Officials Say W. Md. Prison Inmate Ran Brutal City Gang

HAGERSTOWN - His mother says she sent him to this Western Maryland town as a teenager to escape the drugs and violence of their Bronx neighborhood. Instead, this is where he cut his teeth as a criminal.

Now 28 years old, Steve Lamont Willock has lived all but six months of his adult life behind bars. His home for the past four years, the Western Correctional Institution in Cumberland, is even farther from Baltimore - a place in which he might never have set foot. Yet authorities say they believe Willock commanded one of Baltimore's largest and most violent gangs, a set of the Bloods called Tree Top Piru.

[continues 1995 words]

How is everything on the outside?" Willie Turner asks in a letter from Western Maryland. "I will be an ex-offender when I hit the streets in the year of 2012. So now I need your help please. I was told to write to you for an ex-offender job package that will help me get a job once I am out. I do not want to go back to prison. This is my first time and it is hell.

"Well, I did do it myself," he added, not saying what "it" was. "But now I know that crime does not pay off no kind-of-way. And the prisons are gotten [sic] worse. If you have questions, please write, or just send me the job package please."

[continues 825 words]

Baltimore County to Maintain Zoning Restrictions on Methadone Facilities

With a less-than-definitive opinion from a federal appeals court, Baltimore County officials say they have no intention of scrapping their restrictions on the location of methadone clinics.

As a result, at least one proposed methadone clinic in Baltimore County could find it harder to open.

A panel of federal judges, sitting one level below the U.S. Supreme Court, issued an opinion this month, finding that a Pikesville methadone clinic should be allowed to stay open. But the appellate court didn't directly answer whether the county law violates the Americans with Disabilities Act - which was the chief complaint made by a Pikesville methadone clinic and the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland.

[continues 768 words]

Hundreds of African-American men gathered last night to rally against the tide of violence, drug use and absent fathers plaguing Annapolis' black community.

With a good number of women and children at their sides, the men pledged to do their part to improve the greater Annapolis community.

The brainchild of local businessman Derek Matthews, the rally was held in the sanctuary of the First Community Christian Church just north of Annapolis.

Mr. Matthews has started the Foundation for 1,000 Dedicated Good Men. He hopes to set up mentoring sessions, job training programs and more in an effort to bolster the African-American community, and eventually, Annapolis as a whole.

[continues 732 words]

To all the girlfriends, fiances, lovers and significant others out there, county prosecutors have a message for you: Don't hide your man's drugs.

Two women in the past month were convicted on serious drug charges after letting - and even helping - their boyfriends store large amounts of marijuana, ecstasy and cocaine in their homes.

Both women, one of whom was a Maryland Transportation Authority Police Officer at the time of her arrest last year, now face the possibility of more than a year in jail.

[continues 628 words]

ANNAPOLIS -- A Democratic lawmaker wants to drug test all driver's license applicants under 21 and vows to "fight like a tiger" to push the legislation, which he hopes will save lives.

But opponents say the policy is unconstitutional, ineffective and prohibitively expensive.

The legislation, introduced by Delegate Marvin E. Holmes, Jr. of Prince George's County, would require the Motor Vehicle Administration to test the breath and blood of driver's license applicants under 21 for alcohol and controlled substances. A positive test would result in the suspension of driving privileges for six months, although the applicant would be entitled to a hearing.

[continues 416 words]

Our View: Resident Life's move to replace their A- and B-level system of housing sanctions is good news for students, but requires their input for sound implementation.

"Reason to rule but mercy to forgive: the first is law; the last, prerogative."

- - John Dryden

We commend the Resident Life Department, which devotes itself to promoting a rightful sense of place for students in the dorms, for proposing to eliminate their A- and B-level system of housing sanctions. The change will allow administrators to more accurately punish violations in a manner commensurate with the offense, rather than being hog-tied by an antiquated policy.

[continues 364 words]

It's A Government Conspiracy, Man!

These words may be echoed by Cheech and Chong fans across the state if the General Assembly approves legislation that places a $20 tax on tobacco paraphernalia products and requires retailers to record buyers' identities.

Introduced in two bills Wednesday by Sen. C. Anthony Muse (D-Prince George's County), the tax would apply to everything from Bob Marley-adorned bongs to those pipes with the righteous little skulls.

But it isn't stoners Muse is trying to clamp down on - it's children.

[continues 465 words]

Students caught breaking dorm rules could be punished less harshly starting late next year as Resident Life officials say they intend to restructure the dorm violation policy.

A barrage of student complaints in recent years has led department officials to abandon the two-tiered system of punishment, which was created in 1980 and penalizes marijuana smokers the same way it does violent offenders. Instead, the new policy will evaluate and sanction students on a more case-by-case basis,according to officials, and will give the Resident Judicial Board more flexibility in deciding punishments.

[continues 384 words]

Man's Rap Sheet Illustrates System's Revolving Door

When city police caught Ronald Wilson running in a back alley last month shortly after a burglary at a West Street liquor store, they knew very well who they were cuffing.

The 46-year-old Parole Street resident has been arrested at least 40 times and has 25 convictions on his record for crimes ranging from theft to drug possession to resisting arrest. But police say no matter what they arrest him for, judges give him lenient sentences or order him to drug treatment - ultimately putting him back on the streets in a few months.

