Stop E-Mailing Peter Nickles: End The Witch Hunt
D.C. Police are sick of one teenage robbery suspect who has allegedly committed multiple crimes. The police department is so sick of this kid, they've got you all pissed off too. The police--OK, Third District Inspector Edward Delgado--wants you to email Peter Nickles to do who knows what to this kid. You want this thug in cuffs. You want this thug behind bars. And maybe worse. Prince of Petworth has joined the witch hunt. OffSeventh has raised a torch. The No BS Zone has started marching in lockstep, too.
Well, stop it. If you bothered to read the fine print of the Post piece, you would know that this teenager has been convicted of nothing, and was recently ruled mentally incompetent to stand trial. Yes, there are 21 robberies attached to his undisclosed name. But this kid doesn't need a bunk in a crummy, over-crowded youth facility.
The kid needs empathy. He needs a city social worker to step up. So if you wanna e-mail somebody, e-mail the Department of Mental Health or Child and Family Services.
Nickles was right in ignoring your e-mails.
*photo courtesy of toddsmith.com.
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1:39 pm
? You've gotta be kidding me.
1:46 pm
I'm sorry but the solution can't always be a police and incarceration solution.
1:50 pm
"The kid needs empathy."
No way - the victims of his crimes need empathy. Keep in mind that he's probably committed many more than the 21 crimes he's been caught for. As one who has never been robbed or assaulted, I can only guess what the victims feel: anger, humiliation, fear, and the desire to move out of DC with their tax dollars and eyes on the street. We can't let thugs continue to prey on citizens.
It sucks that he has mental issues, and maybe city intervention may have helped him when he was younger, but for the good of society, he needs to be removed from the street for many, many years. I'll stick with the Prince of Petworth and the others on this one.
1:55 pm
Why not take him under your wing, Cherkis? Get involved yourself in some way rather than judging others who don't want a violent serial offender roaming the neighborhood assaulting and robbing people. If he's mentally incompetent, that doesn't mean the answer is to let him back on the street, correct?
2:05 pm
I think the easy answer is incarceration. It's simple and understandable. It's also the dumb answer. And again, you all seem to have convicted him before a trial. You only assume he's committed 21 robberies. Where's the proof? Where's the proof from Delgado?
2:06 pm
Obviously, the police had their chance in court with this kid. And a judge ruled that he was mentally incompetent. Now the police want to try political pressure to make their case stick. Sounds fishy to me.
2:10 pm
Trying to be a bit dramatic? A witch hunt? I think sometimes bloggers try to be provocative just to see what reaction they can get. Case in point right here. I don't know Jason personally aside from exchanging a few emails. But I do know that this post is reeking of - challenge me, debate me, being contrary just to be contrary etc. Well, it worked. I rarely comment on other people's blogs so well played sir, well played.
2:26 pm
PoP in your blog post you are practically staging a pep rally on behalf of Delgado, urging people to let all our local politicians hear us loud and clear. And you've printed BS from that cop before. You always seem to believe that guy.
I'm just annoyed that every time there's a crime issue--it's always got to be an incarceration solution.
2:31 pm
In scanning over your own post, it could have been more rabble rousing. Posting councilmembers' email addresses was a nice touch.
2:42 pm
i have to agree with Cherkis here for a couple of reasons, not the least of which is that this city is full of real violent offenders who do far worse than knock people over for their cell phones and ipods.
i've been a victim of armed robbery. i wouldn't wish it on anyone. but i'd much rather see the resources of this city put to use helping people who need help instead of incarcerating them to placate the NIMBYs
2:52 pm
Delgado likely knows more about this case than Cherkis, so I tend to believe his side over the non-solution Cherkis has put forward.
2:52 pm
Yes, Jason because the city paper would never do that. By the by it is public information: http://www.dccouncil.washington.dc.us/contactuscouncil
Now maybe we should talk about the ills of providing free lunches in schools, I bet that would generate some interesting debate.
3:00 pm
Jim, the solution your are suggesting isn't a very deep one, and one the police have failed to make happen. This kid has come before the courts, he was found not competent to stand trial. Do you realize how rare that is for a judge to make that determination? It's rare.
This kid obviously doesn't need a jail cell. I think my solution was a lot deeper than let's lock the kid up and throw away the key.
The solution thrown out by Delgado was pure laziness. It wasn't an official press release. It was red meat to a listserv obsessed with crime. Is that what this kid needs? I don't think so.
Do you have a better solution than Delgado's or my own (mental health counseling, etc.)???
3:03 pm
Wow, Jason. Read the work of others, do no original reporting, then offer an opinion (based solely off your reading) and expect people to answer to you. Huh. Wish it worked that way.
3:12 pm
I agree that a jail cell isn't the solution, but I understand Delgado's frustration. And you keep throwing out there that he was never convicted of anything as some kind of proof that he should not face any kind of repercussions. He was never convicted because a judge found him mentally incompetent. And again, just because that's a rarity does not mean he should be out roaming the streets. The police know he commited these crimes. He has been released at least twice before, and both times he has gone out and done the exact same thing. Are you suggesting they keep doing the same thing over and over again in the hopes that the offender will realize the error of his ways?
And Anon, I invite you to look over about 90 percent of his other posts. Cherkis is an incredibly lazy writer.
3:36 pm
The Prince of Taking Photographs of Doors has momentarily lowered himself to the station of mere blog commenter? We're not worthy!
