in Butchers Hill and feel the same. We cover each thers backs.

Christian Dunn said...

"Surely, an IT system exists that will create a report when a 911/311 call is logged, and then the cop can go in and add to the report once he is on the scene. If gunshots are reported but he doesn't find anything at the site, just mark a checkbox that says "nothing found." A report is generated, and it requires virtually no time from the cop."

Agreed! I just wanted the incident reported. It only ended up to be minor. I still wanted some log that it happened.

I pay a ton of taxes and don't report the minor stuff (thefts, attempted thefts, vandalisim etc..), but to me this was kind of major.

Yes, an info system doing real reporting would be good. I knew the kids couldn't be caught, but atleast reporting it would have been right.

John Galt said...

Chuck, City personnel are very attentive to incidents involving any property damage to vehicles which is likely to result in an insurance claim, because...

The insurance companies go straight to the top regarding the handling of risk management, both in the police and fire departments. One of the best ways to end this nonsense would be for someone with a 'refused' incident to then file an insurance claim and stir up their insurer's adjuster about municipal misfeasance vis a vis report-taking.

Underwriters do not mince words about departmental policy; when they get stirred up, they threaten to red-line entire cities. And that makes Mayors sweat.

John Galt said...

A big NO to Kevin Clark.

John Galt said...

People, we have another floater.

rfjmc said...

I happen to know that Simmons has misrepresented quotes in the past. As much as I despise Jessamy's office, past experience at least leaves the door open in my mind that the quotes were either doctored or entirely fabricated and that at least the tone could ahve been changed.

Mr. Mephistopheles said...

rfjmc,

If that were the case, then why hasn't PJ publicly come to Marty's defense?