Shoot First, Ask Questions Later

Scenario: What do you do if someone is in your basement during the night? Storm that shit and start putting some lead in that punk. Now, what do you do if the person in your basement was your daughter? Well, if your name is Eric Scott and you're a New Haven cop who likes to blast his service weapon before identifying a threat, then you get off scot-free. OK, well here's how it went down: Eric Scott is sleeping on May 28 when he is woken up by his outdoor lights that are motion-sensored. He grabs his gat (paid for by the citizens of New Haven) and heads downstairs to see what's going on. He finds a door open that he had locked previously in the night and heads down to the basement with a flashlight to investigate. Up to this point there really isn't any issue here: you think someone is in your home you grab your piece and see what's going on. But this is where Eric Scott errs wildly. He goes down into his dark basement with only a flashlight, sees someone moving around and puts a bullet into them. No warning, no verification of who is in the basement, no nothing. Well, to make a long story short no one was robbing Eric Scott's home (I now understand why, given his energetic trigger finger), but his daughter was returning home from sneaking out earlier in the night. Scott believed that his daughter was upstairs sleeping, not prowling in their basement. State attorney Jonathon Benedict has declined to press charges claiming that the burden of proof would be too large for his office to prove.

So here is the issue: Scott goes into his basement, sees a person down there and just shoots. I hope this is not how they train New Haven cops. State law concerning use of physical force in the defense of property, Chapter 951, Sec. 53a-21, states that a person can use physical force only when "he reasonably believes such to be necessary to prevent an attempt by such other person to commit larceny or criminal mischief involving property." Scott did not reasonably believe that someone was in his home committing a crime, that's what he may have thought based on what he believed was occurring, but without verifying that the person in the basement did not belong in the home by a simple warning to the person or by turning the lights on, he just did not know. All of this is made painfully obvious by the fact that the person he shot was his own daughter, which leads me to believe that he had a horrible visual on the "intruder" as he could not even recognize his own daughter. But the tale doesn't end for the $0.75 Scott spent shooting his daughter (about the price of a Glock bullet). Whose insurance will cover 18 year-old Tasha Scott's medical bills? Last I checked, medical expenses for someone who is shot in the knee with a bullet that then lodges in their thigh is not cheap. Surgery to remove the bullet along with extensive physical therapy will be very costly, most likely at the expense of New Haven taxpayers who contribute to city workers' insurance plans. This brings up an important question: should police officers be allowed to bring their service weapons home? It's one thing if they buy their own gun and shoot intruders with it, its another to be given a gun to do it. There have been a number of incidents involving off-duty cops innapropriately using their service weapons (read: here, here) and one has to wonder if these incidents would have happened if they were not given a free gun. One thing I can almost gurantee: Eric Scott's daughter will not sneak out or miss another curfew while she lives in that house. Peace.

Photos - Top: New Haven Police Department Badge (odmp.org), Bottom: A shadowy figure that Eric Scott might shoot at (shadowhousepits.com)

Corzine Will Buckle Up Now

Remember Robert Rasinksi - the New Jersey state trooper who nearly killed Governor Corzine back in April of 2007? Well, he is slated to drive the governor again. It was announced today that Rasinksi will rejoin the Executive Protection Unit, which is the arm of the State Police that are responsible for the governor's well being and safety. But here's the catch: Rasinksi was found to be at fault for the near-fatal accident and the head of the NJ state 5-0, Colonel Rick Fuentes, has suggested that Rasinksi be suspended sans pay for five days. Fuentes obviously knows something that we all don't, as he has sent a letter to state Attorney General Stuart Rabner stating that Rasinksi broke departmental rules without citing which ones. Governor Corzine has been on Rasinksi's side the whole time, saying that he would be comfortable with Rasinksi behind the wheel and has praised the trooper for his driving technique. David Jones, the police union head, has said that Rasinksi will most likely recieve a 2-3 day unpaid suspension and a written repirmand for his permanent file. After that, it appears, all will be forgotten.

