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Archive: January, 2011
It's a big day for changes at the Inquirer and Daily News. Today, the companies' owners announced several changes: the addition of columnists Buzz Bissinger and Ed Rendell; the launch of new digital editions of the for e-readers (which will require a paid subscription); and a partnership â surprise! â with City Paper and The Onion.
On top of all that, CP was sent a copy today of a memo issued by Daily News editor Larry Platt to his staff. (The document has since appeared elsewhere in the blogosphere.)
It's a pretty interesting read â at one point, Mr. Platt lays out the paper's mission as: "People, Power, and Gossip."
In that spirit, we're sure he won't mind us reporting on the memo itself.
He calls for more "street-level" reporting, a harder focus on wresting readers' attention from reality TV and other competitors, and has this to say about the paper's identity with regard to the Inquirer:
I donât want to fall into the trap of feeling like we have to cover what the Inquirer covers. In fact, I want any Inquirer reader who picks up the Daily News to viscerally feel that he or she has had a totally different experience.
Finally, a word about our bigger mission. Youâre no longer in the newspaper business; we are, instead, in the Town Square business. We provide the last bastion of community in an ever-fractured world, and we touch the members of our community in myriad ways: via print, the web, apps, events, and other media outlets. What we do â what you do -- is vital.
Read the full text below the jump, and let us know what you think â reporters, your input is particularly welcome.
TO: The Staff
FROM: LP
DATE: January 31, 2011
RE: The New Daily News
First, let me take this opportunity to thank Michael Days for his graciousness during this transition, and for his many years of leadership at the Daily News. I also want to thank all of those who sent me ideas, comments and concerns these past couple of weeks, as a precursor to our one-on-one meetings, which weâll start this week. (If you havenât introduced yourself in an email and told me what you think should change around here and what by no means should change, please do.) I have to say, I was blown away by your passion for this place, and impressed by how many great ideas came flying at me.
As I said before asking for your input, making the Daily News a must-read for all of Philadelphia, turning our pages into a place where many different Philadelphias meet, argue and ultimately try and live together, is going to be a process we embark upon together. Iâve already heard many ideas from you that Iâd like to start implementing as soon as possible. In general, let me be clear about the journey weâre about to take: the times demand that, together, we reinvent ourselves. Weâre going to be a laboratory of innovation and experimentation.
What follows is a list of some things weâre going to do right away. Some require a change in attitude or philosophy; others are announcements of new content that hopefully will enlighten, entertain and make readers think. Here goes:
* I hereby free you from the tyranny of the Inverted Pyramid. When I first picked up the Daily News as an awkward adolescent on the outskirts of this city some (oy) 35 years ago, the Daily News spoke to me because of its palpable passion; this paper has always been all heart. We will continue to report the hell out of our city, in keeping with the highest standards of accuracy and fairness, but you should also not be afraid to have a point of view about what you report. Our pages should never be home to âhe said/she saidâ neutrality. Instead, you will be explicit adjudicators of factual disputes, and youâll be free to draw conclusions from your reporting. And youâll be encouraged to write with wit and verve and attitude.
* We wonât be predictably partisan, however. Weâll call it like we see it, without allegiance to one side or another. Our ideology will reside in our commitment to our reader. Consequently, tomorrow, weâll be changing our tag line from âThe People Paperâ to âThe Peopleâs Paper,â in order to underscore our populist mindset. Our tone should be wiseass reformist; crusading, but careful not to take ourselves too seriously, lest we morph into self-righteousness. Weâll be for honesty, openness, and fairness; weâll be against corruption, exploitation, and abuse of power. Weâll celebrate that which merits celebration and call out that which needs fixing.
* Because weâre going to be pushing boundaries, itâs important that we remain at all times introspective and thoughtful. Consequently, Iâm pleased to announce that legendary Daily News alum and Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Aregood has agreed to pen a monthly Public Editor column in our pages. Rich, now a journalism professor, will have the independence to criticize us and our decisions in our pages. Iâve told him I want him to hold us accountable and he and he alone will determine his content.
* Iâm also honored to announce that another Pulitzer Prize winner, best-selling author Buzz Bissinger, will serve as an editorial advisor and occasional columnist in our pages. Iâve known Buzz for nearly twenty years; heâs passionate and inspiring and often outraged. I plan on having some regular big-picture brainstorming sessions, often with Buzz in attendance. Yes, he cut his teeth at the Inquirer, and, until recently, penned a column for our sister publication. But Buzz is excited about what weâre doing here and his is a voice our city desperately needs.
* Speaking of loud voices, I also want to welcome our new sports columnist, none other than Ed Rendell. Some fifteen years ago, I sat with Rendell in the mayorâs box at Veterans Stadium while the Eagles waged a furious on-field comeback. He stood up, hoagie innards spewing from his mouth, while he pounded the plexiglas separating his box from that of new owner Jeffrey Lurie, trying to get Lurie and his nonplussed guests to join him in full-throated cheer. Lurie placidly kept his eyes glued to the field. Finally, waving in disgust, Rendell returned to his seat, saying, âThis is the football box; thatâs the quiche-eatersâ box.â As we know, none of that passion has waned in the intervening years. I look forward to our Fan-In-Chief surprising and amusing us in print every week, starting this Wednesday.
