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Long Beach Resident
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Judged:
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I"m totally pro-police (was even considering a career in law enforcement at one time), but certain police officers sometimes aren't careful with what they say, not thinking about how it can affect people. The careless semantics of that lieutenant's original statement hurt this woman pretty badlly.
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Hmmm
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Judged:
1
While some street officers can assume the role of a social worker in a pinch, most detectives and upper brass do not. They speak in very frank and dry legal terms. It is clear to any reasonable person that this was, in fact, a 'gang-related' shooting. This woman admits that, although her son wasn't technically a gang member, he did hang out with members of a gang and made friends with them. The fact that the victim was not an actual member of a gang was brought out in court, where that information needed to be heard. The police are never going to carefully word press information to appease the pride of families. They just give the information that is most accurate at that time, and we all understand that the investigation is ongoing. The police have NO responsibility for the friends and neighbors of this woman who wished to gossip and 'fill in the blanks' with whatever they wanted. LBPD are not the Soap Opera police. They got their suspect, arrested him, brought him to court, gave all of the relevant facts to the jury, and got him convicted. Wanting them to go door to door in this woman's neighborhood and tell all of her nosey neighbors that her son wasn't an actual gang member is asking a bit too much... that's not anywhere in their defined function. The fact is, they never said HE WAS. Perhaps the fact that her son was seen socializing WITH known gang members by the neighbors is where the REAL gossip came from, not the news report. I would also suppose that early on in the investigation, neighbors were interviewed by detectives and this fact that he socialized with gang members was made aware. It then would take the detectives a fairly intense process to say FOR SURE that he wasn't a card-carrying gang member. To be honset, and this is my own opinion, if you hang out and socialize with known gang members, you are an honorary member by association. Therefore, just for the record, in my mind, he WAS a gang member, and if he had NO socializations with gang members period, he would be alive today.
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Ronald
AOL
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Judged:
1
I agree with Hmmm. Its about time the cops quit using "gangs" as a code-word for race. Not all "Blacks" are violent criminals and not all violent crime is caused by "Blacks" who are migrating out of Compton. The practice of the cops saying the "race" of violent criminals is "unavailable" or "not disclosed" is not only unfair to the city's law abiding "Black" residents of long standing but the practice endangers children of all races as well. Keeping city residents ignorant of the danger they face for political purposes does more long term damage to civil order and trust in Government than the "celebrating" politicians gain from such practices. Ronald
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Mathias D
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Judged:
1
I would be willing to bet that the shooter believed Darnell was a gang member. He didn't shoot the mother, who apparently was telling him to leave as well. By assisting a rival in a fight, you choose sides by default. Not saying its right, but part of "understanding what we go through" is recognizing that fact. Gangsters operate by their own rules. Darnell knew that and if his friends were gangsters, then he had to play by those rules as well. People running in and out of your house getting into fights? That makes your house a target and puts your family at risk. Darnell chose to put himself in the middle of a gang fight, he was not an innocent bystander, he became a target. The term "gang-related" was well explained in the article. How should the crime have been classified? A hate crime, a crime of stupidity? It was clearly born out of a gang fight and this false belief that a mother cannot be "disrespected" and must be defended at all costs. Well sadly, it cost Darnell his life, and his mother the loss of a good son. Does anyone think the gangsters care? They do not. Blame the police if you must, but the real blame lies with the coward who shot and killed Darnell for no good reason.
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Oxepbanp
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Judged:
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To the world if needed, I knew Darnell and this young man was not a gangmember or affiliated. He saw wrong and tried to help and was killed. The mom did not allow gangbangin around her home. Get the facts straight.
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Hmmm
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Judged:
1
Oxepbanp wrote: To the world if needed, I knew Darnell and this young man was not a gangmember or affiliated. He saw wrong and tried to help and was killed. The mom did not allow gangbangin around her home. Get the facts straight. We do have the facts straight. The mom is trying to save face by saying she did not tolerate gangsters and that her son was not an active gang member. But understand this: if you allow known gangsters into your house for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, you are, by association, sponsoring their activities. You can tell us all day long that Darnell was not a gang member, and WE BELIEVE YOU. However, the second he accepted known bangers into his own social circle,(and by CHOICE, I might add), he became an 'honorary' member and a target in the eyes of any rival gangs. I'm sure Darnell was a good soul. It is a waste and a loss that he was murdered. My heart goes out to mom... but... if you walk outside your house in the middle of an obvious gang fight, then tell a rival gang member to 'take his gang s--- down the road', are you a hero or a fool? Probably both. You're a hero, because your murder got a very violent and active banger thrown in prison for 60 yrs. You're a fool because your life is over, and your family suffers in your absence. Stay away from ALL ASPECTS of gangs. Have ZERO tolerance and keep to your own business. You might have a longer lifespan within that neighborhood. It is tragic when an errant bullet meant for a rival gangster pierces a door and wounds or kills an actual innocent citizen. In this case, Darnell went right into the fight and put himself in very imminent harm. Unlike the innocent bystander, Darnell's murder could have been predicted AND AVOIDED.
