Rodricks is trying to rally the masses.
A man in a stolen Volvo was killed when he crashed into an SUV in Annapolis.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
January 21
Two men were murdered yesterday: An adult male [19] was shot in the head at 1000 E. Baltimore St. at 3:50 on Saturday afternoon, and a man [20] was shot in the Northeast neighborhood of Cedonia at 11:00 last night.
Rodricks is trying to rally the masses.
A man in a stolen Volvo was killed when he crashed into an SUV in Annapolis.
Rodricks is trying to rally the masses.
A man in a stolen Volvo was killed when he crashed into an SUV in Annapolis.
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7 comments:
One defect in the analysis: they may be too fat, stupid, or lazy to deal with criminals, but I assure you they will arrest a more or less compliant, nonviolent righteous man in an instant. That's part of why so few of the law-abiding remain here.
I'm always spooked when someone is killed down the street or in the exact spot where I had been that day. At about 3:00 PM yesterday I was biking Westbound on Baltimore Street from Highlandtown. The 1000 block of E Baltimore Street was pretty desolate, perhaps even calm at that point.
As far as the cops being lazy fat and stupid. Some of them are. Some of them are also aggressive and ignorant. Some of them are good hearted professionals, but the institution of Baltimore City police is hopelessly corrupt, and the politics of US law enforcement in general is pretty bankrupt.
Whatever did happen with the angels? I thought they were coming to town.
As I've said before, I love the cops in the city and could go on plenty about all of the positive experiences I've had. Let us not insult the people who do a job most of us couldn't stomach for 10 minutes. The vast majority of them are doing their best with one of the most difficult jobs aronud, and I'm sure it doesn't please them either to risk their necks and spend time and effort to arrest perps only to see them back out within hours, over and over, hundreds of times a month.
What I'd like to know: why can't we figure out a better way to prevent the postponements, the cases coming up, everyone being ready and there's no available courtroom? Such a simple, stupid thing.
Why do so many first-degree murder suspects get out on bail? Why, indeed, did Skinny Suge get three years? Why, in the first witness-intimidation case to come up under the new law, did Amanda Johnson get zero time? And no time for Tia Whitehead.
Are Judges trying to deal with overcrowding from the bench? Judge Glynn has said as much, that to make space for all of the most diabolical, the less evil get to roam free. But all that seems to be doing is providing more encouragement and sending the message that we're handing out free passes.
ps., I offered to be a citizen member of Judge Glynn's new committee that he's forming to try to figure out why to criminals the "court system does not pose a credible threat."
I'm willing to give my time, my advice, for free. In real life I'm a corporate consulant and get paid, but I'm willing to commit to whatever I can to save this city.
He laughed it off and said I couldn't join because I said he was "Hobbit-like." When I pressed it he said I could apply to Tammy Brown (head of the CJCC) who, after the first week of the meeting, told people there not to talk to me ... "she's that blogger!"
As much as I hate to agree with Rodricks, there are hundreds of people and entities who are willing, able, and want very much to use their abilities to try to solve the problem. Why do we/they keep getting rebuffed?
well, if the CJCC is forming a committee to figure out why the criminals don't fear the justice system - I bet the answer won't have anything to do with the police, the prosecutors or the judges (who are all on the CJCC). I bet they ignore the poor management of caseloads in the prosecutor's office, they ignore the liberal judges, and they ignore the credibility problems of the police and blame it on the jury -- you (as Time Magazine would say).
On one hand, I guess I see the rationale that Rodricks has. But at the same time:
1) He had the audacity to call out politicians without holding his boy wonder turned governor accountable. Yet I remember previous articles where he didn't hesitate to hold people like schaefer and schmoke accountable for baltimore's flaws (clearly, they were, I might add). To me, that's indicative of him being little more than a biased hack. Which is shocking, really - I've never seen that come from the Baltimore Sun...
2) I can't help but sense a lot of arrogance and condescension when I read whatever he has to say. Having someone in the family who has dealt with him in the past, I've had these suspicions confirmed as well. Of course, I should have expected that, seeing some of his previous articles - the most vivid example being his call to all the young black males (and apparently, dormant criminals) in baltimore. So in essence, I may agree with the medicine here, but I don't particularly like the doctor prescribing it.
I think the real tragedy in this - and I guess all issues in crime - is that they have become little more than trivial topics in Baltimore Politics. Every 2-4 years, crime remains a top issue yet no one running for office offers palpable, and practical solutions - just a lot of rhetoric and jargon to fool people into voting for them on a "maybe s/he'll change things!" platform. Based off of the success our last elected mayor of baltimore had, I anticipate a lot of this same type of conversation for the mayoral election.
Another issue is - no politician is willing to really hold everyone accountable on the topic, which to some extent includes attorneys, communities, even citizens. There's always some phantom to blame instead, which in turn makes for poor (or no) policy.
I'm tired of this. I'm tired of crime just being something politicians talk about because they're supposed to, but don't actually do anything about. Until I find a candidate that actually convinces me of otherwise, I'll not vote for a single democrat in this city.
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