A couple of weeks ago, some of you were eager to hear about my priorities. Well, theyâre still evolving, enriched already by your ideas. Broadly, hereâs the way I see it: In addition to our mainstays of sports and investigative reporting, I think we should think of our content mission as existing under three primary rubrics: Power, People and Gossip.
In covering Power, the Daily News should report from street level, poking the reader in the ribs and telling him or her how things really do or donât get done in this city. Philadelphia is a town that is run for and by the same group of 300 insiders. We have an obligation to provide a road map for our readers as to how the transactional nature of our town can conspire against the common good. And we can do that in an entertaining way that holds the usual suspects accountable. Power, in this sense, ought to be broadly defined. It encompasses covering those who are wielding influence â be it in politics, non-profits, business or media â or who we think ought to be wielding influence. And our coverage of it should utilize all the amino acids of storytelling available to us â deep reporting, point of view, compelling photos, charts and graphs.
When I talk about covering People, I mean that the Daily News should be in the business of anointing the luminaries of Philadelphia. That includes writing profiles of the characters who are making a difference, but there are countless ways to chronicle those who make our city unique: small blurbs, gossip items, charts, photos, Q & Aâs. We can sometimes lose sight of this self-evident signpost: people want to read about people. After all, there are fascinating people out there doing wonderful work few have heard about â until we write about them.
Categories like Power, People and Gossip are, of course, purposefully expansive, because Iâm not laying down immutable dictums so much as jumpstarting a process of reexamining our priorities. But there are some concrete things we can do right away, which Iâll want to begin exploring this week. Call it packaging; the fact is we now compete for our readerâs time and attention with everything from blogs to magazines to reality TV, which makes seducing the reader into our publication arguably our most pressing mandate. Headlines, subheads, pull quotes, big stunning photos, a front page that absolutely refuses to be ignored â these are opportunities to, yes, manipulate the reader into losing him or herself in our pages.
I find it liberating that weâre not Philadelphiaâs paper of record. If you donât have to cover everything, you can actually cover anything. You can let your passion guide you. In other words, we are free to focus on giving our readers what they canât get anywhere else, which is a service to them -- while setting us apart from the pack. I donât want to fall into the trap of feeling like we have to cover what the Inquirer covers. In fact, I want any Inquirer reader who picks up the Daily News to viscerally feel that he or she has had a totally different experience.
Finally, a word about our bigger mission. Youâre no longer in the newspaper business; we are, instead, in the Town Square business. We provide the last bastion of community in an ever-fractured world, and we touch the members of our community in myriad ways: via print, the web, apps, events, and other media outlets. What we do â what you do -- is vital.
So we have to look at things differently than in the past. Iâm not a big rules guy, but thereâs one phrase we need to ban: âBut weâve never done that before.â Rethinking what we do ought to be exciting. And, in a sense, that spirit of adventure is in keeping with the inspiring history of this very place. In our pages, Bill Conlin reinvented the baseball game story, Zack Stalberg caught a mayor in a bald-faced lie, Pete Dexter gave voice to the voiceless, Chuck Stone relentlessly spoke truth to power, and Wendy Ruderman and Barbara Laker fearlessly exposed abuses of power. None of these journalistic tree-shakers were blindly wedded to formula or Columbia Journalism Review rules. They were all heart, like a great city tabloid has to be. They had the arrogance to trust their collective gut â again, just like a great tabloid. They told the stories of their times and let the chips fall where they may -- which is, in its own way, very brave.
Of course, most of the aforementioned groundbreaking work was done long ago. Itâs now time for a new generation of storytellers to leave its mark on this town. So I want this missive to spur internal conversation; our hallways should teem with talk of who we are and who we want to be, and my door will always be open for anything, including kicking this kind of stuff around. So stop by. Tell me what you think. Hit me with ideas. Think big. And letâs go out and change this fascinating, quirky, and maddening city.
[...] well known for the marvellous headlines and gossip, as a commercial operation purpose model. ...Larry Platt issues declaration for Daily News: People, Power, and GossipPhiladelphia Citypaper (blog)Philadelphia writings begin charging for online versionNewsworks.org [...]
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[...] Larry Platt issues declaration for Daily News: People, Power, and GossipPhiladelphia Citypaper (blog)It's a flattering engaging review â at one point, Mr. Platt lays out the paper's goal as: "People, Power, and Gossip." (In that spirit, we're certain he won't ...Philadelphia writings begin charging for online versionNewsworks.org (blog) [...]
[...] ⢠Larry Platt issues manifesto for Daily News: “People, Power, and Gossip” [...]
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So, yeah...it sure did snow. And everyone loves seeing your snow photos (including this too-cute snow bear humping who knows what? taken by Photostream group member Robert Francis).
That said, keep them coming!
We here at CP would also love seeing some photos without snow, too. Maybe then we can all forget - if only for a second - that there will be snow on these streets 'til May if Mother Nature keeps this crap up.
