The Policies of Justice and Injustice
Trayvon Martin & Ahmaud Arbery: A Reflection on Similarities.
On February 26, 2012, a “neighborhood watch captain” named George Zimmerman shot and killed a young African American man named Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida. Almost eight years later to the day, in Brunswick, Georgia, 264 miles due north of Sanford, Florida, a group of self-appointed law enforcers – Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael and William…
Read MoreMaryland Prosecutors Release “Do Not Call Lists.”
The chief prosecutor in Baltimore City and Prince George’s County Maryland released their respective “Do Not Call Lists” after a Maryland appellate court ruling. The “Do Not Call Lists” are lists of former and current federal, state, and local law enforcement officers deemed unfit to testify by prosecutors because the prosecutors question the officer’s credibility.…
Read MoreOn the Normalization of Marijuana
In the United States, many states have made medical marijuana available to anyone with a medical marijuana card. Some states have decriminalized marijuana and still others have made recreational marijuana use legal for adults. Serge and Clarke discuss their thoughts on this subject and especially the need for better THC testing for drugged driving cases.
Read MoreDefunding the Police: A 1935 idea is partially realized in 2021
Serge and Clarke discuss the original idea of W.E.B. Du Bois that is now the slogan of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States. Serge argues for more money for police agencies, while Clarke — who disagrees with the basic idea of “defunding the police” — argues that police departments need to use…
Read MoreGun Violence Claims Innocent Bystanders
An increasingly complicated problem in America is the wounding and killing of unintended victims. There are so many shootings in so many locations, including highways, that the daily news reports children and adults being harmed who weren’t even intended to be harmed by the trigger pullers. Serge and Clarke talk about this phenomenon, especially in…
Read MoreOcean City, Maryland Police Enforce Vaping Laws the Old Fashioned Way—With Force
Videos of Ocean City, Maryland Police Officers kicking, tackling, and even using a taser on young African American males to enforce the prohibition against vaping on the Boardwalk prompt this week’s discussion. Serge and Clarke explain the Ocean City ordinances and comment upon the enforcement strategies which have resulted in a public relations debacle for…
Read MoreFells Point Tax Revolt Leads Baltimore Police to “Flood the Zone.”
Thirty-seven Baltimore businesses threatened a taxpayer revolt unless the city provided sufficient police protection to the Fells Points community. Counter-protestors threatened to boycott these same businesses unless they paid taxes. The politics of police protection in Baltimore is the topic of this podcast. “We’ve reached our breaking point”: 37 Fells Point businesses threaten not to…
Read MoreProject EXILE makes for strange bedfellows in Baltimore
The acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland holds a press conference to announce an expanded Project EXILE in Baltimore. He shares the stage with State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby. Serge Antonin and Clarke Ahlers consider the confusing messages being sent by Marilyn Mosby who told her constituents that the most serious problem facing…
Read MorePolice Body-Worn Cameras in the George Floyd, Daunte Wright & Ma’Khia Bryant cases.
In this episode, Serge Antonin and Clarke Ahlers discuss the recent phenomenon of body-worn cameras and the impact the cameras had in the prosecution of Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd, the anticipated prosecution of Kim Potter for the shooting death of Daunte Wright, and the probability that the shooting of Ma’Khia Bryant…
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