Month: August 2008

Baltimore City juries less likely than suburban juries to convict, study says

No shit, sez I. Here’s the Baltimore Sunstory by Julie Bykowicz. People talk about how the criminal justice system is biased against blacks. And it is. If it weren’t, nearly half the people in prison wouldn’t be black. But, dot dot dot, if you are going to be arrested for drugs, it’s far better to…
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Real Police

I just received this email. It’s an interesting take on on the concept of being “real police.” “Real police” is both a concept and a compliment. It’s what in the NYPD they call a “cop’s cop.” Also, when you actually say “real police,” you have to stress “real” and the first syllable of “police.” Otherwise…
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Drug Dealers vs. Business

A liquor store in Baltimore is being forced to close because a man was killed there and drug dealers congregate. Here’s the story in the Sun. I’m of mixed feelings. Liquor stores in the ghetto are hardly the most sympathetic businesses. But if they were all shut down, it’s not like the neighborhood’s problems would…
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Life for the American Brewery Building

Last time I was in town I noticed the scaffolding around the building from the train. That had to be good news. I think it might be the most beautiful building in the world. It just happens to be in the Eastern. It was a bad shape when I roamed around it in 2000. Now…
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Man suspected of selling drugs on bicycle hit by car

Oops. Sorry. Not really. The story from the Baltimore Sun is here. This is Sector One in the Eastern, for those who care.

Teens Cite Ease of Access to Drugs

The Washington Postreports: “A growing number of teenagers say it’s easier to illegally obtain prescription drugs than to buy beer or marijuana.” 19 percent, to be exact (according to the survey from The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuseat Columbia University). 25% say marijuana is the easiest, with 43 percent saying they could buy…
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I love you, Baltimore!

You know what I love about Baltimore? When I’m there, very often I want to burst out singing, “I love you, Baltimore!” just like Tracy Turnblad from “Hairspray.” Usually, I resist the urge. These past two days in Charm City were no exception. I never felt so welcome moving to a city as I did…
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Cop’s gun “accidentally” fires

The Daily Newsreports that a cop’s gun “accidentally” fired. No it di’int!If there’s one thing I learned as a cop, it’s that guns don’t fire by themselves. You gotta pull the trigger. Now there is a chance, if your finger is on the trigger, that you could get hit by something and accidentally squeeze the…
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Big bust in Australia

Australia police confiscated 15 million pills of ecstasy. That’s a lot of dancing! The ecstasy was hidden in cans from Italy, supposedly of canned tomatoes. What’s amazing about hauls of these huge sizes is just how little they matter. Why, what if all that ecstasy had gotten through?! I mean just think, every shipment before…
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Hit it!

Ha! “Apparently, McDonald’s didn’t realize something everyone else did, namely that the “I’d hit it” slogan adorning a banner ad means “I fancy it sexually” in the language of its target audience, and that the slogan sounds somewhat strange in the context of hamburger advertising.”