Charlestown's Code of Silence
Driving through Charlestown will take you just three minutes. The kids on street corners will stare at your car, while adults will yell out your name and wave. The friendly atmosphere can make you feel welcome if you are a part of the neighborhood. But it vanishes if you are an outsider or a local victim of a crime.
“Charlestown is the nicest town you would ever want to live in. There are people there that would help you rebuild your house if it ever burnt down, but they would never take the risk of becoming involved in a court case where they would have to point the finger at somebody,” said Sandy King, a former resident of Charlestown.
The “code of silence” is very real in Charlestown, as much a part of the landscape as the Bunker Hill Monument. The code of silence is the Charlestown phrase for local residents' unwillingness to reveal information to law enforcement authorities that might solve crimes committed by neighborhood residents. People who are present at murders say they saw nothing. In the heat of the moment, those who are careless and say they saw something, later recant. It can be argued that Charlestown has the world's greatest concentration of blind amnesiacs.
“If only the Bunker Hill Monument could speak, the stories it could tell,” said Terry Titcomb, a resident of Charlestown.
Titcomb’s son, Albert, was murdered in 1994 by Shawn Fritz, who is currently serving a life sentence. King's son, Chris, was murdered in 1986 when he was 20. His brother, Jay, 27, was killed in 1991. Both murders remain unsolved.
The silence has been broken in recent years in federal courts where witnesses detailed the crimes of drug kingpins and many hit men, putting many of Charlestown's d...
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...stances. There are 10 steps to grieving. With us, we haven’t gotten past step one. You never get through them the way someone loses someone who was sick and dying. But when your kids goes out the door perfectly fine and you never see them or hear from them again you can never imagine that someone will do that to your child. No matter what anyone thought or them or said about them, that is still your child,” said King.
Nearly 75 percent of the murders that have taken place in Charlestown since 1975 remain unsolved, even though there were witnesses to many of them. Police say those witnesses know who committed nearly all of them.
“Your whole life gets so screwed up and you think that it is never going to back to normal,” said Titcomb.
King concurs with Titcomb.
“As long as I can pick up the phone, I will be there for any mother that needs me,” said King
Approximately forty-five miles east of Sacramento, California, is the friendly town of Placerville, which marks a major “Gold Rush” historical landmark in the United States. In the early days of this small gold mining boomtown, Placerville was known as “Hangtown.” If you come into town, you will see the sign of Placerville, and underneath it you will see its nickname reading, “Old Hangtown.” Nooses can be seen all over town, on police cars, on historical landmark signs – even at the firehouse and on the Placerville City Seal. Placerville has a great deal of history behind its name. Many people who pass through the town, or even those that live there, don’t realize the history behind the town.
The short documentary video “Prisoners of Silence” focuses on neurodevelopmental disorders with a clear emphasis on autism. It further delves into the rather controversial method of treatment for autism known as facilitated communication, which was first developed in the early 1990s. The video follows the introduction and ultimately the downfall of such a treatment as controversy quickly ensues after a series of sexual abuse cases and ample scientific evidence are produced.
“Corruption is like a ball of snow, once it’s set a rolling it must increase (Charles Caleb Colton).” Colton describes that once corruption has begun, it is difficult to stop. Corruption has existed in this country, let alone this very planet, since the beginning of time. With corruption involves: money, power, and favoritism. Many people argue today that racism is still a major problem to overcome in today’s legal system. American author (and local Chicago resident) Steve Bogira jumps into the center of the United States justice system and tells the story of what happens in a typical year for the Cook Country Criminal Courthouse, which has been noted as one of the most hectic and busiest felony courthouses in the entire country. After getting permission from one of the courthouse judges’ (Judge Locallo) he was allowed to venture in and get eyewitness accounts of what the American Legal System is and how it operates. Not only did he get access to the courtroom but: Locallo’s chambers, staff, even his own home. In this book we get to read first hand account of how America handles issues like: how money and power play in the court, the favoritism towards certain ethnic groups, and the façade that has to be put on by both the defendants and Cook County Workers,
(New Orleans). All the evidence that was found is very unclear, but the next suspect in the murder is Joseph Mumfre.
In the book In Cold Blood the people of Holcomb and other friends of the Clutter family are deeply affected by the murders. The people in the town perceive the Clutters as the family “least likely” in the world to be killed. Rejecting the idea that the killers were strangers, many of them become suspicious of everyone and anxious about their own safety in the company of their neighbors. According to Truman Capote, the author, it is the first time the community of this part of Kansas have had to undergo the “unique experience of distrusting each other” (page 88).
