Red Dog disbanded (Atlanta: live, bus, office)

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by axemanjoe

Very few poeple in the criminal justice system are there for "doing nothing"

Agree, but isn't it funny how you always hear on the TV news or read about parents or neighbors describing "what a good boy he was" after he was arrested for committing a violent felony. I think some people are in denial.

I grew up in the city, and I agree with the comments about keeping kids busy. I also have my doubts about how many individuals are involved in the criminal justice system for "being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

[axemanjoe]

Originally Posted by neil0311

Agree, but isn't it funny how you always hear on the TV news or read about parents or neighbors describing "what a good boy he was" after he was arrested for committing a violent felony. I think some people are in denial.

I grew up in the city, and I agree with the comments about keeping kids busy. I also have my doubts about how many individuals are involved in the criminal justice system for "being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Yeah, the wrong place at the wrong time....................and doing the wrong thing while they're there!

[waronxmas]

Originally Posted by neil0311

I also have my doubts about how many individuals are involved in the criminal justice system for "being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Why such quickness to denial? If you grew up in the city (and it depends a lot on when and where too) then you no doubt know someone who has.

I can only speak from my own experience, but here is one that really stands out:

It involves I guy I knew since elementary school from my neighborhood. He got good grades, had a part time job at Subway, was a bit nerdy but other wise ok, and usually kept to himself. One night he was walking home from being out and saw a couple of guys from school drive by. They asked him if he wanted a ride home and he accepted. What they failed to tell him was that the car they were in was stolen.

After a few minutes they were pulled over by the police, and all of them were arrested. The guy I knew was charged as an accessory to the crime. With the way our "criminal justice" system works, they did not bother to even consider the fact that he had an alibi. Urban police departments are all about prosecution rates (it's what the masses clamor for), and immediately offer a plea deal in pretty much every situation. Since most families who are caught up in those situations are poor, they can not afford good legal counsel to advise them against agreeing to that and aren't usually educated on their rights.

So, given this was a situation where he was charged with a felony, and he was a minor, the State offered two options:

1. Rat out the other guys in the car in exchange for a lessor sentence.

2. Don't rat out the guys and serve a full sentence.

Unfortunately for him, no one ever advised him of the third option which was to give the prosecutor the middle finger and tell them to prove he was guilty of the charges.

He chose option one of course, and served six months in juvenile detention. However, this all occurred at the beginning of his senior year and he was unable to graduate on time (let alone go to Georgia State like he had planned). When he got out, I heard he was strung out for a while on E and was partying like crazy (going through a situation like that kind of messes with your priorities in some people) and other self destructive behavior.

Fortunately, he straightened himself out and last I heard he has a stable job and family.

BUT

This is an example of what havoc "being in the wrong place at the wrong time" can cause on in person's life. This isn't meant to make you feel all gushy and stuff, but you must understand that our "criminal justice" system is stacked against the urban poor. Between minimum drug possession sentences and arrest quotas, an environment of "anything goes" has persisted in urban neighborhoods for the last 20 years or so and has wrecked whole communities.

And for what? Some times these practices had a practical reason behind them such as cracking down on the drug trade and gang activity, but at what cost should we stray from the concept of liberty to achieve the goals of reducing that type of activity? How much of it too was merely to placate the fears of suburbanites who likely will never be a victim of a crime in their neighborhoods?

Overall, I would love to say the story I gave above was exaggerated or the only time something like that happened. Sadly, it is not and even sadder it is not even the worst story I could give you about someone "being in the wrong place at the wrong time" since he actually survived and overcame it.

It does us zero good to stick our heads in the sand about the transgressions those who are poor or are on the fringes of society have endured at the heavy hand of the police state in our city's urban communities.

And before any one wants to pull the race card, my friend in this story is white. If you are young, urban, and poor in this society God help you if you make it out unscathed no matter what your color is.

[testa50]

+1 wox

I would rep that, but I need to spread.