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CHS
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Why is it relevant that it took the police "almost a year" (mentioned twice) to catch the killer? Is this some sort of suggestion that the police didn't try very hard?
I also find it interesting that nosy neighbors seemingly believed what the police allegedly said about this young man instead of what his own mother said. With friends like that...
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R WE
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WE HAVE BLACK MAN INCHARGE OF THE POLICE AND HE DOES GIVE A DAMM ABOUT HIS OWN PEOPLE THE POLICE CAN WRITE OR SAY EVEN LIE IN COURT ITS OPEN CITY ON ALL BLACK MR BATTS HIM SELF SHOULD TALK WITH THIS WOMAN AND TELL THAT HE SORRY AND THE CITY IS SORRY MAN UP BATTS
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Dan
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That lady's arrogance and sense of entitlement is astounding.
Respect is earned, not automatically given, lady.
Living like an animal in a gang-infested pit doesn't solicit any respect from anybody. Even the gang members dissed you and exterminated your son.
The last line about threatening not to cooperate with police investigations in the future, as if they ultimately care about you and your lifestyle in gangville is laughable.
Go ahead and kill each other, withhold info from the police, so they can dismiss you quickly and attend to more important matters.
Women like you give nothing to the Long Beach community. All you do is take, and complain when you don't get more.
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seen alot
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Hmmm wrote: <quoted text>
We do have the facts straight. The mom is trying to save face by saying she did not tolerate gangsters and that her son was not an active gang member.
But understand this: if you allow known gangsters into your house for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, you are, by association, sponsoring their activities.
You can tell us all day long that Darnell was not a gang member, and WE BELIEVE YOU. However, the second he accepted known bangers into his own social circle,(and by CHOICE, I might add), he became an 'honorary' member and a target in the eyes of any rival gangs.
I'm sure Darnell was a good soul. It is a waste and a loss that he was murdered. My heart goes out to mom... but... if you walk outside your house in the middle of an obvious gang fight, then tell a rival gang member to 'take his gang s--- down the road', are you a hero or a fool? Probably both. You're a hero, because your murder got a very violent and active banger thrown in prison for 60 yrs. You're a fool because your life is over, and your family suffers in your absence. Stay away from ALL ASPECTS of gangs. Have ZERO tolerance and keep to your own business. You might have a longer lifespan within that neighborhood.
It is tragic when an errant bullet meant for a rival gangster pierces a door and wounds or kills an actual innocent citizen. In this case, Darnell went right into the fight and put himself in very imminent harm. Unlike the innocent bystander, Darnell's murder could have been predicted AND AVOIDED. I agree completely . I worked for years as a home health nurse seeing patients in Comton, Watts, Willowbrook, And south LA and even the 'good' families trying to keep their kids out of gangs still have plasma tv's, x-boxes,and other very expensive stuff that their criminal friends or assosiates 'hook them up with' It's an accepted culture to interact then look the other way. The citizens in the hood are not all card carrying gang members but are just as guilty by association.
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Dan
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R WE wrote: WE HAVE BLACK MAN INCHARGE OF THE POLICE AND HE DOES GIVE A DAMM ABOUT HIS OWN PEOPLE THE POLICE CAN WRITE OR SAY EVEN LIE IN COURT ITS OPEN CITY ON ALL BLACK MR BATTS HIM SELF SHOULD TALK WITH THIS WOMAN AND TELL THAT HE SORRY AND THE CITY IS SORRY MAN UP BATTS Gang members are failures who can't function within civilized society, so they pull out the guns, sell the drugs, pimp there sisters, impregnate what's left over, shoot their brothers in front of their mothers, and generally behave like they're still running in the Congo or the jungles of Columbia. Some of them may be black, but they have NOTHING in common with Mr Batts. He's a policeman, not a zoo keeper.