But what does Fuentes know that the public does not? Let's not forget the way that the accident investigation was handled, with initial reports placing blame on a renegade red pickup truck that forced the governor's SUV into a guard rail. It was revealed that Rasinksi was traveling well over the speed limit and that the young man driving the pickup was trying to get out of the way of the speedy trooper by driving on the right shoulder of the highway but then had to come back onto the road to avoid a mile marker, causing another pickup to swerve to avoid him and hit the governor's SUV. It was found that Rasinksi could have prevented the accident. So the best action, according to the State of New Jersey, is to put him back behind the wheel. The 1010WINS article from today has stated that all troopers in the EPU have received additional driver training, but what kind of driver training was not specified. Another interesting tidbit: when asked if Rasinski has been driving the governor around while the investigation and his disciplinary action was pending, all parties involved (Attorney General's office and the state police) refused to answer. Hopefully Rasinski will drive safely if he does, indeed, drive the governor again and, more importantly, hopefully Rasinski does not hurt anyone else or kill anyone on the roadways. Personally, if I were Governor Corzine I would like a new driver with a clean driving record (not 5 accidents with 3 on duty) and I would wear a racing harness. Peace.

Photos -Top: Jonny C, Governor of the Jerz (NJIT), Bottom: The governor's totalled SUV at the accident scene (WNBC)

Daily Wrap Up 6/25/07

I'm going to start the week off with a daily wrap up, as there have been numerous stories that are certainly worthy of consideration and I don't have the time to post exclusively on all of them.

This story's a little old, but the milk has not curdled on it yet, so I'll put it first. First, mark the calendar because I am about to - yup - praise the NYPD. In an effort to improve community relations among minority communities, the top brass at One Police Plaza decided to host an event at the famous Apollo Theater in Harlem with musician Wyclef Jean as well as a number of folks who have not been supporters of police actions in the past. The event was part of a four-day effort to teach new police recruits about cultural differences among the wide array of communities in New York and how to communicate better with community members. Only time will tell how well this and other initiatives have worked, but at the very least it might wipe the smirk off of Raymond Kelly's face on his web profile for the NYPD.

Media organizations across the nation have focused in on Canton, Ohio for the past week as the drama of missing pregnant woman Jessie Davis has played out. Unfortunately, Ms. Davis was found dead this past weekend with her unborn child. Bobby Cutts, Jr. has been charged with the murder of both Davis and the unborn child that he fathered. The twist in this story is that Cutts himself is a police officer in Canton and has been in trouble numerous times before this. In 1998, before he was a cop, he pleaded no contest to charges stemming from an incident with an ex-girlfriend. In 2003 his firearm was found in possession of his drug-dealing cousin and he was fired from the force, but was allowed to return because there was "not enough evidence of wrongdoing." How was this man allowed to be a police officer? An arrest record with a hefty disciplinary charge should equal termination (he should not have been hired in the first place with an arrest record and a no contest plea). Nevertheless someone saw it necessary that he be on the force and now I can't help but think, are there any officers on the Canton Police who have arrest records or the inability to keep an eye on their service weapons? Hopefully someone in the top brass is disciplined for this ineptitude.

And finally, most likely the only post I will ever do on uber-skank Paris Hilton. She is slated to be released from the pokey tomorrow and I could not care less. However, one thing that is interesting is the complete lack of morality or journalistic integrity at both ABC and NBC. ABC initially offered $100,000 for Paris' first post-jail interview, but then NBC one-upped their rival and offered $1 million. In addition to this, People magazine offered $300,000 for pictures of Paris leaving jail. Well, after the public got wind of all of this shady dealing all three parties cancelled their "deals" and refused to work with Hilton. Shit, I'll sit in a single cell in jail for a little less than a month for $1.3 million, I'd be able to catch up on reading. My question is this: why feed her large ego by paying to have "exclusive" interviews with her? Listening to her talk is like watching paint dry, with her vapid speech and absent logic. Paris Hilton is talentless and is living off of mommy and daddy's money while sleeping with at least half of Hollywood. If ABC and NBC want to offer their viewers the most objective news possible, then stop the "infotainment" news and return to the facts with as little commentary as possible.

