Posted by Scott on June 23rd, 2007 — Posted in News
Imani Henry writes about how the racist court system 4 black lesbians to jail for simply defending themselves. I include an excerpt:
On June 14, four African-American women—Venice Brown (19), Terrain Dandridge (20), Patreese Johnson (20) and Renata Hill (24)—received sentences ranging from three-and-a-half to 11 years in prison. None of them had previous criminal records. Two of them are parents of small children.
Their crime? Defending themselves from a physical attack by a man who held them down and choked them, ripped hair from their scalps, spat on them, and threatened to sexually assault them—all because they are lesbians.
The mere fact that any victim of a bigoted attack would be arrested, jailed and then convicted for self-defense is an outrage. But the length of prison time given further demonstrates the highly political nature of this case and just how racist, misogynistic, anti-gay, anti-youth and anti-worker the so-called U.S. justice system truly is.
Read entire article by Imani Henry.
I want to point out that the women used non-lethal self-defense, and that an all-white jury convicted them.
This story shocks me and disgust me so much that I want to keep my comments simple. I want everyone to have the right to self-defense, and of course that right extends to women, black people, and homosexuals.
Unfortunately, the current racist, prejudice, and classist government sends innocent black people, innocent gay people, and innocent poor people to jail, instead of stopping victimizers, such as rapists, murders, and thieves.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on June 20th, 2007 — Posted in News
Andrew Maykuth recently wrote about violent crime in Philadelphia. I include an excerpt:
Philadelphia had the highest murder rate among the nation’s 10 largest cities last year, and violent crime and property crime grew at a rate that exceeded the national average, according to FBI statistics released yesterday.
Philadelphia’s 406 murders last year represented a 7.7 percent increase over 2005. The 10 largest cities recorded an increase of 6.9 percent and nationwide the rate increased 0.3 percent, according to the FBI’s preliminary uniform crime report.
Among the top 10 cities, Philadelphia reported the highest violent-crime rate last year, up 5.9 percent. Nationwide, violent crime increased 1.3 percent last year over 2005, according to the FBI’s annual survey of 11,723 law enforcement agencies. Violent crime includes murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.
Read entire article by Andrew Maykuth.
I find myself frustrated by statistics such as these. Some places in the United States have murder rates worse than those in war-torn Iraq. The powers that be have so much money to waste on needless oil wars overseas, but refuse to stop the violence at home.
Personally, I say we stop paying taxes to this negligent government, corrupted by influence from mega-corporations and special interests. Let’s instead use our money and our resources to create non-governmental organizations that address our needs, namely the need to protect ourselves from violent victimization, such as murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on June 1st, 2007 — Posted in News
A county in Washington has started a two-week program that allows defendants the chance to come in and skip arrest. I include an excerpt from an article Sean Robinson wrote about it:
The choice is simple enough: Keep ducking the arrest warrant and hope nobody notices, or wander in from the wilderness and schedule a court date.
For the next two weeks, Pierce County will offer 687 domestic violence defendants a chance to get legal. No arrest at the scheduling counter, no automatic trip to jail. The warrant goes away.
The county calls the program “Act Now.” It’s not amnesty – far from it. The domestic violence charges won’t be wiped away, but scheduling a court date and suspending an arrest warrant could open the door to court-ordered treatment instead of a bed behind bars upon conviction.
“We’re trying to give them a chance to take responsibility,” District Court Judge Judy Jasprica said Wednesday. “If we can get these people back on track doing whatever it is they’re supposed to be doing, that is our goal. The more we get these people stepping up, the better off the community is.”
The warrants represent a five-year backlog at the District Court. There are 824 of them – some defendants have more than one. The underlying cases cover a range of alleged domestic violence offenses, from assault and harassment to violating no-contact orders. The warrants typically followed failures to appear for scheduled court dates.
Read entire article by Sean Robinson.
I like the idea very much. Instead of just throwing the few we can catch in jail, we can offer them a mutually beneficial offer. If they voluntarily turn themselves in, they won’t get arrested and the court can send them to rehabilitation centers.
If we just send violent offenders to jail, when they get out they will just re-offend. Plus, we won’t catch all of them who already have warrants.
By offering to suspend arrest (at least until after court) if they turn themselves in, we can actually protect more innocent people. We can get many of these violent offenders into the court-assigned rehabilitation programs, rather than just try to get a few in temporary jail cells.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on May 30th, 2007 — Posted in News
Do you think what Santillan did in the following incident qualifies as self-defense:
Witness Esteban Lopez Romo testified that he had just walked into Wildwood Park when he saw Santillan come out of a store and get attacked by Figueroa near the bathrooms. Lopez, who is in federal custody for an alleged immigration violation, testified that they exchanged words, and Figueroa began punching [Santillan]. He said he didn’t remember what was said between the two.
Santillan appeared to step back and try to ward off the blows as Figueroa flailed at him for about two minutes, Lopez said.
Defense attorney Ron Vanesian asked if Santillan took a defensive posture in the fight.