3:42 pm
That's the best you could do, Amanada? You and Cherkis should both put a little more effort and creativity into your posts and comments. "The Prince of Taking Photographs of Doors" is uninspired and juvenile. But then, so is "Man Madness." Christ, that's dumb.
3:55 pm
Blogger hate open thread!
3:59 pm
Also, Cherkis, you're right that the offender needs empathy and for a city social worker to step up, but calling it a "lot deeper" than what Delgado has proposed people do is pretty ridiculous.
4:03 pm
Cherkis, the anger on all these threads is that a demonstrably dangerous individual is on the streets and all hands are tied or, as in Nickles's case, disinterested. Whether he should be in Jail, Juvi, a hospital or your living room is a separate question. You are intentionally failing to recognize that and choosing to instead be a snarky jackass.
4:46 pm
jim -
do you understand what it means to be found incompetent to stand trial? or, even more importantly, do you understand the principle of being innocent until proven guilty? you say "the police know he committed these crimes". i'm pretty sure that in my criminal procedure class, that wasn't enough to send someone to jail.
send all the emails you want. all you're doing is irritating Nickles. i can only imagine that it will have the opposite effect that you all desire. he's already said that he told his secretary to put them in a pile. i'm betting it's not a top priority for him.
4:50 pm
Jim & Anon- do you even read City Paper? Not City Desk, City Paper.
I challenge either of you to read an actual article (not a blog post, an actual article) written by either Hess or Cherkis and call either of them lazy or bad reporters.
I am so sick of all of you bitching and moaning about how the reporters at CP are lazy and how they all suck. They don't.
5:03 pm
I've already said here that I also don't think jail is the solution. And I personally don't think minors should be charged as adults. I don't know what the solution is here, but what has happened to this kid the last two times should clearly not happen again. Because it is not working. Because people are still being victimized by him. A lot of people.
And Jojo, c'mon. I read all the cover stories in the City Paper. Some are great. Some are terrible and lazy.
5:04 pm
More than anything, I’m just pissed at myself for taking Cherkis’ idiotic bait. He clearly just wants to be the “most read post” so he takes the Ann Coulter approach: just be inflammatory and uninformed and people will pay attention to you and you’ll keep getting paid. In the end, Coulter gets a fair amount of attention and keeps getting paid, but she abandoned credibility a long time ago.
In looking over some of the other recent Cherkis posts, both intentionally inflammatory/lazy (“hey, lookit what people post in comments about a murder!”) and downright pathetic (“please comment about how much you think it’ll snow!!!”), it’s clear he’s just going through the motions on this blog.
5:32 pm
I don't see why it should fall in Nickles lap just because the Insp put it there. Nickles isn't a judge or jury.
5:33 pm
it's debate not bait! As you say, there is no easy answer. It's certainly not as easy as cold calling and writing Peter Nickles.
The real issue is what happened after that kid was declared mentally not competent. Where were the city agencies at that point?
8:00 pm
Hey Jim: All of us here at City Paper have been guilty at one point or another of posting the vacuous blog post aimed solely at provoking comments, few of which ever show up on this blog. And Cherkis has been as guilty as any of us. But this particular post is not one of those. He came in today genuinely fired up about this. If you check the archives, you'll see there's some history behind his thinking on this stuff. His clips are full of street-level pieces on criminal justice, mental illness, and young people. And those pieces--consistent with Jojo's comment--are reported as deeply as the work of any newspaper, er, media company. But the main point here is, thanks for participating. We appreciate all of our readers.
9:09 pm
Speaking of original reporting, here's an update: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2008/11/24/teen-robbery-suspect-is-back-on-the-street/
9:26 pm
I agree that incarceration is not the answer in every circumstance BUT this one is one of the cases where I will disagree. The MPD NEVER rushes to anything and if Inspector Delgado gets fired up enough to send this email...I would bet that the evidence is beyond overwhelming (but you are correct he is innocent until proven guilty...but why not keep him in the cooler until the slow turning wheels of justice can put him somewhere so that he could actually get help?).
10:15 pm
Wemple wrote:
"Hey Jim: All of us here at City Paper have been guilty at one point or another of posting the vacuous blog post aimed solely at provoking comments..."
Remind me again why you still have your job, Erik? You must be the only newspaper editor in the country who will freely admit that items written under their paper's banner (online or in print) are at times "vacuous" and only written to provoke comments. You would do your paper, and your readers, a favor by stepping down immediately. You obviously are bringing nothing to the table.
10:39 pm
Echo Bob's comments @ Erik Wemple: it was sub par work, again, on this blog. Just because a writer does good work sometimes (on in the print version) doesn't allow him to rant baselessly on your blog. The rules of good journalism don't change online.
I think a lot of the comments indirectly state that we expect better from you. You are a talented bunch, don't produce junk online. Produce the stuff you are capable of and your readers expect.
Let your ideas (again, YOUR ideas--not something you read) inspire and provoke. When that is absent, it just seems like you are trying to be tough to prove something.
And I'm sure this comment thread has to be a record for you guys, considering how really little your tactics for engagement really actually engage anyone.
Oh, and Amanda Hess. We you just being a jerk or did your comment contain an actual message? Sometimes when I read City Paper folks talk about others in media, it sounds so bitter than I miss the context.
