(Originally posted 2014-02-17.)

Bookmarks:
The Kimberly Leto murder
Controversial books
Governor candidate Mizeur’s crime plan

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The Kimberly Leto murder

February 3 – Police arrest two teenagers in killing of Highlandtown woman
February 4 – Woman’s death in burglary leaves Southeast Baltimore reeling

Random comments:
(1) We must get past the twin scandals of race and class.
(2) My greatest concern is to find out where these two young men “come from.”
(3) Had she had a gun, could that have saved her?
(4) Gorham-Ramos, at age 14, has a daughter?
(5) What was the sentence from the August 19 crime?  N.B., police identified Gorham-Ramos through fingerprints.
(6) Was Gorham-Ramos’ involvement with the August 19 crime sufficient basis to bring him in for questioning concerning the January 31 crime?
(7) I know from my own time in jail why, if at all possible, children should not be incarcerated with adults.
(8) Pinkney appears to have a mental illness, and was off his medications.  The treatment-resistant patient is always problematic.
(9) Does this neighborhood deserve a greater police presence than, say, Barclay?  Actually, during my time there, the police presence was pretty darn high; its visibility heightened by the inexplicable consistent police use of white unmarked cars and white officers.

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Controversial books

These have been on display in the main hall at EP, and I get to browse them while waiting for a computer. I have not read either one.

American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of the Underclass (Harvard University Press, 1998)

“This powerful and disturbing book clearly links persistent poverty among blacks in the United States to the unparalleled degree of deliberate segregation they experience in American cities.”

Not to short-sell the book, this is wholly consistent with the politically correct proposition I questioned in “My Homeless Self.” I wonder how the authors account for that portion of the underclass which are white, and how they got there.

Erasing Racism: The Survival of the American Nation

This was originally published in 2002. Author Molefi Kete Asante (born Arthur Lee Smith Jr. on August 14, 1942) has an impressive page at Wikipedia and appears to be a leader in all things Afro-centric.

He demands reparations.

This fits squarely within the definition of ideology I set forth in “The Gospel vs. George F. Will.” As I said there, it says, “‘We’ cannot be happy unless ‘they’ change their ways.”

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Mizeur’s crime plan calls for shift from ‘mass incarceration’ to prevention in Maryland

I have no desire to ally myself with anything liberal; and my first, personal, gut response to Heather Mizeur is to dislike her. And most critically, I have no idea what she means by “prevention.” Aside from all that, I find her proposals exciting.

1. Incarceration — From what I saw in my own time in jail, in general incarceration accomplishes nothing, and does so only at a tremendous financial cost to the taxpayers.  My estimate is that as many of 60% of those in prison have no good reason to be there.  Be aware:  these are not nice people.  But there’s no need for them to be incarcerated.  And without having the exact figures, my guess is that my own 40 days in jail may have cost the taxpayers $10,000.
2. Juvenile detention — I am without an opinion as to her plan.  The one individual whose advice I look forward to on this question is the Hon. Martin P. Welch, who may or may not publicly opine.
3. Backgrounds — Click the link to see my previous remarks on this subject.
4. Gun laws — OK, maybe she’s tossed a bone to the anti-gun lobby.  The proposal seems reasonable enough to me.  I hope to hear pro-gun folks’ opinions.