Photos - Top: Raymond Kelly and the smirk (nyc.gov), Bottom: Paris Hilton pre-jail (kenyonfarrow.wordpress.com)

This May Come As a Surprise

Breaking news: white people, not just any white people but white people who are part of the Republican Party - the "moral compass" of our society - use drugs! I know, I was just as surprised as you are when I first read about it. Anyway, South Carolina Treasurer Thomas Ravenel has been indicted on federal cocaine charges for his purchase of less than half a kilo of the nose candy to share with others. It seems that Ravenel has been the focus of a drug investigation for quite some time - a drug case last year yielded the conservative politician's name. While the treasurer may be a "rising political star" in South Carolina, his reach extends beyond the Southern state. It turns out that he is also the state chairman for Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign.

I guess that the main thing that this brings up is drug use in America. As I alluded to last week, cocaine use in this country - particularly in the 212 - has become more casual than smoking a cigarette in some places. The fact that this man was a "rising political star" and that you have to know people to rise in our society's political class, coupled with the distribution charge - not solely possession - suggests that Ravenel was spreading the white wealth around. Governor Mark Sanford seemed apologetic, if not downright hesitant, to expel Ravenel from the South Carolina political administration, saying "These are obviously very serious allegations that we're constitutionally bound to act upon, and they'll ultimately be decided by the courts." So, in other words, had the state constitution not outlined the firing of criminal politicians, he would not necessarily do it. One suggestion I would make is to have the Federal Election Commission look into Mr. Ravenel's finances because it is not cheap to run for office in a statewide election and the business of selling blow tends to be a profitable one. Peace.

Photos - Top: Former South Carolina State Treasurer Thomas Ravenel (www.cbsnews.com), Bottom: Some nose candy (www.cocaine-addiction.ca)

Daily Wrap Up

Today's wrap up has some hope for Boston's inner-city schools in the form of a new superintendent, one article that leaves many in Utah scratching their heads, and finally an old-meets-new reunion between a group of people who have a severe hatred for this country's federal government.

Leading off is the hope for Boston's school system. Carol Johnson, the superintendent of the Memphis, TN school system, will be arriving in Boston soon (if she already hasn't) as its new school superintendent. This is big for Boston as it appears that everyone who has worked with her in Memphis is sad to see her go. While Boston's school system may not be the worst public school system in the country, a competent and determined superintendent will certainly help Boston students. Good luck to Mrs. Johnson.

Batting second is a nine year old story involving a botched truck robbery that left a police officer killed in the line of duty. One of the three suspects holed up in the woods and shot at a social worker, prompting a massive shutdown of a small Utah town until the body of the suspect - Robert Mason - was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The body of a second suspect - Alan "Monte" Pilon - was found a year later by Navajo hunters about 25 miles away from the snipers' spot. The remains of the third and final suspect - Jason McVean - were found and identified last week. McVean is believed to be the suspect who opened fire on Cortez, CO Officer Dale Claxton with an AK-47, killing him, shortly following the trio's hijacking of a water truck in a nearby town. In what can read as a mission from Grand Theft Auto, the three men fled west to Utah, getting into gun battled with local authorities along the way. They hijacked a flatbed and crashed in, then took refuge in the woods. They are believed to have all killed themselves shortly after the incident. This story really popped out at me because of all of the unanswered questions involved with it and got me thinking about the general concept of death and suicide and how so many questions are left unanswered after a tragedy.

Finally, Ruby Ridge character Randall Weaver has met with Ed and Elaine Brown, who have taken steps to fortify their home and arm themselves in a showdown with federal authorities who are seeking to claim unpaid taxes from the Browns. While they have been convicted of federal tax evasion, they have remained in their home defying the government and its tax collecting, which they refer to as voluntary and, at times, slave-like. Weaver, whose wife and son died in the Ruby Ridge shootout along with Deputy US Marshal William F. Degan, said that he would be willing to assist the Browns in fighting in self-defense and egged authorities to "bring it on." The Browns' cause has garnered the support of some patriot and militia groups, as the article says that people all the way from Texas have brought weapons and supplies to the couple's home. This is an interesting situation, as previous examples of similar situations (Ruby Ridge, Waco) have turned out less-than-stellar.

