Crime Newswire

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Investigators say a South Carolina teen offered to pay his friends $5,000 to kill the grandparents who raised him because they were... AP http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-mclaughlin/

Highland Park-Mount Washington Crime Blotter: Jan 26 - Feb 1
Patch.com
"It's been a slow couple of weeks for us," Los Angeles Police Department Gang Unit Detective Steve Aguillar said on Friday morning. No gang crimes were reported in the last week in Highland Park-Mount Washington, a fact Aguillar attributes several ...

The FBI is using a pipe to talk to the man they suspect killed a bus driver and abducted a young boy in Alabama. Police are tight-lipped about a possible motive.

The trial of Jodi Ann Arias, which began Jan. 2, has captured headlines around the world, as court watchers turn to the media for daily... David Lohr http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-lohr/

The "Breaking Bad" comparisons are just too easy. Georgetown Law student Marc Gersen, a Phi Beta Kappa member and award-winning debater, was sentenced to four... Carly Schwartz http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carly-schwartz/

An unidentified assailant severely mutilated a 20-year-old girl on her way home from work in an acid attack in Dagenham, East London. According to the... The Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eline-gordts/

Tacony man convicted of murder in dog-doo shooting
Philadelphia Daily News
Tyrirk Harris, 28, was convicted of of third-degree murder and possession of an instrument of crime. Harris said that he shot Manuel Santana, 47, out of self-defense. The shots included one bullet that hit Santana in the face, breaking his jaw as it ...

and more »

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The prosecutor in the shooting death case of Florida teen Trayvon Martin is asking the judge to deny a defense request to... AP http://www.huffingtonpost.com/danielle-cadet/

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- A longtime Memphis educator accused of leading a 15-year scheme to help teachers cheat on qualification exams changed his plea to guilty... AP http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-mcguinness/

WASHINGTON — Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan announced his retirement Friday, bringing to a close a turbulent period for the law enforcement agency that included... AP http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mollie-reilly/

WASHINGTON -- D.C.'s Museum of Crime and Punishment is hosting a heartbreaking exhibition about dog fighting, from now through September. "The Voiceless Victims" features items... Arin Greenwood http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arin-greenwood/

The media's extensive coverage of Hadiya Pendleton's murder is absolutely appropriate. However, it also highlights the reality that only a handful of Chicago's murder victims receive such thoughtful and humanizing coverage in the mainstream press. Mark Cassello http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-cassello/

SAN FRANCISCO — Four protesters were arrested entirely in the buff as they took to the steps of San Francisco City Hall in a brazen... AP http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carly-schwartz/

The death of this latest child killed by gun violence happened one day after pro-gun activists heckled Neil Heslin, father of 6-year-old Jesse Heslin, one of the 6-year-olds massacred in Newtown, CT. Jeanne Bishop http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeanne-bishop/

WDSU New Orleans
NOPD reports slight overall drop in crime for 2012
NOLA.com
For the slight crime reduction, NOPD Chief Ronal Serpas credited his officers' "hard work and dedication to the city" as well as the community's willingness to cooperate with investigators probing complaints. "I ... want to thank the people of New ...
Overall crime in NO drops slightly in 2012The Advocate
Crime Drops in New Orleans for 2012WWNO
UCR: NO crime rate down in final quarter of '12WDSU New Orleans

all 5 news articles »

MiamiHerald.com
Prosecutors allege police role in deadly Egypt soccer riot
MiamiHerald.com
PORT SAID, Egypt -- The rivalry between Port Said's al Masry soccer club and Cairo's al Ahly team is legendary, so angry and violent that for many years police made a habit of escorting fans into and out of the stadium for fear of violence. But on Feb ...

and more »

By Jovon Ferguson
YCTeen Staff Writer

This story originally appeared in YCteen, a magazine written by New York City teens. YCteen is published by Youth Communication, a non-profit organization that helps marginalized youth develop their full potential through reading and writing. It is an excerpt from a longer article titled "The Central Park Five," which ponders the question of whether an injustice like the wrongful conviction of the Central Park Five could happen today.

As an African-American teenage boy growing up in New York City, I'm not afraid of the society I'm living in, but I am conscious of the threats around me. I keep in mind the history of prejudice, racism, and injustice that America has tucked away in its pocket, and I know I have a target on my back.

I know I'm not safe from being wrongly accused, because it has happened to me and others around me far too often. Every day, when you share long gazes with police as they look you up and down deciding whether to stop you or let you go on, you are reminded of their presence and reputation. You are reminded of the aggressive nature of their stop and frisks, and their tendency to grab anyone who "fits the description." That is the kind of accusation you face as a young black man.

I remember one of my friends telling me about his run-in with the police. They stopped him while he was walking past the basketball courts and cuffed him to one of the poles, searching him and even slapping him as words were exchanged. He had nothing on him.

My point is that injustice is ongoing, large scale or small scale. Things like this continue to occur in our society because there is little opposition. Our vision of what's right has been impaired by racism, fear, and prejudice, and if we don't side with justice, injustice will keep happening. We can't be so quick to turn off our mental light bulbs and not think for ourselves. We can't just brush off the Central Park Five, any more than we can brush off Sean Bell and Trayvon Martin and countless others-they're reflections of our society.

Read the full article and watch the Youth Communication's video interview with Yusef Salaam, a member of the Central Park Five.

Learn more about the Central Park Five case.

Check out our youth sub-site to learn about other wrongfully convicted young people.

A Manhattan building that was ravaged by Hurricane Sandy last year may have lost more than its physical facade during the storm. A new report... The Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dominique-mosbergen/