Having written a letter commentary to the Washington Post editorial board on October 21, 2010 on why the DC Attorney General should be elected, I am elated to see that day has finally arrived with five viable and diverse candidates seeking the office of Attorney General for the District of Columbia. The 5 candidates seeking the office are attorneys Lorie Masters, Karl Racine, Edward “Smitty” Smith, Lateefah Williams and Paul Zukerberg. I was finally able to see all 5 together in a forum on Tuesday, October 21 hosted by the Women’s Bar Association and moderated by Zoe Tillman, reporter for the National Law Journal/Legal Times. At the outset, I must say there are many similarities between the candidates on some of the issues. And in all honesty, I wish I could clone them into one candidate placing their best qualities in one person. When asked what would be their number one priority for the office of Attorney General, they all gave practically the same answer. Each candidate wanted to … [Read more...] about First DC Attorney General Race Heats Up
Archives for October 2014
Plot Thickens in Missing UVA Student Case
DC News FOX 5 DC WTTG A whirlwind of events happened recently in the missing University Of Virginia student Hannah Graham case following Jesse Matthew’s arrest on charges of abduction and intent to defile in Charlottesville. Unfortunately those events include finding skeletal human remains which may be those of Hannah Graham. The State Medical Examiner’s office in Richmond, VA has the remains and will determine the cause of death and the identity of the remains. Jesse Matthew now faces a new indictment handed down on Monday, October 20 in a 2005 attempted murder, abduction and sexual assault case for a then 26 year old woman in Fairfax County. And there still remains an unsolved 2009 case of Morgan Harrington who went missing and was found dead in 2010. Police have confirmed the forensics in the Harrington case match those of the 2005 and Hannah Graham case. No indictment has been issued in the Harrington case. Forensic evidence has now linked Jesse Matthew to … [Read more...] about Plot Thickens in Missing UVA Student Case
Is Domestic Violence the Cost of Doing Business for the NFL
Almost midway through the NFL football season following the Ray Rice domestic violence, the incident seems to have had no effect on fans viewing games which means the bottom line of the NFL is quite secure. Reports obtained by Reuters from Nielson shows that fan viewership in the first month of the season increased this year on ESPN, CBS and NBC. And like many major corporations, the NFL may believe that if their bottom line is intact, it can weather the storm and carry on with business as usual. In cases involving major corporations, the economic hit to the bottom line is what matters in most cases, more than people. It’s what is called putting profits over people. Whether it’s a major car manufacturer as with Toyota’s Prius and Camry unintended acceleration and brake malfunctions allegedly causing injury and death and massive recalls which resulted in so far over 1 billion dollar in payouts to car owners. Toyota’s image or sales have not been tarnished. And in the … [Read more...] about Is Domestic Violence the Cost of Doing Business for the NFL
Judge Drops the Hammer on Michael Dunn at Sentencing
Two years and two trials later after Jordan Davis was murdered by Michael Dunn while sitting in a car with 3 of his teen age friends, Leland Brunson, Tommie Stornes and Tevin Thompson playing music, Michael Dunn was sentenced today. And justice was finally served. As some say using slang, the judge dropped the hammer on Michael Dunn. Judge Russell Healey sentenced Dunn to a maximum of 30 years, (20 years minimum) each for the attempted murders on Jordan’s three friends which equates to a minimum 60 years and maximum 90 years , 15 years concurrently for the use of a firearm and then life without eligibility of parole after serving those sentences for Jordan’s murder. While often the criminal justice system does not equally dispense justice when it comes to black victims or black defendants versus whites, this time justice was fairly dispensed. Justice is not always fair for African Americans. In the Dunn trial, justice was fair today. He justly got what he … [Read more...] about Judge Drops the Hammer on Michael Dunn at Sentencing
Oscar Pistorius Asserts White Privilege During Sentencing
Photo courtesy Erik van Leeuwen In many ways, the Oscar Pistorius trial has had very little parallels to the American justice system except in the sentencing phase, where Pistorius is asserting white privilege to avoid jail time. Pistorius was found guilty of culpable homicide a parallel to manslaughter in America. He could receive up to 15 years in jail or as little as house arrest or community service. Unlike in America, there is no jury system so the case instead was tried before Judge Thokozile Masipaone, one of the few black judges in South Africa. During the trial, Pistorius cried, sobbed and told how he loved Reeva Steenkamp and would not have killed her. And now during the sentencing phase, entering into day three, the Pistorius defense is asserting what he probably believes to be his rights as a white South African to avoid jail. Prior to the killing of Reeva Steenkamp, Oscar Pistorius, known as the Blade Runner, for his running ability on artificial … [Read more...] about Oscar Pistorius Asserts White Privilege During Sentencing