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Hmmm
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R WE wrote: WE HAVE BLACK MAN INCHARGE OF THE POLICE AND HE DOES GIVE A DAMM ABOUT HIS OWN PEOPLE THE POLICE CAN WRITE OR SAY EVEN LIE IN COURT ITS OPEN CITY ON ALL BLACK MR BATTS HIM SELF SHOULD TALK WITH THIS WOMAN AND TELL THAT HE SORRY AND THE CITY IS SORRY MAN UP BATTS When all else fails, whip out the race card... the "po' black folk" deal is so 1900's. Wake up! This is 2008! Let me get you up to speed. Your SKIN COLOR no longer matters if you are WILLING to be productive. In 2008, a black person can be a Chief of Police. A black person can be a front-runner candidate for the most powerful nation this Earth has ever hosted. And yet you STILL complain. When you have a child, you have 13 years to do something FOR THEM before they become teenagers and neighborhood influences take over. You can GO TO COLLEGE and get a degree (or several in 13 yrs). You CAN work your way out of that gang infested hood. If you don't do anything but sit and claim your problems are due to racism in exclusivity, then PLEASE do not come to us and cry when your child is killed in a gang fight! LBPD tracked this killer all the way to Colton. LBPD NEVER gave up. Darnell's mom had her day in court. She was able to say "that's my son's killer sitting right there. He held the gun and pulled the trigger". She got that day in front of a jury because of LBPD detectives. They didn't work 24/7 on the case, but they never gave up, either. Too many mistakes were made that minute, that hour, that day, and the months leading up to that day. LBPD did NOT force her to sign that rental agreement and move into that neighborhood. She should have done something with her life to afford the children she made a safer environment rather than buy them the latest XBox or $150 basketball shoes. Priorities were NOT in proper perspective. Her child was not properly TAUGHT that all of the pseudo-bravery and thug talk they hear all day in rap song after rap song will only get them killed in the end. They will teach them to brush their teeth, tie their shoes. When they turn into young adults, they should have also been taught that taking care of your family sometimes means SHUTTING THE DOOR and staying out of harm's way. This young man was 21 years old. He had 3 solid years available to work full time and get his momma and his family out of that neighborhood. They stayed. They spun the roulette wheel of "that only happens to other folk". They lost. Skin color doesn't matter. If you WANT out, if you WANT a better life, a better neighborhood, society will let you. No one is keeping you from your dreams BUT YOU. You have to want it bad enough to do whatever it takes. 2 jobs, night classes at city college, whatever. They didn't want it bad enough. If only murder came with a mulligan.
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yibs
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It's not always easy to move away from a bad neighborhood, but you have to try, and keep trying. Life is hard and it sucks at times, but you have to keep truckin on like the grateful dead used to say.
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lbcer
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Hmmm wrote: <quoted text>
When all else fails, whip out the race card... the "po' black folk" deal is so 1900's. Wake up! This is 2008!
Let me get you up to speed. Your SKIN COLOR no longer matters if you are WILLING to be productive. In 2008, a black person can be a Chief of Police. A black person can be a front-runner candidate for the most powerful nation this Earth has ever hosted. And yet you STILL complain.
When you have a child, you have 13 years to do something FOR THEM before they become teenagers and neighborhood influences take over. You can GO TO COLLEGE and get a degree (or several in 13 yrs). You CAN work your way out of that gang infested hood. If you don't do anything but sit and claim your problems are due to racism in exclusivity, then PLEASE do not come to us and cry when your child is killed in a gang fight!
LBPD tracked this killer all the way to Colton. LBPD NEVER gave up. Darnell's mom had her day in court. She was able to say "that's my son's killer sitting right there. He held the gun and pulled the trigger". She got that day in front of a jury because of LBPD detectives. They didn't work 24/7 on the case, but they never gave up, either.
Too many mistakes were made that minute, that hour, that day, and the months leading up to that day. LBPD did NOT force her to sign that rental agreement and move into that neighborhood. She should have done something with her life to afford the children she made a safer environment rather than buy them the latest XBox or $150 basketball shoes. Priorities were NOT in proper perspective. Her child was not properly TAUGHT that all of the pseudo-bravery and thug talk they hear all day in rap song after rap song will only get them killed in the end.
They will teach them to brush their teeth, tie their shoes. When they turn into young adults, they should have also been taught that taking care of your family sometimes means SHUTTING THE DOOR and staying out of harm's way. This young man was 21 years old. He had 3 solid years available to work full time and get his momma and his family out of that neighborhood.
