Mobtown, my Mobtown

[CountDeMoney]

Bail for Aaron Parsons, the 20-year-old Rosedale man charged with punching and robbing a downtown visitor in a recorded attack that gained wide attention online, was reduced Monday morning to $500,000.

A District Court Commissioner initially set his bail at $1 million on Saturday morning after Parsons turned himself in Friday night to face charges in the attack, thanks in large part to viewers of the video who tracked Parsons' online activity to link him as the suspect. The video made the rounds on the internet, making appearances on sites such as the Drudge Report and the Huffington Post, and airing on CNN.

At his bail review at Central Booking, both the Division of Pretrial Services and the State's Attorney's Office recommended no bail.

Parsons' attorney, Warren Brown, argued for a $25,000 bond, saying that the private school graduate had no prior criminal record as an adult or juvenile and that a no-bail status was typically reserved for murderers. All Parsons did was throw a punch, he said.

"We need to set aside the hysteria that this was caught on tape and look at it rationally and reasonably within the law," Brown said.

Assistant State's Attorney David Chiu said Brown was downplaying the attack. "This isn't a punch - it's a beating and robbery of an unconcious visitor to the city," Chiu said.

Police had been upset that Parsons failed to turned himself in at an agreed upon time Friday morning - which Brown disputes - but Brown said Parsons was not a flight risk or risk to public safety.

District Judge James Mann Jr. said his job was to "impose the least onerous bail to ensure the defendant will reasonably appear, while protecting the safety of the victim and the public." He said that while Parsons was likely to appear, he was concerned about the risk to public safety in deciding on $500,000 bond.

Copyright © 2012, The Baltimore Sun

Related: California blogger who helped spread Parsons' information says he feels bad for him and he shouldn't do prison time.

A blogger from California who helped police link a suspect to a viral video of a downtown Baltimore beating says he thinks the story got out of hand and the suspect shouldn't do prison time.

"I actually take no pleasure in his arrest," Mandich said. "... I genuinly feel some empathy for his situation and I certainly hope he learns from this. He doesn't seem to be 'beyond help.'"

Anthony Mandich told The Sun two weeks ago that he had been outraged by the video and watched one night as users of the popular 4chan message board worked for hours one night to pinpoint Parsons' as a suspect. On Mandich's personal blog, he then posted some of the images, along with a rant about his frustration over what he saw. The site, which he said gets a couple hundred hits on a good day, received tens of thousands as the video spread.

When police did make an arrest, chief spokesman Anthony Guglielmi singled out Mandich by name for helping provide information.

"I think the fact that people from as far away as California chimed in to help out the Baltimore Police Department underscores how heinous this attack was, on a truly unsuspecting victim," Guglielmi said.

It was an example of how the Internet, where shock videos thrive, could also be used for some good. But racial rhetoric ratcheted up - the attackers were black, and the victim white - prompting Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III to urge against "fear-mongering," while Parsons began receiving death threats, according to his attorney.

Mandich said his initial outrage gave way to a more measured look at the crime and the circumstances around it. He thinks Parsons, who was being held on $500,000 bail after a hearing Monday, shouldn't do prison time but instead receive a punishment of community service.

"People calling for life in prison and all that type of punishment are way out of control," Mandich wrote to me. "I feel kinda bad for Parsons in a way .. dead mother, raised by a sibling, graduated from parochial school (as did I)."

Here's Mandich's full email to me:

I actually take no pleasure in his arrest.  The thing is, I don't really think it was a hate crime.  Aaron Parsons is a young man who by all accounts has been a good kid for the most part and honestly the more times I have seen the video it has really lost its initial shock value.

People calling for life in prison and all that type of punishment are way out of control.  I feel kinda bad for Parsons in a way...dead mother, raised by a sibling, graduated from parochial school (as did I).

He is just in WAY over his head on this one and I am sure he is feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment.  I genuinely feel some empathy for his situation and I certainly hope he learns from this.  He doesn't seem to be "beyond help" and I would be in favor of a sentence without a prison term but heavy in community service of a meaningful nature such as public service announcements in support of racial tolerance etc.

