[Peace] Bravo to Ryan

[Dlind49 at aol.com]

In a message dated 1/11/03 3:53:38 PM Central Standard Time, 
reichel at students.uiuc.edu writes:

<< racist, classist death penalty >>

This statement is not verifiable. If you review crime and murder rates you 
will find a disproportional part of the population , minorities, commit the 
crimes.   The latest homicide 2001 statistics for Chicago reveal:

For 431 known offenders  murder

69.5% black
7% white
23% hispanic
.5% other
92% male
8% female

age
0-16 8%
17-24 52%
25-34 23%
over 35 17%

Average number of prior arrests since 1990: 8


665 Victims:
black 68%
white 6.8%
Hispanic 24%
other 1.2%

Age of victims:
0-16 8%
17-24 38%
25-34 27%
over 35 27%

average number of arrests since 1990:  8.3

********
These stats for Chicago show minorities kill minorites in extremely high 
proportion to the population.  And Chicago's murder stats mirror other murder 
stats for most cities. 

When you have overwhelming proportion of murders are minorities killing 
minorites then incarceration will reflect who does the killing and death 
sentences will reflect that also. If we just look at recent murders in  in CU 
 or Decatur it is also obvious. 
Minorites commit the murders - that is reality. And they do have a choice 
because 90% of minorites are not involved in crimes so you have 10% 
committing 92.5 % of the murders / crimes.  So at 20% of population with 10% 
you have less than 2% of the population commiting over 90% of the crimes / 
murders.  

The question we need to ask is why is such a mall proportion of the 
population commiting all the crimes? and why do they commit so many crimes 
over and over.  Also when you look at murder victims they have also been 
involved in ongoing criminal  activity. Again reality not racism. Simple if 
you commit the murder or crime then you must be punished.   And when you are 
involved in crime yourself you will probably be killed / murdered. 

I do not know if any of you have investigated a murder but it is not nice and 
when you find the  offender has been arrested over and over and released over 
and over to kill, hurt, rape, steal etc. again it flat sucks.   By the way 
the average time spent in prison for a life sentence is 7 years not natural 
life. And then they commit more crimes. Once more the choice is theirs. So is 
the death penality:  "racist, classist death penalty" not even close because 
it reflects who commits the murder/crime and most important the murders 
/crimes are comitted against minorites by minoroties.  

And as to offenders being released and killing again:

Attack on Officer / Update Texas

By Karisa King, Elaine Aradillas and Jesse Bogan
Express-News Staff Writers

Web Posted : 01/04/2003 12:00 AM

In one of the most vicious attacks on police in recent years, a burly
ex-convict turned a romantic dispute at a North Side diner into a shooting
rampage that left four officers wounded with their own guns.

The gunman, Jamie Lichtenwalter, a 26-year-old parolee who had become
jealous after seeing his girlfriend with another man, was killed outside
the Denny's restaurant on Northeast Loop 410 by a rookie officer who had
been shot four times.

"He ambushed all the officers, who weren't quite prepared for somebody
quite that violent," Police Chief Albert Ortiz said at a morning news
conference. "You never know when an explosion is going to occur. It changes
not just from call to call, but from second to second."

The four policemen wounded by Lichtenwalter - Officers David Evans, Michael
Muñiz and Nathan Murray and Detective John Bocko - are recovering at two
area hospitals.

The shootings faintly reawakened some of the same questions about police
safety and training surrounding the slayings of two officers two years ago.

"We will review again to see if anything needs to change in terms of
tactics and strategies," Ortiz said.

Evans and Bocko arrived separately at the restaurant about 3:30 a.m. after
Lichtenwalter's girlfriend told a manager to call police.

Evans, a 51-year-old patrolman with 25 years of experience, and Bocko, an
evidence detective who happened to be nearby when the call came, believed
they had quickly defused the argument. Lichtenwalter had voluntarily handed
over his girlfriend's car keys.

But as the officers allowed him to leave the restaurant, his girlfriend
whispered to one of the officers that Lichtenwalter, a former bouncer at
several area strip clubs, might have a gun, police said.

At that point and without warning, Lichtenwalter whirled and punched Bocko
in the jaw, breaking it in several places.

Witnesses told police Bocko fell to the floor "like a sack of potatoes,"
Ortiz said at the news conference.

Lichtenwalter, described by police as having arms as thick as tree trunks,
then turned on Evans, knocked him to the ground and wrested the veteran
officer's .40-caliber Glock. As Evans lay on the ground without his
bullet-proof vest, Lichtenwalter stood and shot him three times - in the
chest, stomach and arm, police spokesman Gabriel Trevino said.

The dozen or so diners in the restaurant ducked underneath tables. As
several called 911, the police switchboard flashed with green and red
lights.

By that time, Bocko was back on his feet, but he was dazed and stumbled
through the restaurant. The gunman then started firing at him, and he was
grazed by a bullet across his back.

"Wherever Bocko was bleeding, you could see the trail of gunfire following
him," Ortiz said.

When Lichtenwalter ran out of bullets, he kicked and pistol-whipped Bocko
with the empty Glock, Ortiz said.

Meanwhile, Evans staggered out of the restaurant. But Lichtenwalter was
close behind - and now armed with Bocko's gun.

A desk clerk at the adjacent Econo Lodge said he was in the hotel lobby
when Evans began banging on the front glass indow.

"I could hear him pounding, just 'Bam, bam, bam,'" said Eric Detloff, the
clerk.

Trevino said they were unsure when Lichtenwalter grabbed Bocko's gun.

"We feel he had already unloaded Evans' gun by the time he got to Bocko's
gun," Trevino said.

Muñiz, 22 and fresh out of the training academy five months ago, and
Murray, a North Side patrolman with eight years on the force, were next to
arrive.

They spotted Evans in the parking lot and began helping him when
Lichtenwalter opened fire.

A bullet pierced Murray's cheek. Muñiz was shot in the neck and three times
in the leg. He managed to exchange gunfire with Lichtenwalter at close
range. Lichtenwalter, who was shot at least six times, collapsed on top of
Muñiz and died, authorities said.

When a group of backup officers arrived, Muñiz , too weakened to move, was
still lying underneath the gunman.

"It would have been understandable if (Muñiz ) had backed up and hesitated,
but he didn't," Ortiz said. "I certainly have to admire that individual."