Posted on 09/06/2007 8:15:51 AM PDT by SmithL
It took someone with a gun to put an end to Allen Broussard's auto burglary spree - something San Francisco prosecutors, probation officers and judges had been incapable of doing.
Broussard, 37, a high school dropout who grew up in San Francisco's housing projects, was arrested at least eight times over the last year and a half, mostly for breaking into cars to get cash to feed a drug habit.
Each time, Broussard would be released - within days, weeks or a few months - to resume stealing and breaking into cars parked in Bayview-Hunters Point.
Until police found him dead Aug. 17 - still clutching a just-stolen car stereo - Broussard's life exemplified how San Francisco's pervasive problem of smash-and-grab thieving is fed by its own criminal justice system, which frequently fails to reform or punish offenders.
"We see the same individuals out returning to the community and committing the same kind of crime over and over again," said Capt. Al Pardini of the Bayview police station, referring to the use of probation releases in cases of repeat offenders.
"Probation should be an opportunity for someone who has made a mistake and wants to get back on the right path - we can't let it become a way of life," Pardini said.
But a way of life is what it had become for Broussard until he was slain shortly after committing a last auto burglary, just blocks from the Hunters Point projects where he was raised.
"We can't force the court to send somebody to state prison," said Jeff Ross, a top prosecutor in District Attorney Kamala Harris' office, suggesting that prosecutors are as frustrated as police.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Seems to me that this particular problem has already been solved.
Some interesting honesty in the reporting but they left out one very important party, the voters. They are the ultimate enablers of the failed system of government. They got what they voted for. Sooner or later a new party will catch on and run with this as a reason to try something completely different.
No, thanks. About half of the New Testament is composed of letters from guys like Paul who were trying to correct the 1st-century church's many problems.
I'll just as soon have authentic 21st-century Christianity. It comes with its own set of problems, of course, but they're the ones we know.
Since the price of the product he was seeking would drop by several orders of magnitute after legalization this perp wouldn't have needed to steal to pay for his habit.
L
WTF? California has a 3-strikes law. Why wasn't he in prison?!
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
He wouldn't be forced into a life of crime to support his drug habit, and would therefore be a healthy, law-abiding, productive member of society. Probably a clarinet player for the San Francisco Philharmonic.
very happy ending indeed!
as a resident I can tell you there are no enforcement resources devoted to car breakin and car theft. as noted in the story, it is so bad that the state attorney general a/k/a Jerry Brown a/k/a former governor moonbeam had his car vandalized IN FRONT OF CITY HALL. and of course the perp was never caught.
when the police fail to do the job, this is what happens.
Whacking this creep was an act of mercy and morality. The shooter shouldn't be prosecuted, he should be given a medal.
L
Good riddance !
In the Old West, Vigilante justice was highly effective at controlling crime.
Yes, that would be good, but then what would Democrats do to provide political patronage for all their loyal supporters? The unemployment roles and social upheaval associated with good democratic party members having to "earn a living" to support their lifestyles would be just unthinkable.
Never happen in the State of Kalifornia
Shame the guy got careless. San Fransicko deserves more like him, running roughshod all over the place and surfing rivers of homeless urine down the street.
So can the drug legalization folks explain how this problem would have been solved by their solution?
You see, those who advocate to end the WOD aren’t saying that it would solve all society’s problems. No, the point is that the WOD is ineffectual, expensive, and intrusive to the liberties of ordinary Americans.
How would this have been any worse had drugs not been criminalize?
Perhaps you could point out all the crimes being committed by alcohol or tobacco addicts to feed their habits.
The crime is committed because prohibition drives up the price.
Duh.
No, thanks. About half of the New Testament is composed of letters from guys like Paul who were trying to correct the 1st-century church's many problems.
I'll just as soon have authentic 21st-century Christianity. It comes with its own set of problems, of course, but they're the ones we know.
I have yet to see a problem in the first century church that is no longer a problem today. What one is there?
I love a happy ending.
Well, I haven't lately seen that many Christians are insisting that new converts be circumcised before they can join the church, for one (Galatians).
Nor do we typically have people getting drunk at communion (I Corinthians 11).
I'll grant you, some local churches may not only have a man living with his stepmother, but may actually be proud of it (I Corinthians 5); however, we generally don't have issues over folks eating meat offered to idols (I Corinthians 8).
But as for problems of divisiveness, lukewarmness, and false teaching, you're absolutely correct. We still have those.
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