“If you call pulling out a gun and blasting the other guy away being defensive, then yes,” Lopez said.
Figueroa, who was shot in the chest, fell to the ground, he said, and Santillan stepped over the 19-year-old and shot him in the head before running off, he said.
“(The shots) happened very quickly,” Lopez said.
Read entire article on signonsandiego.com.
I think Santillan acted in self-defense, but the judge ordered the trial of Santillan for murder.
I define murder as the offensive killing of one or more innocent persons. From what the witness said, it seems Santillan used lethal force to fend off an attacker. I do not see that as murder. I see it as self-defense, and I want self-defense to remain completely legal.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on May 21st, 2007 — Posted in News
Kevin Bohn recently reported on violence in Philadelphia and the nation. I include an excerpt:
Isaac Diaz walks through the toughest parts of North Philadelphia each day on his way to and from high school. But what really scares the 18-year-old senior is lying in his own bed at night.
He can hear the gunshots then.
“Last year it wasn’t so often. Now it’s as often as every night,” Diaz recently told CNN. “It might be your best friend dying, and you don’t even know about it.”
[...]
Nationally, violent crime is spiking, too.
FBI data from December, the most recent statistics available, show murders and robberies rose by 3.7 percent nationwide during the first six months of 2006.
Those findings came on top of a 2.2 percent crime hike in 2005 — the first increase since 2001.
Read entire article by Kevin Bohn.
I felt very disappointed while reading that article. Why does the US government have so much money to squander supposedly trying to stop the violence in Iraq, while U.S. cities have so much violence? (Especially since the efforts in Iraq seem to only make matters worse!)
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on May 18th, 2007 — Posted in News
Actor and anti-violence educator Ben Atherton-Zeman has performed at Whitehall school, in Glens Falls, New York. Sarah Sutton recently reported on the anti-violence performance. I include an excerpt:
“We all know most men don’t rape. So where are the voices of these men?” Atherton-Zeman asked the students at the beginning of the performance. “Most times, the voices of men, we tend to stay kind of quiet. If you’re part of a group that is committing violence, it is your responsibility to speak up.”
Throughout the presentation, images portraying the effects of domestic violence flashed across the screen of the darkened auditorium. One showed a terrified child huddled in a stairway, as his father beat his mother.
The statistics were equally startling. Every 12 seconds in the United States, a man abuses a woman. Every 2 minutes, a man rapes a woman.
Read entire article by Sarah Sutton.
I agree completely. Masculinity does not involve beating or abusing women. There’s nothing masculine about remaining silent like cowards while innocent people get abused.
All of us, both women and men, need to work together and put an end to violence and abuse. Although women and children get abused more often, I want to note that men also get abused.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on April 30th, 2007 — Posted in News
Kait8.com recently reported on Joey Perry’s self-defense class. I include an excerpt:
Joey Perry teaches a free women’s self-defense class on the last Thursday of every month. He covers the basics such as knowing where and how to strike an attacker and shows you defense techniques even small women can use.
“Anyone can learn to protect themselves. As long as they have the right training and they practice they can do the moves just like anyone twice their size. It’s all about leverage and knowing where to strike.”
Read entire article on kait8.com.
I do advise people, especially small women, to learn self-defense so they can do the best they can to protect themselves. However, I doubt any self-defense training can prepare a small woman to win a fight against an aggressive man twice her size. Of course, like us all, she can learn to avoid getting attacked in the first place. Learning to avoid dangerous situations in the first place protects a person more than learning how to get out of such situations.
Also, I just want to commend Joey Perry for not only teaching a class, but doing it free.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on April 10th, 2007 — Posted in News
Harry Hanson recently reported on a self-defense workshop hosted by third degree black belt named Josh Waltzing. Before doing hands on exercises, Waltzing described a seven step ladder:
At the base of the seven-step ladder is the defensive mechanism known as “walk-aways.”
“Walk-aways are things one does once and walks away. An example is locking doors,” emphasized Waltzing.
One student said she would cross the street so she wouldn’t have to stare eye-to-eye with a walker coming towards her she did not trust.
His second rung of the ladder was “habit.” Do not start out walking in the same direction each day, parking in the same spot in a parking lot or ramp, or leaving and arriving at a destination at the same moment each day.
Awareness comes next. “A blend between habits and knowledge: how a crime really happens and the habits to forewarn you of potential danger areas such as elevators or dark hallways,” he said. “ATMs, leaving an event, public restrooms and apartment laundry rooms are dangerous places to single persons.”
The fourth step was “maneuvering and positioning.” This told the student to identify the potentially criminal act before it is too late to act, and positioning one’s self away from the situation.
Next came “knowledge of self-worth and boundaries.” This pertains more to how you look and how you perceive yourself. This infers the student should take a quick appraisal of the situation confronting them as whether to talk, shout for rescue, or concede to the criminal act to prevent permanent injury or death.
“Verbal boundary enforcement.” The sixth step tells the student to be assertive, but not aggressive. Communicating to the criminal that awareness of the situation is to be followed by a commitment to defending one’s self. Waltzing explained there is a difference between an assertive mechanism and aggressive hollering.
