Category: Uncategorized

I interview Democratic NYC mayoral candidate Whitney Tilson. The primary is next month. And on youtube:

At issue is whether officers’ use of fatal force should be judged only at the “moment-of-threat.” Generally, for most other issues — such as probable cause (for search or arrest) and reasonable suspicion (for stop or frisk) — the court uses “totality of the circumstances.” You build a case, in effect, before making a decision.…
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This is a fun episode. It’s the kind and style of interview I conducted for my book, Back from the Brink. John Laffey isn’t in my book. He should have been. You tube link: https://youtu.be/RclCJ6vylP0

Neil Gong and I discuss his book, Sons, Daughters, and Sidewalk Psychotics: Mental Illness and Homelessness in Los Angeles. The youtube link:

Bloomberg reports: “City officials said they planned to cut the next five classes of new police hires, bringing the city’s total number of uniformed officers to roughly 29,000 by the end of fiscal year 2025, which would be the smallest force since 1993.” Emphasis added. Similar accounts from the NY Post. But in 1993 Transit…
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“Man fatally shot after leaving party at notorious Brooklyn horror home that NYPD has ignored: neighbors,” says the headline. https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-man-fatally-shot-leaving-brooklyn-house-party-20230812-o7y5h2secrb5tk5h3lxsrernea-story.html So you’ve got a long time nuance and the neighbors (“the community”) hate it. This is a weekly event. People pay money. There are fireworks! So neighbors call police. They expect police to shut it…
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Forget about the shooters or victims for a moment. Thing about everybody else on the block. Well kept homes with gardens. They matter, too. Not just for their sake but for our sake and the sake of Philadelphia. How many of you wouldn’t move if this happened where you live? Fuck: “OMG, what can we…
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Ropac discussion bail reform in NYC. The report is here: https://datacollaborativeforjustice.org/work/bail-reform/does-new-yorks-bail-reform-law-impact-recidivism-a-quasi-experimental-test-in-new-york-city/ The youtube, for those who can’t focus, is here: https://youtu.be/RmjThYI5xPI

The Trace has an online map of gunshot victims and fatalities over the past 9 years. It’s not perfect data. It seems vastly undercount (or not count) non-fatal shootings in areas without much press. And in New York City, it undercounts shooting incidents and victims by 17% and 20%. OK… but it’s still a pretty…
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There was a tweet that got my attention because it’s my hometown of Evanston. Five city workers “beat up a senior citizen after a verbal altercation.” Sounds bad. It’s like a police brutality video, but without the police. So it’s the same, but different. My first response was to assume the beaters were at fault…
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