These lyrics keep going through my head.
I’m on the creep, with no sleep
I ain’t trynna rest till the enemy six feet
It’s game time, and I’m ready to play
Gimme my remote and my remote is my K
I spray with it, I’m from uptown
I gotta stay wit it
When we murder, we know how to get away wit it
We do our slick, one shot to the head is how we slank a bitch
— B.G. “My World – I Want It” from 2004’s Life After Cash Money
Yeah, he said it. “When we murder, we know how to get away wit it.” Some people would latch on to these words and think the words themselves are the problem, but of course that’s ass-backwards. B.G. is reporting on the situation in his hometown of New Orleans. The real problem is the society wherein murder is an acceptable strategy and the system wherein one can so easily murder and “get away wit it.”
I’m not a vengeful person. I’m not a law-and-order crusader. I am critical of the whole orientation of our criminal justice system.
But I also subscribe to the radical notion that murderers should not go free.
It seems that the District Attorney Eddie Jordan is unable to do his job. Dropping charges against an accused quintuple-murderer is just the latest and most glaring example — the last straw. As a reminder, five young men were slaughtered in Central City last year, and it made headlines around the world. The case was dropped earlier this week because the only witness had “disappeared.” When that news came to light, the police promptly produced the witness, who is willing to testify. The mind boggles.
It surpasses my understanding why Jordan is screwing up so badly, but I really don’t care whether he’s incompetent, corrupt or just plain evil. I don’t care. He just needs to go. It’s entirely possible that Jordan could be replaced by someone just as bad as he is. But the consequence of someone screwing up like this and staying in office is surely even worse.
People, it’s time to rise up. Tell your elected officials to join together and pressure Jordan to resign. If our authorities won’t do this in the next days, then grassroots organizations need to take the extreme step of supporting a national boycott of New Orleans. I think that’s the only thing that will show we’re serious.
I hate to use a violent metaphor, but blood must be let. If Jordan isn’t purged, we should threaten to open our own veins, which is exactly what calling for a boycott would be.
…from wikipedia: “Perennial weeds often have underground stems that spread out under the soil surface”.
If you want to oust Jordan, you have to simultaneously call for the resignation of ANY public official obstructing justice. Hedge-Morrell was just on the noon news saying, in effect, ‘oh, Eddie’s not the problem’. Right after which it was reported that he hadn’t used the funds City Council appropriated for the so-called necessary hires.
His staff is not doing their work. Just going to City Council isn’t going to have an effect if certain members of that council are protecting Jordan. Without removing Jordan, however, his employees – who are NOT DOING THEIR JOBS – are protected.
Weed the entire garden.
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Sorry, rant alert–
It kills me [pardon the pun] that there is even some kind of debate about this foolishness. People in this city–our friends & neigbors, loved ones & tourists & stangers– and our very lives & livelyhoods are threatened, in danger or at the very least being held hostage buy a blind, huburis filled ass who can’t/won’t see the self-made wreakage around him and move on to let someone/anyone who can do the job take it over. Did he even take ANY cases to court before his work with Edwards? Has he ever run a law office, or ANY kind of office before this job? His response to all the press– “I’m doing a major shake up of my staff to fix this problem.” WTF? I’m sorry, Ms Hedge-Morrell the time to investigate this craziness was over at least 100 VICTIMS ago. The city council and other responsible leaders in this city need to take the steps to remove him. ASAP. Good people in this city marched not very long ago to bring awareness to our crime problem in this city and maybe also to bring this kind of thing– this kind of blind incompetence from members of our criminal justce system, in to the light, and when they went home, I know some left or felt they saw real hope for some change from downtown. Jordon hasn’t even tried. How can Mr. Jordon look at the people that were there or anyone else in this city? Hell, how can he even be in the same city/state with the mothers of the victims of just the 5 teenagers gunned down in JUST this instance after what happend in his offices this week and go home at night with a clear consence? It is a disgrace.
I spent the morning emailing city council member offices and asking them to call for him to step down. The page with those contact emails or information is http://www.nocitycouncil.com/contact.asp if anyone else wants to try.
“I’m doing a major shake up of my staff to fix this problem.” WTF? I’m sorry, Ms Hedge-Morrell the time to investigate this craziness was over at least 100 VICTIMS ago.
I’m sorry, if you’re going to use WTF, you must use the appropriate military lingo i find much more descriptive: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
Jordan didn’t prosecute Edwards — he was just the sitting US Attorney. Guess who actually did the footwork on that prosecution … Jim Letten!
Jordan must go!