Angel Who Cares
If you seek an angel with an open heart, you shall
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LA Observed on KCRW: Lily Burk
July 31 2009 4:38 PM
<snipped>
My commentary today talks about the murder of 17-year-old Lily Burk and the strong reaction it has evoked in the city.
This is Kevin Roderick with LA Observed for KCRW.
The week’s subject is the kidnapping and murder of a 17-year-old Los Angeles girl. If you don’t feel like going there today, you might want to turn down your radio for four minutes.
Exactly a week ago, during this time slot, Lily Burk was being driven through downtown L.A. in her own car. The lifelong criminal seen on surveillance videos driving the car also was photographed walking her up to ATMs, where Lily tried – unsuccessfully - to take out cash.
Within minutes of last week’s segment going off the air, Lily Burk was dead – her throat cut as she sat in the passenger seat. Her face had also been smashed into the car’s windshield.
Lily’s parents are a major reason this crime has become such a big deal. Lily’s father is a respected music journalist with friends at and around the LA Times who served as family spokesmen.
Lily’s mother is a respected libel lawyer whose words in the Times about losing her baby and her best friend shredded hearts. They are well-known and well-liked.
As some crimes do, Lily Burk’s murder has spurred talk in the media and on the Web. And inevitably, some backlash and political exploitation.
But you don’t have to be in the private school culture of Los Angeles, or be part of the media, to be affected when crimes like this occur in your community.
They leave deep and raw scars in the psyche of a city.
This one comes with the crime rate in LA so low that Angelenos have been revising their personal, internal maps to include more “good” areas and fewer “bad” areas.
And now, sadly, that probably changes too.
Article:
http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2009/07/la_observed_on_kcrw_lily.php
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What to do with low-level offenders: Letters for Aug. 2, 2009
Updated: 07/31/2009 04:47:04 PM PDT
<snipped>
Question of the week: After the brutal murder of 17-year-old Lily Burk and the arrest of a 50-year-old parolee in the killing, it raised many questions about how the state deals with chronic offenders. We asked readers to weigh in.
1ST RELATED ARTICLE:
Rehabilitate or keep paying
We should remember that everyone we want put into prison is now someone for whom we pay room, board, security protection and health care - and maybe more than once.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca has many programs for those who are jailed and waiting for the courts to send them to prisons or rehabilitation programs. He has said that to change prisoners, "Nothing happens if you punish the h*** out of them." He has many programs to teach "self-correction" and to improve the lives of people whose lives were broken long ago.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2ND RELATED ARTICLE:
There will be more victims
Reading about Lily Burk prompts me to write. Some years ago I was a victim of an attempted abduction.
I was about to start my car parked in the Fashion Square parking lot when a man jumped inside. He had a knife that he held to my throat. I struggled to free myself from his grip as he forcefully held me by the shoulders while attempting to drive away. Fortunately for me, two women saw the car shaking and came to investigate. He pushed me out the door and drove off. What remained with me were cuts, bruises and post-traumatic stress that left me sleepless and alarmed by sudden moves.
My assailant, as did Lily Burk's, also had a long history of criminal behavior. He too was out on parole. He had a history of drug abuse as well. The detective assigned to my case told me that I survived because the criminal was not able to drive to another location.
Each time I read about a woman who is found dead in a remote spot or in her car I am angry that convicted felons are free to roam and kill innocents. We do not know the repercussions of an early release program but we can predict that there will be unintended consequences to bemoan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3RD RELATED ARTICLE:
Hard labor for early release
Low-level offenders become high-level offenders because they get away with their crimes. We need to impose more severe penalties on people who break the law.
If we have to release low-level offenders, make them pay a hefty get-out-early fee and give them serious community service hours, doing something unpleasant that takes physical effort, like scrubbing off graffiti and cleaning up dog poop from parks, or turning them into spies to rout out drug dealers. That way they can at least contribute to society instead of being just a leech.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4TH RELATED ARTICLE:
Help offenders change their ways
This is such a sad, sad situation. My heart and prayers go out to Lily Burk's family.
Unfortunately, there's not always a way to tell if a low-level criminal, or anybody, is going to snap. The prisoners get the counseling, rehab and support of what is thought needed for each individual and all seems good. Then they're put back on the streets, probably with nothing, to fend for themselves and to end up doing the crimes they did that landed them in prison in the first place.
I believe they should be helped with getting a place to stay and a job, too, so they're not completely thrown out there on their own.
I personally still support the early release of some prisoners. I would think a lot of prisoners do change after getting the help they need and given a second chance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5TH RELATED ARTICLE:
Those released need help
There are going to be people who need to be incarcerated and the Department of Corrections should follow a thorough assessment of those cases.
When the governor is talking about early release, he is talking about minor offenders, people who are in prison for small possession of drugs who really need a rehabilitation program and inmates who have shown that they are ready to be integrated into the community.
We should not be focusing in one person's mistake when there are hundreds of them who really deserve a second chance. There are so many people back in prison for minor violation of parole. When are they are going to be integrated into the community?
They come out with $200 in their pocket. What happens if they do not have a family or a support system to help them put their feet together and to confront all the challenges of discrimination and finger pointing at them?
