Police are looking for a white Pontiac.
An armed purse-snatching right next to Roland Park Elementary!
Both the Sun and the Daily Record cover yesterday's courthouse rally with Anna Sowers and her supporters.
Cham may be tired of this story, but I think it's pretty interesting.
Meister blogs that he has an "inside source" in the SA's office who says that Burns will "probably go quietly sometime before the election."
The man with the bomb at UM- Baltimore was ID'd as one Dallas J. Smith.
An AAC woman who left her newborn in the trash is out of the pokey after serving 8 months.
At a hearing today before his trial was scheduled to begin, George Scruggs, Jr., 34, of the 3100 block of Artaban Place pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence. Judge Gale E. Rasin sentenced Scruggs to 30 years, with all but 15 suspended, and five years' probation. The facts he pled to:
On August 29, 2007 at approximately 11:42 p.m., Scruggs and the victim, Darnell Thomas, 24, began arguing outside Scruggs’ door. Thomas struck Scruggs in the face with a beer bottle. The argument further escalated with the eventual fatal shooting of Thomas. Scruggs confessed to police but stated he believed the victim was armed with a handgun.
34 comments:
"Do you think Sowers will sue?"
No. Anna has been wronged, but she doesn't have any grounds for a lawsuit. She'd merely be hurting herself if she tried that.
Honestly, I'm a little concerned about where this will end up going. What does she hope to accomplish in teh long run? PJ is clearly not going to fire Burns, and I'm worried this whole situation will end up looking like a victory for her.
You all should stop your belly aching and just reelect the woman already.
I'm tired of the story too. If this cat who died was black, the story would be long forgotten by now. Or, alternatively, the complaining widow would be derided in forums like this one as a malcontent, NAACP cry-baby, bent on a PC witchhunt for Burns.
It's a sad story, to be sure. But I don't care about it any more than the other hundreds of sad stories in this city, no matter how many times it makes the front page.
"I'm tired of the story too."
I never said I was tired of this story, but I am concerned that Anna's fight will end up fizzling out and dying.
"If this cat who died was black, the story would be long forgotten by now."
Uh, can you imagine what the outcry would be like if a young black man had been stomped to death by four white trash thugs from Dundalk? Eeep!
As others have pointed out though, this story didn't become famous because of the victim's race, it was more because it was a "man bites dog" kind of situation. Murders aren't rare in Baltimore, but brutal stomping deaths of law-abiding citizens are. Also, Zach's friends and family made sure that this story would not be immediately forgotten. Anna at least tried to make this city & state a better place. The typical family of a B'more murder victim just has some garish ghetto funeral and then goes & gets "RIP Pookie" tattoos.
what has happened to Zach is a tragedy..but im SO tired of hearing about this..Mrs.Sowers has the "this cant happen to me" thing going on,unfortunantly,it is happening to you, welcome to Bmore City..
"Mrs.Sowers has the "this cant happen to me" thing going on,unfortunantly,it is happening to you, welcome to Bmore City.."
And so she's supposed to do what exactly, accept violent crime and the fact that criminals don't get punished?
She's supposed to get an "RIP Zach" tattoo and get on with life.
Or maybe you could get one since this particular story means so much to you?
Hmmm. So people are tired of hearing about this? Waah. Stop reading. How do you suppose Anna feels? I bet she wishes this story could go away for her too, but the only way for that to happen would be for Zach to come back to life. I realize the two second it takes you to skip over a headline with the name "Sowers" in it is really taxing, but if your wife or husband was stomped and beaten into a coma by brutes who then used his/her credit card and then got slap-on-the-wrist sentences and THEN your spouse died and THEN a spokesperson for the SA's office belittled the entire case, would you just shuffle away quietly? And bmore, why do you suppose this stuff DOES happen all the time in Baltimore and nothing ever changes? Maybe because people DON'T do what Anna's doing? She's actually tried to change things.
As has been REPEATEDLY pointed out:
1. This story is staying in the headlines because Anna is MAKING it stay in the headlines.
2. Who knows how the story would have gone had Zach been non-Caucasian? Haakon, if you can find an example of some other non-lifetime criminal newlywed viciously murdered whose wife tried to get attention but was "derided in forums like this one as a malcontent, NAACP cry-baby, bent on a PC witchhunt for Burns," please, fill us in! Otherwise, you're just speculatin' for the purpose of speculatin'.
3. And yes, ppatin's point is valid - if we take this story and reverse only the races, the story would be in the headlines for years, not because of the family's efforts but due to the efforts of 3rd-party organizations and individuals like, yes, the NAACP. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, I'm just saying that's the truth.
No, she doesn't have any reason to sue, really. And I also don't believe this is going to have any impact on who is the State's Attorney after the election, and Burns is pretty clearly not gonna get canned or apologize publicly. There's almost no way someone like PJ could lose a re-election bid in Baltimore.
And folks, it's fine not to care about Zach or Anna or any of the other hundreds of murder victims in this city. I don't know any of the parties involved, I haven't attended any of the rallies, I haven't signed anything. But I don't think we have the right to complain about the fact that Anna does care, do we? Really?
Haakon, spoken like someone who's never had his/her spouse murdered. Bravo. "Get on with your life, Anna." Yeah, guess what? She is. For her, though, that doesn't mean just accepting the bullshit she's being dealt.
What do you think of the Q: "What does that tell us about the people who work in that office and that represent the victims?"
I think it's interesting because remember when there was the murder-rate surge last year and Dixon said, "where is the outrage?"
Well, here it is, and now Dixon and Jessamy have answered it with a wall of silence.
What does that say to the families of other victims in the city?
Honestly, I think it would be very easy for a well-qualified person to defeat Jessamy. She communicates poorly and has a really phony demeanor.
The problem with the previous contenders is that they ran half-assed campaigns that were too little, too late. What we need is someone that VIP's can support, who will run a campaign that casts shame upon Jessamy's pitiful record and will project a simple, fair-minded "clean this mess up" attitude.
I like that Fogelman has been doing good work at the liquor board. Perhaps he can beat Jessamy, but he needs to do is to get his act together now and work to get PUBLIC support from city council members, the mayor, and the police commissioner.
This is not really about Burns, I think, this is about embarrassing Jessamy to weaken her for the next election. At least, that's what I hope for.
haakon & bmore:
If everyone who'd ever been wronged by the legal system had just shut up & moved on then there would've never been any kind of victim's rights movement in the first place. Crime victims get treated poorly today, but it used to be even worse, and that only changed because the families of those who were victims of horrible crimes would not sit down and shut up like you want them to.
Helix:
You're right about Jessamy sounding fake. The one time I saw her talk in person she gave a decent prepared speech, but as soon as people started asking questions she looked like a doofus.
The problem is what qualified candidates are available to run against her? Fogelman seems to have done a good job at the liquor board and he should be a stronger candidate in 2010 than he was in 2006. I don't know what other options we have though. There used to be rumors that O'Malley's wife would run against PJ in '10, but do we really want that? There are probably a couple of judges who'd make decent choices, but why would they give up their current cushy jobs?
This forum is full of race baiting self righteous bullshit, it's no wonder y'all can't take a joke.
It's hardly Ms. Sower's doing that keeps this story in the press. The reason it's in the press is that a white guy got stomped and the horror, the horror. Now there's a manufactured uproar over some comments made by a dumbass politician. Yay, more ad revenue for the papers.
Self righteous indignation feels good, but it produces nothing. This story is being turned into an orgy of it, and I rather enjoy pointing it out.
Rant away, I'm moving on to the next story.
Sean and ppatin: well said! And to Haakon and bmore-what the hell gives you the right to complain about Anna Sowers fighting for the basic rights guaranteed to all of us as US citizens? Maybe baltimore is a hellhole because of people like you. I'm glad your spouses haven't been brutally murdered, but I guess if they are you'll just take it on the chin cause hey that's baltimore. Well, go to hell then. I'm so glad Anna Sowers is exposing the useless crap like Jessamy and Burns for what they are. And NOBODY is stopping the other victims families from doing the same.
So far the only race baiting here has come from YOU, you pig. It's nice that someone's murder is material for a joke. So move on to the next god damn story then and cork up that gasbag.
... if anyone's going to run for 2010, they should start the process now. Her name recognition is so high, it will take a long campaign.
Surely there's someone out there better than Fogelman or Kitty O?
Haakon, please do move on, preferably to another blog, if you're not going to actually contribute anything beyond complaints and the TIRED old "race-baiting" charge because someone thinks you're full of shit. Which you do, in fact, appear to be. And if you really are tired of this story, why do you keep posting about it?!?
I know there's no point in responding to you, like there was never any point in responding to C Love when she'd call us all racists because... I guess because not all of us are black, or like there was no point in responding to Cham when she went off about how bad "negroes" in the City are (there's the race-baiting I think you were looking for). It's just a shame that fora for discussions about actual issues, like this blog, can get hijacked by idiots with ridiculous agendas (like crying "Racism!" any time someone is upset over a white person's death, or painting all African Americans in this City with one huge, unflattering brush).