10:51 pm
Without addressing the merits of Jason Cherkis' blog, I would like to respond to those who've criticized his journalistic thoroughness and integrity. I've known Jason for several years and have worked with him on a number of major articles he's authored for the CP. He has always worked extraordinarily hard to get the facts right. He is a gifted writer, and a tireless investigative reporter. Say what you wish about the topics he takes on, but please do it in a respectful, fair manner. Unfounded personal attacks do not advance this debate.
11:02 pm
You must be the only newspaper editor in the country who will freely admit that items written under their paper’s banner (online or in print) are at times “vacuous” and only written to provoke comments.
Have you never read the New York Times Sunday Styles section? That is so vacuous, that to stand within the three foot event horizon, you risk being sucked into the vortex of Hamptons garden parties, double ivy weddings, and a list of the five best Icelandic-Pakistani fusion smoothie bars in the Lower East Side.
11:14 pm
The city paper is an utter joke... and this soap box blog entry by Cherkis is Exhibit A on why. The whole idea of the paper is to be provocative by taking idiotic stances on just about everything... but after a whole it just gets old and you realize that CP has no credibility.
11:38 pm
Proz, etc: How is it idiotic to question authority (the police tactics/lame e-mail campaign against one alleged and troubled juvenile offender).
If you read our follow-up blog post, you'd know that the U.S. Attorney's Office no-papered the case against the teenager because it felt there wasn't enough evidence. Shouldn't we applaud the prosecutors for their judgment? Shouldn't we question the efficacy of a D.C. Police Inspector taking his case to a listserv?
This is the same kind of crap that Bush supporters used to throw out every time they didn't like one of those "activist" judge's decisions. They whined. They complained. They wrote letters. They sounded like creeps.
Sure, you can question the U.S. Attorney's Office's judgment and ask follow=ups about the quality of evidence the police had gathered.
But if the case against this kid was so huge, as Delgado asserted, then why didn't prosecutors go forward? I wonder. Maybe Delgado didn't have all his facts straight, maybe there's a difference between what you can prove on a listserv and what you can prove in a court of law.
Can anyone tell me what happens to a juvenile deemed incompetent to stand trial? I called around today and talked with a high-ranking District official--someone who should know. They didn't know at all.
This is where we should be headed--what's the alternative to incarceration, what exactly does the city do for kids at the Youth Rehabilitation Center?
Colbert King has been investigating that story for months. It's a doozy. Week after week, he exposes the shaky frame work this city has set up to monitor, help, mentor, and police kids.
The police have their own problems in dealing with mentally ill residents:
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/display.php?id=34836
It shouldn't be about locking up this one troubled kid. It should be about saving that kid. This kid, with all the political pressure, will surely face a jail cell at some point.
Where are you going to be when he gets out? What is the city going to do for him while he's in jail?
8:36 am
I write this as a longtime City Paper reader. One who has alternately been a cheerleader and defender of your publication for the seven years I’ve lived here. I’ve read just about every cover story in your paper in that time. The need for a good alternative newsweekly in D.C. cannot be understated. And I say this as someone who would love to see the City Paper bounce back from whatever funk they’re currently in. But this blog stinks. It is dumbed down and incredibly lazy. Almost everything in it that infuses the writer’s personality is junk. This post included.
I actually think the last paragraph in this post, about the city agencies to get in touch with that might actually do some good, is a great and informative one. But it came after two paragraphs of idiotic self righteousness and uninformed drivel about witch hunts and “marching in lockstep.” Who is going to listen to the good advice after the author proves himself, again and again, to be a smug dick who frequently alienates the very readers this publication should try to hold on to.
And it colors my perception (and no doubt that of others) of the cover stories. When I read a cover story by Cherkis now, even if it’s a good one, I think of his crummy, uninformed, lazy, needlessly confrontational blog posts. When I read something by Wemple on Thursday, I’m going to think of his dumb “Howell is taking a shortcut!” post. I can’t read anything by Hess now without thinking of that owls post about “why is everyone caring so much about the presidential race? We should all watch owls instead.”
It has been stated that this publication is going to focus more on your web presence, which is not entirely a bad thing. But as someone who misses your glory days, I urge you to bring back journalistic standards. Stop just taking the Ann Coulter or dumb shock jock route. Make this a blog where people can get real information, not the childish opinions of your writers. The follow-up post to this one, the one with real news, is a great step in the right direction.
9:55 am
Hey, Jim. Thanks for continuing to read us, even if you think we're dicks sometimes (or all the time). We really do appreciate it.
You can rest assured that I didn't write that owl critter caper. That was some other lady---there are still a few of us here at the paper.
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2008/10/03/why-owls-are-better-than-sarah-palin/
I have, however, written hundreds more inane blog posts that may also haunt you.
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2008/08/29/obama-youve-got-something/
Amanda
10:26 am
Damn. You're right.
And of course I'll continue to read City Paper, both online and in print. But I reiterate that I'd love to see the City Desk blog be more informative and less personality driven.
10:41 am
Why is there just two solutions for this young man? In jail or out on the street? If he is mentally incompetent and does not have the proper supervision, then shouldn't the DC government have services to provide that for him? While jail may not be the answer, he is obviously not fit to be on the city street because he is a danger to himself and to others. For his own safety and the safety of the community, we should encourage the city to do more then to just ignore the problem. You can't deny that the handling of this smells rotten; tossing him back into the street isn't resolving the issue here and I see nothing wrong with the police force encouraging the community to want more out of its city services.