To submit your pics, visit City Paper's Flickr group and use your Yahoo account to login and share your photos.
By posting to our Flickr page, you agree to let us publish your photo on the Photostream. Who knows, maybe you'll even see yours in print.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Philly City Paper and Lydia Rene', Philly News Now. Philly News Now said: CPâs Photostream wants your pics: So, yeahâ¦it sure did snow. And everyone loves seeing your snow photos (inclu... http://bit.ly/f8MfpN [...]
So yes, it snowed a lot last night, but donât you worry: City Council braved the cold and convened for its citizenry.
If youâre quizzed about todayâs meeting, youâll need to know about two main things: Marcellus Shale and DROP.
Marcellus Shale:
Resolution 100864 passed unanimously and it states that council agrees to adopt âthe report issued by Council's Joint Committees on Transportation and Public Utilities and the Environment on the economic and environmental impacts that hydraulic drilling of Marcellus Shale will have on Philadelphia and the surrounding region.â
That report can be found in its entirety here as a PDF and its basic conclusions can be found here in HTML format. The basic premise of the report is that hydraulic fracturing needs to be safe and until governing bodies like the EPA come to some conclusion about what that means and how that should be done, âThere must be no drilling, or projects related to gas drilling.â Fracking should also be taxed, etc.
Advocates in favor of strict policies regulating Marcellus Shale drilling say the report and its conclusions need time to sink in for Philadelphians. A bunch of them showed up at council this morning and Iris Marie Bloom was one of them. During public comments, she -- and a host of other like-minded speakers -- spoke about being in favor of resolution 100864, but she took her message one step further: She wants council to take the new resolution to the Delaware River Basic Commission and encourage them to move a March 16th deadline for public comment on fracking regulations for the Delaware River basin to September. She also asks that the commission hold a meeting in Philadelphia.
"[S]tand up and fight for our watershed," she said to council, "and make sure the DRBC allows Philadelphia's voices to be directly heard."
The DRBC's meetings are currently scheduled for:
* Feb. 22 â Honesdale High School Auditorium, 459 Terrace Street, Honesdale, Pa.
* Feb. 22 â Liberty High School Auditorium, 125 Buckley Street, Liberty, N.Y.
* Feb. 24 â Patriots Theater at the War Memorial, 1 Memorial Drive, Trenton, N.J.
More on that here.
DROP:
When is DROP not an issue in Philadelphia city politics? Well, the answer to that was technically supposed to be today (DROP wasn't on the agenda). But that didnât stop Fred Fisher, a retired City Hall employee, from offering his perturbed opinion to council during public comments.
Almost immediately after he began speaking, however, City Council President Anna C. Verna asked him to table it for another time. Fisher got pissed:
âI walked up here in the snow because I wanted to speak,â he said before reinforcing his belief that public employees should not be allowed to double up on retirement and salary benefits. Verna in effect said, Yes, Iâm with you on this (and, for that matter, so is CP), but seriously, not today. Fisher relented and stepped away from the podium but then threw his written speech toward his seat and shouted, âI am a tea party member and we will be voting against you guys come November!â
Which got him a clap or two.
Turns out, he wasnât the only one thinking DROP. Â Councilman Frank DiCicco introduced a bill this morning that would allow city employees who have enrolled in the DROP program to opt out â which they canât do, currently. Read more here.
...and while we're on the topic of public comments.
Public comments during city council meetings are a good thing. But anyone who wants to speak should remember that council expects you to 1) keep your comments to around three minutes and 2) remember that comments are limited to âthe bills or resolutions that are on Councilâs Calendar ⦠for possible action at that dayâs Council session, even if those items are not actually called up for a vote." This consists of "any items on the 'Final Passage' and 'Second Reading and Final Passage' sections of the [c]alendar.â
The three-minute rule was bludgeoned today during a few occasions when advocates against widespread Marcellus Shale drilling spoke. What happened in each of these occasions â and in one particularly â was that after three minutes passed, a noise that sounded like a wake-up alarm went off. Then about 30 seconds later, a horn-type noise went off â like the electronic sound that goes off between class periods in high school (saying, in code: âSeriously, stop talkingâ). Then councilor Verna interrupted the speaker, saying something like, âPlease come to some kind of conclusion because your time has been up.â The speaker would respond something like, âUh, ok,â and then keep talking for another minute or so. It wasnât malicious â the ignoring of the three-minute rule â but it really served to take the focus off the message and place it on the point that the speakers had declined to limit their speeches to three minutes. Something to keep in mind if you're planning to speak your truth to city council.
Secondly, it appears council is really trying to make sure that people donât get off topic. So when a South Philly business owner stood at the podium this morning to complain about a relatively new tax he was unaware of and obviously didnât like at all, Verna just straight up told him to take his comments elsewhere because, she said, "I just have no idea what you're talking about." This really pissed the guy way off.