"It's hardly Ms. Sower's doing that keeps this story in the press. The reason it's in the press is that a white guy got stomped and the horror, the horror."
Ugh. Do you honestly believe that if a middle class black man was beaten to death in Canton or Federal Hill it would be a non-issue? Crimes that make headlines do so because they're unusual, not because of the race of the person involved. In this case the crime stayed in the headlines because the victim's family is rightfully pissed off, and isn't willing to just sit down and take it.
ppatin said...
"Mrs.Sowers has the "this cant happen to me" thing going on,unfortunantly,it is happening to you, welcome to Bmore City.."
And so she's supposed to do what exactly, accept violent crime and the fact that criminals don't get punished?
...........................
since when have murderers in Bmore been punished??? it happens every single day...its a way of life in the Bmore criminal system, this is nothing new..violent criminals get off way more then they get convicted...she can do what she wants, it her right, but nothing will change
furthermore, one who lives in Bmore City should know that criminal and justice system will not protect them or bring them justice, this city has been one of the most ignorant and violent for decades..and decades of decay will not change, certainly not over night, or over a year or two..its just the ways things are in Baltmore City. I credit Mrs Sowers, if we had more people like her we can change things, unfortunantly we dont, and will not.
bmore:
Since you think that this city is a lost cause why is it that you care about what's going on?
Those of you that say you are sick of hearing about Sowers are complete wastes of life. This is someone that is TRYING to make a real difference. Yeah you can sit behind your keyboard and whine but she is trying to get it done. How dare you say you are sick of hearing of a law abiding citizen getting beaten to death. That does not happen often. What we hear day after day is criminals killing criminals. Shame on all of you for saying you are sick of hearing about it, YOU ARE THE KIND OF PEOPLE THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE PROBLEM IN THIS CITY!!
As others have pointed out though, this story didn't become famous because of the victim's race, it was more because it was a "man bites dog" kind of situation. Murders aren't rare in Baltimore, but brutal stomping deaths of law-abiding citizens are. Also, Zach's friends and family made sure that this story would not be immediately forgotten. Anna at least tried to make this city & state a better place. The typical family of a B'more murder victim just has some garish ghetto funeral and then goes & gets "RIP Pookie" tattoos.
............................
ppatin:
as i see you like generalizing every murders victims' funeral service in Bmore....hundreds and hundreds kids and young adults are murder victims..what has changed?? NOTHING..and your saying Anna is trying to make this city a better place? seriously? i credit her for standing up for her loved one, buts its just that, not the city...i know its hard to comprehend that a white guy can actually get murdered in Bmore.
and to answer your question ppatin, just bc i think this city is a "lost cause" doesnt mean i dont care enough to know what is going on around me. To be in touch with reality in Bmore is to know how hopeless things are....the most you can do is look after your family..Zachs story is a tragedy, but these tragedies happen every day in the city, no one deserves to lose their life..
Abstractls said...
Those of you that say you are sick of hearing about Sowers are complete wastes of life. This is someone that is TRYING to make a real difference. Yeah you can sit behind your keyboard and whine but she is trying to get it done. How dare you say you are sick of hearing of a law abiding citizen getting beaten to death. That does not happen often. What we hear day after day is criminals killing criminals. Shame on all of you for saying you are sick of hearing about it, YOU ARE THE KIND OF PEOPLE THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE PROBLEM IN THIS CITY!!
.............................
"How dare you say you are sick of hearing of a law abiding citizen getting beaten to death. That does not happen often. What we hear day after day is criminals killing criminals."
WOW..talk about being out of touch!! so i guess all the stabbing and shooting victims are criminals lol..talk about over generalizing...i dont hear your rants when other innocent victims are killed over 10 dollars..no one is saying what Anna is doing is wrong, the media is making a profit of her case, thats why it is still relevant in news sources and news papers..
The thing that makes the Zach Sowers tragedy really frightening is that it could have been any one us. I live not far from there. It could have been me on that day if the killers had parked on one block and not another.
The vast majority of the murder victims in Baltimore have serious criminal records. They are in a game whose unwritten contract spells out that their life is cheap, yet they choose stay in that game and are fully aware of the risks.
When someone who is NOT in the game is murdered, that's when all hell breaks loose.
"and to answer your question ppatin, just bc i think this city is a "lost cause" doesnt mean i dont care enough to know what is going on around me. To be in touch with reality in Bmore is to know how hopeless things are....the most you can do is look after your family."
