My home town of Chicago continues to be plagued by gang violence. Children are often the victim of drive by shootings and gang gun fights. However, the intentional killing this week of 9-year-old Antonio Smith Jr., known as “Fat Baby” and “Hamburger,” has shocked many in the city. The four men are reportedly members of the Sircon City faction of the Gangster Disciples street gang and murdered Smith because they thought he had warned their intended victims, rival members of the Pocket Town gang.
According to police, it was Jabari Williams, 22, (the first picture above from the right) who handed the .380-caliber handgun to Derrick Allmon, 19, (the second picture above) after they arrived in two cars at the scene. Also charged is Michael D. Baker, 19, (third) and Paris Denard, 19, (fourth). The four accused men had spotted two men from the rival gang while driving in the neighborhood.
When Allmon went into a back yard, police say that he saw Smith giving what he thought was a warning to the other gang and proceeded to kill him.
Allmon was just paroled from state prison in early August after serving about 1 1/2 year of a 3 1/2-year sentence on a weapons conviction. He has the word “Blessed” tattooed across his chest. Allmon allegedly threw the gun into a sewer as he fled from the shooting scene.
Adding to the anger over the crime is that fact that the gun used by in the crime was traced to a gun store in Indiana, which has less restrictive gun laws and does not require background checks, a waiting period or even a record of the transaction. Chicago has long complained that many of the guns used in such crimes come from Indiana.
It appears to have been Williams who led police to the others after being picked up on an unrelated gun charge and reportedly making “self-incriminating statements” about his involvement in the slaying.
Smith, in the fourth grade, was an honor roll student at Hinton Elementary School and played peewee football. Friends say that he was extremely smart and popular. He lived his short life along the dividing line of territory between the two gangs, a railroad track where his body was found.
At his funeral, they played his favorite song “Still Have Joy” by singer Tye Tribbett.
seamus, You are in the belly of the beast! I know you’re not packin’. You’re in Chicago, only your clients are packin’.
Gentlemen pay their gambling debts. I learned that as a child and I always followed that rule.
I’ve handled two cases over the last few years stemming from the Sircon City / Pocket Town “War”; one appeal and one trial (both murder cases). Both neighborhoods are sets of the Gangster Disciples and used to be on good terms. The war started about 7 years ago as the result of a bet on a high stakes basketball game played between the two neighborhoods. After the game one of the losers returned with a gun instead of the money owed. Hijinks ensued. The young man I represented at trial was found not guilty. Less than a year later he was shot in the face. His murder was strongly suspected to be part of this same mess.
Paul, instead of a personal attack, why don’t you take on my argument? Do you have any counter argument to make?
Jill – I hate to say it, but it is more a rant than an argument. If you wish to put forward a cogent argument, I am glad to either support it or take it on. Pick one part that you really like an build an argument out of it.
Speaking of psychopaths Jill, elitist ALEC might come fall under that description. But good news! There are MANY large corporations that have cut ties to ALEC. Here’s a list of them.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Corporations_Who_Have_Cut_Ties_to_ALEC
Squeeky,
What you said interests me because you basically agree with Obama leftists–psychopaths come from poor people who got a bunch of stuff from the nanny state and it makes them irresponsible killers.
In each case, Obama leftists and critics of social safety net, seem unwilling to recognize this basic truth: if you really want to find psychopaths, look for them from the elite schools, in groups having the highest incomes and the most social connections. Wealth, power and connections seem to wipe out actions.
These people have made the earth and space a garrison. Obama and his BFFs like Hayden crow about their kills and compare the mutilation and slaughter of civilians to casual sex. Yet these people come from the most elite educations possible. Many of them have wealth beyond god. So if it’s really the social welfare state which makes people murderers and torturers– stupid people who didn’t stay in school and ate govt. cheese while living the high life in public housing w/razor wire, how do we explain the most highly educated and wealthy people who literally get away w/murder, torture and arming the world to the teeth?
Your theory must explain these psychos. It simply doesn’t. Trust me when I say children who are loved and cared for will not turn violent unless they have a physiological issue. Something much, much deeper is at work here and the Ayn Rand school of thought can’t capture it because it doesn’t allow people to think past hating the poor.
Jill – overstate your case much? And trust you? Not with my life, I wouldn’t trust you. And I doubt if you are qualified to find psychopaths anywhere, much less in elite schools.
The SOVEREIGNS must have the guns to assure that the SUBJECTS remain constitutional.
Oops! We lost that “constitutionality” thing with Abe, huh?
@BillW
Well, as the Queen of Snippy Comments, I both appreciate and applaud your efforts in that respect. However, for purposes of discussion, it would be helpful if you actually stated some comprehensible point. If you think that Americans should not have the right to own guns, then perhaps you should just come out and say it. If you think guns are too easy to obtain, then you should perhaps enlighten us on how many years the shooter above should have spent in lockup for owning one as a side point.
I do not wish to provide you any more “points” because I am curious as to whether you can actually articulate your/a position, without my help. 🙂
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
@NickS
According to World Net Daily, which is iffy sometimes, Australians are having second thoughts about guns:
“Our lack of self-defense makes us a prime target,” he said. “It is no surprise to me that homegrown terrorism is most rampant in nations with strict gun control. These guys want to snatch random people in Australia off the street, drape them in the ISIS flag and behead them on camera with an Arabic-emblazoned sword.”
He said, “If I had a gun, I’ll tell you what I’d do with those swords.”
http://www.wnd.com/2014/09/with-isis-arrests-australians-wishing-they-had-guns/
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
DBQ – Congrats on excellent gun safety! That said, your method still has variables not necessarily always in ones control and those imho carries unnecessary risk. To each their own.
