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Youths imprisoned for life with no chance of parole

12:53 pm By la Macha · crime|Drugs|Violence · 2 Comments

8 Apr 2009

I’ve been a long time advocate for prison “reform” (not sure what ‘reform’ means to me yet, but I am absolutely sure that the way prisons work today must change). I could speak very eloquently about why teens and younger kids should not be sentenced as adults for crimes they commit. But instead I’ll just point you to this article by CNN about Quantel Lotts, a young man that killed his step brother when he was 14-years-old.

Lotts is one of at least 73 U.S. inmates — most of them minorities — who were sentenced to spend the rest of their lives in prison for crimes committed when they were 13 or 14, according to the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit organization in Alabama that defends indigent defendants and prisoners.

The 73 are just a fraction of the more than 2,000 offenders serving life sentences for crimes they committed as minors under the age of 18.

Across the country, most juvenile offenders and many adults are given a second chance. Charles Manson, convicted in seven notorious murders committed when he was 27, will be eligible for his 12th parole hearing in 2012. He’s been denied parole 11 times. Even “Son of Sam” killer David Berkowitz, who confessed to killing six people in the 1970s when he was in his 20s, has had four parole hearings, though he has said he doesn’t deserve parole and doesn’t want it.

But Quantel Lotts has no hope for a parole hearing. At least not yet.

To me, this is a very simple issue. Kids of color who sometimes don’t even commit murder (the article lists at least two youths who are facing life in prison with no parole-one for raping an elderly woman and the other for armed robbery) are being locked up for life with no chance to get out. Grown white men who have gone on killing sprees have have more of a chance than they do.

This is not an issue of do they “deserve” to be out, or can “reform” happen. This is a very simple issue of inequality. When kids of color are being locked for life and grown white men aren’t–that is an unequal standard of practice.

What are we going to do about it?

(and for some really disgusting justifications, notice in the article how victims rights advocates say these youths should continue to be locked up forever because there’s no resources to “fix” them on the outside. Totally makes sense, no? Lock youths up rather than oh, finding the resources to stop violence to begin with?)

At the Border Security is Privilege

8:27 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · crime|Drugs|Immigration|mexico|Politics · 5 Comments

25 Mar 2009

All eyes are on Mexico with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arriving there. Yesterday, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano revealed a border security plan that was allegedly less about undocumented immigrants and more about protecting the “us” from the violence coming from “them”. And next month U.S. President Obama will meet with Mexican President Calderon to discuss “their” problem.

I think that it’s important to note that the Obama administration is sending a clear signal that it is going to follow the safety first rhetoric that the Bush administration nearly perfected, that is the rhetoric that before we talk human rights, especially those of immigrants, we need to make sure we are protected from them.

Who are they?

They are the drug cartels and human traffickers. Now don’t get me wrong the violence is horrible but violence in Mexico isn’t anything new. Look specifically at the massive killing of women in Juarez. Pero the U.S. gets down to business when college students worry about their spring break vacation plans being ruined.
350 additional security personnel will be sent to the border including agents from the Department of Homeland Security, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Border Enforcement Security Task Forces (BEST) teams will be doubled and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is to create a special south-west intelligence group to co-ordinate all its efforts to tackle Mexican drug-related crime.

ATF is to send 100 agents to the border within 45 days to crack down on illegal gun transfers from the US into Mexico.

They are the undocumented coming into the U.S. protected by plants that conspire to hide them. So part of the plan includes spraying potentially harmful chemicals to kill the plants that help to hide “them”.

Perhaps I shouldn’t be so cynical and hold out hope for the new administration. Napolitano did mention how U.S. drug consumption is helping to fuel the cartel violence. Hmm but no mention of how the current drug policy is the U.S. including mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines have increased the prison population. Napolitano did mention how walls aren’t an especially helpful security plan but that parts of the border wall under construction will be finished and other parts reinforced with technology.

Feel safer yet? I know in my neighborhood, on this side of the border and in neighborhoods across the country, families are growing restless with their growing insecurity. ICE is still conducting raids. Families are still be separated. When will the security of many many U.S. citizen children with undocumented parents matter? How long will they have to wait while the rest of us sit back feeling safe and sound?

Via / Feet in Two Worlds, Para Justicia y Libertad. , BBC, Latina Lista

Mexican Tourism Board: Mexico Needs an Image Makeover

24 Mar 2009

1949726238_351271f9eb_o As much as I love Mexico, I have to admit that lately all of the violence — from severed heads in ice chests to massive roadside graves — makes it harder and harder to convince people who don’t know the country that that’s not what it’s about. The Mexican Tourism Board appears to realize that this is becoming more and more challenging, and its Secretary says that the country needs to “rebuild its image” in the eyes of foreigners, namely potential tourists. El Universal reports:

At a conference, [the Secretary] stated that it isn’t about an advertising campaign but doing anything necessary “to compensate for the attacks that Mexico has suffered in the last several weeks.”

