Just an Example

"From the master or for office niggas is sick of running..."
Talib Kweli

Since he just got out of a halfway house here's a rant about my man and the law....

Jamal Lewis is my man...not because I'm a Ravens fan. Not because he's gone over the 2000 yard mark or set the single game record. Not even because his first name is my middle name (it means beauty BTW). But because he is the perfect example of a charge that scoops up lots of black males...Conspiracy to (fill in the blank). Before I get into the ramifications of the charge itself, as a Ravens Fan and a black man that was some bullshit. Hit a brother with a 4 year old charge for basically saying "yeah" on a cell phone...anyway. A conspiracy charge itself requires the least proof of any form of charge. There don't have to be written documents or a lot of physical evidence. Best believe that most of the people reading this could get caught up in some kind of conspiracy charge. This is ever present in my mind as I work with young people and some of them hustle. This type of charge really only has to show that you had the means and possible intention to commit a crime. In his case it's crap because the crime didn't actually happen (four years ago) and because the "witness" was in jail...if you from the hood you know what it means when the witness is in jail...someone wants their sentence shortened. These two factors already piss me off, then I would hear people talking about how if he wasn't rich or famous he would already be in jail...hey stupid if he wasn't rich or famous they wouldn't have brought the charges up 4 years later...notice it was right after he earned the rushing title. Anyway...I know people who were legitimate criminals and because they couldn't be caught with enough evidence to put them away for their crimes they were hit with (drumroll please)...consipiracy charges. It's like hitting gangsters with Tax evasion except you don't have to have any money. Then (I usually get pissed when I hear about public opinion) people are saying that he shouldn't have plead guilty if he didn't do anything. Obviously these folks have never heard of "Cop or rock". Basically you cop a plea or face the full penalty that can be imposed if found guilty. I actually have a client that took an attempted murder charge (something he didn't do) the difference was he sat in jail for over a year waiting to have a trial (postponed 4 times) and was told that if he plead guilty he would get out in three months...so he plead guilty. My issue with Lewis' charge is that it was acknowledged that no drug deal ever went down! He was charged with trying to help his friend set up a drug deal...for years ago. If they pursued these types of charges on every level I would be in jail for 500 counts of conspiracy to commit assault. I don't understand the rationale of putting a person in jail for "almost" commiting a crime. Then of course they add on all types of other charges; using a cell phone to set up a drug deal and blah, blah, blah...just like my aforementioned client who they not only hit with attempted murder but also shooting a handgun in the city, possession of a handgun, and about 5 other charges. It was like they had a handful of darts and just threw them all at once like something was bound to stick. The real thing is that alot of people without his financial resources or support system (he is a cash cow) get hit with these types of charges all the time...some are doing things, some are just in the position to get hit with them. They don't have the money to fignt the charges or a lawyer who can work out a good deal. I'm happy that the brother is out and that he'll be running all over your favorite team this year. Conspiracy charges suck.