Crime
OP-ED: Baltimore-Don’t Get It Twisted
By Richard Wembe Johnson, Folsom Prison
Charging six Baltimore Police Officers with a range of criminal offenses from homicide to criminal negligence doesn’t equate to justice, not even the appearance of it.
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But based on the information that was before the State Attorney’s office, not to charge certainly would have created more harm. The prudent option was to charge, if for no other reason than to bring calm to a city in a state of upheaval over the death of Freddie Gray, who was being held illegally from the start with no probable cause.
It is from this premise that you must ascertain the search for justice.
Freddie Gray committed no crime.
He died while in the custody of the police. The evidence clearly suggests that some type of malfeasance occurred that caused him to lose his life.
Bringing charges is surely a step in the right direction to obtain truth and justice.
For those in search for righteousness and justice, it is important to stay focused and not become mesmerized by the conciliatory poses of truth.
Being charged with a crime is not a conviction, as we have seen in numerous cases, i.e. George Zimmerman in the murder of Trayvon Martin and many more instances of what amount to pacification gestures.
Yes, it’s all right to rejoice in the fact of bringing charges to those who held the life of Freddie Gray within their grip.
Already there are calls of improprieties against the state’s prosecution office, largely by the police union, claiming political motivations for a “rush to judgment.”
The nation is in turmoil over how our police, who are supposed to serve and protect us, instead are now defending themselves from people who are seeking protection from police misconduct.
Short of calling what is going on nationwide an outright war, what we see mirrors a state of perpetual discord between the police and anyone perceived as a threat against them.
I am not overstating this ominous situation because we have indisputable evidence that everyday people are dying at the hands of police officers for committing alleged crimes or just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
It’s very crucial that we don’t become lax in our quest for justice in these cases involving wrongful police conduct.
We must turn the tide against wrong and stay the course in search for true answers that result in correct justice, not the foolery this often is dispensed as truth.
Today, it’s Baltimore. Tomorrow it could be your town, city or community that’s aflame.
Justice must be earned not simply taken for granted.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
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Alameda County
DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland
Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.
Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.
California Black Media
Anti-Theft Bill with Jail-Time Requirement Gets Wide Ranging Support
Fed up with the alarming frequency of retail theft across California, including smash and grabs, a diverse group of business leaders, law enforcement officials, policymakers and public safety advocates joined their efforts in Sacramento on Jan. 24. Their purpose: to increase public support for Assembly Bill (AB) 1772, a bill that would make jail time mandatory for repeat theft offenders.
By California Black Media
Fed up with the alarming frequency of retail theft across California, including smash and grabs, a diverse group of business leaders, law enforcement officials, policymakers and public safety advocates joined their efforts in Sacramento on Jan. 24.
Their purpose: to increase public support for Assembly Bill (AB) 1772, a bill that would make jail time mandatory for repeat theft offenders.
Co-authored by Assemblymembers James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino), Avelino Valencia (D-Anaheim) and Devon Mathis (R-Tulare), AB 1772 would require jail time “of one to three years for theft crimes depending upon the circumstances.
“Offenses would include grand theft, theft from an elder or dependent adult, theft or unauthorized use of a vehicle, burglary, carjacking, robbery, receiving stolen property, shoplifting or mail theft,” the bill language reads.
Ramos said the need to act is urgent.
“It’s time for us to reverse the spikes in theft crimes since the pandemic. Our law enforcement members and district attorneys need additional tools such as AB 1772. We must reverse the trend before the problem grows worse. Last year I requested a state audit of the impact of Prop 47 on Riverside and San Bernardino counties,” said Ramos.
Prop 47 is the California initiative, approved by voters in 2014, that reclassified some felonies to misdemeanors and raised the minimum amount for most misdemeanor thefts from $400 to $950.
According to a Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) report, the rate of occurrence of petty crimes like shoplifting and commercial burglaries have increased by double digits over the last four years.
In Orange County alone, commercial burglaries have spiked by 54%.
“Our communities are experiencing an increase in retail crime and deserve appropriate action from their legislators,” Valencia said.
San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus thanked Ramos.
“This bill, designed to impose stricter penalties on serial retail theft suspects, responds urgently to the escalating consequences of shoplifting and related crimes on our communities,” he said.
AB 1772 supporters who spoke at the gathering included Sacramento Sheriff Jim Cooper and San Bernardino Chief of Police Darren Goodman. Listed as supporters are the California State Sheriff’s Association, City of Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez and Redlands Chamber of Commerce.
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