âIf you donât come to look into my problem, itâs your problem,â he said. Which kinda sounded like a threat. Then â much like Fisher â he turned around and yelled something. But this businessman said nothing about the Tea Party. Instead, he yelled: âYouâre a disgrace!â to, I guess, everyone. He wasnât exactly escorted out by police, but two police officers followed him out of the room closely and Iâm sure most in the crowd thought that was just fine. The guy seemed seriously upset. And as a result, I'm not sure anyone on council gave much consideration to what he was upset about; they just knew he was upset. Not great for the guy's politics, one would think. But who knows.
Here are the other bills and resolutions passed unanimously by council today (copied directly from the agenda):
* Resolution 100877
INTRODUCED BY: Councilmember Blackwell
Resolution recognizing Vivian T. Miller for a Career of Service to the Citizens of Philadelphia in her Roles as Community Organizer, Ward Leader and Philadelphia Clerk of Quarter Sessions.
* Resolution 100878
INTRODUCED BY: Councilmember Tasco for Councilmember Council President
Verna City of Philadelphia -1 -
CITY COUNCIL Calendar for Thursday, January 27, 2011
Resolution approving the redevelopment contract and disposition supplement of the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Philadelphia for the redevelopment and urban renewal of a portion of the Point Breeze Urban Renewal Area, designated as Parcel Nos. 103 and 104 and also sometimes identified by house addresses and street addresses for Parcel No. 103 as 1626-1636 Federal street and for Parcel No. 104 as 1218-1228 South Seventeenth street; authorizing the Redevelopment Authority to execute the redevelopment contract with Community Ventures and to take such action as may be necessary to effectuate the redevelopment contract and disposition supplement.
* Resolution 100879
INTRODUCED BY: Councilmember Miller
Resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Philadelphia, without consideration, deeds conveying conditional fee simple title to certain City-owned lots or pieces of ground with the buildings and improvements thereon, situate in the Seventeenth Ward of the City of Philadelphia, pursuant to Chapter 16-400 of The Philadelphia Code and authorizing the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Philadelphia to dispose of such properties for rehabilitation and/or improvement in accordance with the terms of Chapter 16-400 of The Philadelphia Code.
* Resolution 100880
INTRODUCED BY: Councilmembers Sanchez and DiCicco
Resolution authorizing Council's committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development, and Homelessness to hold hearings on the consequences of mass foreclosure in the Kensington and Port Richmond neighborhoods of rental properties owned by Landvest, LLP and related companies associated with Robert N. Coyle, Sr.
* Resolution 100079
INTRODUCED BY: Councilmember Jones
An Ordinance amending Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Zoning and Planning," by adding a new Section 14-1640, entitled "Ridge Avenue Special District Controls," under certain terms and conditions.
Everything else was tabled until a later date.
I appreciate Matt Stroudâs coverage of the hearing and resolution #100864. I especially appreciate the postings of the DRBC hearings. I thank city council. I especially thank Councilwoman Reynolds Brown and Councilman Jones. To connect with others and to get more information, visit www.protectingourwaters.com and
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Marcellus Shale News, Philly News Now. Philly News Now said: HALL MONITOR: the Marcellus Shale, DROP, and pissed off from the podium: So yes, it snowed like a motherfucker l... http://bit.ly/etp3K2 [...]
Do we live in a cold, uncaring universe guided by force which act in utter disregard to the human struggle?
Or is there some force which somehow pummels human auddacity with mouthfuls of its own medicine?
I just don't know. But arguments for the latter scenario were boosted last night and this morning, when yours truly was forced to acknowledge the stupidity of making fun of a snowstorm before it hit â and turned out be be roughly double the size it was supposed to be.
Buses were stuck, people were stranded, chaos reigned.So I offer an official acknowledgement: it was a lot of snow, even by Chicago standards.
But we still wouldn't have gotten off school for it. Why, I remember the time that ... oh, excuse me. I'm done.
[...] ⢠Fine. It was a lot of snow. Even by (and this kills me) Chicago standards. [...]
Full disclosure: I grew up in Chicago, and therefore have an innate and unfortunately unpreventable sense of superiority in all things winter. I'm a perennial a-hole on the matter, and I can't help it.
But still: Is 6 inches really a snow "emergency?"
The city says yes, and has declared a snow emergency beginning at 7 p.m. tonight.
But is it really so terrible to have 6 inches of snow that schools need to be closed, press conferences held, and what seems like a not-so-small mountain of salt poured over the city, as if we were trying to make Philly into sauerkraut?
(A press release from the mayor's office said that city crews have been "applying a brine solution" to the streets since Tuesday morning.)
I mean, it's winter. It snows. It's 6 inches. Big deal, right?
Why, I remember back in Chicago ... OK. Enough.
[...] More Atomic Bomb Explosion Products Related to this you can read: http://citypaper.net/blogs/clog/2011/01/26/nooooooo-wait-six-inches/ [...]
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I'm so sick of the "where i come from" line about the snow. Chicago is equipped for the kind of snow we're getting. Philadelphia is not. It's little things like budget and equipment that affect how cities deal with snow. And today, you can look outside at the snow emergency routes, esp. Washington Avenue covered in 4 inches of packed ice, as you enjoy your crow sandwich.