Regardless of what happens, I hope he comes out of this chapter of his life a better, more evolved human being, and I wish him the best.

Californians.   Land of Fruits and Nuts.

[Tamas]

Agree with him.  No prison time. He should be flogged or something instead. Can't imagine prison time being that much of a stigma in his community, or such a reduction in his career chances.

[Habbaku]

http://www.wbaltv.com/r/30835886/detail.html#ixzz1sORt9fM6

BALTIMORE -- An elderly woman got the last word after locking a police officer in her basement, and later suing the police.
Venus Green, who was 87 when she was handcuffed, roughed up and injured by police, will receive $95,000 as part of a settlement with Baltimore City. The city chose to settle the case instead of taking a chance in front of a jury.
"We thought we would have a difficult time in front of a city jury, or any jury," Baltimore City solicitor George Nilson said.
Green was so put out by what police officers did, the city said she locked one of them in her basement.
"I was treated like a criminal ... He dragged me, threw me across the chair, put handcuffs on me and just started calling me the 'b' name. He ridiculed me."
- Venus Green
"I was treated like a criminal," said Green, a retired educator who's now 90.
In July 2009, Green's grandson, Tallie, was shot and wounded. Tallie said he was shot at a convenience store, but police insisted it happened inside Green's house and that the shooter was either Tallie or Green.
"Police kept questioning him. They wouldn't let the ambulance attendant treat him," Green said. "So, I got up and said, 'Sir, would you please let the attendants treat him? He's in pain,'" Green said.
Green said the officer said to her, "Oh, you did it, come on, let's go inside. I'll prove where that blood is. You did it."
Police wanted to go the basement, where Tallie lived, but Green refused on the basis that the police did not have a warrant.
"I said, 'No, you don't have a warrant. You don't go down in my house like that. He wasn't shot in here.'" Green said the officer replied, "I'm going to find that gun. I'm going to prove that you did it."
A struggle ensued between a male officer and Green.
"He dragged me, threw me across the chair, put handcuffs on me and just started calling me the 'b' name. He ridiculed me," Green said.
An officer went into the basement and Green locked him inside.
"She locked the door, the basement door. She basically took matters into her own hands," Nilson said.
"This was my private home, and if I latched it, that was my prerogative because he had no search warrant to go in my basement. So, I had to right to latch it," Green said.
Green said she suffered a separated shoulder in the scuffle, and she sued the Police Department for assault and violations of her rights.
"I was once a block watcher, department head of a high school. (I've) been around education for over 50 years. (I'm a) law-abiding citizen, I've never been arrested, I paid my taxes, owned my home, my husband died 34 years ago. (I) raised my son and I have been brutally abused," Green said. "I feel like the Police Department needs to go back to school."
In the past two fiscal years, the city has paid out $16.8 million in claims against the Police Department. City Council President Jack Young voted against this settlement and others, saying he is "tired of the Police Department bleeding money."

Read more: http://www.wbaltv.com/news/30835886/detail.html#ixzz1sQXRxRJo

[CountDeMoney]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Little old ladies aren't to be fucked with, though. 

Of course, if the cops did it right, she wouldn't have been in the position to lock anybody in the basement, because her ass would've been face down eating carpet.

[derspiess]

"So, I got up and said, 'Sir, would you please let the attendants treat him? He's in pain,'" Green said.

Yeah, I'm sure she said it just like that.

[garbon]

I love this story.

[CountDeMoney]

THE MANHUNT CONTINUES

Police have arrested a second suspect in the videotaped beating in March of a man in downtown Baltimore, charging her with using a high-heeled shoe in the attack and slapping the victim after he had been knocked unconscious.

Authorities are still looking for two other people in the assault on the 31-year-old visitor from Virginia who was stripped of his clothes and left unconscious and naked on North Calvert Street in front of the city courthouse.

