Monday Musings...

Welcome to the "home-stretch" of the month of May, and if you enjoy HOT weather, then this Monday will light your fire (and might fry eggs on the sidewalk). Temps are supposed to hit NINETY degrees and with enough humidity to make it feel worse.
Some showers are expected later on, and the possibility of some severe storms has not been ruled out.
Helluva way to start a week, isn't it?
Well, let's stay someplace where it's cool, pour a cold drink and take it slow, because it's WAY too easy to be overcome with heat exhaustion.
SO, let's see what's been going on for the last 72 hours...
*** First up, the latest person in Fort Wayne to become a homicide victim might seem a bit on the "familiar" side...and with good reason.

Refer to my post back on 29 August 2011 for his "first appearance" in connection with a police pursuit that ended with a Range Rover flipping over.

Shane Stephens was no stranger to the judicial system here in Fort Wayne, but to hear the relatives (from last week's post) "he was a good person"...
Aren't they ALL???
(in the eyes of those covering for them)
Here is the update to the story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130518/LOCAL07/305189973/0/SEARCH

Back in 2011, he was charged with possession, resisting, receiving stolen property, carrying a handgun w/o a license, and operating a motor vehicle w/o ever receiving a license. Had a "thing" about getting licenses, didn't he?
Those last three charges were DROPPED (thanks to our inefficiently run prosecutor's office).
And now, someone dropped HIM.
Good riddance to bad rubbish.
One less thug to worry about.
*** Next up, a story about...
 (wait for it)...WELFARE FRAUD.

Now, you just KNEW something like this would be coming, right?
Here's the story:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/crime/21-fort-wayne-residents-charged-in-welfare-fraud-scam
Wow...TWENTY-ONE people charged....bet that's ONLY the tip of a much larger iceberg on THIS city.

Stanley Collins, owner of Captain Black's Eatery at 2115 S. Lafayette St is apparently the ringleader here.
He arranged more than $16K in "digital purchases" that benefited HIS restaurant. (from EBT cards from customers who knowingly forked over the cards)

He gave his Sam's Club and GFS membership cards to food stamp recipients, who visited those stores and bought food products WITH their food stamps.
The food was then placed on the MENU of Collins' restaurant.
The story link also has another link within it to a News-Sentinel story back in 2009 about the SAME eatery and how it was surviving the bad economy.
And NOW...we know HOW...and WHY, don't we?
*** SO, in order to build better community relations, there is ONE THING you should never do when asked for your ID by a FWPD officer...

PULL A GUN AND START FIRING AT HIM.
That's exactly what transpired Friday night around 2130 hrs near the 3100 block of S. Harrison, on the city's near south WEST side (where I said the crime was spreading like the disease it is).
Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130520/LOCAL07/305209954

An officer was responding to a "domestic", and saw a man fitting the description of the perp walking a couple blocks away.
When the officer asked for some ID, that's when things went south REAL fast, but fortunately, the officer managed to avoid the shots, take the perp down and get his hands cuffed just as backup rolled up.

Now, a man NOT wanted in connection with that domestic is facing some BIG charges, not the least of which is attempted MURDER, along with criminal recklessness, resisting, and carrying a handgun w/o a license.
And he's got a LONG history w/ police.
The perp, Daniel Spells, Jr (male black, 5'9", 160 lbs) of 2116 Asquith Drive, 46816, is a guest of the Allen County lockup and being held WITHOUT BAIL.
The officer sustained only a cut on his hand, and did not return fire during the altercation.

I'd say you better check under his shirt and see if there's a big, red "S" there...he kinda fits the bill after THAT tussle.
Amazing how MANY people we probably have roaming our streets ILLEGALLY armed, isn't it?
Makes a good case to get a CCW permit ASAP.
*** And the mayhem continues...into early this morning with THIS story:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/crime/police-looking-for-two-suspects-in-gas-station-robbery

Two men robbed the Sunoco station located at Lima Rd and Ice Way around 0513 hrs this morning. No weapon was reported used in the robbery.

The men got away with an undisclosed amount of money and CIGGIES - (if they stole NEWPORTS, the guys were definitely BLACK...lol) and left in a dark-colored Crown Vic or Mercury Grand Marquis.

-- Suspect one is described as being 6 ft. tall, gray hoodie, black pants.
-- Suspect two is described as being 6 ft. tall, wearing a black hoodie and blue jeans.
Both men had black covering over their face and hands (or they were probably just black guys - they like Crown Vics and similar cars that size)
*** And speaking of CROWN VICS, there was this story in Sunday's J-G:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130519/LOCAL07/305199941/0/SEARCH

Yes, friends, people are finally noticing what I've been saying for YEARS...the spate of "ex-police" cars on our streets, and they ain't taxicabs, people.
It appears it's TOO damn easy to buy a former police cruiser these days, and that's something that has plagued cities like Indy for the last several years, especially with members of gangs.
Cars like Crown Vics (and Impalas and Chargers) can be had for as little as $2500 (and yes, you get what you pay for).
The local thugs here like to install loud-ass stereos in them (huge trunk + high output alternator and wiring = LOUD).
Not to mention, that if kept up, they can pace ANY current police cruiser in inventory.

Now, we tend to see such cars "adorned" with those huge rims and tires, screwing up the geometry of the damn vehicle to the point where they aren't safe to be driven...but don't let the morons hear that...they think they're " all that"...when they're not.
The story barely mentioned the "intimidation" factor...people see what they believe is a police car and give them a pass.
And that makes it hard for the REAL police cars in traffic...as evidenced by a rise in crashes involving cruisers struck by other people.
(must be that 49% who text and drive causing that sh*t)
Still, it begs the question as to WHY the cars need to be resold to citizens, when they can be scrapped for parts and then crushed.
I say keep former police cars OUT of the hands of citizens.
*** Lastly today, so much stupidity out there, it makes the head want to explode.

And you DO long for the days of decades past, when you didn't have to worry about SO much SO often, right?
We used to be a better-paced society, a more ETHICAL society and a society that DIDN'T want to have it's head up it's ass SO much of the time.
When it went bad is easy to see.
You relax boundaries on those people that don't know what boundaries are to begin with, and chaos ensues...simple as that.
When people were pressed into being more civil...THEY WERE.
It doesn't take a sociologist to see the forest for the trees, but it might take a real specialist to get the dumbasses OUT of those trees and back on solid ground where they belong. Jungles are for animals, not people.
Have yourselves a good week.

Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.