I'm from Chicago, too. I actually think the "Where I come from" argument is valid because it offers a unique perspective as to how other cities deal with snow. Yes, a typical winter day in Chicago is a 4-6" snowfall, so we are better equipped to deal with such weather. Philadelphia just isn't. However, since the Eastern seaboard often sees patterns of no snow or a foot or more storm, you'd think by now the city would be able to accommodate for the forecast. Just another typical winter day, if you ask me.
BURRRR
I come from a place that's snowier too but I don't think that those arguments do anything to advance the problem of big east coast cities' poor response to snow. While not every winter in Philly is as snowy as some winters, I would argue that snowy, icy winters are NOT abnormal and therefore, there is no reason for Philadelphia and New York to fail to plan. If they end up not needing money for snowfall, then use it to pay off debts. For every year that I spent in Philly without a snow day, I spent two winters with multiple snow days. Snow and ice are the norm in Philadelphia. Get to planning the response and the budget. And don't stop storm preps just because Chicago doesn't think anything about 6 inches.
[...] boosted last night and this morning, when yours truly was forced to acknowledge the stupidity of making fun of a snowstorm before it hit â and turned out be be roughly double the size it was supposed to [...]
Jordan Brown's case is one of the more fascinating and complicated criminal matters to be heard in Pennsylvania... well, ever. And things will continue to get interesting today.
As the Inky noted via the Associated Press this morning: "A Superior Court panel in Pittsburgh must decide whether a boy who was 11 at the time should be tried as an adult in the slaying of his father's pregnant fiancee."
Which deserves some added information:
In February 2009, when Jordan was 11, his father's girlfriend, Kenzie Houk, was found murdered with a shotgun wound to the head. Investigators concluded that she had been shot while she slept. This took place about an hour's drive north of Pittsburgh in a rural farmhouse she shared with her boyfriend, one of her daughters, and Jordan.
It took local cops a short time to investigate and gather that Jordan -- whose father had purchased him a shotgun not long earlier -- had committed the act. Though he denied it -- and continues to deny it -- Jordan was incarcerated and held for trial. Last year, a judge concluded (here's the PDF) that the 11-year-old would be tried as an adult for murder. The judge's rationale: Jordan's refusal to admit guilt showed that he was not sorry for what he did and therefore liable for murder as an adult. (Jordan's lawyers have since countered that this decision doesn't make much sense -- and that's pretty much what today's hearing is about).
Admission or not, this is unheard of in most other states. Earlier this month, for example, a 10-year old in Ohio committed an eerily similar crime. There was zero talk of adult time in that case because in Ohio, a 10-year-old is a child.
In Pennsylvania, however, things aren't so clear. Human Rights Watch has pointed out that the Keystone State sentences hundreds more kids to life in prison than any other state in the country (and more than most other states in the country combined). So in Pennsylvania an 11-year-old may not be a child in the eyes of the law. He or she may be an adult. And adults get harsh sentences: If Jordan is convicted, he'll face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. He'll be the youngest person in recorded history to receive that sentence.
The hearing today will get to that. And it'll also begin the process of answering the following question:
Is an 11-year-old liable for murder as an adult in Pennsylvania?
Amnesty International is all over it. (They think Jordan Brown should be tried as a juvenile). And so is Kenzie Houk's family. (They think the kid should die in prison.)
A panel will hear arguments today and eventually make a decision. One way or the other, that decision -- which will take months, as these types of proceedings tend to -- will have a massive impact on juvenile criminal law nationwide.
Peripheral info:
* It's unconstitutional to sentence anyone to death if that person committed a crime before he or she turned 18.
* It's also unconstitutional to sentence anyone to life in prison without the possibility of parole if that person committed a non-homicide offense before he or she turned 18.
* Read the whole Jordan Brown story -- and more about his innocence claim --Â here.
* Read about SCI Pine Grove, the institution Jordan will serve time in if he's convicted.
* Read the brief written by Jordan's attorneys and Marsha Levick, Deputy Director and Chief Counsel of the Philadelphia Juvenile Law Center, in favor of trying Jordan as a juvenile.
* Read the "Save Jordan Brown" website here. That site was created by Dan Dailey, who blogs here and consistently breaks more news about this case than pretty much anyone.
UPDATE from the hearing:
*Â WTAE Pittsburgh (with video): "'My daughter is not coming back,' Kenzie Houk's mother, Deborah, told reporters outside court on Tuesday. 'My two little girls lost a mother, and a brother they waited on, so what gives you the right to think that he can walk away?'"
* Guardian UK: "The US is the only country where juveniles are serving life imprisonment without parole under the so-called 'life means life' policy. Only the US and Somalia have refused to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which rules out life sentences with no chance of release for crimes committed before the age of 18."
[...] UPDATED: Will an 11-year-old get life in prison for murder? Here's … [...]
[...] UPDATED: Will an 11-year-old get life in prison for murder? Here's … [...]
[...] UPDATED: WіƖƖ аn 11-year-ancient ɡеt life іn prison fοr murder? ... [...]
