Friday, July 18, 2008

Friday Morning

The jury's still out on the case of Darnell Edmonds, accused of murdering Kenneth Morrell, who was accused of murdering Darnell's Brother Keyyon Makins. This is the second trial after Edmonds first ended in a mistrial.

In a fit of irony, Sherman Kemp - a purveyor of the 'Stop Snitching' culture - essentially snitched on himself when he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and gun possession, among other charges.

The US Attorney's Office scored another win when
they clinktified Terrance Gray, who conspired to steal cocaine from a drug dealer. He was sentenced to 15 years. Go, Hot Rod!

Jean Marbella notes an extremely interesting legal theory raised by some penitentiary-bound Baltimoreans. Take that, Clarence Darrow!

Well, it turns out that the fifth woman who was strangled was also a prostitute.

As many of you probably know, The police have, in the past spied on groups they dubbed suspicious. But... as recently as 2006? The Sun investigates spying done by the State Police on peace and anti-death penalty groups.

20 comments:

ppatin said...

Your strangled prostitute link is incorrect, it sends me to the car crash story.

ppatin said...

I wouldn't be surprised if family members of death row inmates are often involved with groups like the "Committee to Save Vernon Evans." Seeing as how Evans and his co-conspirator both had numerous offspring who turned into thugs and hoodlums it makes sense to keep tabs on them.

Cham said...

Sherman Kemp is going to have to use the prison video equipment to make any sequels to his Stop Snitching series. I am wondering whether asking people to stop snitching using a prison yard a a back drop will have a negative effect on the message We'll see how that turns out for him.

Ben said...

Crime folks. I saw three squad cars in the 2900 block of St Paul this morning at 8:30 and now I'm seeing two squad cars and an evidence vehicle (Photographer, manilla envelopes, and rubber gloves) at the same location. Anyone have any clues as to what's up?

Dingo said...

As the Sun article implies, the State Police spy on harmless groups so as to generate federal money for the State Police. The notion that they spy on death penalty opponents because the families of capital defendants are thugs is idiotic.

I'm still trying to figure out this logic behind this "flesh and blood" defense. It seems so stupid on its face -- and now I'm three or four websites into it -- that I wonder how even the dumbest illiterate Bible-thumper in all of flyover country would buy it for 30 seconds.

The fact that "Itchy Man" has picked up on it sort of shoots down any theories of racial supremacy Bill Gale OR Louis Farrakhan might have had.

ppatin said...

"I'm still trying to figure out this logic behind this "flesh and blood" defense."

Desperation maybe? The feds have an extraordinarily high conviction rate, so maybe the defendants are hoping that this will create some sort of issue that can be raised on appeal. There's no hope that the actual defense will work, but a clever appellate lawyer might be able to say that his client's arguments were improperly rejected or something like that.

ppatin said...

"The notion that they spy on death penalty opponents because the families of capital defendants are thugs is idiotic."

Ok I admit it was a silly idea, although I was right about the part where I said their families are scum.

Unknown said...

I'd really like to see some people at the police department reprimanded or fired for spying on peaceful, law abiding citizens. We have actual crime crawling out of our asses in this city and state, and these J. Edgar Hoover wannabe motherfuckers can't find anything better to do that spy on peaceniks?

It's a gross, dangerous abuse of power, and someone somewhere should be made responsible for it.

That won't happen of course, because citizens are too weak and ignorant to stand up for their civil rights, just as the cops and their masters would have them.

And the next time most people hear someone claiming that the state is spying on us, they'll snicker, "crazy conspiracy nut."

Ah, the circle of life.

...
re: scum

You know, there's a lot people who are scum. Sometimes the victims' families are scum too, just by law of averages. But yeah, lets jack off on the "hate the bad guys' family" tip, it makes me feel so good and shows how righteous I am.

ppatin said...

"But yeah, lets jack off on the "hate the bad guys' family" tip, it makes me feel so good and shows how righteous I am."

Check out the record of Anthony Grandison Jr in MD Judiciary Case Search. There's drugs, carjacking, attempted murder, all sorts of good stuff. Scum breed scum, that's the way it works.

ppatin said...

haakon:

The state police didn't break any laws. Those were public meetings they were watching. It may have been a waste of resources, but it wasn't illegal.

Anonymous said...

I'll be the first one to say that "nurture" has a certain hand in the majority of cases of career criminals.

But on the other hand, as someone who has plenty of "scummy" people and career criminals in her immediate and extended family, I really really detest when people assume things about be based on how my brother or my mother behave. I can't help who my family is and I've done my best to set myself apart from the ridiculousness I was exposed to in my childhood. Based on my own experience, I try not to make assumptions about people based on their bloodlines; I understand the law of averages, but I also understand how crappy it is to have to deal with that stigma.

Gor said...

Damn if you do, damn if you don't. If one of these "peaceful" protest groups where to actually commit a terrorist act, the first thing people like haakon would do is cry saying "Why didn't the police keep a closer eye on these groups?"

Unknown said...

Was it Huey Newton said, something like, "America is a melting pot alright, the people at the bottom get burned and the scum floats to the top."

Unknown said...

No, gor, people like me would not be saying that. People like me would be saying just what I'm saying now: protect our civil liberties above all else, because without them we have nothing else worth having.

When the peaceful grandmothers set off bombs, then they are no long peaceful and they merit some attention from authorities. Until then, if there's spying to be done on civilian, perhaps the bomb making anti abortionists, or the gun toting white supremecists ought to be drawing the attention of our police? They have at least demonstrated interest in capacity for and history of violence.

ppatin said...

haakon:

While I agree with you about the anti-abortion nuts, when's the last time a gun-toting white supremacist actually harmed anyone in Maryland? 99.9% of those guys are nothing but talk, they'll blab about race war on internet forums but then in real life they don't even have the nerve to admit their beliefs.

ppatin said...

"People like me would be saying just what I'm saying now: protect our civil liberties above all else, because without them we have nothing else worth having."

Nobodies civil liberties were violated. The state police observed public gatherings. No one was arrested, harassed or persecuted because of what he or she said.

Also, the "absolutely no compromise on civil liberties" argument is absurd. We give up some liberty simply by having a government and laws in the first place.

Unknown said...

No law may have been broken, no civil liberty technically abridged, but the fact of the matter is state police are secretly infiltrating peaceful, law abiding citizen groups.

You're alright with that, I'm not.

Gor said...

If you don't like what the police did, write your representitive and have them draw up a law that says police officers do not have the same rights and freedoms to join protest groups like everyone else.

Does that work for you?

ppatin said...

*shrug*

No laws were broken and no ones rights were violated. Seems like a big deal about nothing to me. The worst part about it in my opinion is that police manpower was wasted spying on hippies.

Unknown said...

@wheat Two years ago the police cars at the 2900 block of St. Paul the morning of July 18th were there for a rape. I know because I was the victim. They never found my rapist.