9.26.2006

Crime Bill Not Working

Although I didn't vote for Fenty, I was quite impressed that he had the sense to vote against the crime bill that was rushed through the DC Council. It was pretty clear to anyone who cared more about crime prevention than pandering to one's constituents that this bill, which lowered the youth curfew to 10pm and installed security cameras in parts of the District, would not prevent crime.

Today's Post features this heartwarming headline: "Three Juveniles Found Slain in D.C. Over 24 Hours."

Before I get into crime bill specifics, let me just add that these murders are totally unacceptable. I suppose all murders are. But I'm no dummy. I understand that crime is inevitable in a big city. What I can't comprehend is why Washington is totally unable to protect its own children. When three minors are killed in a 24 hour period, it means the city is sick. It has a cancer that is eating away at its own future.

Here's the rundown on one of the juvenile victims (with an adult victim thrown in to boot):

The first of the three young people to be killed was also the youngest. Police said 14-year-old Andre Pee was gunned down Sunday night about 11 p.m., on a dead-end block of 13th Place SE that is notorious for drug dealing and gunfire. A 15-year-old was slain on the same block last New Year's Eve.

Andre's body was found in the courtyard of an apartment complex. As part of the same incident, police said, 32-year-old Curtis Watkins, 32, was shot to death inside a squat brick building nearby. Police said Andre and Watkins each were shot once in the back.

Isn't this terrible? It's an area known for drugs and murder and, still, two more unnecessary deaths. Why didn't Washington put one of their newfangled security cameras in this block? Oh? You don't say? They did?

Police knew of no motive or suspects in the killings, which were discovered when someone called to report hearing five gunshots in the Congress Park public housing complex. A police surveillance camera on the block did not capture the crime, investigators said.

Well, what do you know? Security cameras continue to be useless as both a deterrent and as a means to apprehend dangerous criminals. Anyone who sees a camera in their neighborhood and feels safer is neck-deep in denial.

And then there's this delightful little tidbit:

The shootings took place past the 10 p.m. curfew.

Wow. You mean to tell me that minors willing to kill two people are also willing to break curfew? Does their lawlessness know no bounds? Murder at 9:59pm would at least be understandable, but after 10pm when they should be in watching "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"? Unfathomable.

I can't wait to see what kind of bullshit legislation the Council comes up with next. I'm sure that they'll give themselves big pats on the back for a job well done. Meanwhile, within our city limits, children continue to kill each other.

(By the way, I didn't mention the other two murder victims since the Post was pretty scarce with details. But please keep the families of all four victims in your prayers.)

48 comments:

  1. I really like the idea of ubiquitous security cameras. If I'm murdered while finding myself temporarily inside of the District at night, I'd at least want some of my virtual friends to post the video to my blog pothumously.

    Anything for attention.

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  2. The real problem= black youth gangster culture. Everyone knows it.

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  3. I agree but I feel sorry for those people who "match the description" and have to put up with it.

    I saw a photo of a prayer circle where one of the kids got shot. Pretty sad.

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  4. Rusty, with all of your left wing whining, you have yet to ever offer a solution.

    Did you ever stop to think that if these little scumbags had actually been OBEYING THE LAW and had not been out on the streets after the curfew, that they would still be alive???? CURFEWS WORK IF THEY ARE ENFORCED. But if they were enforced, you would bitch about that instead.

    As far as cameras go, they too work if used properly. A friend of mine was recently mugged in England. Within a few hours, the muggers were in jail. Why? Because the entire scene was caught on video.

    But no, you'd rather just bitch that your right to privacy while on a PUBLIC street is being invaded, while offering no alternatives.

    I don't believe for a second that these teens were law abiding citizens minding their own business. I'm not saying they deserved to die, but if they wouldn't have been somewhere where they didn't belong, doing something they weren't supposed to be doing, they would still be alive.

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  5. Rusty, something we can agree on. Stop the stupid senseless killings!
    What has happened to our youth?! Is it all 'bling' and no values?

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  6. To the oxymoronic "conservative with a brain" - just because you don't have a solution, doesn't mean you can't criticize one that isn't working. Although, I guess there's little use in telling you that ( make your own inference ;)

    The crime problem is a much larger issue then just kids being out late at night, and WILL NOT be solved by curfews or cameras. Especially when everyone knows where the cameras are!

    These kids aren't scumbags, just products of a terrible environment created by a society that is systematically against them.

    Of course, there is no easy solution as things have been this way for generations. However, there are much better things that can be done with the money budgeted towards "fighting crime" that would have a more immediate and positive impact.

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  7. Perhaps the city could issue Rusty a car (since he doesn't have one) to allow him to patrol the streets of SW.

    They could paint a big "R" on the side and he could wear a uniform with a big "R" and a cape....

