Its been nearly six years since Janice and Raheem Mustafa’s beautiful and promising daughter Phylicia Simone Barnes went missing from a Northwest Baltimore apartment. At the time of her disappearance there had been a variety of explanations given to police that suggest the honors teen may have still been alive. The hopes of the child’s safe return to the comfort of her family resolved to a disconsolate reality when state environmental workers spotted a body in the water of the Susquehanna River in Northern Maryland, months after Phylicia had gone missing. The lifeless, nude, and badly decomposed body of a young female was later determined to be the Barnes teen. Speculations as to how the child had come to such a tragic ending over 30 miles from where she had been staying has always been enigmatic at best.

What most followers know about this child’s tragic and heartbreaking story, is that those around her (including her half-siblings) when she went missing, wasn’t forthright, and completely honest with investigators who initially searched for the girl. Search warrants for telephones and social media accounts of many of the people known to be regular hangouts at Deena Barnes’ apartment where young Phylicia was staying during her visit to Baltimore, unveiled some pretty disturbing revelations pertaining to the culture, and environment the teen was exposed to by her older half-sibling entrusted with her care. The warrants uncovered a malapropos relationship between young Phylicia and her older half-sibling Deena’s boyfriend Michael Johnson. Investigators claim that there were hundreds of text exchanges between Johnson (27 at the time) and Phylicia (a minor).

A video was also discovered on one of the cellphones which police had sieged depicting Phylicia, her older half-sibling Deena, Johnson, Johnson’s younger brother, and a cousin who were all streaking nude at a nearby schoolyard playground. Prosecutors believe that Johnson’s “gawking gaze” upon the child was apparent that he had a physical attraction to the teen. The text exchanges, the streaking video, and an eyewitness account by a neighbor at Deena’s apartment who said that he observed Johnson struggling to carry a plastic container in the hallway of the building, along with the fact Johnson was the last known person to see the child alive, were all pieces of circumstantial evidence used to indict Johnson for the child’s murder. He went on trial for killing Phylicia twice and both times the case ended in a mistrial mainly due to procedural errors, and other missteps by the prosecution that directly violated Johnson’s constitutional rights.

Not just that though, the prosecutor’s approach toward obtaining a conviction of Michael Johnson appeared to be completely bollix from the very start. Chiefly, the decision to place a lying jail house snitch name James McCrae, who has a storied criminal past of his own on the stand, wasn’t just a gamble, but the testimony he gave was so unbelievable that Johnson’s defense counsel made quick work of the prosecutor’s suppose star witness, by abruptly ending cross examination of him, and discounting his testimony as being completely unreliable. The prosecutors aided the defense’s contentions that McCrae was a liar, by withholding discovery evidence that highlighted the defense very argument pertaining to McCrae’s credibility. The prosecution’s failure to play by established rules of law was a direct infringement on Johnson’s constitution right to a fair trial, and created a stigma that Johnson was being railroaded by the state.

Others contend that Johnson’s family had utilized his family’s law enforcement status to get such a vanilla prosecutoral effort during both of his trials. Its a perspective that some argue is just a reach at best, but those observing this case very closely can’t help focusing on the actions of the state attorney’s office. There were seemingly deliberate violations of procedure that left the court with no other recourse, but to declare a mistrial. The state’s effort in both trials weren’t paralyzed by a flawed case or the lack of evidence. Their case was crippled by the decision to only skim from the top of a plethora of other available evidence, to not only draw suspicion upon Johnson, but perhaps others closely related to him as well. The public has been aware of social media content that paints a very grim and disturbing picture of what may have happened to the child during her final hours. While much of the social media content is also circumstantial, everyone appears to be aware of its existence except the police.

Michael Johnson’s younger brother “Bootz’s” Twitter post he commented literally just minutes (7 minutes exactly) before Johnson claims he last saw the child alive, is not only scary, but just may reveal an extremely chilling depiction of the level of violence that the Barnes teen potentially encountered before she vanished, because “Bootz” is directing someone to physically harm a female (**** dat don’t tella twice whopp her ass). Its an impactful* and crucial element of the entire Barnes case that investigators apparently, whether intentional or otherwise completely missed, and just a little investigative work  by police inside the social media interactions of key people around the child when she went missing, probably would have led them to conclude that Michael Johnson was in fact riding in a car with the very same younger brother (“Bootz”) during the morning and afternoon of the day that Phylicia went missing. Its a theory that TPC has constantly theorized, and potentially places Johnson’s brother at Deena’s apartment as well during the time he reportedly last saw her.

