Year: 2009

Kathryn Johnston

Three years after the police killed Kathryn Johnston the case is almost finished winding through court. Johnston is one of those names you should know, another victim of the war on drugs. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the whole story. It includes these lines: “Tesler said when he joined the narcotics unit, he was told to…
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Growing Support for Legalized Pot

For the first time more than 40%. Read about it at 538.com. My world? I would guess 90% of my friends (99% not counting Baltimore cops) and 75% of my students support legal marijuana.

11-year-old kills family

What do you do with an 11-year-old murderer? Really. I have no idea. Here’s an excerpt of the story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Jordan Brown, a fifth-grader from New Beaver, Lawrence County, allegedly killed his father’s pregnant girlfriend, Kenzie Marie Houk, 26. Police say he used the child-sized 20-gauge hunting shotgun his father, Chris, had…
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The War on Drugs Had Failed

That line is nothing new coming from me. But it is something new coming from Fernando Cardoso, Cesar Gaviria, And Ernesto Zedillo. Who the hell are they? Just the former president of Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. In the Wall Street Journalthey write: Over the last 30 years, Colombia implemented all conceivable measures to fight the…
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Chicago Links Street Cameras to 911 Network

The New York Times reports.

Robber Killed

This is the kind of shootings that makes cops smile. Bad guys gets what he had coming. Reminds me of the time in roll call when the sergeant was describing a complicated shooting in Sector One on Barclay St. or Greenmount Ave. It was a confusing tale of a Mexican guy, a black guy, a…
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Life and Death in New Orleans

My friend Dan Baum has written an excellent book about New Orleans. Nine Lives: Death and Life in New Orleans. Baum was the New Yorker reporter covering the aftermath of the flood. And it’s not just me who says this book is great. The New York Times gave it a great review. You can read…
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Bicylist-Assualting Cop Fired

Police Officer Pogan, who tackled a bicyclist in Times Square, has been fired. I told you so. Here’s the the story in the Times. A friend of mine has claimed that there’s “more to the story” and that the officer was specifically trying to stop thisbicyclist. I don’t buy it. If that had been the…
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Good News for Coke Heads

The DEA makes up numbers about the price of cocaine and used the funny numbers to claim rising prices and victory in the war on drugs. The UK is more honest and admits that the price of cocaine has fallen by half in the last 10 years and is set to decline even more. The…
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Mexicans block border to protest drug war

“Hundreds of people in Mexico have blocked key crossings into the US in protests against the deployment of the army fighting drug traffickers.” Read the complete story in the BBC.