    Of course, he would decline to carry a firearm. "Guys, guys. Can't we all just talk about this? Seriously, folks. Simmer down. Simmer down."

    Rusty could fight crime by facilitating discussion.

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  8. Hey, I've got a sollution: Build a new baseball stadium!

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  9. "These kids aren't scumbags, just products of a terrible environment created by a society that is systematically against them."

    I am equally loathe to characterize them as "scumbags" off the bat. But "created by a society that is systematically against them"? are you fucking kidding me? What is against them is not society (think charter schools, Affirmative action) but their own stupid culture that romanticizes, hell idolizes, crack dealers, hoes and money above all else. Combine this with a 70 percent illegitimacy rate and there you have the problem. Wake up.

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  10. Ok, first of all it is painfully obvious that you have never lived in, or knew anyone from a "crime zone." Therefore, it is easy for you to take this generalized, dehumanizing, and borderline racist view.

    And I can't believe you brought up Affirmative Action!!

    Now, the Charter School Program is another example of money that is wasted (http://www.edreform.com/_upload/NewYorkTimesAd.pdf) and could be put to better use

    It is something that looks good in theory, BUT HAS NO BEARING IN REALITY.

    Third of all, please don't generalize a culture that you have no real understanding of.

    Crack dealers are idealized not because they sell crack, but because they are the only people in these communities that have money. And money is idealized by the capitalist society we live in, not by "the hood." No one idealizes hoes, just the pimps that make money off them, and for the same reason I mentioned above.

    I know that your beliefs are already deeply rooted and nothing I say will change that. However, I hope other people that read this at least realize that it is wrong to assume that everyone in SE wants to sell crack and pimp hoes and that those that do, don't do it because they are scum.

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  11. read "The Corner" by David Simon and Ed Burns. Then talk about the city's problems.

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  12. I think the appropriate solution to this mess is to systematically replace all the firearms in the District with fake guns that, when you pull the trigger, have plastic flowers that slowly emerge from the barrel with a sort of "plo-o-o-o-o-op" sound. Then, when the flower is all the way out, a little flag would unfurl from the stem and it would say something like "Instead of bullets, how about a nice cup of tea?" I bet the potential murderer and potential murderee would have a good laugh about that!



    Then they would bust out the knives and stab each other to death.

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  13. R.I.P. TINY BB


    B

    U

    L

    L

    E

    T

    S

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  14. Rest In Peace.

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  15. fuck the cameras, fuck the curfew. we need hanging judges to bring about law and order in this city.

    kids out on the streets with records. killers walking.

    fuck that.

    kiss my ass you apologists for these thugs. we all have the right to walk the streets without these bitches fucking the city.

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  16. "it is painfully obvious" that I prefer to deal with something called the truth and not waddle around in the murky world of excuses and political correct niceties. In the interest of human rationality, I will now destroy your post piece by piece.

    "Ok, first of all it is painfully obvious that you have never lived in, or knew anyone from a "crime zone."

    WRONG. Although I hate the "I really have black friends man!" defense from racist politicians, i do have many black friends, including some who live in "crime zones." Been to their houses many times, been to the "crime zones" many times.

    "Therefore, it is easy for you to take this generalized, dehumanizing, and borderline racist view."

    WRONG. What dehumanizing view have I taken? that the culture that black kids IN GENERAL admire is one that it WHOLLY SELF-DESTRUCRTIVE? As far as the "racist" charge, please grow up.

    "And I can't believe you brought up Affirmative Action!!"

    Hmm, how do i respond to this one? Not sure because apparently the shock you endured from my bringing it up makes it obvious why this was not a good idea? Yes, I do take issue with someone who says that a society "is systematically against" black kids when that same society has programs in place to give those same kids a considerable leg up. I, for one, think Aff action is a good thing.

    "Now, the Charter School Program is another example of money that is wasted ttp://www.edreform.com/_upload/NewYorkTimesAd.pdf) and could be put to better use

    It is something that looks good in theory, BUT HAS NO BEARING IN REALITY."

    Explain please with, um, I don't know, REASONS?

    As far as the rest of it goes, suffice it to say that I'm too bored to respond further. Yes, of course, most blacks do not bow down to Lil Kim and Master P. Still, black youth culture is dominated by their likes and if you think this fact goes nowhere towards explaining high crime rates in the black community then pull some more wool over your eyes.

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  17. High crime rates in black communities have been common since before the "gangster culture" (as you so whitely put it) was prevalent.

    It's a spiral of poverty and hopelessness. There are no easy answers which is why the youth curfew and the security cameras were so obviously destined to fail.