10:41 am
What fun. First off, I would like to thank everyone for contributing their thoughts about what we should be doing here and what would make the blog better. There's no question that everything we do could be much better, and excellence/perfection are always the goals. But the question of what readers want on this blog--or anywhere on the Web, for that matter--is a tough one to nail down. Jim says we need more news, deeply reported stuff. I love that approach as well, and a good news item is always a hit in terms of traffic. But so are ostensibly stupid, whimsical items, like the one on Obama and mythical beasts. So, like everyone, we're trying to feel our way here, and we're working very hard at it. To answer Bob, I am not going to step aside immediately because I copped to presiding over the posting of blog items that were vacuous or clearly designed to provoke. Though this is indeed a felonious offense in the world of journalism--just a hair shy of fabrication!--the economy is too tough right now to resign.
10:47 am
Jason,
Where's my pitch fork??? I can't wait for one of these poor kids who only needs some empathy to bust a cap in our ass. Or perhaps, hit you in the head with a cinder block, like they did to my neighbor a while back. The kid need to be incarcerated, while he receives the mental health treatment he deserves. The two are not mutually exclusive. Nice kneejerk, tool. You need both, people like you and Mendelson are the reason DC is still a bastion of crime and dysfunction.
And Nickles, as public official, should never complain about receiving email from those who pay his salary.
10:48 am
this post, much like most of city paper, is pathetic.
10:54 am
Jason,
Check your facts. They no-papered the adult criminal charges against him, not the juvenile charges. He is still wanted, and has been released. The US Marshalls are searching for him now, according to the Wash Post. Also, the cases were dropped against him not because he didn't commit the crimes, but because he was incompetent to stand trial. That is a huge difference.
Yes, the city social services should address this. He may need medical help, not jail time. In the meantime, he should be behind bars or detained in a hospital until the city can figure out how to address his tendencies to commit serial crimes. The city has an obligation to protect its citizens from wanton crime.
10:58 am
maybe its just me, but I thought if someone was ruled mentally unfit for trial, they had to be put in some kind of treatment facility until they were fit. As this person is dangerous he should probably be committed against his will until he is no longer dangerous. The fact of the matter is I don't want someone who is implicated in over 20 violent robberies roaming the streets. If it takes emails to the city council to accomplish that, well then so be it.
11:02 am
DCDude, I see your points. The question remains--the District has been shown to inadequately house/treat juvenile offenders (just read any of Colbert King's columns in the past six months). It has a problem holding adults in the recent past (though the DOC's Director has been a big improvement over the last few).
So if the city can't adequately hold someone, then what? There's the mental-health treatment. Do you really think that the treatment is exceptional? The city is still recovering from the Banita Jacks case, a backlog, etc. Last year, a study was released pointing out that juveniles at the D.C. Jail--who were supposed to get schooling--weren't getting the mandated education.
It's hard to fathom anything turning out right for this kid or kids like him.
And does anybody think Delgado did right? Shouldn't he have spent more time working on a legit case against this kid, than rallying the troops on a listserv?
11:03 am
The problem is there is no established procedure for what do do with a juvenile accused of a violent crime who is mentally unfit to stand trial. It is certainly plausible that this young man does not belong in a prison. What is clear beyond a shadow of a doubt is that he ought not be released.
By the way, the fact that he "hasn't yet been convicted of a crime" is totally, unequivocally, 100% irrelevant. The system detains people awaiting trial all the time. Given this kid's history - even if it has not been established beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law - I doubt a judge would release him on bond awaiting trial. What is unique here is that because he has been declared mentally unfit to stand trial, he must be released. I am shocked this is possible, and then I remember where I live.
11:06 am
If an adult is ruled mentally unfit, I was told yesterday, the city knows where to hold them: St. Es. If it's a juvenile, the city isn't so sure what to do. At least, that seems clear from talking to law enforcement folk and a District official.
Also, it was my understanding from talking to the U.S. Attorney's Office, that they decided not to prosecute because of a lack of evidence against the teen.
11:08 am
Jason I hope you get mugged by one of these thugs that is deemed to be mentally incompetent to stand trial. Hopefully, right after the thug got released after committing another crime. If it is deemed the individual is incompetent for trial then he needs to be placed in a mental institution -- not the streets. END OF STORY.
11:10 am
First, the difference between this case and a witch hunt is that witches were falsely accused of using magical powers to hurt people. No one doubts that this individual has committed a series of assaults and armed robberies. It is a stupid analogy.
Second, if someone is a danger to the community, and probably themselves, they don't belong on the streets. I was a prosecutor in Boston and someone like this should would never have been simply free to roam the streets continuing their reign of terror on innocent victims. There MUST be involuntary inpatient facilities in D.C. for people who are mentally ill, deemed unfit to stand trial, and/or are a danger to themselves or the community. These sort of facilties are not punitive, but rather the goal is to provide mental health treatment while keeping the community as well as the perpetrator themselves safe from harm.
If we don't have that sort of facility for juvenile offeners, that is a serious problem that needs to be remedied ASAP. But if the choice is between two imperfect solutions: a mentally unstable repeat violent criminal roaming the street until he probably kills or permanently injures someone, or that same offender held in jail, in less than ideal conditions, until we figure out something to do with him, I'll side with the innocent victims everytime. Just letting this kid loose not only harms the community, but it does him no favors as well, because it's just a matter of when, not if, he picks the wrong victim who has the wherewithal to fight back, leading to one of both people seriously injured or killed. This isn't NIMBYism -- you think ANYONE, whether they live in Georgetown or Trinidad, wants repeat violent offenders roaming the street? Again, it seems inconceivable to me that there is no involuntary inpatient mental health facility in this city to place these type of offenders.