In a TPC January 13, 2012 article entitled “The Phylicia Barnes Story: Johnson Males Tweets & Location On Dec 28 Are A Very Scary Coincidence And May Close This Murder Case”, some of the tweets by “Bootz” are highlighted and gives context and perspective pertaining to what was going on with Michael Johnson and his brother during the morning hours leading up to when Phylicia disappeared in the afternoon on that fateful day. Comments on twitter about an unnecessarily busy Rolling Road indicates that “Bootz” and the occupants of his car were in a hurry to get to a location. Also, the mention of “grass in the hooka,” with”Bootz” and a person name “Ease” (suspectedly Michael Johnson) being high after the first puffs, gives a clear indication that they were riding in a car getting high off of marijuana. Their activity that morning is extremely important to discovering exactly what happened to young Phylicia Barnes, and it has never been established whether investigators have even pursued this angle of the case.

During one of my interviews with Shauntel Sallis-Evans who is Phylicia’s oldest sister, she conveyed to me she believed that when Deena Barnes observed Michael Johnson attempt to touch Phylicia in her private area, as Deena Barnes testified to in court, that Deena only became upset because she had not said it was okay to “get freaky” yet. Meaning that Shauntel believes all of the drinking, nudity, and sexual activity that Phylicia had been exposed to while interacting with a volume of males, were all activities directly sanctioned by Deena herself. According to accounts by both of the older Barnes half-siblings Deena and Kelly, Phylicia was never left at the apartment by herself. She either went with Deena or Kelly to their jobs each day. On December 28, 2010, the day Phylicia Simone Barnes vanished without a trace, it was the first time the child had been left at that apartment unsupervised despite the fact that a volume of adult males had access to the apartment.

Upon the discovery of young Phylicia having been left alone at the apartment by Johnson males that her older sister Deena (by her own admission through testimony in open court during the first trial) had sanctioned and allowed to run around nude with, playing a game called “jonking” (grabbing or feeling the genitalia of game participants), may explain why “Bootz” tweeted about how busy Rolling Road was. They were trying to get to that apartment with the child when  she was alone, and while the opportunity presented itself. So, if Shauntel’s perspective that Deena Barnes was the controlling factor related to the sex games they all played, with Deena not being there and out of the way, the Johnson boys were free to indulge the child in a sexual manner, because Phylicia’s sister who was responsible for supervising her had opened the door for these adult males to approach the child in such a manner. They just probably wasn’t counting on the child not being cooperative, which Janice Mustafa (Phylicia’s mother) told me she believes happened. Janice believes what ever they did to her daughter, that “Simone” told them she was “going to tell her mother,” and that may have triggered a violent reaction which resulted in the child’s fatality.

Like Janice Mustafa, its always been my personal belief that others along with Michael Johnson may have been at the apartment that morning, and what ever transpired resulting in the child’s disappearance  is a direct result of actions in which they all were collectively complicit. Not only that, but even other family members who may not have been involved with Phylicia’s demise, at the very least had some idea as to what happened to her, and apparently even knew where the child’s body was located during the crucial time period when extensive investigative measures and searches were being conducted to locate young Phylicia Barnes’ whereabouts. A suspicious tweet on social media by a female associate of Michael Johnson’s cousin that actually foreshadowed where the child’s body would ultimately be located, is compelling circumstantial evidence that reveals how those closely connected to the Johnson’s may have had advanced knowledge of what happen to Phylicia Barnes months before the authorities found her floating in a river.