[axemanjoe]

"This is an example of what havoc "being in the wrong place at the wrong time" can cause on in person's life. This isn't meant to make you feel all gushy and stuff, but you must understand that our "criminal justice" system is stacked against the urban poor. Between minimum drug possession sentences and arrest quotas, an environment of "anything goes" has persisted in urban neighborhoods for the last 20 years or so and has wrecked whole communities."

I hafta disagree. "Urban poor" is a very broad brush, many of the urban poor grow up and become successful adults who never get arrested. At the same time I do not dispute the truthfulness of your scenario, but it cerainly does not apply to every person who is part of the "urban poor" who gets arrested.

[brownhornet]

Originally Posted by axemanjoe

It is just as annoying when the very same people you are speaking of commit crimes or infractions, then cry about being "hassled" when they get stopped or get caught. I wish I had a nickel for every time I was told "you stopped me just cause I'm ***** " It gets old. We can't help it if the person who gets arrested is of a certain race, they commited the crime, regardless of their race. Criminality as well as stupidity knows no racial boundaries. If people are concerned with getting "hassled" by the police, maybe they should take a look at WHY they are being stopped or contacted. Last time I checked we still need Probable Cause to stop someone. So again, if they're worried about getting stopped, put a legal exhaust system on the car, don't play the music so loud that it's heard 100' away, don't run red lights, don't hit the horn unless attempting to warn of a hazard, just some examples, in other words DON'T COMMIT CRIMES. Listen to Chris Rock, he makes a lot of sense;


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XujaB4HkBgE

Let me guess.. youre white. Makes sense as to why everything you just said is BS pretty much. Its about as much BS as them pulling me over and asking me what do I do for a living to afford the type of car I drive. I bet if you did a poll of black men here that have been pulled over and given the BS reason that "they fit the description" damn near every man here would have an experience. Stop acting like racial profiling ended in the 80s. It DAMN sure didnt in Atlanta and anyone with common sense knows it. I cant count the number of times ive been pulled over and I dont have a music system, rims, loud exhaust.. nor was I speeding, breaking any traffic laws or doing anything suspicious.

Sorry but I dont know what world you live in but clearly it isnt a realistic one. But then again if youre a pig im sure you already know all of this.

[brownhornet]

Originally Posted by tonygeorgia

The good the Red Dogs did>>>>>Bad stuff they duid

Correct me if im wrong, but wasnt the red dog unit the ones that ran in that old lady's house in the bluff shot her and then lied to cover it up?

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by brownhornet

Correct me if im wrong, but wasnt the red dog unit the ones that ran in that old lady's house in the bluff shot her and then lied to cover it up?

That was horrible but actually I don't think it was the Red Dog unit.

[axemanjoe]

Originally Posted by brownhornet

Let me guess.. youre white. Makes sense as to why everything you just said is BS pretty much. Its about as much BS as them pulling me over and asking me what do I do for a living to afford the type of car I drive. I bet if you did a poll of black men here that have been pulled over and given the BS reason that "they fit the description" damn near every man here would have an experience. Stop acting like racial profiling ended in the 80s. It DAMN sure didnt in Atlanta and anyone with common sense knows it. I cant count the number of times ive been pulled over and I dont have a music system, rims, loud exhaust.. nor was I speeding, breaking any traffic laws or doing anything suspicious.

Sorry but I dont know what world you live in but clearly it isnt a realistic one. But then again if youre a pig im sure you already know all of this.

"But then again if youre a pig im sure you already know all of this"

Now don't you sound real intelligent.

I am white.

I am in law enforcement, been in it for 32 years, now a lieutenant in a large metro agency.



You have my sympathy

[AcidSnake]

So the REAL question would be how many of these "urban kids" would actually be in the justice system if their name was Billy Bob and they were "country kids" hailing from Habersham County? Some folks are given the slap on the wrist while other folks get thrown under the bus around these parts.

Originally Posted by axemanjoe

I was responding to your claim above. The "urban kids" you are referencing are the one I am calling attention to. Again, very few if any of them are in the CJS for having "done nothing."