Squeeky – Another thanks for bicycle, bath, etc… deaths in 2000. No comment on the tens of thousands of gun related injuries/deaths? Maybe not so enquiring?
But, a gun saving a life doesn’t make headlines because no one is killed.
The 2nd Amendment haters don’t seem to understand that guns save more lives than they take.
DBQ, I live in fear every day that we may be disappointing the Europeans. Particularly the French. Lordy, I want so much for them to like us. I get the vapors just thinking they might disapprove of our ways.
@BillW
You’re welcome! I am glad that I informed you of the dangers of bicycles and bath tubs. Bikes killed about 740 and bath tubs about 341 in whatever year this is:
http://danger.mongabay.com/injury_death.htm
I am also glad to see that you are capable of learning, and have now changed your argument to “guns are designed to be dangerous, and bath tubs are not.”
However, I was already aware of that fact, which is why I prefer my guns to my bath tub in matters of self defense.
Do you have any other cogent and relevant contributions to make??? Enquiring minds wish to know.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Thanks, Abe.
Bill used the words “excluding the ease”. To me that doesn’t sound like he is advocating repealing the 2nd Amendment, does it? As surely as the sun sets in the west someone is going to take any anti gun talk as being threatening to their right to own guns.
I don’t see any hope of rehabilitation of these men. The risk of them being in society is not worth returning them to the streets.
“The fact that the right to a gun has become a religion in the US is a fact that amazes and disappoints Europeans ”
OMG…..I am disappointing the Europeans. How will I ever live with myself…..oh…..wait…I don’t care what the Europeans think about me. I’m pretty sure they don’t care about how disappointed I am in them either. Whew. I was worried there for a nanosecond.
The Second Amendment is not a religion anymore than the First Amendment or the 14th.
Here is the deal. You don’t want a weapon or you are afraid of the weapon. Don’t have one. No one is forcing you to have a gun in your house any more than someone is forcing you to drive a car.
I have hammers around my house as well as guns. I’m quite sure that I know the difference 🙂 and know which tool is appropriate for the job. For instance I have gone deer hunting, goose hunting and at no time did I consider hammering a deer to death. In addition, when I go outside at dark (rarely), and have to watch out for mountain lions or other predators which abound in my area….you can be really sure that I’m not going to be carrying a hammer. If I lived in Chicago and the predators are human instead of feline, I would not be carrying a hammer but a Glock 42 instead.
You take care of yourself the way you want…..and I will take care of myself.
Deal?
The 4 men who killed this child have lost all human compassion and empathy. It is almost as if they have turned into another species. Unfortunately however they are humans and they killed a child because they could. Hopefully they will suffer the ultimate penalty if found guilty. My sympathies to his family.
As to the “gun is only a tool” argument, if all you have is a hammer every problem is a nail. I think the same goes for guns. Guns make it easier to kill. With a baseball bat or a knife you can kill but it takes a lot more fury and rage and person to person contract. With a gun, its one shot and done. The fact that the right to a gun has become a religion in the US is a fact that amazes and disappoints Europeans in the same way that they are amazed we cannot get our act together to provide health care or education to our people. We are in a deep hole and we cannot shoot our way out of it.
Somebody obviously didn’t do enough research – “Adding to the anger over the crime is that fact that the gun used by in the crime was traced to a gun store in Indiana, which has less restrictive gun laws and does not require background checks, a waiting period or even a record of the transaction. Chicago has long complained that many of the guns used in such crimes come from Indiana.”
Indiana does require background checks and a 7-working day waiting period and requires sellers to complete forms and maintain them for several years.
http://cd.textfiles.com/group42/WEAPONS/LAWS/IN.HTM
“But with statistics showing a gun in my house is more likely to result in a family member suffering a gun related injury then I’d be__________ to have one.”
Sounds like you need to
1. Keep a better control over weapons in your house. A gun safe is very nice to keep weapons and ammo away from those who you do not want to have access. I have two.
2. Educate your family members on the principles of gun safety and tell them to keep their hands OFF of your stuff whether it is guns or any other personal items. Make your children obey in this and all other things and your life will be much better.
3. Your weapon should be in a safe place from small children (who haven’t grasped the concept of personal property and safety) and still be readily accessible to you. There is no point in having a gun that isn’t ready to use when you need it. Otherwise, you might as well have a rock.
If you can’t do those simple things then maybe you are a _________and should just stick to rocks. The rest of us who are responsible, educated gun owners can take care of ourselves.
It seems to me there are at least two fallacies in arguments that suggest that getting rid of guns will make things much better.
The first is that the ‘getting rid of guns argument’ ignores that guns also save lives. How many incidents involve the positive use of guns is controversial. And many are uncomfortable admitting that guns play a positive role saving lives. But the fact is ordinary. law abiding citizens have guns for a reason. Unfortunately, over the course of a year, many of those citizens are compelled to use their weapons to protect themselves and their families. Any one seriously considering the practical impact of guns has to consider the net effect of removing guns, not just the lives lost to criminal activity.
The second fallacy is the failure to consider that removing guns will not prevent the criminal activity. As has been noted by other readers, many criminals will simply adopt other tools. The sneering remarks that gang activity will be reduced by removing guns simply indicates a clear lack of appreciation of for the inventiveness of desperate, adolescent men with a mission.
The effect of removing guns on the loss of human life is unclear. There is a distinct possibility that removing guns will result in more deaths and injuries rather than fewer.