[...] UPDATED: Will an 11-year-old get life in prison for murder? Here's ... [...]
[...] UPDATED: Will an 11-year-old get life in prison for murder? Here's … [...]
[...] UPDATED: Will an 11-year-old get life in prison for murder? Here's … [...]
[...] UPDATED: Will an 11-year-old get life in prison for murder? Here's … [...]
[...] UPDATED: Will an 11-year-old get life in prison for murder? Here's … [...]
[...] UPDATED: Will an 11-year-old get life in prison for murder? Here's … [...]
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Are you idiotically insinuating that his teachers are somehow responsible because they didn't pay enough attention to this misbegotten son? Spend some time in a public middle school in your town and see what teachers do with the children never corrected or held accountable at home. Sometimes, school is the only place where a kid is safe, fed, and cared for. Parents need to "go to school" and be held accountable for the behaviors of their misguided offspring.
Not really sure how i feel about this situation sounds to me that this child needs help not life in prison and i guess my question is how many things had to go horribly wrong in an 11 yrs life for something like this to happen i have a 12 yr old son and i am far from a perfect parent but he is not a bad child and i can't imagine what this would feel like if my son had done something like this but for an 11 yr old to be so far gone as too kill some one tells me that some parenting was defintely lacking
I know it's hard to not see an 11 year old kid as anything but an 11 year old kid, but if he is in fact guilty, he's damaged goods. There's no helping that. Regardless of what the afterschool specials tell you, there are some things that you can't undo and must pay the price for until you die. Taking a shotgun to a sleeping woman's head, a pregnant one at that, is not something you can 'get over' or 'be cured of'. He's old enough to have decided that he didn't want to share the world with her, and act on that decision. That makes him old enough to rot in a 6x10 cage for 8 or 9 decades.
[...] yo facing life in prison w/o parole for a crime he may or may not have committed Will an 11-year-old get life in prison for murder? Here’s what you need to know :: The Clog ::... My hubby and me are at odds about this. He says, "some people are born without a conscience. [...]
"The judge's rationale: Jordan's refusal to admit guilt showed that he was not sorry for what he did." Presumption of Guilt without proof in trial, your 'Honor'. Keep a close watch on the evidence in the trial guys, this one's gonna be chock full of song and dance.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Astrid and Matt Muir, Philadelphia. Philadelphia said: Will an 11-year-old get life in prison? Hereâs what you need to know.: Jordan Brownâs legal si... http://t.jfm.tv/gitUdE #CitypaperBlogs [...]
Its time as society that we realize we need to change the def of what it means to be a child. This "kid" knowingly took a shotgun and killed a person in their sleep! He knew right from wrong and he choose to do the wrong thing. Again he knowingly took another life, he made the deision to pull the trigger. I believe that once you take a life no longer have value has a person, you no longer contribution to society itself. I think anyone who willingly hurts/ kills another human being should no longer have rights. Why shouldn't this kid die in jail? At 11 he his taken another life there is no rehab for that. He should be glad life in prison is all he can get. Had he been an adult he should be tried for the death pentaly. Along with ANY person that KNOWINGLY takes another life thats not in self-defence.
>>> I believe that once you take a life no longer have value has a person, you no longer contribution to society itself. So you're saying once a person is a soldier they are valueless? This kind of hyperbole has no place in a rational debate. You should simply retract your comment out of respect for those who had to make a choice. Let's be clear, this is a child, are children adults? Do we expect them to make adult decisions? No we don't. The actions of the court to elevate this to an adult court are reprehensible. The presumption of guilt on the part of the court is even worse. Why is this even going forward.
Man, I worry about America a lot. I'm writing here from Ireland, where I've experienced our own civil war in the North of the island and the ongoing gangland crime in Dublin. I'm not suggesting we're perfect. Let's get that out of the way. My other half is American. We've talked about moving there. I'm not keen at all. Why? This case is why, or rather it illustrates my two main reasons. Firstly, gun law. In this part of the world, it is not considered legal or civilised to have a gun unless you have a damn good reason for it. Want to hunt? You better apply to the police, get a licence from them (not easy) and have secure places to store it. Kids don't get guns, period. I cannot comprehend what you guys are thinking letting kids have unlicensed guns. Don't quote me your constitution. I know it just as well as you do. It was written hundreds of years ago, long before comprehensive law enforcement. It doesn't reflect today's reality. You might love your right to bear arms, but you got to realise that's why you have many times the homicide rate of Canada, a similarly cultured nation just to your North, populated by pretty similar people. Second reason? You're going to try a 13 year old as an adult with the possibility of life without parole? Seriously? I don't care if he massacred Jesus and all the innocents, and you got video tape to prove it. That is beyond inhumane. Let's say the boy did it. Let's say he whacked his stepmom. That's horrific. But tell me what the purpose of your justice system is? Is it to rehabilitate people to become useful members of society or is it to punish the evil? What man under God can be sure in his judgement? Better we facilitate the possibility of innocence even when we deliver a guilty verdict, better that we permit the possibility of rehabilitating errant children who kill. There are a number of British cases which shed light on this. Let's look at one. The Jamie Bulger killers - one rehabilitated successfully, the other was recently locked up again as an adult on child porn charges. Yeah, rehabilitation doesn't always work. But it worked for one of these kids. That's the important thing. This dead woman and her dead baby aren't coming back under any circumstances. The only person that can be saved at this point in time is this kid Jordan. This kid may be innocent. Certainly there needs to be greater effort into investigating the man who threatened to kill this woman before she died. Then again, he may be guilty. But he's no adult. He is below the age of responsibility for his actions. If he's guilty, he was horrendously wrong. He'll live in horror of it all his life. Does he deserve no chance of redemption, of forgiveness? While your great country continues to permit guns for all without attributing responsibility to ownership, and while it then turns around and seeks to prosecute children as adults and throw them away like trash, I could never live in your country. I'm sorry to say, but that isn't civilised.
