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Fairfax Underground
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
A Baltimore DA lets the Truth Out
Posted by:
#realtalk
()
Date: August 01, 2015 05:32PM
As a defense attorney in Baltimore city I am reminded of the immortal words of the venerable Dave Mustain: "killing is my business, and business is good."
This city is out of control right now. But blaming the cops, the mayor, or the state's attorney is fundamentally wrongheaded. Nothing will change until these communities change. They have to stand up and be heard. They have to go to the police when then know something. They have to take an interest in their neighborhood and the kids that live in it. They have to impress the virtues of education, self respect, respect for others, and respect for the law (including our much besmirched police). They have to clean up the trash, literally and metaphorically. These parts of the city look like Baghdad, but instead of IEDs there's just the reminders of crushed caps and needles. It's absolutely fucked.
And no doubt these areas are impoverished, but I'm tired of that being an excuse for criminal behavior and chronic indifference. You don't have to be rich to sweep your porch. You don't need money to invite the 12 year old whose standing on the corner to sit and talk for a minute. You don't need a great job to have respect for others. You're time and love can be given freely to those who need it.
I had a client recently break down in court during a re sentencing and cry about how he had no father. How his mom was high all the time (and probably still high at that particular moment as she nodded in and out in the courthouse). How his teachers didn't care and passed him along, though he could barely read and write. He turned to me and said, "this man is the only one who seems to care about me." I've known him for all of six months, he has tremendous potential, but I'm not his answer. I cant be. The judge reduced his sentence and he will soon go free. And as much as I want to see him succeed, experience tells me he won't.
When a kid looks to an appointed defense attorney as a role model and father figure shit is epically fucked up. I don't have the time, the heart, or the strength to carry that weight for my clients. And yet when i look to his family to find the support he needs I'm told, "I guess he can sleep on the couch for a while."
And we wonder why there's 40+ murders. The answer is - because nobody gives a fuck.
I'm tired of it too.
https://np.reddit.com/r/baltimore/comments/3fcawm/baltimore_killings_soar_to_a_level_unseen_in_43/ctnk69q?context=3
This city is out of control right now. But blaming the cops, the mayor, or the state's attorney is fundamentally wrongheaded. Nothing will change until these communities change. They have to stand up and be heard. They have to go to the police when then know something. They have to take an interest in their neighborhood and the kids that live in it. They have to impress the virtues of education, self respect, respect for others, and respect for the law (including our much besmirched police). They have to clean up the trash, literally and metaphorically. These parts of the city look like Baghdad, but instead of IEDs there's just the reminders of crushed caps and needles. It's absolutely fucked.
And no doubt these areas are impoverished, but I'm tired of that being an excuse for criminal behavior and chronic indifference. You don't have to be rich to sweep your porch. You don't need money to invite the 12 year old whose standing on the corner to sit and talk for a minute. You don't need a great job to have respect for others. You're time and love can be given freely to those who need it.
I had a client recently break down in court during a re sentencing and cry about how he had no father. How his mom was high all the time (and probably still high at that particular moment as she nodded in and out in the courthouse). How his teachers didn't care and passed him along, though he could barely read and write. He turned to me and said, "this man is the only one who seems to care about me." I've known him for all of six months, he has tremendous potential, but I'm not his answer. I cant be. The judge reduced his sentence and he will soon go free. And as much as I want to see him succeed, experience tells me he won't.
When a kid looks to an appointed defense attorney as a role model and father figure shit is epically fucked up. I don't have the time, the heart, or the strength to carry that weight for my clients. And yet when i look to his family to find the support he needs I'm told, "I guess he can sleep on the couch for a while."
And we wonder why there's 40+ murders. The answer is - because nobody gives a fuck.
I'm tired of it too.
https://np.reddit.com/r/baltimore/comments/3fcawm/baltimore_killings_soar_to_a_level_unseen_in_43/ctnk69q?context=3