Photos - Top: Carol Johnson (www.wbur.org), Bottom: Ed and Elaine Brown's MySpace picture

Yet More Trouble for Jersey City

The second-largest city in New Jersey has been marred again by its officials' behavior. This time it is Mayor Jerramiah Healey, who is accused of being shitty when he got into a scuffle with the po-po outside of a Jersey Shore bar in Bradley Beach. Apparently there was an argument between a couple outside of Barry's Tavern when Healey thought it best to get involved in everything after he had been boozing it up for a bit in the bar that his sister owns. When the 5-0 showed up Healey was asked to remove himself from the situation, but instead thought it best to antagonize the officer, finger pointing and yelling an obscenity at him. That's when the officer had enough and pepper-sprayed the mayor and his wife, but it is unclear whether the two were cuffed up. Jerramiah Healey was subsequently charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and obstructing justice. I don't know how well-reported this story was when it first happened because the trial, which started on Monday, began a year and a day after the incident. Gotta love the justice system and the right to a speedy trial outlined in the 6th Amendment, though to be fair it appears that Healey's lawyer team is behind the trial delay.

In any event, this is just another embarrassing episode in Jersey City's official conduct. Of course we cannot forget Kevin Freibott and his selfish actions that led to the death of a 2 year old on the Pulaski Skyway back in January of 2007. Or how about Officer Thomas Porter, also part of the JCPD, who only 6 days after his fellow officer killed someone on New Jersey's roads while drunk, went out drunk driving and was involved in a minor accident in which no one, thankfully, was killed. I guess I see now where Jersey City's finest are getting their example of proper alcohol consumption; their boss! Besides, how was Mayor Healey going to get to his vacation home that night from the bar? Anyway, this trial is not something Jersey City needs as it has to deal with some high-profile cases involving its city employees concerning alcohol. Maybe JC should go dry. Peace.

Photo - Jersey City as seen from Manhattan (Michael J. Totten)

Daily Wrap-Up

Apologies for the lack of posting, but I had to travel up to Boston Thursday night and had quite a busy weekend. So for the lack of Daily Wrap-Ups, I will have an early edition today and (hopefully) have a traditional post tonight.

The first story comes out of the Dirty Jerz. New Jersey's state Supreme Court has ruled that school districts in the state have some responsibility concerning what happens to students after dismissal from school. This came after a Pleasantville family sued the school district after their elementary school student was paralyzed after being struck by a car hours after school was let out early for the day. While I agree with one part of the ruling - that schools need to adequately let parents know when school will be dismissed early (it is unknown whether the Pleasantville family was privy to the school's dismissal time that day) - this opens the door to many other lawsuits by parents whose students are injured or hurt after school. Once the student leaves the doors of the school at the posted time, the student's parents are responsible for his or her well-being. It's called parenting.

This is big news for those Columbia students who hail from the Boston area and miss their Anna's Taqueria. Chipotle, an Anna-esque restaurant (though obviously not on par with it, because that would be impossible), has said that they will be opened for business by the end of June. While a bit pricier than Anna's (a burrito and drink for $5 is a big promotional thing for Chipotle while it is a regular occurrence at Anna's), it should hold off the shakes until you can get some Anna's in your system on a long weekend or holiday breaks.

Slow news day, so that's all for now. Suggestions for stories should go in the comments section. Additionally, props to the one and only Jesse Cooper for surviving a hold up down in Chile and props to Steve Kane for father's day. Peace.

UPDATE 6/28/07: I went to Chipotle yesterday as part of their promotional deal with Columbia athletics (I figured programs like football and anything else that requires athleticism here at Columbia could use some help, other than maybe basketball). While it certainly was good (whatever the chicken was mariated was nice and spicy), it was no Anna's and the latter's trademark quesadilla will never be overshadowed by Chipotle's burritos. That being said, the prices over at the McDonald's-owned chain are a little steep (just under $7 for a burrito - no drink or anything) and the only reason I went was because of the $5 burrito and drink deal. So while it most certainly won't be a regular place of mine for food, I might need it every payday or so to hold me over until Anna's and I can be reunited.