They stayed. They spun the roulette wheel of "that only happens to other folk". They lost.
Skin color doesn't matter. If you WANT out, if you WANT a better life, a better neighborhood, society will let you. No one is keeping you from your dreams BUT YOU. You have to want it bad enough to do whatever it takes. 2 jobs, night classes at city college, whatever. They didn't want it bad enough. If only murder came with a mulligan. Hmmm,and beside police chief and presidential front runner don't forget the most sucessful of celebrities(WINFREY), Top pro golfer(WOODS),top fortune 500 CEO of Merril-Lynch(E.O'NEAL),let alone the thousands of doctors, professors, nurses etc. There is no glass ceiling anymore for blacks more like plastic wrap now.
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40 kal
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Ronald wrote: I agree with Hmmm. Its about time the cops quit using "gangs" as a code-word for race. Not all "Blacks" are violent criminals and not all violent crime is caused by "Blacks" who are migrating out of Compton.
The practice of the cops saying the "race" of violent criminals is "unavailable" or "not disclosed" is not only unfair to the city's law abiding "Black" residents of long standing but the practice endangers children of all races as well.
Keeping city residents ignorant of the danger they face for political purposes does more long term damage to civil order and trust in Government than the "celebrating" politicians gain from such practices.
Ronald Plain short and simple When u grow up in a neighboorhood most likely ur family and every one else can be gang members cuz u talk 2 them or stand with them u r not a ganster u aren't a ganster till u r jumped into a gang then u a ganster take the time and kno what a gang is before labeling any 1 thank u
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Mother of a slain son
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I just want to let the mother of Darnell Humphrey to know that I also lost my son 11 days before she lost her son (Due to his uncle killing him on July 10th 2006 in Long beach)That know matter what people say about your child that he is and always will be a Child of god and to please just stay in prayer and god will bring you thru this. I still greive over my son's death he was my only son if he had of lived he would be turning 21. I no longer like about the tragic that has happen to my family anymore I just try to remeber the goodness of My son and I take comfort in knowing that he is in a better place than here.I know that can be hard but it get's better. I have taken my pain and used it to help other Mothers in our situation. So I encourage you to stay in prayer as I will pray for you to heal from this. And as for my son's uncle he received 75 years to life and that's just fine with me.
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Hmmm
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40 kal wrote: <quoted text>u aren't a ganster till u r jumped into a gang then u a ganster WRONG. When you are jumped into a gang, does that gang send out a press release? So, although you associate and/or hang out casually with gang members, today you're NOT a banger, but when you wake up tomorrow and agree to be 'officially' jumped in, now you're a banger? That's insane. Gang associates have to follow the SAME RULES as the gang members that they have befriended. You wouldn't see a non-member hang out with Bloods one day, and then be chillin' with Crips the next day, now would you? No, you wouldn't. You wouldn't, because if your Blood homies SAW you hangin' out with some Crips, they'd have something to say and they'd set you straight. You'd be lucky to exit that meeting with just a broken nose and a couple of broken ribs. Non-members who associate are HONORARY members and expected to jump in or defend any of the gang members they call friends, especially when those gang member friends are guests at your house. If you're just a jump in away from being officially in your neighborhood gang, you are realistically already in that gang. Please, you are speaking to a majority of intelligent people on this board, not 13 yr olds.
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Johnny Law
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LBPD did some great police work & brought the killer to justice yet all we hear is, "They called my baby a gangstah.." Give me a break & look at the big picture for once. No credit for some excellent police work, just more bad mouthing the cops. Typical.
People should be asking why in spite of the violence is LBPD forced to staff with minimum or below minimum staffing on an almost nightly basis?
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CHS
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40 kal, would you translate that into English, please?
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Concerned American
Fort Huachuca, AZ
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It is so sad that people cannot live in their own Country, State,City without being victimized by those who for generations have been taught that if they can get across their neighbors fence, border, then they can do what ever they want to do. No limits, no boundaries. When children are shown by the adults in their lives that they don't have to respect the laws of God or man, then the rest of us whose parents, grandparents, great grand parents, our ancestors showed us by example that we must first obey God, (thou shall not covet thy neighbor's goods) and also the laws of man, no matter how much wrong we witnessed or endured, we were taught to do the right thing. I live with people who have no regard for their own families, so we know our family is not safe. The illegals are out of control, and don't know if anyone can stop them.
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Yellow Pages
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