Oh, and by the way Jason, being found unfit to stand trial is not nearly so rare as you contend, at least not based on my experience as a DA. A HUGE percentage of the criminal population either has a massive substance abuse problem or severe mental health problems or both, and inpatient treatment while that dangerous individual is CONFINED someplace is a very common solution. If we just let every unfit-to-stand trial dangerous person out ont the streets, we'll have a bloodbath on our hands.
11:15 am
What Delgado did is irresponsible. The public doesn't have the facts in this case and, personally, I'm not going to trust him without them. We live in Columbia Heights and I don't feel one ounce safer after his actions. It's fear mongering.
11:20 am
iI was a prosecutor in Boston and someone like this should would never have been simply free to roam the streets continuing their reign of terror on innocent victims.
I call bullshit. A prosecutor would never, never support a cop sabotaging a court ruling.
11:22 am
1st paragraph of my last comment should be italicized. Thanks.
11:25 am
We've had numerous cops and city officials tell us at local civic assoc meetings that getting our input during sentencing supposedly leads to longer sentences. Since the window for when these comments are gathered appears to be rather small, what else would you recommend?
11:26 am
I think the Delgado did the right thing. Finally, someone in the DC police force is sick of being the fall guy for what are systematic problems. I live in 3D and greatly appreciate the efforts that Delgado and other in the sub-station are doing to ensure that the community is aware of their constraints and can help point us in the direction of a solution. Clearly, the police are at their wits end and are receiving little help from our elected officials and the courts. I have seen so many good police officers leave the DC police force because of their shear frustration with the criminal justice system in DC, which is obviously disfunctional.
This isn't fear mongering, this is frustration. As a resident of 3D, I feel it too. I'm just glad that Mr. Delgado, and the rest of the police because I doubt he acted alone, finally tooks steps to inform us. An activist police force is a welcome change to the do-nothing police force we've had to contend with. Apparently, we are now seeing why police morale is low.
11:28 am
Jeff, thanks for your interesting and well-informed post. You bring up a lot of good stuff. You are correct, I checked late last night with the U.S. Attorney's Office, and being ruled incompetent to stand trial is not so rare. The issue of mental-health and crime has become a big enough problem that D.C. Superior Court has--with the assist from the Department of Mental Health--installed an urgent care clinic this past year. It also has a "courtroom" dedicated to mentally-ill defendants who've committed minor offenses. Instead of jail time, they get counseling, access to meds, etc.
Again, the problem I have with Delgado's e-mail is that the police appear to have not done all the work necessary to match their outrage. When the case came to the U.S. Attorney's Office, they did not flag it as a priority. When it was no-papered, I don't think they made a stink to prosecutors.
Anyway, you are right--the big question is what does the city have in the way of personnel, facilities, etc. for juvenile offenders ruled not competent?
I worry that we will end up with a series of suicides on our hands:
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/display.php?id=34890
Years ago, the D.C. Jail used to classify suicide attempts as "assaults." An inmate lights himself on fire? Assault. An inmate cuts himself? Assault.
Check out that link I just posted above. It's worth a read.
11:34 am
"We’ve had numerous cops and city officials tell us at local civic assoc meetings that getting our input during sentencing supposedly leads to longer sentences."
I'll agree with that, Mike. I think that there's information there that warrants public input in the process. The last thing in this city I feel is safe. But Delgado's actions don't make me feel safer.
11:51 am
If his actions had led to stronger sentencing, assuming conviction, would you feel safer then? Other than the detectives or local beat cops who know the neighborhoods, who would you have publish this information? The normal court report only appears after the fact, was post/city paper same thing. The prosecutors and sentencing judges don't know the impact of these individuals on the community. While its one crime is being prosecuted, in the worst cases it is one of dozens. I'm sure the case presented for a major neighborhood threat may look the same as a lesser threat, the community feedback would certainly change that. I applaud Delgado for giving us the chance to let our voices be heard
11:56 am
Let's see, we have a bunch of angry people sick of seeing the city unable to do a thing about crime, in this case specifically juvenile crime, a disturbed individual who ought not be continually put back on the streets until he finally kills someone, a broken mental health "services" system, and a blogger who likes doors.
Clearly the enemy is the blogger who likes doors and those "dumb" people who aren't as socially progressive as the author (who also recycles) — not the broken city services.
But the truth is that this is ,mostly because it'd be HARD to investigate and discuss these problems rather than berate a blogger for reflecting the genuine disgust of many people.
Well done. Well done.
12:21 pm
First, asl, it is not bullshit, I was a prosecutor, and while I never saw any email like Delgado's in my jurisdiction, there never would have been a need as we worked hand-in-hand with police and kept each other informed. Which is not to say we always agreed, we did not, but if we were going to decline a prosecution or not request detention of someone who appeared to be dangerous, we would at least discuss the situation with police rather than, apparently, keep everyone in the dark or blow off their concerns. In all events, I can't imagine ever not doing everything in my power to insure that a repeat offender such as this was kept off the streets. Especially now that he is an adult -- presumably he was released on some sort of bail or even P.R. -- well, all you need is probable cause of a new crime to push for revocation of that bail (at least in my experience), it doesn't need to be an air tight case so long as there is evidence that the offender poses an imminent threat to public safety (not exactly a tough argument to make here).