While the police may have dismissed the existence of these facts for what ever reason, the prosecutor’s office should have urged direction to compel police officials to beat the streets to get to the bottom of what happened, what other  people knew, and what the female in particular knew about Phylicia’s disappearance. The tweet “its trapped at the dam don’t pull the lever” is an extremely compelling, yet equally disturbing pronouncement, especially considering who made the comment on social media.  The female who posted the statement on twitter is a former girlfriend of a Johnson cousin, who was a regular visitor at Deena Barnes’ apartment around the time the child was visiting Baltimore, and was one of the first people that police interviewed during the initial phase of Phylicia’s disappearance investigation. These details have troubled most who have closely followed this tragic case. The fact that the comment was made before she was discovered dead, doesn’t necessarily implicate the female or the Johnson cousin in Phylicia’s killing, and most people don’t even believe that anyway. It’s just a clear indication that the location of Phylicia’s body had been discussed or was at least known among the Johnson circle, and the eventual discovery of her lifeless body near the Conowingo “Dam” months after the tweet which in fact referenced a ‘dam” by a person closely connected to Phylicia’s older half-sibling and her boyfriend is an overt, self-evident, and palpable source of information that’s directly related to the child’s disappearance and subsequent demise.

Moreover, during one of my many conversations and interviews with Phylicia’s mother Janice Mustafa, she has expressed concern, remorse, and prayer for the female who made the comment on social media. Janice called her a “lost soul” and even pitied her for lacking the courage as a female to tell the truth about what she knows, while potentially having direct knowledge of what happened to another beautiful young female just like herself. Janice also conveyed to me that she believes, while her daughter’s killers may have escaped the criminal justice system, they haven’t escaped God’s justice, and further believes that the young female who potentially hinted the actual location of Phylicia’s body, will also suffer from God’s wrath for not standing up and giving Phylicia a voice when it counted. The grieving mother has always been vocal about the failure of those who know the truth, inability or unwillingness to come forward, and speak for her daughter so she can finally rest in peace.

There were also other suspicious comments on twitter that should have given investigators a lead on what potentially happened. While the comments by the female associate who has been dubbed the “twitter girl” by the public, actually seems to be ground zero for solving this case, the comments by some of Michael Johnson’s relatives on December 28, 2010 may have been a crucial break in the case. Hours after Michael Johnson says he last saw the child alive at the Northwest Baltimore apartment where she was staying, there were essentially no social media communication among Johnson’s entire circle, until nearly two hours later when Michael Johnson’s younger brother Glenton “Bootz” Johnson tweets that it was hot in some location. That tweet was followed by what appeared to be a caution or warning by their older brother who reference “the man” (street jargon for the police) watching:

12-28 3:24 pm Glenton tweet – Hot as shyt in here
12-28 3:31 pm Kevin Johnson Tweet – Watch wat u tweet. “the man” is watching.. lok

Like most followers of this case, I’m of the belief that some suspicious activity, if not in fact criminal was taking place and several Johnson family members may have been aware of it, if not complicit to. The cops can ignore these facts all day long, but it’s not rocket science based on those tweets that these individuals were concerned about their communications between each other potentially being monitored, or  being referenced later by police. The tweets are specifically relevant to this case because Baltimore’s Chief of Police at the time publicly conveyed that he believed young Phylicia’s body was being moved from different locations. This brings a very poignant question to mind. Where was “Bootz” at the time that tweet was made? Cellphone towers certainly could indicate the general area of his location when the tweet was me made. Investigators could have issued search warrants for the Mobile Network Operator (MNO), or service to obtain thiss information.  There was also information sent to The People’s Champion Blog detailing various properties owned by the Johnson family, and using the cell tower information, the cops could have potentially discovered places of interest to search for the child based on that tower data.

To completely ignore certain data obtained through warrants of social media accounts belonging to key people close to the Barnes case, is simply way too convenient and quite circumspect to say the least. More specifically, the failure of the Baltimore City Police and the Maryland State Police collectively, to unravel the suspicious nature of a tweet foreshadowing Phylicia’s locations near a dam, months prior to her actual discovery, has been the primary vehicle creating suspicion of how the police investigated the child’s case. As far away as California and other parts of the Mid West, web sleuthers, a school teacher, and even psychic detectives were able to conduct their own research to uncover troubling facts regarding the Barnes case. No one wants to believe that the cops were either unwilling or inept at doing heir job in this kid’s case, but the fact that Michael Johnson’s family, and the Barnes half-siblings both have family ties to the Baltimore police, leaves the door wide open with a plethora of speculation as to how and why those around Phylicia during her demise have yet to be caught.