Article:
http://www.dailynews.com/opinions/ci_12968286
:angel:
July 31 2009 4:38 PM
<snipped>
My commentary today talks about the murder of 17-year-old Lily Burk and the strong reaction it has evoked in the city.
This is Kevin Roderick with LA Observed for KCRW.
The week’s subject is the kidnapping and murder of a 17-year-old Los Angeles girl. If you don’t feel like going there today, you might want to turn down your radio for four minutes.
Exactly a week ago, during this time slot, Lily Burk was being driven through downtown L.A. in her own car. The lifelong criminal seen on surveillance videos driving the car also was photographed walking her up to ATMs, where Lily tried – unsuccessfully - to take out cash.
Within minutes of last week’s segment going off the air, Lily Burk was dead – her throat cut as she sat in the passenger seat. Her face had also been smashed into the car’s windshield.
Lily’s parents are a major reason this crime has become such a big deal. Lily’s father is a respected music journalist with friends at and around the LA Times who served as family spokesmen.
Lily’s mother is a respected libel lawyer whose words in the Times about losing her baby and her best friend shredded hearts. They are well-known and well-liked.
As some crimes do, Lily Burk’s murder has spurred talk in the media and on the Web. And inevitably, some backlash and political exploitation.
But you don’t have to be in the private school culture of Los Angeles, or be part of the media, to be affected when crimes like this occur in your community.
They leave deep and raw scars in the psyche of a city.
This one comes with the crime rate in LA so low that Angelenos have been revising their personal, internal maps to include more “good” areas and fewer “bad” areas.
And now, sadly, that probably changes too.
Article:
http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2009/07/la_observed_on_kcrw_lily.php
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What to do with low-level offenders: Letters for Aug. 2, 2009
Updated: 07/31/2009 04:47:04 PM PDT
<snipped>
Question of the week: After the brutal murder of 17-year-old Lily Burk and the arrest of a 50-year-old parolee in the killing, it raised many questions about how the state deals with chronic offenders. We asked readers to weigh in.
1ST RELATED ARTICLE:
Rehabilitate or keep paying
We should remember that everyone we want put into prison is now someone for whom we pay room, board, security protection and health care - and maybe more than once.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca has many programs for those who are jailed and waiting for the courts to send them to prisons or rehabilitation programs. He has said that to change prisoners, "Nothing happens if you punish the h*** out of them." He has many programs to teach "self-correction" and to improve the lives of people whose lives were broken long ago.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2ND RELATED ARTICLE:
There will be more victims
Reading about Lily Burk prompts me to write. Some years ago I was a victim of an attempted abduction.
I was about to start my car parked in the Fashion Square parking lot when a man jumped inside. He had a knife that he held to my throat. I struggled to free myself from his grip as he forcefully held me by the shoulders while attempting to drive away. Fortunately for me, two women saw the car shaking and came to investigate. He pushed me out the door and drove off. What remained with me were cuts, bruises and post-traumatic stress that left me sleepless and alarmed by sudden moves.
My assailant, as did Lily Burk's, also had a long history of criminal behavior. He too was out on parole. He had a history of drug abuse as well. The detective assigned to my case told me that I survived because the criminal was not able to drive to another location.
Each time I read about a woman who is found dead in a remote spot or in her car I am angry that convicted felons are free to roam and kill innocents. We do not know the repercussions of an early release program but we can predict that there will be unintended consequences to bemoan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3RD RELATED ARTICLE:
Hard labor for early release
Low-level offenders become high-level offenders because they get away with their crimes. We need to impose more severe penalties on people who break the law.
If we have to release low-level offenders, make them pay a hefty get-out-early fee and give them serious community service hours, doing something unpleasant that takes physical effort, like scrubbing off graffiti and cleaning up dog poop from parks, or turning them into spies to rout out drug dealers. That way they can at least contribute to society instead of being just a leech.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4TH RELATED ARTICLE:
Help offenders change their ways
This is such a sad, sad situation. My heart and prayers go out to Lily Burk's family.
Unfortunately, there's not always a way to tell if a low-level criminal, or anybody, is going to snap. The prisoners get the counseling, rehab and support of what is thought needed for each individual and all seems good. Then they're put back on the streets, probably with nothing, to fend for themselves and to end up doing the crimes they did that landed them in prison in the first place.
I believe they should be helped with getting a place to stay and a job, too, so they're not completely thrown out there on their own.
I personally still support the early release of some prisoners. I would think a lot of prisoners do change after getting the help they need and given a second chance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5TH RELATED ARTICLE:
Those released need help
There are going to be people who need to be incarcerated and the Department of Corrections should follow a thorough assessment of those cases.
When the governor is talking about early release, he is talking about minor offenders, people who are in prison for small possession of drugs who really need a rehabilitation program and inmates who have shown that they are ready to be integrated into the community.
We should not be focusing in one person's mistake when there are hundreds of them who really deserve a second chance. There are so many people back in prison for minor violation of parole. When are they are going to be integrated into the community?
They come out with $200 in their pocket. What happens if they do not have a family or a support system to help them put their feet together and to confront all the challenges of discrimination and finger pointing at them?
Article:
http://www.dailynews.com/opinions/ci_12968286
:angel: