Year: 2016

Just counting people killed by police won’t fix problems. We need better data.

I and Nick Selby wrote this one for the Washington Post.

“Pander to audience expectations”

There’s a nice article about Alice Goffman in the Times magazine. Overall it’s a great piece about Alice Goffman, who has written one of the best sociology books ever, and the state of sociology in general. One line I find funny is the assertion that she “panders to audience expectations” by this description of a…
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You cheap lazy bastards!

So I go to my school office today (the first time since before X-mas), and what’s there for me? A nice letter from somebody thanking for my blog. That’s very sweet. You’re very welcome. But you know what made it even better? No, you don’t, because it wasn’t from you, you cheap lazy bastard! (Except…
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We Got Another Kingpin! (16)

It’s been awhile since we’ve gotten a Kingpin. Almost a year. El Chapo. We’ve gotten this guy before. Like non-sequel movies, are we running out of Kingpins?

Sergeant in Eric Garner death charged departmentally

I don’t know if this is good or bad, but why does it take years? That’s what’s so f*cked up about police discipline. And these charges were placed only, 18 months later, to beat the statute of limitations. The story in the Times.

Ambush in Philly

Officer Jesse Hartnett is lucky to be alive. And bad-ass for returning fire and hitting the wanna-be killer. From ABC: “I just have to tell you, when you look at the video – we have video that captured all of this – it’s one of the scariest things I’ve ever seen,” said Ross. “This guy…
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2015 homicide increase

I’d like to double down on the 2015 homicide increase. I’ve made a habit of offering a $100 bet to anybody says “we don’t know if homicides are up.” What’s odd is that nobody has taken my bet. Some insist that crime can’t really be up till the data is formally compiled and tell us…
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How many strikes do you get?

I’m not for “three strikes and you’re out.” I am, however, supportive of 32 strikes and you’re out (I’d even go down to 20). Kari Bazemore, who has a history of random violence, slashed a woman walking down 23rd St at 6AM. There’s something particularly chilling about the pointless randomness of it. No argument. No…
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I didn’t see this coming

As usual, they don’t get you for what you did. They get you for what you write. While morally suspect, Officer Encinia didn’t do anything legally wrong legally when he stopped and arrested Sandra Bland in Texas. But what he wrote seemed a bit different from what he was seen doing on video. And now,…
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You gotta break some eggs… to make a mess

According toMaryland Governor Hogan, C.O.R.E. stands for Creating Opportunities for Renewal and Enterprise. “We should be able to make tremendous progress over the next for year,” said the mayor. What’s the cause for celebration? Demolition. Forgive me if I hold my applause till something is built. Now don’t get me wrong, tearing these buildings down…
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