[continues 1295 words]

Parents generally don't like to expose their children to the evils of the world. You will rarely encounter a parent who enjoys taking their kids to Satanic rituals or explaining to them the benefits of loathing those who are different than you. However, when hate is pre-packaged in a seemingly family-friendly video game scenario, parents don't question it. So I will.

Question: How many innocent children were corrupted this past holiday season by the sinister messages delivered via Super Mario Galaxy?

[continues 456 words]

Despite His Struggles With Addiction, The President's Policies Show Little Compassion

Visiting Baltimore last week, President Bush shared his personal struggles against alcohol addiction with former prisoners in recovery who are enrolled in Jericho, a program to help them re-enter productively into society. Mr. Bush recounted having given up alcohol the day after his 40th birthday, after a "particularly boozy night." He often credits his Christian faith for giving him the strength to stay sober.

Although his presidency is almost over, it's not too late for Mr. Bush to do much good as a role model and advocate for people recovering from addiction. To succeed, he will have to keep a few things in mind:

[continues 626 words]

BALTIMORE -- President Bush is talking more openly lately about his old drinking habit, and on Tuesday he offered perhaps his most pointed assessment yet by saying plainly that the term "addiction" had applied to him.

"Addiction is hard to overcome. As you might remember, I drank too much at one time in my life," Bush said during a visit to the Jericho Program, a project of Episcopal Community Services of Maryland that helps former prisoners deal with problems such as drug addiction so they can find jobs and reintegrate productively into society.

[continues 375 words]

A recent front-page story in The Frederick News-Post ("Forum warns of growing gangs," Jan. 14) reported findings presented by a "gang awareness forum." The forum presenters warned that over 400 people in our area are confirmed gang members.

While the article (or perhaps the forum presenters) fell short in giving a precise definition of how one qualifies as a gang member, the current widespread presence of gangs should nonetheless be of concern.

I am one of many Americans who has come to realize that gang activity is largely a product of the current war on drugs. We know, from studying economics, that any enterprise will continue to function as long as its products are in demand. If prohibited, that enterprise will be relegated to the underground economy, also known as the "black market." In a black market, all transactions occur outside the sphere of contract law. Without a peaceful means to settle disputes, all that is left is violence. In addition, increasingly draconian prison sentences mandated for adult offenders make plying the drug trade much less risky for minors; hence, their recruitment.

[continues 88 words]

As a retired police detective and student of history, I heartily agree with Cynthia Tucker's assessment of the war on drugs ("When will we end the failed drug war?" Opinion * Commentary, Dec. 31). No one can state one positive outcome after the expenditure of, by my group's estimate, more than $1 trillion in tax money and the arrests of 38 million Americans, mostly citizens of color, in the drug war over the last 30-plus years.

We have not and never will make a dent in the supply, purity or price of illegal drugs.

Perhaps one day we will become as wise as our grandparents and end our modern-day drug prohibition.

Howard J. Wooldridge

Frederick

The writer is a retired police officer and an education specialist for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.

[end]

There is a middle ground between drug prohibition and blanket legalization ("When will we end the failed drug war?" Opinion * Commentary, Dec. 31).

Switzerland's heroin maintenance program has been shown to reduce disease, death and crime among chronic users. Heroin maintenance pilot projects are also under way in Canada, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands.

If such programs are expanded, prescription heroin maintenance could deprive organized crime of a core client base. This could help render illegal heroin trafficking unprofitable and spare future generations from addiction.

[continues 102 words]

City Considers Easing Laws On Treatment Center Placement

Renewing debate over a controversial proposal that has failed twice before, the Baltimore City Council is again considering legislation that would permit live-in drug treatment centers to open in more residential neighborhoods.

Though the same bill has faced opposition from neighborhood groups in the past, Mayor Sheila Dixon's administration is under pressure from the U.S. Department of Justice to loosen the city's zoning laws - which critics charge are used to limit the centers - or face a federal lawsuit.

[continues 869 words]

The omnibus spending bill recently passed by Congress contained at least one piece of good news for Washington: A longtime restriction on using local funds for needle exchange programs was lifted. Removing the restriction was overdue because the district has one of the nation's highest rates of HIV/AIDS infection, and distributing clean needles to drug users could help slow the spread. Regrettably, a nationwide ban on using federal funds for needle exchange programs remains in place. Congress should follow its sensible action on D.C. and lift the national ban as well.

[continues 298 words]

Outside the City, Homicide Is Less Common but More Personal

In a violent September weekend in Baltimore County, two killings occurred within hours of each other - and both shooters were dead before investigators arrived at the scene.

The suspect in each case was a former partner who, after shooting his victim, turned the gun on himself.

As police officials finalize homicide numbers for 2007, they say the two September homicides demonstrate the nature of murder in the region's suburbs, where killings often involve people who know each other - a contrast to the drug-fueled, impersonal violence racking urban areas.

[continues 791 words]

ATLANTA - You don't hear much about the nation's "war on drugs" these days. It's a has-been, a glamourless geezer, a holdover from bygone days. Its glitz has been stolen by the "war on terror," which gets the news media hype and campaign trail rhetoric. Railing against recreational drug use and demanding that offenders be locked away is so '90s.

But the drug war proceeds, mostly away from news cameras and photo-ops, still chewing up federal and state resources and casting criminal sanctions over entire neighborhoods.

[continues 564 words]