Photo: Opening of a new Chipotle (tampabayeats.com)

Daily Wrap Up

Today's daily wrap-up discusses douchebaggery committed by TB patients, douchebaggery committed by some hospital staff, and the government sticking with the status quo and denying the fact that racial injustice is an important factor in our society.

You may remember a man by the name of Andrew Speaker, mainly because he was the first person to be put under a federal isolation order since 1963 due to his highly contagious form of tuberculosis (TB). As it turns out, Speaker isn't the only ass in the family. His father, a lawyer like his son, refused to help authorities stop Speaker from traveling with his TB and his father-in-law, a CDC researcher who has dealt with TB, did not try to stop his future son-in-law and even helped him. Speaker dodged authorities while somehow slipping past the Canadian border despite having a flagged passport (the border agent who let him through no longer works there). Good to see that the Hippocratic Oath is alive and well in the medical field.

Moving on to LA, where a woman died in a hospital waiting room after being refused service despite bleeding from the mouth and being in obvious pain for nearly an hour. Her boyfriend even called 911 and pleaded to have an ambulance sent over to take her to another hospital with competent employees. He was refused. A bystander called and requested an ambulance and was also refused by dispatchers. Then bystanders asked the po-po to help. "Help" in their definition, however, involved cuffing the woman for a parole violation. Stand up work, fellas.

And, finally, the federal government has decided that religious cases take precedent over the 400 year problem of racial inequality in this country. It has decided that the civil rights portion of the justice department should be taking away attention and resources from such minor things as hate crimes and police brutality and focus on the burning issues of kids handing out candy canes in school. Excellent example of prioritizing.

Photo - Andrew Speaker (www.msnbc.msn.com)

Daily Wrap Up

This is something new that I am going to play around with to see how it works for me and how it is received by you. Essentially, there are numerous articles that I would like to write about everyday but just do not have the time. In this section, I will pick out a couple of articles that I would have like to write about but could not and quickly go over them. Kind of like an FOTD for those of you privy to that info.

Leading off, Dallas is experiencing a new drug fad. "Cheese" heroin (named for its parmasean cheese-like structure or an abbreviation for chiva, the Spanish word for heroin, according to authorities) is spreading quickly through the younger demographic in the city. A combination of black tar heroin and common over the counter drugs containing the antihistamine diphenhydramine, "cheese" combines two downers and can prove quite deadly. While it may have a funny name, the sobering fact is it has killed 21 teenagers in the past two years in the Dallas area alone.

Also in drug-related news, the New York Times ran an article in its Style section that labeled cocaine as "the new marijuana" and even said that cocaine use was more socially acceptable in New York's club scene than smoking cigarettes. Also in the article was why coke is bad and a European named Kristoff proves to readers why we hate I-Bankers. If the paper really wanted to do a coke piece, come on up to Morningside Heights because, in the words of Jay-Z, this campus "moves weight like Oprah."

Finally, given Bush nominee for Surgeon General Dr. James W. Holsinger, Jr.'s anti-gay research writings, I thought that a BBC article from back in the day (January, 2005) would be a nice reminder as to how the top brains in our government view homosexuality while showing off their creativity. Way back in the day (1994) the Pentagon considered building what they called a "gay bomb," a bomb filled with aphrodisiacs and such that, when dropped on a enemy, would make them all insatiable to each other and thus turn them all gay. I'm not kidding. Also considered: a chemical that would give enemy soldiers chronic bad breath or overwhelming flatulence to make enemy combatants easily identifiable among civilians. Not exactly a brain trust over in the Pentagon.