In America, a person is supposed to be innocent until proven, beyond doubt, guilty. Because the judge stated the boy should be tried in adult court because he wouldn't admit to the crime says that judge needs a new job and that boy should be free to go home. This boy has waited nearly 2 years for a trial! And it wasn't his defense asking for all the continuances, it has been the prosecution. If they had enough evidence to convict this boy, they would have gone to trial already. Children at the age of 11 do not have a true concept of what death really is, not to mention their brains haven't even stopped developinng yet, so I don't have a clue how anyone can think a child should ever stand trial as if they were an adult. I agree 100% that children (minors) should NEVER be allowed to have guns, and any adult who does not lock up their guns if they have children in the house is just a very irresponsible person.
Are you out of your fucking mind?
Just because someone is charged with a crime doesn't mean they are guilty of it; just because a person is alleged to have committed a crime in the media doesn't mean they did it. This child should be tried or released. Holding him indefinitely is cruel. I've read everything I can find on the web about this case and I can't find anything about his shotgun. Was it found? Had it been fired? Is it, indeed, the murder weapon?
I'm genuinely sickened by this comment. So you're the same person at 11 that you are at 21? This kid is exactly that, a kid. He deserves to be locked up until he's well into his 20's then allowed to be slowly reintergrated into decent society as a normal human being. Yes, what he did (if he did it and I understand there is little proof that he is guilty) is absolutely wrong and yes he needs to be severely punished. But to lock a child away for life? To me that's about as wrong as you can get...why don't you just kill him and take his life now? Sick sick sick
I don't get all of this.. so if he is to be treated like an adult, i hope they give him the right to marry, to vote and so on. for him and for all 11 years old children. since they obviously can think for themselves... and be treated like adults.
It seems odd that the judge wants him tried as an adult because he won't admit guilt, but is presumed innocent until the trial. Go figure.
I live in ellwood city,Pa. 1 town away from where this evil little monster killed the girl and her son...there IS evidence he did it...maybe we should send him to live w/you...he gets pissed off...bye bye
Well, I guess he got his Daddies attention now. Too bad its only once week during their visit.
[...] Jordan Brown’s case is one of the more fascinating and complicated criminal matters to be heard in Pennsylvania… well, ever. And things will continue to get interesting today. As the Inky noted via the Associated Press this morning : “A Superior Court … read full article… [...]
Wow, you mind as well trash the entire juvenile legal system. By your rational, a person under 21 should be allowed to drink if they're mature and understand the ramifications. What about a 13 year old girl who wants to have sex with a 50 year old man? If she is really mature should it be OK? Or does it only work were the state can declare you mature for their own benefit? If this ruling stands it will set an extremely dangerous precedence. One, the judge and prosecutor are violating the defendants constitutional rights by attempting to compelling him to incriminate himself by "showing remorse" for a crime he hasn't even been tried for, let alone convicted. Second, it will allow judges to basically create ad hoc law by simply "declaring" that a child is an adult without any legal reasoning to backup the ruling.
What I'd like to know is what any 11 year old child is doing with 6 guns in their bedroom?
I just want to say I think this summary is well done; I wasn't aware of this case and I'm glad to be. Thanks for the clear-headed introduction to a case I'm now going to follow with great interest. I shudder to think about a child this young being imprisoned for the rest of his life. What life?
The kid's own dad bought him the shotgun. Let me repeat that: The murder weapon was given to the 11 year old child by his own father. If the kid was a monster, as you argue, then the kid needed counseling, child protective services, maybe a teacher at school to pay attention to him, or at worst juvenile detention. What he got instead was a deadly weapon. The same kind he's probably used in his video games that probably served as his babysitter for 11 years. Parents need to take some responsibility for their child rearing, and if they do not, then the community needs to. I don't know this kid, I don't live near him, and I don't know any of the circumstances of this case apart from what's been reported. I do know that an 11 year old has a much different capacity to make rational decisions, and also a very pliable mind with the capacity to change. Unlike the jaded, heartless cynics on this thread.
