Hopefully this will be the last Blizzard this Winter.

Here in Philly, we got over 60 inches of snow this winter. Hopefully this will be the last blizzard until Spring.

I took these pictures about an hour and a half apart from each other.

“Teen” gets 25 years for Third Degree.

“Marcquis Walker-Williams, 19, received the sentence from Common Pleas Court Judge Shelley Robins New for his Aug. 28 third-degree murder conviction in the death of 69-year-old Kwok Wai-Ho.”

I just finished reading this article on Philly.com about how teenager, 19 year old Marcquis Walker-Williams grabbed and dropped, 69 year old Kwok Wai-Ho who fell and mortally wounded his head on the curb. This type of news story isn’t that surprising to me since I live in the City of Brotherly Love  and it doesn’t usually prompt me to write a post here. But there are several parts of this story that I want to touch upon.

Maybe its because I’m from Philadelphia or that my family has been attacked and robbed multiple times since I’ve been living here (including my elderly grandparents). It’s also possible that I identify with the Chinese victims in the story, whatever it is this type of shit just happens way too often in this city.

The first thing that pissed me off about reading this article, is that even though its the correct term and the criminal is technically a teenager, I don’t really consider a 19 year old a teenager. Because when you seen teenager you think and expect somebody a lot younger than 19. There have been men sent to Iraq younger than that, and I bet if Walker-Williams wasn’t in this situation he would tell you himself that he is a grown ass man.  That’s just one part of the article that annoyed me and then there’s the reason he attacked defenseless Kwok Wai Ho…

In his own words, he and his friends wanted to “Catch a Body”. From his description it sounds like a game he and his friends “play” which basically consists of jumping an unsuspecting person, punching them, and then running away.  Walker-Williams claims it was a “dumb mistake”, well no shit dumbass. If he wasn’t caught it probably would have been entertainment. Yes, ENTERTAINMENT, like a fucking hobby. At least some robbers rob out of necessity, robbing to pay the bills, get some food etc. But this senseless violence was due to this idiot being bored and having too much time on his hands? That unfortunately looks to be the case.

Lemme paint you guys a picture about how the conversation leading up to it probably went.

“Hey guys, i’m bored how about we go grab and beat that really old Chinese guy and then run away? “

“Its gonna be really awesome!  He won’t be suspecting anything and we get to hit somebody, plus he’s really old so he can’t catch us.  And since he’s an old Chinese guy, he probably can’t even speak english!”

Fucking animals. Actually animals might be giving these idiots too much credit. At least animals hunt in packs for food.

Then there is the third part of the story that pissed me off. As soon as these motherfuckers get in trouble they start quoting the bible like the Pope. Where was all those Christian rules and beliefs before when they were using defenseless geriatrics as punching bags?

“We’re Christians and our God asks us to forgive,” Walker-Williams said, turning to the Ho family. “I’m asking you to forgive me.”

Forgiveness can be asked after you paid for your crime and not while the family is still in mourning.

 

The arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Racism.

I am seriously annoyed by the amount of coverage this story is receiving.  For the details of his arrest go to the Wikipedia link here

This story reminds me of the Huntington Valley daycare racism story that occurred a few weeks back here in Philadelphia. Where a group of minority children from a local daycare center were denied access to the pool because of supposed racism. While I don’t deny the fact that racism is rampant in this society, I don’t think the swim club acted in a racist manner. While members of the club there may have prejudiced beliefs and had negative comments on the influx of minority children in the pool personally, it does not reflect the beliefs of the club as a whole. One cannot automatically claim racism and destroy a man’s livelihood and reputation based on a emotionally charged claim with no proof. John Duesler, the club director claims that the swim club canceled the contract because of crowding and safety issues and I believe him. He also canceled the contracts of two other daycare centers in the area because of the same exact reasons. What he is guilty of is not racism but a terrible choice of words for his statement. By mentioning the change in “complexion” and “atmosphere” really made the shit hit the fan for an already racially sensitive society.

Its unfortunate that people are so quick to pull out the race card and scream racism. So quick to blame Lucia Whalen for being a racist in making the 9-1-1 call. So quick to claim Sgt. James Crowley is a racist for arresting a man for disorderly conduct. Are Harvard professors supposed to be above the law???

Any hateful or negative remarks made toward Lucia Whalen is stupid. She was being a good Samaritan and saw that two men were trying to break into a house, which is what  actually happened and called the police. I would rather have a neighbor calling the police when she sees something abnormal than someone who turns a blind eye.

Sgt. Crowley and Professor Gates have significantly different stories about what happened. After reading both sides of the story, I would have to say that Sgt. Crowley’s story is more believable. I do not believe that Professor Gates would have been arrested if he has complied with the officer’s request. It just doesn’t make sense as to why an officer would arrest a completely cooperative person for no reason. Especially an officer that is highly regarded for his teachings in a racial profiling course for other officers.

In my personal opinion I believe there is a combination of reasons that caused Professor Gates to erupt the way he did. He was likely exhausted from his trip from China, annoyed by the fact that somebody broke the lock to his door and insulted having to prove he was in his own home. As a result of those conditions combined along with his tendency to play the race card as a minority, status as a Harvard scholar, and being acquaintances with President Obama gave the professor a sense of being above the law resulting in the professor being loud, aggressive, and disorderly. Of course all this is just my own personal speculation but it is clear from the photo of his arrest that he was still shouting at somebody even in handcuffs.