Crime
On the anniversary of Joe Biden’s crime bill, are we heading down the same harmful path?
Photo: Dirck Halstead/Getty Images
Tuesday was the twenty eighthvol anniversary of the signing of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, commonly often known as the Crime Act 1994. This controversial laws comprises many provisions in its 356 pages and at the moment was “the largest criminal justice bill in U.S. history.” Then-Senator Biden, who chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee, authored the “tough on crime” language that was later signed into law by President Clinton.
More than a quarter-century later, opponents of the law remain critical, with many arguing that it has fundamentally contributed to our nation’s mass incarceration problem, as evidenced by the incontrovertible fact that the United States “imprisons more of its citizens – disproportionately black people – than any other nation in the world ”
While the law did establish a ban on assault weapons and included a big provision on violence against women that greatly helped reduce incidents of domestic violence, the law consisted of language that: “[s]through an enormous injection of federal funds, local and native governments were encouraged to construct more jails and prisons and to enact so-called truth-in-sentencing laws and other punitive measures that concurrently increased the number and length of prison sentences while limiting the possibility of early release. for the imprisoned,” he writes Center for American Progress.
The 1994 Act was particularly problematic given its links to and reinforcement of the 1986 Drug Abuse Act, “which created huge sentencing disparities between crack and powder cocaine. Under this Act, a person was sentenced to at least five years in prison for five grams of crack cocaine, but 500 grams of powder cocaine was sufficient to impose the same sentence.” Because crack is cheaper than its powder form, it is more prevalent in lower-income communities that are “more prone to be predominately black.”
U.S. President Bill Clinton (left) hugs Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, Sept. 13, 1994, during a crime bill signing ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House. – President Clinton said the crime bill would “stop this terrible wave of violence” in the US. (Photo by PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP via Getty Images)
According to Brookings Institution“[m]understandably, everyone sees the 1994 Crime Act as the primary source of the problems discussed here, even when the truth is way more complicated.
Reflecting on the legacy of the 1994 crime bill, ESSENCE sat down with Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA) and Dr. Amara Enyia, policy and research director at Movement for Black Liveswhich is “an ecosystem of individuals and organizations creating a shared vision and political agenda to achieve rights, recognition and resources for Black people.”
In his first 12 months in Congress, Congressman Scott, then the only member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) on the Crime Subcommittee, became the leading opponent of the 1994 crime bill. When asked about that point, Congressman Scott said, “Everyone was in favor of the crime bill aside from a number of who, like me, didn’t understand the message. The 1994 Crime Bill was essentially a political document, consisting of all the poll-tested slogans and sound bites put together and called the Crime Bill.
According to Dr. Enya, “we are still living under the impact of the 1994 Crime Bill when we talk about the role that mass incarceration has played in destabilizing families and entire communities and has an impact for generations. Everything from the conditions that labeled people, especially Black people, as super predators, to the development of the three-strikes rule, to a criminal legal system that was already unjust, fundamentally supported and provided with even more resources to continue these actions that devastated the community Black people.”
During the conversation, Dr. Enyia strongly emphasized the incontrovertible fact that “we need to invest in things that actually create strong individuals, strong families, strong communities, and that doesn’t just require investing in police and police infrastructure.”
“We know what it looks like when generations of people are separated from their families or don’t have that stability in their community. We cannot support or advocate for measures that are inhumane or unconstitutional because they will always further harm Black people, who will always bear the brunt of it,” Dr. Enyia continued.
Regarding current criminal justice reform efforts, Congressman Scott stays eager for the future, stating: “I think people have learned the lessons of the 1994 Criminal Justice Act. [President] Bill Clinton doesn’t even try to defend it anymore. It served a political purpose but had no concern for actually reducing crime or the impact it had on minorities. We’ve come a long way since then – back in the day, when you talked about evidence-based crime policy, you were thought of as being soft on crime. But I think enough people now actually support a smart, evidence-based approach to crime policy that relies heavily on prevention and early intervention.”
Crime
Founder of an AI Tech startup accused of fraud and combining numbers with investors
Joanna Smith-Griffin, 33, CEO of startup AllHere Education, Inc. dealing with AI education accused of defrauding investors.
The Southern District of New York prosecuted Smith-Griffin securities fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. The grand jury indictment alleged that Smith-Griffin lied concerning the education platform’s funds and posed as a financial consultant to supply false information to investors. While acting as a financial consultant for AllHere Education, Smith-Griffin is accused of falsifying the corporate’s financial records mislead potential investors and inflate the worth of her company and its revenues.
AllHere Education is an AI-powered learning platform utilized in primary and secondary schools. Smith-Griffin has had little success integrating the K-12 platform into individual school districts in California and Georgia. However, the principal didn’t secure long-term contracts with school districts. She used these short-term partnerships to misrepresent to investors the reach and financial success of AllHere Education.
Smith-Griffin told potential AllHere investors that AllHere generated about $3.7 million in revenue in 2020, about $2.5 million in money and has major school district customers similar to New York City Department of Education (“NYC DOE”) and Atlanta Public Schools. In fact, AllHere generated roughly $11,000 in revenue in 2020, had roughly $494,000 in money, and had no contracts with many of the clients it represented, including the NYC DOE and Atlanta Public Schools.
