Stop Crying Wolf

Stuff like this just leaves me shaking my head.

After cries of racism from some protesters, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy defended the prosecution of two black teenagers in the shooting death of a 38-year-old white woman.

"No charging decision in this office is ever made based on the victim or defendant's race, religion or ethnicity," Worthy said in a statement Monday afternoon.

For those of you who hail from areas other than Detroit, Kym Worthy first gained widespread attention in the early 1990s when she tried White cops accused of viciously beating a Black man named Malice Green, a man who died from his injuries. She succeeded in her prosecution efforts. She also held a Recorders Court position as a judge, which she surrendered to become the first Black person, and the first woman, to become Wayne County Prosecutor.

In other words, she wouldn't push the case if it were racist.

One punk was involved in an argument on July 30 in the city of Taylor, a community just south of Detroit. He, according to prosecutors, fired a gun into a crowd, killing an innocent bystander. The other punk is charged accessory after the fact to a felony.

Of course, there was a rally to declare these alleged felons were victims of racism.

The rally was publicized by controversial Detroit activist Adolph Mongo, who said in a statement that the defendants were victims of racism in a city where "locking up black men is a hobby for many white cops." Mongo did not return repeated phone calls seeking further explanation of his claims.

[...]

Ray Paige, the attorney for [the indicted shooter] said that his client was misidentified by police and possibly beaten. Paige would not offer further details.

That is a serious allegation. Beaten by the cops? You'd better have evidence to substantiate that one.

Taylor police did not comment Monday, but Worthy defended them: "In this case there is no evidence of misconduct by the Taylor Police Department -- in fact the opposite is true. They continue to investigate this case and on their own (are) discovering new evidence."

Of course, the accused are simply sweethearts.

Paige and Brown described their clients as decent student athletes on their way to college in the fall. [The accessory] plans to attend Kentucky State University, and [the shooter] is to head to Rock Valley College in Illinois, their attorneys said.

That may be true, but it doesn't mean they aren't guilty.

This stuff ticks me off on several different levels, but let me address only one facet: crying wolf happens everywhere, and it is ruining the country. If you cry "racist" often enough when it isn't true, people won't believe you when you cry it out in a true situation. When you cry "police brutality" falsely, people close their minds to the fact it may happen.

We aren't arguing about some White cop writing a suspect traffic ticket to a minority - we are talking about a murder.

I generally stand with the police. I do so because I have observed with my own eyes that most cops are genuinely working hard, and with valor, to make our communities safer. I may not always agree with their position (gun control is often a sore spot), but I have no question their hearts are in the right place. The police officers I know well are upstanding professionals and care about doing their job the right way every time.

But at the same time, I've seen a few bad apples, and I know that not every officer falls into the "good" category. I also know that the police are law enforcement officers nowadays, no longer peace officers. That means, they enforce the laws of the state - which may not be Constitutional or just. So I know abuses happen from time-to-time.

Every time someone cries wolf, a good cop is tarnished and a bad cop is in better position to get away with bad actions.