New Orleans On My Mind

I was a junior in college when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August 2005.  At first I could not fully grasp the brevity of the situation.  I was shocked, dismayed and saddened by the devastation and the racial and socio-economic ills it brought to the surface.  I vividly remember standing in line at McDonald's in the student union and the people in front of me were talking about all "those people" in New Orleans looting. "Those people" had Black faces like mine.  At no point did they consider maybe they're stealing sneakers because the ones they waded through infested water in were ruined.  Maybe they were stealing diapers because their crying babies needed them.  Maybe they were stealing TVs to sell them and get some money to get out of the Superdome.  No.  "Those people" were criminals and not deserving of  help.

And then there was the Danziger Bridge. Though we will never truly know what occurred, NPR provides a strong rundown.  The corruption of the already marred image of New Orleans Police Department further showed the unrest and discord that simmered below the surface of this city.  But alas, Michael Hunter was sentenced to 8 years for his part the coverup. Does that seem just?

Worthwhile Victims

Recently, I watched a special titled "In the Shadow of Laci Peterson." It was about several pregnancy crime victim cases that occurred in the same time frame as the infamous Laci Peterson case. As a bit of a crime media observer, I'm also interested in the intersection of race, class, victimology and media coverage.  Who are the victims they chose to shine the spotlight of the media upon and the impact of that glare in the likelihood the case will be solved.  I remember all of the media coverage of the Peterson case and Natalee Holloway and I am always struck by the victims that are never seen. The faces never constantly splashed across the headlines of magazines.

I am sure this is a topic I will revisit in future posts. This topic was swimming around in my head and i just wanted to share, dear reader.

The Thoughtful Criminal

Recently, I read a short blurb in the Washington Post Express about a mugger who returned the stolen wallet and cell phone to the victim after the victim divulged that he was unemployed.  The short mention was meant to be humorous I assume but it made me think about our current economic times and criminality. 

At the beginning of this recession, I remember hearing about a rash of crimes that would ensue.  When people lose their jobs, they commit crime was the very basic premise. That did not occur with this widespread recession.  I always wonder what circumstances in a person's life lead them to crime.  Because, at the risk of sounding like a bleeding heart liberal (which I have been called many times and I am not ashamed), I truly believe people are intrinsically good and circumstances in their lives lead them to do bad things, to harm their fellow man.  And this particular case confirms that to me.  Both people in the situation are hurting, the mugger and the victim.  Based on his reaction, I will assume the mugger is in a similar situation or knows people who are, and he is desperate.  He understood the plight of the victim and did not want to victimize him further.

Though I obviously responded to this story in a different manner than intended, it furthered my belief in the good of people.  And warmed my cold, black heart just a little. :-)

The Black (Wo)Man Did It!!!

As you have all heard, the story of the Vancouver, WA woman, Bethany Storro, who claimed to be the victim of some freak attack with acid. And that is was fake, a hoax, a big bold faced lie. I was watching the coverage of the case on Jane Valez Mitchell's show on HLN and she asked one of the commentators about the detailed description Ms. Storro gave of her attacker. The man brushed it off and went into a rant about the emotional turmoil Ms. Storro must be under and poor her etc. Interesting. Many people do not want to talk about why in this elaborate attention-seeking scheme, she chose to describe a black female who attacked her because she was jealous of her beauty *read whiteness*. Setting the stage for this to be a hate crime. Why? Why has there been no discussion as far as i have seen, of the racial implications of this case specifically?

The first case that I can recall during my lifetime of the convenient black description of a nonexistent perp was in the Susan Smith trial. She has the opportunity to describe any type of carjacker that she wanted, since the person did not exist and she chose a Black man. I'm sure there are more cases but Susan Smith popped into my mind instantly. Why is it acceptable to always pin your faux crime on a Black person and any Black person will do? I just remembered the case of Charles Stuart in Boston who killed his pregnant wife and pointed the finger at a Black man. The case garnered sympathy initially as well as a wide spread round-up of Black men in Boston.

What about our society accepts this perception of Black criminality and that the best way to deflect away from your own guilt in perpetuating the crime is to say 'The Black (Wo)Man Did It!!"?

Introduction

Hello dear reader! I am the budding criminologist!! For as long as I can remember, I have had a weird fascination with crime, specifically serial killers. I decided to parlay that interest into an Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice. As an undergrad, I branched out beyond the serial killer realm of criminology into studying the intersection of race, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status, etc, basically any marginalized group in society, and crime policy. I wanted to understand the impact of one's position in society on the way their criminality was perceived, shaping their interaction with the criminal justice system. I will use this blog to further explore criminal justice policy topics that I come across and other "crime-y" topics that I want to share.

ENJOY!