Lastly, “physical self-defense.” Should it get that far, Waltzing stated “…the situation has been forced and you are justified to do whatever it takes to stop him.”
Read entire article by Harry Hanson.
I agree with the method that instructor Josh Waltzing taught. His “ladder” shows that one can most effectively avoid victimization by avoiding the need to use physical defense; i.e. avoid getting into dangerous situations. However, he still explains that if one still gets attacked, then use physical defense, which he shows them how to do.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on March 22nd, 2007 — Posted in News
The AP reports that The Chicago Foundation gives grants for violence prevention against women:
The Chicago Foundation for Women is giving out nearly one (M) million dollars in grants for projects that will help prevent violence against girls and women.
Spokeswoman Lois Lipton says it’s the largest amount of money the foundation has given.
The organization is awarding 34 separate grants across the state for the year-long projects.
Some of the projects include engaging high school boys in community education and looking at the long term impact of trauma on victims of gender-based violence.
The recipients include DePaul University College of Law, the Illinois African American Coalition for Prevention and the National Immigrant Justice Center.
The Chicago Foundation for Women was founded in 1986.
I see that as great news all around. Financing goes to violence prevention, and it comes from non-governmental, and thus accountable, organizations. I hope to see more funding like that go to more organizations like that.
What do you think?
1 Comment »
Posted by Scott on March 20th, 2007 — Posted in News
Kotv.com reports on an increase in violent crime across the nation (United States):
Violent crime is on the rise across the nation. A new study says we’re facing an alarming trend as many cities deal with double-digit, even triple-digit increases in homicides and other crimes involving guns. The group that did the study is the Police Executive Research Forum, they took crime stats from 2004 to 2006 from 56 cities and found violent crime is definitely making a comeback, especially in Middle America.Half of the 56 cities surveyed had an increase in homicides from 2004 to 2006, 75% of them had an increase in robberies and nearly 70% had an increase in assaults involving guns.
The study says the Feds have spent so much time and money worrying about terrorism that they’re not doing as much to fight local crime.
Read entire article at kotv.com.
I think the government could most effectively reduce violent crime & victimization by ending their enforcement of victimless crimes and refocusing the resources on preventing victimization, such as rape, murder, theft, and assault.
What do you think we and/or the government can do to reduce violent crime and victimization.
1 Comment »
Posted by Scott on February 27th, 2007 — Posted in News, Politics & Commentary
Rick Malwitz writes that murder rates in the United States rival those of soldiers in Iraq:
“…it is not difficult to find conditions equivalent to combat in American cities,” Preston wrote, in a report published by the University of Pennsylvania Population Studies Center. “In Philadelphia the death rate for black males ages 20-34 in 2002 was 4.37 per 1,000, 11 percent higher than for troops in Iraq.”
Philadelphia had 406 murders in 2006, giving it the highest murder rate of major American cities. Six of the victims were under the age of 1.
The United States military suffered 821 deaths in Iraq in 2006. About 600 were hostile deaths. Philadelphia alone had nearly two-thirds the number of hostile deaths in Iraq.
But the deadliest event in Pennsylvania in 2006 was not even in one of its cities. That event took place at a schoolhouse in Amish country in October, when a gunman killed five girls before turning the gun on himself.
Most of the soldiers sent to Iraq are in support missions. The risk of Marines going to door-to-door in Fallujah is obviously higher than young men walking on Broad Street in North Philly.
But the fact that we can even begin to compare Iraq with the streets of Newark and Philadelphia, and one-room schools in Amish country, is a reflection of the mean society we live in.
Read entire article by Rick Malwitz.
It shocked me to read that Philadelphia’s young black men have a higher death rate than the troop in Iraq. Imagine the innocent little children growing up in Philadelphia, trapped in a warzone. I expect that, thanks to those dangerously violent conditions, the children that survive often turn into violent criminals themselves.
If the United States stopped wasting tons of resources on needless wars, perhaps the Untied States could put those resources into stabilizing its own country. With so many people getting raped, murdered, and victimized on our own soil, we need to stop that with our resources; not start trouble elsewhere.
How can we have trillions of dollars to waste futilely trying to stabilize other countries, and yet we cannot (or just don’t) stabilize our own. We need to stop the over 24 million victimizations that occur on our own soil yearly.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on February 22nd, 2007 — Posted in News
Jamie Malernee reports on violence against homeless people:
Florida is the most dangerous state in the country for homeless people, with 48 attacks last year, about one-third of all attacks registered nationwide, according to an advocacy group’s report.
The report also found that violence against homeless people is rising across the country. It was the second year Florida ranked first in the statistics complied by the National Coalition for the Homeless.
Read entire Freep.com article.
Society’s general view towards homeless people creates an atmosphere conducive to victimizing these people. By dehumanizing homeless people, this makes them targets. Unfortunately, if these people cannot even afford a home, they probably cannot afford self-defense amenities including self-defense products, classes, or security.
What do you think?
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