Black and White and Thin Blue Lines

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In this episode, Serge and Clarke acknowledge that Frederick County, Maryland is openly competing with Baltimore City, Maryland for the most upside down criminal justice non-system in America. Frederick County Sheriff "Chuck" Jenkins is under federal indictment accused of lying about machine gun purchases, Jenkins was required to turn over all of his guns to federal law enforcement. He is ordered by a federal judge not to carry a gun as a condition of his pre-trial release. So, what is he doing for a living? Why he reinstated himself as Sheriff of Frederick County, Maryland. When the going gets weird, the weird get going!

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In this -- the 75th episode of Black and White and Thin Blue Lines -- Serge and Clarke discuss the public nuisance offense of urinating in public in the context of two cases: one in Mississippi and one in Texas, You decide if race was a motivating factor for what happened. Also, "you're in" and "urine" aren't the only homonyms or bad puns in this episode. Serge discusses the problem of people urinating in Baltimore alleys and Clarke discusses "Ally's law" in Texas and elsewhere. 

If you enjoy this podcast, please recommend it to a friend. Thank you. 

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The recent controversy and criticism of Justice Clarence Thomas was the subject of enough off-air debate by Serge and Clarke that they turned it into an episode. What are some of the public mistakes (or worse) by Judges, and what should we as citizens do about it. 

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Join Serge and Clarke for a discussion with our special guest, Michael ("Mike") Johnson, who shares his smart, committed, and motivated view of training men and women to be law enforcement officers in this day and age. This is a must listen episode. Mike has unique ideas that ought to become the national standard for de-escalation and promoting confidence in law enforcement. Several of his ideas changed the way that Serge and Clarke think about the future of law enforcement training. This episode may change your thinking as well.

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The title of this episode asks a question that few have ever thought about. Is it possible to be arrested in the United States by a non-citizen of the United States? It is! But listen anyway because Serge and Clarke discuss listener mail, and the topic of non-citizen police officers in this episode of Black and White and Thin Blue Lines.

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On June 24, 2023, two LA County Deputy Sheriffs arrested two persons in Lancaster, CA under confusing circumstances. The first arrest was of a man that the deputies told was being detained for investigation. He was arrested -- but the deputies conducted no investigation from detention to arrest. The second arrest was of a woman who recorded the police detaining (or arresting) the man. One of the deputies threw the woman to the ground, put his hand and knee on her neck, and pepper sprayed her from a distance of about 12 inches. As far as Serge and Clarke can determine, he did this to stop her from recording the deputies even though the deputies were recording the incident on body worn cameras in a parking lot with security cameras. 

A quick note of caution. In this episode, we play about five minutes of the body worn camera audio, which includes a small amount of cursing. Please be aware of this before you play this episode around children. 

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This story begins with a 1989 rape in Central Park, involves a New York real estate tycoon who threw gas on a fire, and evolves into a remarkable and inspiring story of citizenship. Serge and Clarke discuss the life (at least so far) of Yusef Salaam. This episode is a short listen about a modern mentor.

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Do you have a favorite Supreme Court decision? Join Serge and Clarke and attorney Shawn Vinson in a lively discussion about each person's top five favorite decisions of the United States Supreme Court. We might surprise you!

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On July 2, 2023, two to 12 gunslingers shot 30 people, including 14 children, at a single holiday block party in Baltimore. No police officers were assigned to the event where 700 to 1000 people had gathered. But at the same time, many extra police officers were assigned to traditionally white areas of Baltimore festivity. Serge and Clarke discuss what happened, the anemic response by our government, and the double standard of justice that fails to hold city leaders accountable. 

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Join Serge and Clarke in a discussion with our special guest Kemp Freund as we discuss the charges brought against School Resource Officer Scot Peterson for his inaction during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre on February 14, 2018. On June 28, 2023 Peterson was found not guilty on all 11 counts brought against him by a jury in Florida. Was the verdict just? Listen to our thoughts.