Everyone’s definition of
“crime statistics” differs.
First, you’ve got the NYPD’s
definition – based only on what they record. Then, you’ve got city and state
representatives, who base the severity of current statistics on what’s happened
in past years. Then, you’ve got local precincts which throw various crimes into
different categories that don’t make things sound “too bad.”
THEN…THEN you have the
residents – homeowners and folks in the community – who REALLY see what’s going
on and catch all the action that often turns out to be “nothing,” as police
report.
I started rethinking about
how crime is reported when I wrote about two stabbings that took place in the
community within one week early in October. Then, in our October 30th issue,
there were three more stabbings that took place – in only three days!
Whether the
public knows this –or disagrees with it – officials file crimes like stabbings
and non-violent shootings (which don’t result in death or casualties) under “assaults.”
Legally, an assault – which is what most non-fatal shootings and stabbings are
categorized under – is “carried out by a threat of bodily harm coupled
with an apparent present ability to cause harm.”
Bodily harm? That’s all? WHY?
You were STABBED! You were SHOT! If you were within a foot of the person who
shot or stabbed you, does the word “assault” really even begin to describe what
you experienced? Whoever shot or stabbed you took a chance at ending your life.
Someone punching
you in the face or somewhere on your body is also just an “assault.” Is someone
kicking or choking you – almost to death – also
considered an assault – not just an attack?
In my
opinion, if someone’s using a lethal weapon – especially an illegal one –
that has potential to end one’s life, shouldn’t whatever harm they cause be
considered more serious than just “an assault”?
Let’s break it down…You could
get stabbed with a knife once in a
major artery or in your heart and bleed to death. You could get shot once in your head or chest and die. In those
cases, the “assault” resulted in death and it’s rightfully labeled a homicide.
It’s sad to know that if you
get stabbed or shot at and you don’t
die as a result of your injuries – it might be counted as an attempted murder. But
it’s still listed in crime stats an “assault.”
Nahhh, the suspect didn’t mean
to kill you – they just have fun poking people with a knife and firing a gun at
you for no reason! Plenty of innocent people get wounded by gunshots when they
were the in line of fire. Whoever fired that shot or pulled their weapon out – consciously
– acted with the intent to harm or kill someone. So that’s simply an assault? If someone gets arrested for
carrying out a brutal beating – and that’s also an “assault” – how can they
throw something more serious, involving a gun or knife, into the same crime
statistic/category?
I know –
there’s a lot of legalese and technical terms that subsequently allow the bad
guys to continue walking the streets – armed, dangerous and a threat to others’
lives. All of these sub-categories and toned-down labels of pure intentional
violence also results in less time in prison for someone carrying a weapon.
Lastly, the
time served in prison should be A LOT longer than a decade or so for attempting
to take someone’s life. Yes, 20-year-old Kareem Potomont was charged with
attempted murder after he “unintentionally” shot young Gama Droiville, who was
caught in the crossfire earlier this year in the East Flatbush area.
Come on! The
poor kid was left scarred, blind and visiting hundreds of doctors months later
so he could receive a prosthetic eye. Potomont, already noted by the press as a
troubled individual whose aim was not Droiville, was said to get “25 years to
life” for carrying the heinous act. Only 25 years…to life? He opened fire on a
public street and changed an innocent boy’s life for the worst! He could have killed
multiple people – and the minimum is 25 years?
There’s apparently
a fine line between attempting to
kill someone and actually killing
them…It’s only matter of exactly where the bullet or knife strikes you! Remember,
if you’re gonna shoot someone, please don’t kill them – cuz, according to our
legal system and crime stats, you’re only “assaulting” them and you won’t
really be punished for all that long…
Unpublished 10-29-14
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