What is most flabbergasting about all of this to me is that people in city gov't aren't able to answer, immediately, what happens to juveniles deemed unfit to stand trial or otherwise in need of inpatient treatment because they pose a threat to themselves or others. I mean, these issues are not new, can it really be that D.C. has done so systematic thinking about how to handle this type of situation? I guarantee this is not the only case like this, just the only one to get this sort of attention.
Normally I would not think it prudent or appropriate for Delgado to do what he did, but it seems like the situation had become desperate -- the normal channels would not have been nearly as effective at drawing widespread attention to this issue. The sheer inanity of this case, as well as several identified victims who have stepped forward and shared their stories, will hopefully make the problem a lot more visceral for the powers that be. Because it really isn't about this one case, it is about an exemplar which aptly demonstrates a widespread problem with the D.C. criminal justice system that needs to be remedied NOW.
12:29 pm
Mike: The problem with berating the judges is, just as with Nickles, what do you expect the result to be? First, Superior Court judges are appointed by the president and hardly are too worried about some public squawking about individual cases. Second, well over 95% of all criminal cases are plea agreements -- the key word here is "agreement". The judge has nothing to do with the charging decisions and compromises made by the US Atty (who is also appointed). And as you note, even if you effect one case, what's the end result?
To me, as with this recent juvenile case, the anger is misdirected when you target "soft" judges. The key is to get the council to reform the juve justice system so that dangerous individuals that need mental health services are not turned back out on to the streets. Railing at Nickles and the Judges really isn't going to get it done.
HOWEVER, to somehow find that people's outrage is to blame in the face of a real issue, and then to suggest it's based on ignorance when one cannot even bother to get the facts straight himself (as Jason later admitted @11:28), is the ultimate pot calling the kettle black.
Jason's stink of superiority wafts over the internets like a putrid haze, but we can't be too hard on the lil' "journalist" when that cloud of self-satisfaction obscures the most basic facts, can we?
After all, if that boneheaded door-fellator PoP would just go away this city would be all daisies and sunshine... with the occasional armed robbery.
12:38 pm
Jason Cherkis is on the wrong side of history here.
12:56 pm
I'm not talking about berating judges or prosecutors. That type of rage is best left directed at city council and other elected officials.
I was referring to community impact statements. These are presented by prosecutors and examined by judges during sentencing. http://www.anc2f.org/CCPS-article2.pdf and http://www.capitalcommunitynews.com/publications/hillrag/2007_July/70-72_RAG_0707.pdf for some quotes on the effect of these.
Unfortunately as Oden pointed out, the real solution is to get council to act.
1:43 pm
Cherkis, you wrote:
"This kid has come before the courts, he was found not competent to stand trial. Do you realize how rare that is for a judge to make that determination? It’s rare."
and
"You are correct, I checked late last night with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and being ruled incompetent to stand trial is not so rare."
and
"Again, the problem I have with Delgado’s e-mail is that the police appear to have not done all the work necessary to match their outrage."
[ cough ]
Cherkis, you are out of your depth.
The police department's first priority is to protect public safety. Delgado did the right thing.
2:04 pm
Cherkis,
Its not that there wasn't evidence connecting this kid to the crimes, its the only way to try someone under 18 as an adult for robbery, is if the robbery involved a gun or other weapon. This is the evidence they couldn't find.
2:26 pm
Nathaniel: The U.S. Attorney's Office also wouldn't say what lack of evidence there was that merited no-papering the case. So it remains unclear as to whether it was the weapons issue or some other reason.
So that question remains unresolved.
2:36 pm
Jason Cherkis is on the right side of history with this thing, and everybody else is wrong, especially Don Smith.
2:40 pm
Washington Shitty Paper
3:49 pm
Don: Here's a little history lesson:
*This past January, we had Banita Jacks and the discovery of her daughters found dead in her home. CFSA, DCPS and the courts all made mistakes. Some big. Some small.
*CFSA has had to contend with a contempt of court order and a huge backlog that is only now getting under control.
*This year, we published a story on how the police have issues handling residents in crisis. And we published a story about how the D.C. Jail handles suicides:
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/display.php?id=34890
*For years, the D.C. Jail listed suicide attempts under "assault." Things like inmates burning themselves, cutting themselves were listed as "assault."
*When Target opened up, guess who was on the listserv touting a phony story about muggings at the big box store? Inspector Delgado:
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2008/03/12/no-one-knows-shit-about-target-crimes/
*And finally, here's how police handled one resident in crisis on November 6:
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/display.php?id=36512
7:30 pm
There are several approaches the criminal justice system can use to send kids like this for psychiatric care. The Department of Mental Health, the DC police, Children's Hospital, and the courts have set up systems and trainings that will, as the word gets around, get juveniles suffering mental illness crises off the streets and into appropriate treatment. When the police are trained to recognize mental illness in juveniles they will know to write an FD 12 on kids like this and take them to Children's Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. Children's is the only place in the city to take a juvenile suffering from a mental health crisis. Riverside is closed now. With changes in procedures the paper work for turning him over to Children's should take no more than 30 minutes. The police or the judge could have called the Department of Mental Health ACCESS Help Line for information on what to do with him. The police could have taken him to CPEP on the old DC General Grounds for assistance. They could have called 911 and asked for the new Department of Mental Health Mobile Crisis Team to come and get him. The judges could have had the police or the US Marshalls escort him to the Department of Mental Health DC Community Service Agency on Spring Road or 35 K Street for immediate evaluation and treatment, or sent for the Mobile Crisis Team. There is an Urgent Care Mental Health Treatment Clinic right on the first floor in the Superior Courthouse that provides immediate evaluation and treatment. He could have been taken there if he was unfit to stand trial and clearly in the middle of a mental health crisis emergency All these things are newly instituted alternatives to placement of this demented and dangerous individual in a facility that has no means to actually confine him. Mentally unfit to stand trial is no joke. Left to his own devices he can be expected to escalate his anti-social behavior and kill someone. Then he will be confined, at least until he is 21, and then what?
