Crime

Webster dictionary defines crime as: an act or the commission of an act that is forbidden or the omission of a duty that is commanded by a public law and that makes the offender liable to punishment by that law. I define crime as a form of rebellion, a sense of false power , and the result of ignorance of the individual committing the act as well as the society that the individual comes from. I define crime as a form of rebellion because it is my belief that a high percentage of the people that commit crime do so out of a sense of entitlement. For example a person that has the mindset that the system is corrupt and because they feel slighted, that individual then begins to work the system for his/her benefit. Which not only affects the system but the society as a whole. This is a classic case of ignorance and a false sense of power that they have now gotten over on the persons they feel are responsible for their actions. Another example is a person that commits a violent crime who claims to do so because they feel that if no one will give them what they feel they are entitled to they will take it. They have a sense of false power because in that moment they control their victim. It is from this place of ignorance that they dont realize that they are the one that is being controlled by their circumstances by using their abilities to harm the very society that they are a part of.

Crime in our city

Crime – an illegal act or illegal activity that involves breaking the law or an action prohibited by law or a failure to act as required by law. I’d say that drugs and guns are the ultimate causes of criminal activity in our neighborhoods today. I believe that most robberies and assaults are the result of drugs coupled with illegal guns. Baltimore ranked No. 5 with a murder rate of 37.26. After dropping from 282 murders in 2007 to 234 in 2008, the city essentially duplicated that number with 238 in 2009, a figure bumped in part by an unusually large number of people who died from injuries suffered in prior years. In April 2011, the Baltimore Sun reported that the city lost about 4.5 percent of its population, that’s about 30,000 people. This loss could bring about a possible loss of a state Senate seat and it has also bumped up the violent crime rate here in Baltimore. I think that gun turn in programs and tougher gun laws will help deter the many guns lying around the homes of many Baltimoreans. With tougher gun laws this will help to get illegal guns off the street. Baltimore leaders, including top cops, the mayor and the new state's attorney, are making their annual pilgrimage to Annapolis to lobby for stronger gun laws. Crime should be one of the primary concerns in the black community else we will destroy ourselves if we don’t come up with a solution. I don’t necessarily like the blue light cameras but they do come in handy when trying to figure out who committed the crime. However they do not seem to deter crime. Drug addiction and distribution is so prevalent these days that it seems to be the norm. “Oh she’s a drug addict!” “Oh he’s a drug dealer!” You may hear these statements from neighbors in the community and do nothing about it. I really don’t have a solution for the war on the drugs. I feel that the war is individualistic. If people who are addicted to drugs do not desire help then how will we conquer the war? If the government can’t find Osama Ben Lauden then how can we expect them to find and jail major drug cartel.

journal Entry

There is a passage in the bible that says "the poor will be with us always." I'm not saying that because you are poor that crime will be your passion, but as we discussed in class about social class, we must take a good look at where most crimes occur. In my opinion the areas around our city with the most unemployed and low social class more than likely those areas will have the most crime. Also most recently those areas that I call party districts like Fells Point and areas where there are bars/clubs where crimes seems to be synonymous. My point is that crime will never go away. It will always be with us no matter how we try to control it. It seems to only get worse.

Jouranl Entry

It seems in recent months we have been inundated with news of corruption in the city of Baltimore. City workers are caught gambling and drinking on the job, police officers involved in misconduct. Are we more prone to talk about this since the Sheila Dixon trial or is this systemic of what's going on in society at large/

Crime and Violence in Baltimore

Your job is to solve the crime problem in Baltimore. Please aim your analyses and solutions at working class black neighborhoods, especially those whose residents are marginalized.

Before you provide a solution, please tell us what a crime is. Identify the kinds of crimes that you are talking about. What are the most prevalent crimes in the hood? Identify different variables that come into play involving the problem. Is or should crime be the primary concern of the black community? What are some solutions you offer?

Disaster Preparedness

In my opinion the U.S. is not prepared for a major disaster, however I do believe that they will act more swiftly than they did after the devastation in New Orleans. The key to disaster preparedness is proactivity and the government needs to not only plan ahead but move ahead when there is a threat of human life in our country. According to the Urban Issues CQ Researcher six days before the Hurricane hit New Orleans Walmart sent trucks loaded with generators, dry ice, thousands of cases of bottled water and other needed supplies. This is one example of how the government needs to move into action when there is a threat to our people. The President declared a state of emergency for Louisianna two days before the storm but did not move into action until much later after several lives were lost.