I have to disagree with what you're saying about hopelessness. Look at Washington DC in the late 1980s, or New York City before that. Didn't DC hit something like 500 murders per year at the height of the crack epidemic? That city is far from perfect, but it's a lot better today than it was 20 years ago. I think that shows that there's hope for even the most F'd up city.
Yep, I remember when NYC was crime-capital USA. Anyone remember the early 80's film "Escape from NY"?
Things can and do change in a city. The people who bash baltimore do so out of a psychological need to validate their abandonment of it. The idea that baltimore is getting better and has turned around is almost offensive to them.
For examples of what I mean see the vitriol on the baltimoresun forums-- I had to stop going there myself months ago because the negativity was off the hook. At least here people make some thought-out points.
Some sort of awful assault on 38th st in Waverly early this morning - heard an awful ruckus around 4am and some neighbors of mine saw the cops carrying out bloody sheets around 10am.
As much as I'd love to believe some of Meister's claims, I'm a little skeptical of some of his "inside information."
You know what I just noticed, Jessamy says “I continue to be focused on doing the job the citizens of Baltimore elected me to do.”
... isn't that Dixon's line?
It's interesting how this statement insults its own audience:
"Anything I ... say or do will in all probability be misstated, misquoted, misrepresented, misinterpreted and/or misunderstood"
such a classic use of the passive voice-- "the media" as a monolith that's out to get her!
mjb:
I'm afraid I don't see where the "passive voice" applies in the quoted excerpt from Jessamy's statement. And even if you can make the case, I wouldn't call it "classic." Perhaps what you're referring to is classic misdirection?
re the posts on DC crime and murder and the supposed recovery:
I lived in Washington 20 years ago, and before the crack cocaine/homicide spike there were sophisticated-, homegrown-, powedered cocaine-, vertical criminal syndicates. And at the same time DC was awash in Dilaudid and PCP. PCP labs were being raided by police and were blowing up, in the same way that meth labs are being raided and are blowing up in Montana and elsewhere now. And there were blocks and blocks of streetwalkers, of both sexes. And before and into the '80s there were local and national biker gangs that were pushing and trafficking pills, heroin, coke and more. And they were based in the suburbs.
Now the entire DC area is inundated with MS-13 and Crips and Bloods -- international and national gangs. And firearms are and have been trafficked in all of the circles mentioned above. And the prostitution didn't go away, it just moved indoors. In the last 20 years there has been an explosion of escort services, and most operate in suburban, residential neighborhoods.
And what's more, the tech boom was followed by the real estate boom which was followed by the post-9/11defense/intelligence/homeland security boom, and what has resulted in DC is an even greater income disparity in the region.
Ten years ago in Columbia Heights the kids who just missed out on mugging me didn't live in the neighborhood; that was before the neighborhood boasted a Target, a Best Buy, a gourmet Giant, bank branches, $800,000 condos and more. I can guarantee you similar kids are still going there to commit crimes; and now there's more upside, and they're all ganged-up.
As you see, I can go on for days about this, but the upshot -- in Baltimore (my hometown and current residence), DC and New Orleans, where I've also lived -- is that crime and homicide in our cities are the result of complex, many-decades-long, systemic forces.
Lastly, re Anna and Zach Sowers:
No doubt some similar victims of crime in Baltimore simply do not have the tactical advantages of Anna Sowers. Anna Sowers can call on education, income, literacy, organizational skills, friends and family with disposable income and disposable time, media savvy and connections, understanding of institutional processes, comprehension of how to address and confront authorities and bureaucracies, and righteous indignation that the status quo can and should be challenged. And perhaps she has a generational understanding of these things, too, garnered from family history or ethnic history or engendered in the geographic community in which she was raised.
But many people, while having the indignation, don't have the tools. This could be because of some combination of race or class or little experience with authorities (or, as often can happen with minorities or disadvantaged communities, too much experience with authorities)or other factors that have socialized the individual and their cohort.
And, no disrespect to the Sowers family, but some people of any class and race may not wish to live with their pain in the same way, that is, by trying to right a perceived wrong. I'm not trying to be insensitive; but put another way, some people break up a relationship and fight it out for years. Others break up and file it away. There are many ways to maintain one's sanity.
sorry about this long, first-time post.
Thank you dude,
Finally an analysis that goes beyond simplistic bickering about things like "if the preps had been white..."
"Race" is not the whole story in this town. "Class" (income, education level) plays a major role in everything as well. I have no problem relating to people across racial barriers alone, but when you have to go across both race and class, productive understanding and dialog gets really, really hard.
Instead of race or class, maybe it's just about one or two big jerks who have power to the point that they feel like they don't have to answer to anyone.
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