While some have theorized that Johnson may have acted alone resulting in Phylicia’s murder, others believe the suspicious tweets by his younger brother around the time Michael says he last saw the child, may suggest that he had an accomplice in the cover up to discard of the pretty little girl’s body. Shauntel Sallis-Evans expounded on this perspective during an interview with TPC. She conveyed to me that she was troubled by the rather cavalier fashion in which Glenton “Bootz” Johnson testified in court pertaining to the number of times he allegedly had sex with her sister. Shauntel said his demeanor was kind of spiteful, an indication to her that Phylicia probably treated him like he was nothing, and if I understood her comments correctly, I believe Shauntel felt that Glenton used his testimony as a way to “clap back” at the child by muddying up her name for revenge of how Phylicia treated him.

People are probably still debating about the credibility of the Johnson brothers, their friends, other relatives, and Phylicia’s own half-siblings regarding what actually happened to this promising book smart kid, but there are facts pertaining to her murder that there has never been any cogitation about, which point to who may have killed her. The obvious and glaring details are centered round social media comments among relatives and friends close to Michael Johnson and his family. Its just stupendous that the cops never connected the dots on a volume of data they must have had possession of after obtaining search warrants for social media accounts. Many within the public either have their own theory, or continue to contemplate why and how investigators made crucial missteps in her case. Evidence suggest that Michael Johnson wasn’t the only person alone with Phylicia at Deena’s apartment on the morning of December 28, 2010. Also, other evidence suggest that tweets by the Johnson’s older brother are indicative of residue from criminal activity. Its highly suspicious that Glenn Johnson, Michael’s older brother would caution his other brother about social media content, and doing so while referencing potential monitoring by police on the very day the little girl goes missing.

In the long exhausting hunt for the person(s) responsible for taking the life of promising Phylicia Simone Barnes, there has always been a multitude of speculation, conjecture, and other hyperbole surrounding the details of how she died, but in the court of public opinion, her killing has never been a case of “who done it.” The only question that remains, is why the cops haven’t figured out yet, what the public has already conclusively resolved?

The People’s Champion

I’m Crime Blogger David Adams

Her smile was contagious, she brought laughter to every setting that her infectious character ever embraced, and her silly wit was the trade mark that many have said was so alluring. The memories of her have often faded, but the circumstances surrounding her sudden and tragic death has never completely dissipated. The story of late Phylicia Simone Barnes sometimes seem like a reoccurring nightmare that continues to appear over and over again, but like a haunting ghost, the spirit of her murder refuses to die. Snatched from this world far too soon at the hands of heartless monsters, the promising honors kid fell prey to cowards she became exposed to by her own half sibling.

Her mother Janice Mustafa and her oldest sister Shauntel Sallis-Evans have both described Simone as a Sweet but naive “country girl.” While she was entrusted to the care of her half sister she visited in Baltimore over the Christmas holiday back in 2010, she became exposed to a culture of drug usage, alcohol, and a group of adult men that many believe were responsible for the sixteen year old’s demise. In a strange sequence of events, young Simone went from being closely guarded and monitored by her two older adult half siblings, to mysteriously disappearing without a trace on the only day that she had been left at her siblings apartment alone. The exact details of what happened to her have always been sketchy and played out in a series of live radio, television, and podcast shows. The most noted broadcast highlighting the child’s family version of what happened, occurred on January 19, 2011 during a broadcast of a The People’s Champion Blog affiliate, and the nationally recognized child advocacy organization of “Peas In Their Pods.”  It was a broadcast that angered many, as the siblings could be heard whispering, and even laughing at one point during the broadcast (Listen here: “Where Is Phylicia Barnes?”).

Despite Simone’s family requesting candor and honesty regarding what happened to the child, the “Peas” broadcast was the first media outlet of any kind to capture statements on record, and became a valuable source of information that helped the public formulate their own version of the truth when court testimony by one sibling revealed that she had been lying about elements of Simone’s case all along. Her sibling told a volume of lies about the allegations of having exposed to her kid sister to drugs and alcohol, and the flat denial about any sexual activity between her sister and older males. Court testimony revealed that the older sibling Deena Barnes admitted in court to allowing her sister to drink vodka and smoke marijuana. When the host asked the siblings about sexual activity pertaining to sixteen year old Simone, response was a resounding denial. However, Deena Barnes testified in court that she allowed her pretty baby sister to run around naked in public with her boyfriend, his brother, and his cousin.

