Here’s another one for the record books. This isn’t the first time somebody has been shot at a funeral. Kevin Rector and Justin George of the Sun observe, “Gunfire has marred other services in recent years to mourn deceased victims of violence in Baltimore.” And this is probably not even the first time a father…
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In New York City, year to date, murders continue to be lower than last year (124 vs 140) and higher than record-low 2014 (112). Given the rise of homicide in so many other cities, this is great news. In Baltimore there were 26 murders in May. It’s hard to call this exactly “good news.” But…
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Here is one person’s decision to pack up and leave the city. It’s well worth reading. It’s a short move, two miles north, to the burbs. And he’s taking his tax dollars with him. This is especially worth reading if you think the biggest problem facing Baltimore is racism and policing. Or if you’re privileged…
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Hours after posting about the police-involved killing of robber Robert Howard, I read Justin Fenton’s amazing storyabout the robber: “Man fatally shot by off-duty officer was also shot by police 20 years earlier.” Are you effing serious?! What are the odds? I don’t think anybody in American history has ever been shot by cops in…
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On April 15th, an off-duty Baltimore cop shot and killed a man. “Witnesses” said, according to WBAL: The officer was having an argument with the man outside the store and the man ran away toward the store. “As he was running in the store the police shot him, boom. When he got in the store,…
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I’m finally getting around to watching The Seven Five, a documentary about the 75 Precinct in the 1980s and criminal cop Michael Dowd. Good stuff… the documentary, that is, not the cop. I like how the movie is told through three perspectives: the dirty cops, the cops who caught them, and the criminal the cops…
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Yesterday I was asked by a journalist what it means for politicians and police brass to “have cops’ backs.” It’s a fair question. It doesn’t mean not being critical of police. It doesn’t mean defending cops when they make an unreasonable mistake. It does mean giving cops the benefit of the doubt and supporting officers…
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I’m surprised that I can still be surprised at Baltimore’s State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby’s continued battle again Baltimore’s police. I don’t know, maybe she thinks all cops are bad because she grew up around so many bad cops. But Freudian analysis aside, imagine if the public prosecutor was out to get you and your colleagues.…
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Baltimore has 73,000 arrests per year in a city of 620,000. Mass arrest & incarceration are not working to combat #OpioidEpidemic — Leana Wen, M.D. (@DrLeanaWen) March 29, 2016 No, it doesn’t. Wait a second… if you think Baltimore has 73,000 arrests, watch this magic: [POOF!] I just reduced arrests by 63 percent! There were…
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Does anybody recognize this guy from Humans of New York? More than 13,000 shares and 147,000 likes on facebook. He says he was a Baltimore cop for 21 years and a heroin addict the entire time. It’s not inconceivable, but it doesn’t ring true. I see a guy sitting on a bench in NYC with…
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