The graphic video, which was posted on the Internet, has horrified police and residents alike because of its brutal images and what appears to be an unprovoked attack on a man who told police he was intoxicated and was trying to find his Mount Vernon hotel.

After finally making it back to his room, he called police but could not remember any details other than that his iPhone, $1,300 watch and Audi car key were missing. Police didn't link that report to the assault until the video was posted on the Internet.

The victim is identified in court documents as Sephy Bounan of Alexandria, Va. He declined to comment when reached Monday, and referred questions to Lee Jacobson, a Towson attorney. Jacobson said he is the family's longtime lawyer.

Earlier this month, police arrested the man who allegedly threw the punch that decked Bounan. The man, Aaron Jacob Parsons, 20, is a party promoter from Rosedale. He is being held on $500,000 bail on charges of assault and robbery.

Authorities announced Monday the arrest of Shayona Mikia Davis, 20, on charges that include armed robbery and assault. She was being held on $750,000 bail. Also Monday, police said they are seeking Deangelo Carter, 18, and Shatia Baldwin, 21, both of Baltimore; each is charged in warrants with assault and robbery.

Authorities identified Davis, who lives in the 5200 block of Wilton Heights Ave. in Northwest Baltimore, as the woman seen in the video gyrating against the victim and then slapping him across the face after he had been knocked to the ground. Police said the alleged use of a high-heeled shoe in the attack prompted more severe charges of armed robbery for Davis.

Members of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter helped track down suspects by examining Internet postings.

In charging documents, police said they compared a driver's license photo of Parsons to the video, saying it "positively identifies him as the suspect." The video does not say where it was shot, but landmarks that include a white stone building, a bench and a mailbox place the location in front of the Baltimore courthouse in the 100 block of N. Calvert St.

The victim told police that he left Power Plant Live about 2 a.m. and was walking back to the Mount Vernon Hotel on West Franklin Street.

Court documents follow events depicted in the video — a woman dancing and rubbing against the victim as another woman yelled, "Let's get his car keys."

In the video, a man in a white T-shirt says, "I'm 'bout to take his money, yo," and reaches into the victim's pocket. Another man says, "Take that ... watch." The victim grabs the man's hand, then backs away as the man punches him in the face.

"The victim immediately falls backward hitting his head against the ground," the court documents say. "The victim appears to be dazed or unconscious for a few seconds. As the victim was lying on the ground, a group of people surrounded the victim beating, kicking, and removing his personal items along with his clothing."

Police said the victim made his way back to his hotel about 6 a.m. with a black left eye and bruises on his forehead, left hand, elbow and right hip.

[Ed Anger]

charging her with using a high-heeled shoe in the attack

A Negress bitch took out some sap's eye in a Mickey D's drive thru a while back.

http://www.dreamindemon.com/2010/07/20/good-samaritan-attacked-with-stiletto-heel-in-mcdonalds-drive-thru/

Enjoy the video.

[CountDeMoney]

One of the women he tried to help got all butt-hurty and decided to attack. She and at least three of her friends approached Miliner as he sat in the passenger seat of his vehicle and proceeded to beat the snot out of him – punching, kicking, spitting – all of it was caught on video by a McDonald's employee. During the attack, one of the women removed her stiletto heel and got all stabby on Miliner's eye, repeatedly gouging it.

That's why every Dazzling Urbanite goes face down and eats pavement when the rollers show up.

Edit:  And hello there, little miss Megan O'Rourke reporting live from Dayton.   

[Ed Anger]

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Yuna-Lee-WHIO/228997870474901

There you go.

[CountDeMoney]

Gotta give the edge to little Megan over Dragon Lady.

[CountDeMoney]

If you can't stab your infant daughter at Child Protective Services, where can you stab her?

Authorities are investigating Tuesday's security breach at a Baltimore social services office, which police said allowed a woman hiding a large kitchen knife in a bag to enter the building and stab her 8-month-old daughter.

