Pubdate: Tue, 27 May 2003 Source: Athens News, The (OH) Copyright: 2003, Athens News Contact: http://www.athensnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1603 Author: Chad Kister STOP ENFORCING VICTIMLESS CRIMES, AND START FOCUSING ON VIOLENT OFFENSES Walking through the Public Square of Nelsonville last week, I was struck in the head with a brick and knocked to the ground, fracturing my skull and giving me a concussion. The young white males next pounded my face with their fists before taking off into the dark with my wallet. Such violent crimes leave horrendous scars of many kinds, yet are far too low on police priority. Police seem to have been slow to investigate this severely damaging attack, while instead putting another citizen in jail for five days for being half an hour late to a parole meeting. Now, however, the Nelsonville Police do appear to be doing something. Athens County needs to end all enforcement of victimless crimes, such as political harassment charges, drinking and hemp possession, and instead focus on the violent crimes that are devastating lives daily in our county. I have already proved in court on many occasions the false arrests and unnecessary attacks and prosecutions by local police against me. Now it is time for a change in leadership in local and state police departments to stop the rampant violent crime and end the wasted resources on violating peoples' rights. If all the wasted resources going to fight an herb that most Americans think should be legal were instead put toward fighting violent crime, as any sane scholar of criminal justice would advocate, for two reasons: First, the Nelsonville police said that the perpetrators were probably going after dope money. If that were legal, then addicts would no longer need so much money to steal, and they would have more money to get into treatment programs to quit if they so desired. Second, the police would focus all of their time on stopping violent crime -- real crime. The majority of police resources today go to fighting victimless crimes, such as underage drinking. Ending this would more than double the police on the streets working to stop this horrific violence. I have not been able to edit my second book because of the attack, one of the main tasks that I was engaged in and would like to complete at this time. My head hurts constantly and I cannot kayak, bicycle or walk much as this causes great pain. Hopefully it will heal, but the pain has lessened very little. Please, anyone who witnessed this attack on the Public Square the night of Monday, May 12, contact me at 753-5716. Chad Kister Nelsonville - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake