As a former prosecutor, I wondered how the Coronavirus might impact crime. There are fewer folks on the streets. One might assume that crime would be down. There’s good news and also bad news on the crime front. In major cities like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, major crime drops occurred in recent weeks. In Los Angeles, from February 23 to March 2, the city saw a 25% drop in folks being shot. After March 17, New York city saw a 17% drop in violent crimes. Likewise, Chicago saw a 17% drop in violent crimes during the week of March 16- 22. Despite the drop, Chicago still saw 12 persons shot during this past week. All were shot outside despite Chicago’s stay in place order. The stay at home orders will see a rise in other criminal activity. With the president preferring to name the Coronavirus or Covid-19 as the China flu, cities have seen attacks on Asian Americans or on those thought to be of Asian descent. There will likely be an increase in domestic violence and child abuse … [Read more...] about Crime Doesn’t Stop During the Coronavirus Crisis
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Rodney Reed and Why We Must End the Death Penalty
Rodney Reed sits on death row in a Texas prison while awaiting his execution. His execution is slated for November 20. In 1996, a jury convicted Reed of rape and murder of Stacy Stites, a woman whom he claims he had a consensual relationship. Doubts about his guilt have surfaced with many celebrities joining in his cause, including Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, Dr. Phil and others. The victim was the fiancé of former police officer, Jimmy Fennel. Fennel was suspected of the murder after he failed 2 police administered lie detector tests. But DNA evidence helped to convict Reed whom he admits to having a consensual affair with Fennel’s fiancé, the victim. Since Reed’s conviction Fennel confessed in 2010 while in jail to inmate Arthur Snow; a cousin agreed that Stites and Reed were romantically involved; and, an insurance agent also supported the theory that Fennell killed Stites. Reed’s attorneys, The Innocence Project, filed a petition for clemency to the Board of Pardons and Parole. … [Read more...] about Rodney Reed and Why We Must End the Death Penalty
Atatiana Jefferson Deserves Justice
The murder of Atatiana Jefferson, cut me through the core. It was the most recent killing of an African American by a white police officer while relaxing in her Forth Worth, Texas home playing video games with her 8 year- old nephew. I had hardly recovered from the trial of Amber Guyger murdering Botham Jean in his Dallas home when this incident occurred. In the early morning hours on October 5, a police officer, now fired, went to Jefferson’s home to do a wellness check at the bequest of her neighbor. Instead of checking on her well-being, the officer shot her to death. If the officer had been a drug dealer or a burglar peering through her window and firing at her, it would be considered an assassination. I consider the cowardly act of this police officer to be an assassination of an innocent young woman, not yet 30 years old. We can’t continue to have black lives taken at the hands of trigger- happy police who fear African Americans. There must be accountability both before an … [Read more...] about Atatiana Jefferson Deserves Justice
College Admissions Scandal Goes to Court
On Wed. April 3, defendants Lori Loughlin, Felicity Huffman and other lesser known celebrities and parents will appear in a federal court in Boston to appear before a judge at their preliminary hearing. The two actresses along with more than 30 other individuals are charged with crimes of using money to gain admission to elite colleges for their children in amounts up to over $1 million. In some alleged instances, the defendants paid a bogus charity to fake athletic activities, cheat on college entrance exams and through other nefarious means to gain college acceptance. The old fashion way of study hard, get good grades and/or work hard at athletics wasn't working for them. So they chose the side door entrance. It’s one thing for actors to use celebrity status and money to gain admission into exclusive parties and events via the side door. It’s quite another thing to use celebrity status and money to fake their children’s test scores and school activities to gain admission into … [Read more...] about College Admissions Scandal Goes to Court
College Cheating Scam and White Privilege
The largest college cheating admissions scam was announced today by the U.S. attorney's office in Massachusetts with over 50 persons being charged including actress Felicity Huffman, college coaches, SAT administrators, exam proctors and 33 parents. Parents involved paid upwards of over $6.5 million for their children to be admitted to various elite schools including Yale, Georgetown, Wake Forest and others. It was the ultimate example of wealth and privilege being used to secure the futures of the teens involved. The end result is what many minorities and persons of color expected for a long time. The system is rigged in terms of wealth and privilege. Every parent should teach their children to refrain from lying, cheating and stealing. When the parents lie, cheat and steal for their children to gain admission to prestigious U.S. schools with or without the child’s knowledge, it shows what many persons of color have already suspected all along—that some white privileged children … [Read more...] about College Cheating Scam and White Privilege
Baltimore and D.C. – A Tale of Two Violent Cities
I lived in West Baltimore until age 7 in the same block on North Ave where unrest and rioting occurred after Freddie Gray was fatally wounded in a police van. During my time there, my parents warned me to stay away from the front windows for fear of stray bullets. After attending law school in Washington, D.C., I eventually moved to the District of Columbia where I currently reside. Despite being less than 40 miles apart, the two cities are as different as night and day except when it comes to the recent spike in violent crime. Baltimore is mostly a blue collar city with almost one fourth of its residents living below the standard of living. Washington with its federal government presence and large influx of millennials residing there bears little to no resemblance to Baltimore. Both cities like many others are experiencing increased spikes in crime not seen in many years—for reasons not clearly known. In Baltimore, the spike was thought to be due to several … [Read more...] about Baltimore and D.C. – A Tale of Two Violent Cities