Accompanied by the director of the Council for Tourism Promotion, Oscar Fitch Gómez, the Secretary explained that the intention isn’s just to rebuild Mexico’s image to attract visitors but to improve the country as a whole.

The Secretary also stated that potential tourists hear many things about Mexico that just aren’t true, some as extreme as the notion that the country is “at war”. He also mentioned that the ex-director of the CIA advised his own son not to visit Mexico because the narcos were planning to attack Spring Break revelers, and that the responsibility of convincing American tourists that these rumors are false belongs to Mexico.

I symphathize with this effort. I always hated when people tried to tell me things about Mexico City — you can’t walk down the street at night without getting robbed, nor get into a cab without getting kidnapped, etc. — when I lived there and knew the truth. But at the same time, we have to be realistic and realize that cosmetic changes won’t fix a problem that is getting worse and worse every day. This isn’t a job for the Tourism Board but for President Felipe Calderon.

Via / El Universal

Mexican City Outlaws Catcalls

17 Mar 2009

cat_calls Hot on the heels of Guanajuato, Mexico’s banning of public displays of affection comes another strange local law: the city of Culiacán has decided to fine anyone caught shouting “piropos” — catcalls — to women on the street. The anti-piropo law is just one in a series of measures designed to promote morality in the city:

The new law “Police and Good Government” that went into effect yesterday (Monday) in this city provides for economic sanctions for those who catcall, encourage or allow the viewing of pornographic websites in cybercafés and those who leave children under 12 years of age alone in parked vehicles. In addition, the law will also apply to those who do not paint the fronts of their homes and those who play live music loudly at house parties.

Some of these measures seem crazy, others sound about right, but the combination of all of these things is RANDOM. Was there suddenly an outbreak in Culiacán of catcalling, porno-looking, child-leaving and non-painting and the city council just had to put a stop to all of it? And why not fine those playing taped music loudly?

In any case, I wouldn’t worry so much about these social ills, since the first thing that comes to mind — at least to my mind — when I hear the name Culiacán is narcotráfico.

Via / El Universal

Massive Grave in Mexico Linked to Drug Cartels

6:40 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Drugs|mexico|society|U.S.-Mexico Border|Violence · 2 Comments

15 Mar 2009

A grave containing 9 bodies was discovered over the weekend in Juarez, Mexico, and all signs point to the fact that this is yet another bloody chapter in Mexico’s on-going drug wars. CNN reports:

Investigators have yet to determine the identities of the seven men and two women found in the grave, Gonzalez said. They have not released information on how they were killed or how long they have been there.

Juarez, which is across the border from El Paso, Texas, has become one of the major battlegrounds as drug cartels fight both each other and Mexican authorities. The conflict has made violence increasingly common in Juarez, Tijuana and other Mexican border towns.

The discovery coincides with the arrival of some 5,000 Mexican troops dispatched to Ciudad Juarez in an effort to put a stop the the heightening violence in the city.

To get a sense for what drug violence is doing to Ciudad Juarez (incidentally also infamous for the mysterious murders of hundreds of women over the past several years), have a look at the above video from the YouTube and Pulitzer Center “Project: Report” project.

Via / CNN

Website Makes Regular People Virtual Border Patrol Agents

13 Mar 2009

border When you think “stay-at-home-mom”, what comes to mind? I think diaper changing, grocery shopping and picking up kids from school. But at least one mom in Rochester, New York thinks “patrolling the U.S.- Mexico border via webcam”. Uhhhh…

When her baby girl takes an afternoon nap, or on those nights when she just can’t sleep, Sarah Andrews, 32, tosses off her identity as a suburban stay-at-home mom and becomes something more exotic: a “virtual deputy” patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border. From her house in a suburb of Rochester, New York, Andrews spends at least four hours a day watching a site called BlueServo.net.

There, because of a $2 million grant from the state of Texas, anyone in the world can watch grainy live video scenes of cactuses, desert mountains and the Rio Grande along Texas’ portion of the international border.

That’s right, Texas has people on the other side of the country virtually patrolling its borders in what they call “virtual stakeouts”. According to CNN, those who are participating are doing so out of a “sense of civic responsibility”.

The Texas Border Sherriff’s Coalition, the entity that runs the site, says that crime has decreased as a result of the cameras. They claim that multiple arrest have been made, all related to marijuana trafficking.