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  18. Ted's liver pretty much made my argument for me. And I stand by my "scumbag" comment. I'm sick and tired of the excuses. I don't give a fuck how bad your childhood was or is. Eventually you reach a point in your life where you take responsibility for your actions. Get your lazy ass off the streets and start using some of the programs that our tax dollars are being spent on. Quit bitching about it all being a conspiracy by the whites and do something with your lives. I never said the crime problem would be solved by cameras and curfews, but did you completely miss my comment that if these kids had been obeying the curfew they would be ALIVE? Or did you just completely ignore it? That pretty much proves beyond any unreasonable doubt that if they had been obeying the law, they would still be alive. But you prefer to ignore that point. As for the cameras, you also chose to ignore my comment regarding the friend who was mugged. Hmm....let's see here. Friend mugged. Perps caught within hours because of CAMERAS. Perps now in jail. Perps can no longer mug anyone else (at least temporarily). But cameras don't work. Are you really that fucking stupid?

    I especially enjoyed your comment regarding my name. No conservative has ever had a brain. I would expect nothing more from a left wing whack job.

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  19. Of course the curfews and cameras are not going to SOLVE DC's crime problem. But the fact is that we need an immediate solution. The permanent solution is not easy, and would take a while. But what else can the city do to protect it's innocent people TODAY?

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  20. That's the way you want it? Crime gets bad so everyone is forced to be in bed by 10pm? What about the 32-yr-old who got shot in the back with a 14-yr-old in SE? What did he do to deserve his premature death?

    And I'm glad that cameras caught your friend's muggers. Your anecdote is final proof that cameras are an effective way to catch criminals.

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  21. NEWBIES

    ALL OF YOU

    TRANSPLANT FUCKING SCUM

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  22. TODAY'S DC IS DISNEYLAND

    YOU NEWBIE FUCKERS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HANDLE WILDWORLD

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  23. the reason the camera caught the mugger is that the UK has a much more comprehensive monitoring system. I support that, for one.

    But I don't support descrimination against anyone, including whites, as you so "blackly" put it.

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  24. TO THE DOUCHEBAG WHO SAID HE HAS BLACK FRIENDS YOU AINT NEVER BEEN TO SOUTHEAST BEFORE SO PLEASE SHUT THE FUCK UP

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  25. R.I.P. TINY BB

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  26. "I especially enjoyed your comment regarding my name. No conservative has ever had a brain. I would expect nothing more from a left wing whack job."

    I'm not going to continue debating the original issue with you because as I said, there is no point.

    I did, however, want to clear up my "oxymoronic" comment. Although I realize that a persons political affiliation does not necessarily dictate their intelligence, I am simply saying that conservatives are more likely to forgo rational thought and reason before blindly following (see link)
    (http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1760000/images/_1761846_sheepap300.jpg)

    I also love how you assume that any view that opposes your own comes from "a left wing whack job."

    Personally, I do not affiliate myself with any political party because they all serve the people who paid for their post, and not at all the general public who were tricked into voting for them.

    Thank you for the insightful debate, and have a great day!

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  27. DACHSHUND POWER!!!!!!!!
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    GO FUCK YOURSELF

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  28. TO THE DOUCHEBAG WHO SAID HE HAS BLACK FRIENDS YOU AINT NEVER BEEN TO SOUTHEAST BEFORE SO PLEASE SHUT THE FUCK UP

    Ok, Captain Caps, you're right. I confess!

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  29. Oh, and I am white. And I am a transplant from Moscow, Russia, by way of Birmingham, Alabama. And no, not your false image of it, but the 73% black one that I grew up in.

    And I promise you that there isn't a single neighborhood in the US whose crime rate is worse than the shit that goes down in Moscow. And that is in no way a good thing, but the sad state of affairs in a stolen country.

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  30. Oh no, my link was cut off.

    Here it is again:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1760000/images/_1761846_sheepap300.jpg

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  31. Damn it, I give up.

    For the record, it was a picture of sheep being led to slaughter.

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  32. I would just like to say that I pray for everyone involed...the families of the victims
    ~the solution......GOD!

    the churches in the community have to get out there and help the community. one person, one family, one neighborhood at a time.
    Why is it okay to kill a black man in america?
    In other cultures or races there would be an all out war if this many of their people were killed.

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  33. Did you say Moscow?

    Do you know any Sharapova look-a- likes you can hook me up with?

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  34. Unfortunately, Sharapova look-a- likes that make it to the US automatically become out of most people’s league (price range)

    However, if you go to Moscow, you will find them on every street, every store, in the metro, or anywhere else.

    Russian women are not only beautiful, but dress like they are going to the club, ALL THE TIME.

    It is not uncommon to see a girl in high heels and a mini skirt walking her dog in the morning - or doing whatever else American girls do in sweat suits.

    My recommendation, go visit. The beauty of it is, they will like you more if you don't speak Russian. I swear, I pretend I don't when I go out there and it works every time!