A volume of other lies were also told during the investigation when Simone was first reported missing. Those lies led to search warrants for phone records and social media accounts of many of the men who were hanging out at the older Barnes’ sibling apartment. Those warrants uncovered a video of the child streaking nude with her sister and three males. Investigators also uncovered a volume of text exchanges between Simone and Deena’s boyfriend Michael Johnson. The content of those exchanges and other pieces of circumstantial evidence resulted in Johnson’s indictment for the murder of the child. Prosecutors utilized the fact that he was the last known person to see her alive, the video, text messages, and a witness account that places Johnson in the stairwell of the apartment building on the day she disappeared. Johnson was apparently seen struggling to carry a large plastic tote, that police authorities believe contained the child’s body. Police reports also indicate that a police cadaver canine lost the child’s scent in the parking lot at the exact location where other witness say the vehicle Johnson was driving in was parked on the day of her disappearance.

The lies that were told during the initial phase of her disappearance investigation gave her killer(s) time to cover up their crime and eliminate crucial evidence. While the cops were on a wild goose chase looking for clues, Simone’s nude and lifeless body was frozen in the chilled waters of the Susquehanna River in Northern Maryland near the Conowingo Dam. Yet, significant clues did emerge shortly after she went missing. Like the tweet by a female friend of one of the males who was hanging around the apartment during the time Simone went missing. She tweeted “its trapped at the dam, don’t pull the lever.” The tweet which was later taken down was screen captured in time, and forwarded to the authorities. The female made the twitter post on January 28, 2012, and just a month after Simone had gone missing. That particular fact is very haunting, disturbing, and just outright heartless to know that there was an obvious connection to Simone’s disappearance, especially when she was in fact ultimately found near a dam, and no one had the courage to speak up for young Simone. What did she (“the Twitter Girl”) know? Why was that element of the case never brought to the forefront by investigators?

That wasn’t the only clue to finding young Simone that emerged during the search for her. Psychics told The People’s Champion Blog that young Simone was in a body of water near a bridge that ran between two larges land mass. Their vision was spot on, and when the waters began to thaw, the secret of what happened to the pretty and promising honors kid from Monroe North Carolina finally emerged from the shadows of dispare when state environmental workers spotted the child’s badly decomposed body in the water. The mystery of her whereabouts had been solved, but how she ended up over 30 miles from where she was staying in West Baltimore still hasn’t been discovered.

For a period of time my blog seemed like the only media outlet that was beating the drum for justice in young Phylicia Simone Barnes’ tragic murder, but along the way followers of her heartbreaking story sent information, pictures, and other vital clues to help solve her murder case. From California to Virginia they came curious, tearful, angered, and resolved to find her killers. The public outcry was simply devastated when state prosecutors muffed the case, by gambling and putting a questionable witness on the stand who not only had a criminal past, but also had serious credibility issues that they knew about well in advance prior to putting him on the stand. The witness claimed to have been an eyewitness to seeing Michael Johnson with Simone’s dead body in her sister apartment on the day she disappeared.

Prosecutes put a man name James McCray on the stand who said that Johnson had telephoned him for his advice regarding what to due with the child’s body. McCray told the court that Johnson stated that he had raped the child, she wouldn’t stop crying, and he strangled her to death. McCray said he advise Johnson to get rid of the child’s clothes, wrap her body in bed sheets, and discard her in water to hide potential evidence. His testimony seemed plausible on its face because it matched exactly what the killer had done with Simone’s remains. Defense lawyers fought back and argued that the child’s case was widely broadcast on television and McCray could have easily learned the details of the case be simply viewing the evening news broadcast. To add insult to injury, when defense attorney’s challenged McCray to recall the time period he saw Simone’s body with Johnson, and McCray stated that it was before Christmas. The defense had no further questioning for McCray, abruptly ending questioning of him, and in a fashion that appeared to be an obvious exclamation point for the defense. Simone disappeared after Christmas and the defense did a great job exposing inconsistencies in McCray’s testimony that was so poignant that he appeared as a bold face liar.