I tried to test the site out myself but the videos don’t load for me. Perhaps the site knows my politics? The sign-up form contains questions like “Do you think the border is adequately protected from crime and terrorism?” and “Do you think BlueServo’s Virtual Community Watch program will aid and improve Texas border security?” They give you the option of skipping those questions, which I did. I wonder if that’s why I can’t see the video…

What do you think of this initiative? Are the people watching these cameras from their homes couch potato versions of the Minutemen? Or just concerned citizens? Do you think this well help quell crime on the border? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Via / CNN

Mexico’s Narco Violence Continues: 5 Decapitated Heads Found

6:09 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · crime|Drugs|Latin America|mexico|society · 7 Comments

10 Mar 2009

narcoheads It seems that with each passing day, Mexico’s war on drug lords seems more and more hopeless, and the country is gripped with a seemingly endless chain of violent acts that have already left hundreds dead this year and nearly 6,000 deaths last year. The latest chapter in this bloody story is striking in its violence: this morning, 5 decapitated heads were found in an ice chests on the side of the road in rural Jalisco, Mexico. Mexico City’s La Jornada reports:

Inside styrofoam ice chests 5 male heads were found in the early morning on Tuesday in the town of fueron encontradas la madrugada de este martes cinco cabezas Ixtlahuacán del Río, some 50 kilometers north of Guadalajara, with a “narcomessage”. The macabre discovery coincides with today’s visit to Jalisco by president Felipe Calderón.

Reports we called in around 2:00 a.m. via an anonymous caller to the municipal police, who after corroborating the news alerted the state police and state judicial authorities.

Each head was found in an ice chest with packing tape wrapped around the eyes. The five containers were placed in a line alongside the the highway, very close to entrance into the town.

Heads in ice chests? Can it really get much worse than this? Savage.

Calderón had better act quickly before his country falls further into the hands of these assassins. This is not the Mexico I know and love.

Via / La Jornada

Imaga via El Informador

Olympic Athlete Phelps Caught with Bong

10:49 am By Maegan La Mala · Celebrities|Chismes|Controversia|Drugs|Sports · Comments Off

2 Feb 2009

Gold medalist and all-around sports hero Michael Phelps is in the midst of what might be a decisive moment in his career: a scandal, according to some. A photo of Phelps puffing on a bong has surfaced, and las malas lenguas are all about taking him down for it. As is to be expected, the U.S. Olympic Committee isn’t happy:

The United States Olympic Committee, which Jan.22 named Phelps its Male Athlete of the Year, issued a statement saying it was “disappointed” in Phelps’ behavior.

“Michael is a role model, and he is well aware of the responsibilities and accountability that come with setting a positive example for others, particularly young people. In this instance, regrettably, he failed to fulfill those responsibilities.

Brazillian Soccer Team to Go on Viagra

10:40 am By Maegan La Mala · Bizarro|Brazil|Drugs|Sports · Comments Off

14 Jan 2009

You’ve heard of athletes using steroids to soup up their game, but what about Viagra? Well one Brazilian soccer team is about to get a prescription for the wonder drug, allegedly to help them fight the effects of altitude sickness. Yeah…

The possibility was admitted by the club’s doctor in the city of Porto Alegre, Alarico Endres, who has been studying if the blue pill might help oxygenization of the blood in athletes and help reduce the effects of altitude.

According to Endres, some specialists believe that the remedy used by men with erectile problems can benefit athleses who need better blood oxygenization in adverse conditions.

“Based on assumptions we won’t do anything, but if research shows scientifically that Viagra improves performance in [high] altitude, we can offer it to players,” said Endres.

I don’t want to think about the atmosphere in the locker room after one of these “altitude” treatments. Look what happens in the commercial when only ONE person is on the stuff!

Via / 20 Minutos

Mexican Army Responds to Beheadings

9:43 am By Maegan La Mala · crime|Drugs|mexico|military · Comments Off

23 Dec 2008

070207_mexicoViolence_hmed3p.hmedium.jpg It was a bloody weekend in Guerrero, Mexico. As the country fights to come to terms with what occurred there on Sunday — the beheadings of 9 military men — the Mexican army is speaking up, and with a warning to the suspected culprits: los narcos.

The army’s commander in the state of Guerrero, Enrique Jorge Alonso, called the killings “a grave error” on the part of organized crime, and issued this warning:

There won’t be the slightest bit of consideration. There won’t be a concession of any sort, nor will we rest until we see these delinquents where they belong,” he said. “This is sick and despicable act of vengeance.”

2008 has shaped up to be Mexico’s bloodiest year yet with regards to narco-related killings. Back in July, the death count rose to 600 in one Mexican state alone. And with these killings, the death toll, according to the Mexican Secretary of State has doubled from last year, with 5,376 victims of drug-trafficking related murders.

Via / Diario de Yucatán

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