Photos - Top: "Cheese" heroin, Bottom: Video about the gay bomb

Free Genarlow Wilson

Genarlow Wilson is a man trapped. Trapped in a system that has proven itself inadequate time and again. Trapped physically within the confines of Burruss Correctional Training Center in Forsyth, Georgia. Trapped between high school and college. Labeled as a child molester, Wilson was slated to spend 10 years of his life in the Georgia correctional system for a crime that no longer exists. It all happened New Year's Eve 2003. Wilson and a group of friends threw a party that involved the "evil" weed (marijuana) and some alcohol at a local Days Inn. Some girls showed up and things started to get messy. One 17 year old girl began to have sex all over the place. Another 15 year old girl starting doling out oral sex like it was candy. The next morning the 17 year old girl woke up, realized what she had done and instead of admitting wrongdoing by having consensual sex with multiple men in one night, she cried rape. That got an investigation going and several of the partygoers, including Wilson, were arrested for their part in it. Wilson and his friends were facing serious charges, including rape (Wilson alone faced four felonies). His friends took plea bargains to avoid juries, but had Wilson accepted the plea deal he would have had to register as a sex offender and could not live at home where his little sister also lived.

So Wilson decided to take his chances with a jury. By the time the trial came, two of the charges were already dropped. The rape charge (obviously) did not stick, but he was convicted of aggravated child molestation for the consensual oral sex from the 15 year old (an act that the girl's own mother attested was initiated by the young girl). Unknown to the jurors who reluctantly convicted Wilson, the charge carried a 10 year minimum sentence without the possibility of parole and required the person to register as a sex offender upon release (Wilson was 17 at the time of the party and the 15 year old girl was one year shy of the age of consent in Georgia). The most baffling part of the whole ordeal is that had Wilson and the girl had intercourse, the harshest penalty would have been a misdameanor which would have had a minimal effect on Wilson who had no prior record. So this kid who was popular, smart (he was Ivy League-bound with interest from Brown and Columbia to name a few), and well-liked by his peers and teachers, has been handed a ludicrous sentence for an act that occurred consensually between two minors. How can you be a child molester when you, yourself, are considered a child in the eyes of the law?

The ridiculousness does not end there. The Legislature of the State of Georgia went back to the books and closed the loophole that sent Genarlow Wilson to prison for 10 years. However, in their infinite wisdom, they did not make the law retroactive and thus the change in the statute, which was urged due to Wilson's case, did not release Wilson from the miscarriage of justice that he has been subject to. And, the news that got this post running, a judge in Georgia has reduced Wilson's sentence to 12 months, less than half of what he has already served for his "crime." So that would mean he would finally be released, right? No, because Georgia Attorney General Thurbert E. Baker has appealed the case and Wilson must remain behind bars while the appeal is decided despite the fact that almost everyone involved in the case agrees that Wilson is the real victim.

This case begs so many questions about our justice system that baffle the intellectual mind. We need to look at the players in this case to come to a partial understanding of why all of this is happening. The first man to look at is the prosecutor Eddie Barker, who has been trying to prove he's a hard ass since the case was brought before a jury. He says that he does not write the laws, he only prosecutes those who break them and admits that 10 years is too harsh a punishment for what Wilson did. In the same breath he says that he should have taken the plea deal that his friends took, which Barker has called "taking their medicine," but that would have required registering as a sex offender and Wilson was not going to do that. Barker offered Wilson 5 years and the sex offender registry following his conviction, saying that it was a fair punishment for "receiveing oral sex from a schoolmate." On the other side of the coin, the DA's office in Douglas County Georgia has the ability to free Wilson, but refuses to. So while Eddie Barker thinks 10 years and the sex offender registry is the wrong punishment, don't expect him to actually do anything about it.

In a world where people get out of jail for some pretty bullshit reasons, and some people enjoy the benefit of innocent until proven guilty, a man down in Georgia is serving a preposterous sentence for a non-existent crime. I could get into the racial aspects of this case (such as a white prosecutor versus a black defendant, or white appeals judges voting to keep him in jail versus black appeals judges 4-3, and so on and so forth), but there are only 24 hours in a day. This is yet another example of how our justice system fails over and over again. Genarlow Wilson should not be in prison because he committed a "crime" that does not exist. Peace.

Photos - Top: Genarlow Wilson in high school (www.philly.com), Middle: Georgia Attorney General Thurbert E. Baker (atlanta.creativeloafing.com)

Information used in this blog post was taken largely from Wright Thompson's article in ESPN The Magazine entitled "Outrageous Injustice".