The infant was wounded in the neck and head, and police said a social worker was in the room when the stabbing took place. The baby was in good condition at Johns Hopkins Children's Center, and as of Tuesday evening, no charges had been filed against the mother, who was in police custody.

But the incident raised questions about safety in a building where tense, emotional meetings between parents and their estranged children are routine.

"No, our folks do not feel safe," said Patrick Moran, Maryland director of the union that represents social workers throughout the state, including those at the East Biddle Street building where the attack occurred.

"People who come into these offices are going through a difficult time in their lives," Moran said. "Sometimes they act out and act irrationally. This time, it's a baby who was the victim. That's unacceptable."

Officials representing the city Department of Social Services said an extensive review is being conducted to determine if security guards followed procedures, and if those procedures are sufficient.

"We are absolutely looking into all these questions and working very closely with police," said Ian Patrick Hines, a spokesman with the Maryland Department of Human Resources. "We are reviewing our security procedures at all of our sites to [determine] how this came to happen and make sure it doesn't happen again. This is a very unfortunate situation."

The building is in a nondescript, block-long office complex in the 3000 block of East Biddle St., just west of Edison Highway. It is surrounded by a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire, and visitors are required to show identification, submit bags for inspection or search, and walk through a metal detector. Police said the woman, described as in her late 20s or early 30s, did not have identification with her.

Hines described the sort of violence that occurred Tuesday as "extraordinarily uncommon."

Moran, of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said complaints about lax security have been made in meetings with agency managers — to no avail. Moran said he's been trying to increase security patrols on floors where meetings such as the one on Tuesday took place.

The union head said he would prefer to have Department of General Services police instead of a private security force. "Those are the people you need to do the job," Moran said. "Events such as this are going to become more commonplace if security needs are not met."

Baltimore police detective Donny Moses, a department spokesman, said the stabbing occurred shortly after 10 a.m. He said the mother was in a room with her daughter and a social worker when she "became irate."

Moses said the woman took a large kitchen knife out of a bag and stabbed the girl several times, including in the head and over her left eye. He said the social worker was not injured.

"We have a long way to go with this," the detective said of the investigation. Police did not detail how the woman was subdued.

Police said it was too early to determine why the mother — who cut herself on her hands during the attack and was treated by paramedics at the scene — became angry. Neither Hines nor police would describe how she was involved with social services or whether she had a history of violence. Her name was not made public because criminal charges had not yet been filed.

Joan Little, who runs the child advocacy unit for the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau, said the social services office has to fulfill dual roles — to ensure safety and to provide a comfortable environment for parents and their children. She described the rooms as having toys and games, but also as "institutional gray."

The get-togethers can often be uncomfortable, occurring under the watchful eyes of counselors who work for the agency that in many cases separated the children from parents.

"These are difficult situations," said Little, an attorney whose staff represents children in welfare and neglect cases. "We want to promote family visits. It is so tough when a security situation like this happens.

"Normally, everyone would be supporting more contact between children and parents, and not restrained contact." The idea, she added, is for the "mother-baby visit to be personal enough that it can support the bonding that is supposed to be happening."

Little, whose attorneys visit the East Biddle Street building at least once a week, said it would be counterproductive for a security guard to attend each meeting. But she would support it when violence is a part of a parent's history.

Little said she feels safe in the building. She said there is a metal detector at the entrance, and she has seen guards going through purses and checking IDs, though not every time.

"It's not like airport security ... " she said. "I don't feel that it's a dangerous environment. But certainly we're dealing with parents who have significant mental health problems, and significant drug problems. On any given day, anything can happen."

[11B4V]

One of the women he tried to help got all butt-hurty and decided to attack. She and at least three of her friends approached Miliner as he sat in the passenger seat of his vehicle and proceeded to beat the snot out of him – punching, kicking, spitting – all of it was caught on video by a McDonald's employee. During the attack, one of the women removed her stiletto heel and got all stabby on Miliner's eye, repeatedly gouging it.

