INJUSTICE?

20 BAGS OF CRACK

    There are so many things that concern me about the Janet Kelley New Era article, “City Cop testifies via phone from Iraq; man jailed,” it will be the topic for another day (click here).  But this man was just jailed for sixteen years.  Sixteen years because he was riding in a car with a gun and apparently he “confessed” that it was his. 

    So why did a gun in the car merit 16 years in jail?  Apparently because there is this in the “court record” in a New Era article dated August 21, 1998:

    Devon Monroe Smith, 22, of 19 S. Franklin St., time served to 23 months in county prison plus consecutive probation for two years and costs for criminal conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver 20 bags of crack cocaine on Jan. 28 in the 400 block of East End Avenue; to forfeit $281 seized at the time of his arrest; the court was told that Smith is serving a two- to four-year sentence in the State Correctional Institution; charge of possession with intent to deliver dropped and costs placed on the defendant.

CLOGGED TOILET

    And what bothers me even more, and is another story unto itself, is this Intell article from March 23, 1998, “IT’S A WASHOUT:  INMATE GIVEN FINE, JAIL TERM FOR VANDALISM.”  The article says:

     “A man who was an inmate at the Lancaster County Prison when he clogged up his toilet, then flushed the toilet flooding areas with water causing over $5,000 damage has been sentenced by the Lancaster County Court.

    Devon Monroe Smith, 22, of 19 S. Franklin St., received three to 23 months in county prison plus consecutive probation for two years for institutional vandalism on May 4, 1997.

    Smith also was fined $100 and directed to pay costs and restitution of $5,785.05 when he pleaded guilty.

    For resisting arrest – struggling with a corrections officer at the prison when he was told yard time was over on June 20, 1997, Smith was sentenced to a concurrent time served to 23 months in county prison and assessed $100 and costs.”

    Remember Jesse D. Wise, Jr. and his prison scuffle?  There will be more on both Smith and the prison shortly on this website. 

    (Please note both articles above are available in the Lancaster Online Archives by putting in “Devon Monroe Smith,” clicking on “Match this exact phrase” and putting “all years” in the publishing block.  The first quote is from an article titled, “City man gets probation for threatening to cut out tongue,” and is a compilation of the court record listing a number of sentences given to individuals and the headline has nothing to do with Smith.)   

BLOCK PARTY!

    “My wife and I went to the block party on the 300 block of N. Queen yesterday. What a great time. Not being a city resident it introduced us to stores that we were never in or even new existed. We will certainly be back down to spend more money in some of the stores.  It's a shame that it wasn't better promoted and overshadowed by the bike race. The 300 block of North Queen Street is a jewel that I bet many people outside of the city don't even know exists.”

    This was posted on Talkback under the thread for the article, “Bicyclists take over city streets Sunday.”

    That is precisely where I found the store selling the copies of LIP I mentioned yesterday.  Specifically, it’s S and R Treasures (click here for their website).  The owner was extremely nice and her store looks like the kind that sends me into a buying frenzy.  But before I found her, I talked to so many other nice store owners in the 300 block of North Queen that I thought I would list them below.  What a block this must be!:

~ Then & Again Antiques, 318 N. Queen, 390-2780

~ Remember This, 320 N. Queen, 509-7660

~ REV Chi’s Antiques, 324 N. Queen, 509-8497

A GOOD LOOK?

    And while still on the topic of the Queen Street Block party, a Talkbacker posted this under the bicycle thread:

   …“Saw the mayor at the Queen Street block party, jeans aren't a good look for him but he was there.”

    Yikes!  Mayor Gray, S and R Treasures sells vintage clothing.  There must be jeans that give you a “good look” out there somewhere.  If you need any advice on this delicate matter, please feel free to drop me a line.  I consider myself an expert on jeans.

GET LOST

    …”I think my conduct on the board has been honest and forthright.”

    To the Talkbacker who is getting on my nerves worse than a tick in a dog’s ear, and who has posted this phrase numerous times – listen up - there is no such thing.  Understand?  When you are posting anonymously on a “forum” there simply is no such thing.  Do I need to go into more detail and clarify this for you?

    And as for your sentence that followed the above nonsense:

    “It's up to you to make your own call as to whether to believe my statement or not.”

    It most certainly is up to me to make my own call, thank you so much, and I don’t believe your statement for one minute and I don’t believe one thing about you is “real.”  Do I need to go into more detail and clarify this for you?

    (All of this has to do with the Starling, grieving widow Sally, and dearly departed John J saga and there will be more on that coming shortly!)

DEVILS

    Finally, of course, Representative Boyd is the devil himself on this 6-6-6 day!  There can be no doubt.  For the latest on his “gay marriage ban” click here and please read the Talkback below it.  He and President Bush can kiss my…