Smith-Griffin continued to boost capital to support the startup, raising one other $10 million in funding. When the corporate collapsed financially, Smith-Griffin allegedly used the money injection to pay for an extravagant three-day wedding in Florida and a residence in North Carolina.
FBI Deputy Director James E. Dennehy commented on Smith-Griffin’s decision to prioritize her personal aspirations over the needs of an educational platform.
“Her alleged actions impacted the potential to improve the learning environment in core school districts by selfishly prioritizing personal expenses,” he said.
Smith-Griffin faces a compulsory two years in prison for the identity theft charge and a maximum of 20 years for every fraud charge. AllHere Education is currently in Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
Crime
Prosecutors say Sean “Diddy” Combs is trying to obstruct justice by heading to prison
NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs was trying to reach potential witnesses and influence public opinion while in prison in a bid to influence potential jurors in an upcoming sex trafficking trial, prosecutors said in a court filing during which they urged a judge to deny his latest bail request.
The government charges were filed Friday evening in federal court in Manhattan, which opposed the music mogul’s latest offer of $50 million bail. A bail hearing is scheduled for next week.
Prosecutors wrote that a review of recorded phone calls Combs made while in prison shows that he asked relations to contact potential victims and witnesses and urged them to create a “narrative” to influence the jury pool. They say he also encouraged the use of promoting strategies to influence public opinion.
“The defendant has demonstrated time and time again – even while in custody – that he’ll flagrantly and repeatedly disregard the foundations so as to improperly influence the consequence of his case. In other words, the defendant has demonstrated that he can’t be trusted to abide by the terms and conditions,” prosecutors wrote in a press release containing redactions.
Prosecutors wrote that from his behavior it might be inferred that Combs wanted to blackmail victims and witnesses into remaining silent or providing testimony helpful to his defense.
Combs’ lawyers didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Prosecutors said Combs, 55, began breaking the foundations almost immediately after being taken into custody Metropolitan Prison Center in Brooklyn after his September arrest.
He pleaded not guilty to the costs brought against him he abused and molested women for years with the assistance of a network of collaborators and employees, while silencing victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings.
Two judges found he was a danger to the community and a flight risk.
His lawyers recently filed a 3rd bail application after rejecting two previous attempts, including a $50 million bail offer.
In their motion, they cited modified circumstances, including latest evidence, that they believed justified Combs’ release so he could higher prepare for his May 5 trial.
However, prosecutors said defense lawyers created the most recent bail proposal based on evidence provided to them by prosecutors, and the brand new material was already known to defense lawyers after they submitted previous bail applications.
In their presentation to the judge, prosecutors said Combs’ behavior in prison shows he must remain locked up.
For example, they said, Combs asked relations to plan and execute a social media campaign around his birthday “with the intent of influencing a potential jury in this criminal proceeding.”
He encouraged his children to post a video on their social media accounts of them gathering to have a good time his birthday, he added.
He then monitored statistics on the jail, including audience engagement, and “explicitly discussed with the family how to ensure the film would have the desired impact on potential jury members in this case,” they said.
The government also alleged that Combs made clear in other conversations that he intended to anonymously publish information that he believed would help him defend against the costs.
“Defendant’s efforts to impede the fairness of these proceedings also include his persistent efforts to contact potential witnesses, including victims of violence, who could provide strong testimony against him,” prosecutors wrote.
Crime
Celebrity chef and former NFL player Tobias Dorzon is recovering from a shooting attack
Celebrity chef and former NFL player Tobias Dorzon is recovering after being shot during an alleged robbery.
The shooting occurred on the evening of Tuesday, November 5 in Hyattsville, Maryland, when multiple suspects attempted to rob a man and woman who had just returned from dinner, based on statement from the Hyattsville Police Department.
Police said the victims were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Although authorities didn’t initially discover the victims, local council member Wanika Fisher revealed that Dorzon was amongst those attacked.
“I am disheartened and saddened by the news that Prince George’s County restaurant owner Tobias Dorzon was one of two people shot during an attempted robbery Tuesday evening in my neighborhood,” Fisher began in a news release.
She added that Dorzon, a Riverdale native, owns two “amazing” restaurants in Hyattsville and is considered a “dear” friend of hers.
“Such a terrible act could not have happened to a better person,” Fisher continued within the statement. “I offer my sincere condolences to him and the other victim, as well as their families and friends, and wish them both a speedy recovery. This type of senseless violence has no place in our county and county.”
According to Fisher, Dorzon is an “extremely talented” chef who has represented Prince George’s County on the national stage and appeared on several Food Network shows. Most recently, the 39-year-old chef participated within the Food Network’s “Last Bite Hotel,” where he made it to the ultimate 4. He also hosts “Time Out with Tobias” on ESPN.
Off-screen, Dorzon currently owns and manages a company Huncho’s house and exclusive 1123 By Chef Tobias. This spring, he was named Maryland Chef of the Year, the primary honor for somebody from Prince George’s County. In 2021 helped James Harden open his restaurant Thirteen in Houston.
Before becoming a master chef, the Maryland native played within the NFL for each the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Tennessee Titans. He also had a stint playing for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League.
Every week after the shooting, Dorzon updated followers Instagram on his progress.
“I’m still here, thank you all for your prayers. See you soon…. Huncho,” he wrote within the caption of a post that included a screenshot of a tweet during which he admitted that, all things considered, he should be “God’s favorite.”
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