8:58 pm
Jason, I cannot fathom why you posted your response to me, nor what your post is trying to say. Your response seems to be a collage of City Paper material about the police and/or DC City government where they failed.
The reason I said you are on the wrong side of history is that this kerfuffle appears to be an early attempt at crowdsourcing crime and criminal information. The discussion is entirely information and opinion-based and utilizes the internet for dissemination. This level of community involvement in these kinds of issues is unprecedented from my experience. To call it a "witch hunt" is bizarre and smacks of "I don't know how to use a blackberry-itis." Not only is Nickles suggesting his secretary print out the emails, the City Paper is upset that they are no longer a gatekeeper or even a participant in distribution of community information.
If your response was to suggest that the City Paper also contributes to community information I'd say sure it still does. I checked this out when the link was emailed to me and there was material online. But why, I might wonder, was it the only blog that smeared concerned citizens with such insulting language? ("Witch Hunt?") Because it was on the wrong side of this breaking story and needed some kind of gadfly buzz to generate hits. It didn't lead, so it was controversial on purpose to shock.
There's a lot to this story, including Jim Graham frantically trying to stay on top of it while in El Salvador, but a witch hunt isn't part of it.
10:19 pm
The US Attorney's office decided not to prosecute - & the the US marshals lost the paperwork to keep the perp in jail. Neither mistake was Peter Nickles's fault.
Until the District has full control over its criminal justice system - including DC government attorneys prosecuting all crimes, DC govt employees in charge of detentions at the courthouse, & DC govt employees in charge of a DC prison for felons, & DC govt employees in charge of the probation & parole system, the District will never be anywhere near "self governing". Right now the US govt controls all of the above functions.
Anyone who has any complaints about the process in this case should work toward having the DC govt take control over the entire criminal justice system. Until that happens, local citizens have little if any input on how the processes function.
11:04 pm
As the U.S. Attorney's Office stated, Nickles was free to charge this juvenile.
7:05 am
Don, that was a big reason why I was so disgusted with the initial post. If Cherkis is supposed to be so informed on topics like this (and he has already been proven wrong on a few things just in the comments here), why not try to redirect the anger that so many people in the community feel toward doing things the way he sees as right? Instead, he came out of the gate on this issue being his usual self righteous and clownish self, and then his co-workers circled the wagons when commenters called him out on his bullshit. And it seems like Cherkis truly does not understand why people are so angry about this issue, which is quite mystifying.
9:01 am
Interesting debate. While I disagree with Jason's posting, and want to add a small insight (in a moment), I will say there is no doubting Jason's interest in exactly what happens to the many troubled youth in the city. His empathy and concern is obviously well placed, given the horrible situations he has covered, and which Colbert King has documented. If you care about crime, you must care about those conditions.
Nonetheless, I want to set the record straight on Delgado's action, which prompted all this.
He did it because citizens wanted and deserved the information. And he also did it because his force deserves the support.
I recently attended a neighborhood crime meeting down here in Dupont/Logan, in an area referred to as Borderstan (www.borderstan.com), where police told us with exasperation their repeated arrests of the same individuals, doing the papering, etc. Their frustration is compounded, obviously, when someone or something higher up results in the offender being placed right back into the community.
None of that is new(s) in DC, sadly. What is new is a growing public awareness--matched with 'Net-equipped cops and the speed of email--to act on these incidents, empowering neighborhoods to demand that chronic offenders not be placed back on our blocks.
Citizens want this information, Delgado is providing it, and the communication flow empowers both the community and Delgado's own troops.
Jason: I want fixed what you want fixed. We all do, or should. And it shouldn't stop at juveniles--hellish conditions inside adult prisons only place tortured souls on the street down the line.
Quite separate and apart from that, however, no neighborhood should be chided for refusing to accept repeat violent offenders back on our streets. It's our obligation, to ourselves and our families, to speak out against that, and Delgado is simply helping us.
10:40 am
Jim,
I agree that the point of view of this article is completely mystifying and ill-informed. Speak first and find out the facts later.
I find the witch hunt concept to be, again, both insulting and mystifying.
Potentially if Jason was to suggest that mob justice has a troubling history, well of course we are adult enough to recognize that. That's why I was so interested in this as a way to address crime as a "community impact statement." Could you have community involvement that WASN'T a mob? We know that pro-criminal, reduced punishment, advocates make their voices known in the community because almost all of us have run across them. In many cases, such as juvenile cases, I agree that rehabilitation is the first step. What scared the community to the core about this issue was a repeated failure by everyone except the police rearresting this person. This wasn't someone suspected of three crimes, they were suspected of 20 crimes. Suddenly calling 911 on a man beating up a woman at the metro was no solution at all because of unelected officials normally immune from community input ignoring the realities of life in our city.
11:58 am
This ADULT needs to be off the streets. Period. I cannot believe that City Paper's hate for MPD goes above common sense and is on the side of violent criminals. You do not live up to the integrity of the Loaf brand.