The first appearance of the notion of silence or lack of silence occurs at the first presence of the criminal justice system: the initial meeting with a police officer. During the War on Drugs, it became common for police officers to stop and frisk people, including those without suspicious behavior, in search of drug violations. Although, not against the law, the majority of people do not know that they have the option of declining such a search and refuse to answer any questions. Professor Tracey Maclin conducted a study regarding this phenomenon concluding, “the overwhelming majority of people who are confronted by police and asked questions respond, and when asked to be searched, they comply. This is the case even among those… who have every reason to resist these tactics because they actually have something to hide” (Alexander 66). Therefore, the finding suggests that only a few people do not fear a supposed consequence of not abiding by a police officer’s request. Hence, people remain silent and do n...
...heaters, the development of a fear complex in Japan, improved relationships with our Allies, and a favorable reaction on the American people."
All in all, the man accused of murdering Trayvon Martin, was not found guilty and will undoubtedly be imprinted in America’s history. As a result of the verdict, many citizens were alarmed around the nation and has generated an immense amount of controversy. The three academic government reports I have used explained why crimes occur within certain neighborhoods and what can be used to prevent and deter individuals from committing the same type of offense.
In the same fashion that Elvis defined Rock ‘n’ Roll; Tupac Shakur defined the hip-hop music scene, as we know it today. What made Tupac (also known as 2Pac, or Makaveli) so special were his enormous talent, his on screen friendly looks, and the sense that he was “real” and talked the talk, while walking the walk. Tupac was born on June 16, 1971, Tupac Amaru Shakur. He was named after Tupac Amaru, the Inca Indian that was sentenced to death by the Spaniards. He was originally from Brooklyn, New York. Tupac spent a lot of time moving around as he was growing up. He was the son of a Black Panther activist Afeni Shakur and Billy Garland. Tupac moved from Harlem, to Baltimore, to Oakland. The constant moving caused Tupac to fit into his new communities by joining gangs, and his lengthy rap sheet was created even before his profalic entry into music and film. He was arrested eight times before even turning twenty (MTV.com).
The person I chose to research was Gary Ridgway. He is also known as The Green River Killer. Gary was a serial killer in Washington. He has been convicted of murdering 49 women, he has confessed to around 60 killings, but is estimated to have killed closer to 80 women. All the women that he had killed were prostitutes that he had picked up, had sex with them, and then strangled them. He says that he never raped or tortured any of his victims, he just killed them. Gary started killing prostitutes in 1892 and is confirmed to have killed till 1998, but is thought that his last kill was around 2001. He was called the Green River Killer because his first victims’ bodies were found around the Green River.
The film Notorious starts with scene in La, California, this is where most African American artist start their career at example NWA, where Biggie is about to be killed. Before the shooting occurs, the film flashes back to Biggie 's childhood. When Biggie was a child, he lived it by being obsessed with money and fine jewelry. In order to achieve, such money he ends up selling drugs. He continues to sells drugs, and when he hears his girlfriend, Jan Jackson, was pregnant he takes drug dealing to a new level. Later in the movie he faced jail time because he was caught selling drugs. He continues to sell drugs but started to rap, this is when his career
Locallo describes the Bridgeport case as being a “heater case”, not only because of the social impact that it will create in the community, but also because of all the media attention it will receive which will influence his possible reelection once his term is over (Courtroom 302, 31). When Frank Caruso Jr. decided that he was going to beat Lenard Clark, an African American boy he created the spark that society needed to get back at the Caruso family for all of the crimes that they got away with in the past. During the past several decades, society has tried to make the Caruso family take responsibility for their crimes, but all those efforts just strengthened the family ties and political positions.
Tupac Amaru Shakur was an African-American rapper, poet, and record producer during the 1990’s. In his adolescent years, he attended the Baltimore School for the Arts where he took acting and dance classes, like ballet. He was taught radical politics by his mother, which helped him develop ideas about topics he would later use in his many works. At an early age, Tupac had seen the injustices of the real world. His mother was a former Black Panther activist who turned to substance abuse during Tupac’s childhood. Aside from that, he and his mother also moved many times while they lived together in New York City. While Tupac was in Baltimore, he discovered rap; not long after, he and his mother moved to the West Coast where he joined the rap group
Many casualties’ happened within the two years between 1982 and 1984. However, when the first body was found in 1982 in the Green River in Kent, the police didn’t have the technology they have today, such as DNA testing which made the case very intricate. This meant identifying bodies that had been in the water for a while had been difficult, and the police were very versatile at this. Also without DNA testing, they could not take samples of the dead victims that showed up all around King County. In early October of 93, the police needed some insight into the mind of a serial killer, which is where Ted Bundy came in to facilitate. Mr. Bundy gave them advice by stating, “that the killer likely knew some of his victims. He also said more victims were probably buried in the dumping areas where victims had been found. Bundy also put a lot of significance into the different areas the bodies had been left, suggesting that each cluster or
Time may pass and personal morals may change, but one of the strengths of the United States of America is its unwavering dedication to justice. Throughout time, this country’s methods and laws have grown and adapted, but the basis of the law enforcement’s work has remained the same: the safety and interest of the people.