The biggest issue with this case, and what differentiates it from the Ohio case referenced in the article, is sentencing laws. If he deserves to be locked up 'well into his 20's' then he MUST be tried as an adult under PA law... because the juvy justice system in PA stops on the 21st birthday. Jordan Brown's birthday is in August (other articles reference this), which means that on that day in August 2019 when he turns 21 a couple things happen. - He gets released from detention/prison. - His juvenile court records are sealed permanently. - He has no criminal record as an adult. Nothing to show on a background check, credit report, or anything else. On that day, he could go out an buy a car, a new gun, ammo, whatever else... no record, no need to answer questions, and no way to check because of the juvy conviction.
Many other sources reference a refusal to accept responsibility for his actions... taking someone's book, disobeying the teacher, missing homework. The articles back then said he always had someone to blame for everything.
Undercut and Overgrown
What will happen to more than 2,600 vacant lots if the city doesn't restore funding to clean them? Anthony Campisi looks into the result of cuts to the city's Communty Landcare program.
A Million Stories
ICE, Baby
On Monday, roughly 200 activists marched to the headquarters of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, at 16th and Callowhill streets, to demand the release of four local Cambodian refugees. The refugees are currently facing deportation because of crimes they committed years, or, for some, decades ago.
The Ed is Dead (Long Live the Ed)
To usher in a new era, City Paper asked you, the readers, to submit tweet-long obituaries for former Governor Ed Rendellâs extensive political career. Because the responses were so creative, weâre asking you to submit a welcoming message, via Twitter, for Governor Tom Corbett, in 140 characters or less. Just include @citypaper and the hashtag #hellotomcorbett.
Man Overboard!
CP's Man Overboard! offers his two cents on gun control, the debate against it and the difference between writing tools and killing machines.
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A Philadelphia Speaks user â as Newsworks noted in a recent post â recently asked whether the mysteriously ambiguous voice that says "Doors closing" â like "Dawhs Closing" â on SEPTA's Broad Street Line had been changed.
Intrigued, we at CP did what we at CP do: reported the story out.
News Intern Tanya Hull (Welcome, Tanya!) contacted SEPTA and delivers this report:
SEPTA spokesperson Jerriah Williams confirms that the voice from above has, indeed, been changed throughout the Broad Street Line. Williams said the announcement changes were made in Sept. 2010 when Pattison Station was updated to what is now AT&T Station.
Ms. Williams explained the change in the long-familiar but oddly accented "Doors Closing" announcement as being part of a system-wide "communications upgrade," but did concede that, "It was so fast, it sounded like the woman was from a foreign country!" and that "the recording now is clearer, slower, more manageable."
Despite those advantages, she added, "I miss it, as a matter of fact."
Hear the difference yourself:
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Philly City Paper, Drew Lazor, Drew-Shane Homie!, Derrick Q. Lewisâ¢, Ed Skirkie and others. Ed Skirkie said: RT @citypaper: SEPTA confirms that they've changed the weird "doors closing" voice on the Broad Street Line: http://ow.ly/3I9hN [...]
This is great..! For the last couple of rides I was really disturbed by that voice.. Then I noticed a few days Ago that it was diff.. I'm excited..!!
Not in Philly anymore but oh God I miss that sound! Who knew I would miss things like that when I left the city?! It's the little things in life that mean the most!
[...] apts for $25M (Philly.com) Broad Street run sells out in four days (Philadelphia Business Journal) SEPTA confirms: Weird Broad Street Line voice has been changed (CityPaper) Beyond Cheese Steaks: A Tour of Philadelphia Restaurants (New York Times) Admirers wish [...]
[...] Speaking of Septa ⦠Listen closely. The sort-of-creepy voice of the Broad Street Line has changed to be slightly less creepy. [Citypaper] [...]
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Last week, we bid adieu to the long political reign of ex-Gov Ed Rendell with a little Twitter contest: Those who best summarized his career in 140 characters or less (including the #edsdead hashtag) got their submissions printed in this week's City Paper â a fabulous prize if ever there was one!
So tremendously exciting was the contest that we announced a new one: In 140 characters or less, welcome (or "welcome") our new governor, Tom Corbett, on Twitter.
Just make sure you use the #HelloTomCorbett hashtag.
(Oh, and NewsWorks seems to have gotten the same idea ... after us. But do our contest, we're cooler.)
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Philly City Paper and Dear philly, smsPREP. smsPREP said: Twitter Contest Part 2: Welcome â or âwelcomeâ â Governor Tom Corbett in 140 ...: Lsat week, we bid adieu to the... http://bit.ly/gmchni [...]
[...] ⢠Twitter Contest Part 2: Welcome (or “welcome”) Governor Tom Corbett in 140 character... [...]
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| Photo | Joe Moore |
It's that time of the week again when we ask you for your best photos, or any photos, for that matter, to City Paper's Photostream column.
This photo, taken by group member Joe Moore, shows the aftermath of the Northeast gas explosion on Tuesday night (and gives us all a sign that 2Pac lives on).
To submit your pics, visit City Paper's Flickr group and use your Yahoo account to login and share your photos.
By posting to our Flickr page, you agree to let us publish your photo on the Photostream. Who knows, maybe you'll even see yours in print.
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