12:52 pm
Due process: It's in the Constitution! Please phone Mike Riggs for a pocket copy.
What is it about MPD and neighborhood Listservs throughout D.C. that you always find so much reactionary talk?
2:07 pm
Re Delaney's Advice: I have three pocket Constitutions in my desk drawer. It's first come, first served for all you geheime Staatspolizei lovers.
2:08 pm
Agreed. Delgado is essentially trying to convict this guy extrajudicially. He should be fired posthaste. For a member of the justice community to go outside of the legal system like this shows an amazing level of cynicism and contempt. If a cop doesn't believe that the justice system works, why should we?
Of course, it's all too easy for me to say this as someone who doesn't live in Petworth. I hope I'd still have the same opinion if there were a chance I could be mugged by this guy but, to be honest, I'm not sure. I have the utmost sympathy for everyone in Petworth who has to deal with this awful situation. But police officers simply cannot do this kind of shit and get away with it. Period.
2:45 pm
Dave: You miss the point completely. People don't want an "extrajudicial" result, they want the system to work and recognize that juveniles found incompetent, just as adults, are not simply to be flung back into the same enviroment that has made them a danger to themselves and others. It's pretty simple.
3:10 pm
Delaney & Riggs: Just as anger about crime manifests irrational talk about get-tough policies, an equal spew of knee-jerk, sophomoric claptrap erupts from fellow travelers whose saintly countenances can barely stand the actual facts (Exhibit A, this faulty piece by Jason), let alone a suggestion that "empathy" untempered with consequences is as vicious to a population as dogs and fire hoses.
No it's better to chortle that those who suggest public safety ought to be an issue are thugs who need a Constitution to remind them of basic facts. How evolved. It seems that many have such low expectations of people accused of crime, as if these people are space aliens to be studied and "empathized" with rather than respected and treated as anyone else, that they fail to note these same folks make up the normal pool of victims as well. Not a word about victims here because this isn't about the reality lived by actual people in this city, no, this is about satisfying pre-conceived notions scribbled in a college notebook and well-rehearsed at dinner parties FAR, FAR away from "that side" of town.
I would note that the basic premise of that document in your pocket is that we all should, under law, be treated the same and protected by the law. The question here is why that is not the case.
Try reading it.
3:35 pm
What I need here is a good dinner party quip, something that would really zing this Oden fellow. Riggs, can you help me out? I threw away all my college notebooks because I thought I would never need them again!
Thanks for playing the Freud.
3:41 pm
Oden,
I agree with you on that. We all want the judicial system to work so that the people who could do us harm are taken off the streets. Everyone wants that. Who could argue otherwise?
But that's not what this thread is about. (Or at least not what this thread was supposed to be about.) What this thread is about is the question of whether or not Delgado was justified in starting the email campaign. I say absolutely not. Leaving aside all considerations of the D.C. justice system's flaws, I'd like to hear your argument as to why you think Delgado was justified in starting the email campaign.
Here's what I think is the strongest argument as to why Delgado shouldn't have done this: He just gave a huge gift to this guy's defense attorney. If/when this guy gets charged and goes to trial, his lawyer will bring up this listserv business again and again to prove that the police investigation was flawed and biased. Delgado may have just jeopardized - if not fatally wounded - the case against this teenager.
4:34 pm
I hope someday there is a great discussion, perhaps an in- depth article about how pissed off and scared we DC citizens really are. Where are our rights? Why are we afraid to walk around our neighborhoods at night? why are little kids attacking us? why do these kids feel that the cops cant touch them? where are the accountable adults?
We have a right to safety in our city. We have a right immediately. not when these kids all get counseled.
What of all this mounting anger and resentment? it WILL explode. services for the "unfit for trail" or whatever.
We want these kids off of our streets. and the worse this gets the less we will care how it happens.
You want us to have sympathy for these kids?
then speak to our outrage and pain as victims.
cuz until then. fuck them.
4:35 pm
Dave: I agree with you about Delgado. He was not justified in launching his e-mail campaign. He should have spent more time on making sure there was enough evidence in police case against the teenager. Instead, his case was no papered. Nor did anyone from MPD flag the case when it was reviewed by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
No one from MPD spoke up until it was too late.
Delgado has a history of not being too careful with his listserv posts.
4:36 pm
DC Guy: Your tirade--"What of all this mounting anger and resentment? it WILL explode. services for the “unfit for trail” or whatever.
We want these kids off of our streets. and the worse this gets the less we will care how it happens"--says it all.
4:51 pm
thanks for the gloss over.
peace.
6:55 pm
Delgado's message was written in haste. It read like he was frantic to get it out as soon as possible. I took that to mean he saw the danger this kid posed. He was about to be released a third time, when the previous two times he'd been arrested after allegedly robbing/assaulting D.C. residents. He wanted people to know about it and take whatever action they could, should they care to. Delgado wasn't advocating they lock this kid up forever. Seems like (and I could be mistaken...I don't know exactly what Delgado was thinking) all he wanted to do was watch out for the people in the neighborhood. I appreciate that.
9:50 pm
I'm not sure what Delgado's main intentions were. But I do think if the police did consider the juvenile such a threat to public safety, they should have fought harder to get the case papered by the U.S. Attorney's Office. And if that failed, they should have gathered more evidence, and either return to the U.S. Attorney's Office with a stronger case or made their case to the OAG's Office.