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  35. FUCK AMERICAN WHITE GIRLS

    WHITE GIRLS FROM EUROPE BE THE BEST YO

    THATS WHY I LOVE TO GO OVER TO OCEAN CITY IN THE SUMMERTIME

    ReplyDelete
  36. Caps, you're only getting the bottom of the barrell. So shut up.

    Yes, Russian girls sound nice. I grew up in Vermont and I'm impressed w/ the way women dress here. You would not want to see Vermont girls in their native costume of barn boots and parkas. Give me high heels and mini skirts.

    Samuel L. Jackson voice: That's it! I need to go!

    Btw, Ukraine is weak.

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  37. I've always had a things for Lithuanians myself. They used to come up Cape for the summer to work at local grocery stores and they are the trifecta of hotness, alcoholism, and sexual openness.

    Oh man, my grandmother is Lithuanian. Gross.

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  38. This is un-freaking-believable.

    Anecdotal? What the fuck are you talking about, Rusty? I give indisputable proof that cameras can be an effective way to fight crime, and you call my proof "anecdotal"? Let's cover it again. BECAUSE OF THE CAMERAS, THESE GUYS ARE IN JAIL, AND CAN NO LONGER MUG ANYONE ELSE. Is that do difficult to understand? But it's "anectdotal"? Why? Because it worked? Why are liberals so unable to grasp the concept that they may be wrong? This is similar to the argument a few months back, where statistics proved beyond any doubt that homosexual sex is more dangerous than hetero, and you still denied it. I'm about as conservative as they come, but I am open to liberal points of view. For instance, I agree (and have even said on this blog), that cameras and curfew are not the answer to DC's crime problem. But they can be a short term aid, if used properly. You, on the other hand, just refuse to believe that anyone besides your own point of view could possibly be right.

    Why is it so difficult for you to consider another point of view?

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  39. Do you know what anecdotal means?Your sample size of one is statistically meaningless.

    Indisputable proof? I'm sorry, but I can dispute all sorts of things regarding security cameras. Can they work? Of course. But your friend's experience has done literally nothing to convince me that security cameras are an acceptable and productive way to fight crime.

    And, just to stir things up, I still say homosexual sex is just as dangerous as heterosexual sex. If homosexual sex were so dangerous you'd be seeing a lot more lesbians with HIV. You mean anal sex is more dangerous...to which I say "duh." It's a good thing straight people don't have anal sex!

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  40. Conservative Dude -- chill out, man. Let's take a look at the definition of "anecdote."

    Noun. A short account of a particular incident of an interesting or amusing nature, often biographical.

    You related an anecdote, hence, anecdotal evidence. You didn't tell us anything about what effects cameras have had on overall street crime in the UK. We don't know if the UK still experiences crimes where the cameras provide little or no useful evidence. You gave us ONE piece of evidence and cried "The system works!!!" Don't fly off the handle just because Rusty points out you didn't exactly argue an open-and-shut case.

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  41. Conservative is a adjunct professor of statistics at the University of Washington, DC, in beautiful Van Ness.

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  42. My friend's attackers are in jail because of security cameras, and therefore cannot mug anyone else. Yet you say:

    "But your friend's experience has done literally nothing to convince me that security cameras are an acceptable and productive way to fight crime."

    Holy shit -- you really ARE that fucking stupid, aren't you?

    And I guess straight couples have anal sex as much as gay couples. Uh.....okay. If you want to split hairs, how about "homosexual INTERCOURSE is more dangerous than hetero. There goes your lesbian argument. Is that better? No, I guess not because you are too narrow minded to consider anyone else's opinion but your own. And Rusty is NEVER wrong.

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  43. I disagree w/ Conservative's assertion that his "evidence" is anything more than anecdotal, but the anecdote is pretty powerful.

    More cameras would be better and how does my "right" to privacy supersede my "right" to safety?

    When I'm in public I expect to be scrutinized (especially by minority men, who are always trying to stare you down). The only place I don't want a camera is my bedroom.

    Oh, wait. Scratch that.

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  44. Homosexual intercourse is impossible since "intercourse" refers specifically to hot penis-in-vagina action.

    As for the muggers, again, so what? Your anecdote means nothing to me. Now, if a study were to come out saying 40% of London's violent criminals have been apprehended due to security cameras, then I would admit I was wrong and that would be that.

    Good luck finding this study!

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  45. I hate to beat a dead horse, but here is an article that came out today about the "success" of the carter school program:

    http://www.nbc4.com/education/9944874/detail.html

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  46. Nice strategy, Rusty. You lose an argument, so you simply delete the opposing person's postings.

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  47. Conservative, I did that by accident (really), please feel free to re-post.

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  48. How come other poor ethnic groups in the United States always seem to work and educate themselves up the societal ladder within a couple of generations but that one group --you know which one-- always seem to dwell in its own ocean of filth generation after generation save for a small percentage of achievers?

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