That's why every Dazzling Urbanite goes face down and eats pavement when the rollers show up.

Edit:  And hello there, little miss Megan O'Rourke reporting live from Dayton.   

He should have been carry a gun.

[CountDeMoney]

He should have been carry a gun.

This one did.

Parents got the chilling news in a letter brought home by their children: A gun was found on a pre-kindergarten student at Northwood Elementary school.

According to school officials, the student's teacher allegedly found the gun and notified district officials.

The letter said an adult was arrested in connection with the incident. Witnesses said they saw a woman escorted from the building in handcuffs, said 11 News reporter Kai Reed.

William Kitt's two grandkids attend Northwood."I could be talking to a funeral home right now. It's sad, it's sad, but people have to wake up and realize these things happen every day," every day," he said. "If you check the news it happens a lot. It's the kind of country we live in now. You know what I mean. You have to be responsible for your kid. Or your grandkid," said Josie Blake, a grandmother.

The letter urged parents to monitor what their kids bring to school and to check the contents of their book bags.

Kitt never thought he would support the use of metal detectors at an elementary school. But he does now, said Reed.

"You need them because this happens too often," he said.

"I don't just think of the gun going in the school. I think of if the gun could have gone off. The kid could have thought it was a toy and shot somebody and it's tragic," Kitt said.

[CountDeMoney]

Nyuk, nyuk.

Delegate warns of 'black youth mobs'
McDonough urges 'no-travel zone' at Inner Harbor

A Baltimore County delegate said Wednesday that the governor should send in the Maryland State Police to control "roving mobs of black youths" at Baltimore's Inner Harbor, prompting a colleague to label the message "race-baiting."

Del. Patrick L. McDonough, a Republican whose district includes part of Harford County, distributed a news release with the headline: "Black Youth Mobs Terrorize Baltimore on Holidays." In it, McDonough said he had sent a letter to Gov. Martin O'Malley urging him to use the state police to help prevent attacks and to declare the Inner Harbor area a "no-travel zone" until safety can be guaranteed.

McDonough's message, which came on the last day of a General Assembly special session, offended some colleagues who thought it gratuitously highlighted the issue of race.

"It's a throwback to the '50s and '60s, and it's obviously race-baiting," said Del. Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr., a Baltimore Democrat who offered to take McDonough on a guided tour of the Inner Harbor on a weekend night.

McDonough, a radio talk-show host, is best known in the legislature for his relentless and sometimes confrontational efforts to crack down on illegal immigration in Maryland.

"I'm not surprised at this inappropriate behavior," said Del. Ana Sol Gutierrez, a Montgomery County Democrat. She said that in her 10 years in the legislature, she hadn't seen such a racially tinged statement released by a colleague.

McDonough refused to back down, saying he had heard from police that the crowds involved in several recent incidents were all black. Failing to mention the race of the participants, he said, would be "political correctness on steroids."

McDonough said his statement was prompted by several recent problems, including a St. Patrick's Day disturbance and a recent incident in which he and his wife witnessed a fight involving about 100 youths at Pratt and Calvert streets.

The lawmaker said that his statement has brought attention from out-of-town news media and that he planned to give national television interviews warning visitors against traveling to the Inner Harbor. He charged that Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and city police haven't taken sufficient action and have been covering up the extent of the problem.

"A no-travel zone is an action that needs to be taken to protect lives," he said.

Mayoral spokesman Ryan O'Doherty said today, "Del. McDonough's sad and racially-charged publicity stunt is not deserving of a response and Mayor Rawlings-Blake is proud of the men and women of the Baltimore Police Department for reducing crime to historic lows. As an elected official, Del. McDonough should show more respect for the work our police officers do with the community every day to make Baltimore safer."

O'Malley, a former Baltimore mayor, dismissed McDonough's suggestions, saying Baltimore had cut its crime rate more than any American city of comparable size.

"Delegate McDonough should come and visit some time," the governor said. "He might enjoy it."