The prosecutor’s office not only gambled by putting McCray on the stand, but they deliberately failed to turn over exculpatory evidence that was favorable to Michael Johnson’s defense. McCray had also testified during trial that he had given testimony for the state in a Montgomery County criminal case. The only problem with his testimony, is Montgomery County officials contacted the Baltimore prosecutor’s office and notified them that they backed off on using McCray as a witness, because his testimony had credibility issues. This discovery meant that McCray had perjured himself by lying during testimony in the Michael Johnson murder trial. Instead of the state turning this crucial and exculpatory evidence over to Michael Johnson’s attorney, they concealed the discovery evidence, and leaving the judge no other recourse but declare a mistrial in his case.

The prosecutor’s office quickly brought the case back to court a second time, and during those proceedings the judge ordered the state to redact parts of an audio recording prior to playing it before the court and jury. Despite the judges’ instructions the state played the tape unedited in court. This led to a second mistrial, but the judge then ruled an acquittal setting Michael Johnson free of all charges. The judge cited the lack of evidence to proceed with criminal charges in the case. Although the judge set him free, the state argued that the judge abused his authority by granting Johnson and acquittal after having initially declared a mistrial in the case. The state believed that the judge had no legal authority after he ruled a mistrial. The state sent the case to the Maryland Special Court of Appeals, and the court agreed with the state by reversing the acquittal ruling given to Michael Johnson by the lower Circuit Court of Baltimore, and paving the way for the Baltimore State’ Attorney’s office to put Johnson on trial for the killing of young Phylicia Simone Barnes once again.

It hasn’t been proven in a court of law that Michael Johnson is responsible for the murder of young Simone, and I’m sure that I speak for the late child’s family by stating that they want justice for their child, but real justice and not through covert tactics that violate Johnson’s civil rights. A fair trial is all they are after in the name of justice. To the Mustafa family and the Sallis-Evans family my prayers are with you, as you embark on yet another course seeking justice for the senseless killing of your daughter and sister. It is my greatest hope the justice prevails in this case so that young Simone may finally rest in eternal peace. I’m still with you, and the purple candle still burns in memory of such a promising child who wanted to dedicate her life serving others. Justice for Phylicia Barnes … #RIPSimone #emonis In your memory with love forever! (To read all of the articles written by me for Phylicia’s case, go to the home page and type Phylicia Barnes in the search engine at the top of the page for a list of articles related to her case)

To be continued …

The People’s Champion

I’m Crime Blogger David Adams

In a private ceremony within the coming days her family will celebrate her short life, and her remains will be interned at a final resting place. In what must be the saddest time for the family of young Amy Joyner, they’ll gather themselves and struggle with the reality of having to say their goodbyes to a promising girl, who many remember being “about love and not hate.” The child lost her battle to recover from traumatic injuries she sustained during a fight over a boy in a high school bathroom last week. It was an extremely difficult time for the entire Wilmington Delaware community, as exemplified through the towns Mayor, William Dennis’ struggle to convey his tearful remarks saying, “I am so upset that a young lady lost her life today. Things like this shouldn’t happen. My heart bleeds for the family, the kids who go to this school, the administrators and our city.”

Sources close to the investigation tell TPC that the Joyner teen was dating a boy at Howard High School, when an ex=acquaintance of the unknown male became enraged, and wanted to fight Amy Joyner. The girl who initially became involved in a physical confrontation with the Joyner teen, had reportedly direct her friends to join in and help her in the event that she began to lose the fight. Sources say that’s exactly what happened. As the girl became overwhelmed by Joyner in the fight, at least four other girls joined in, and began punching, kicking, and stomping the Joyner youth. A student in the bathroom at the time of the fight who witnessed the horrific ordeal (Kayla Wilson), told ABC News (Channel 6) that when the girls started jumping Joyner, her head hit a sink in the bathroom which rendered her unconscious.

Some have described the severe injuries that the Joyner youth sustained as being caused accidentally, when Joyner allegedly slipped during the fight. Other accounts describe her injuries as having been the direct result of one of the females ramming the teens’ head into the sink. While those details are being disputed and clarified through the investigation, one thing is certain and not in dispute, and that’s the claim that the girls continued their vicious and violent assault on Joyner after she became unconscious. That aspect of this entire tragic ordeal will determine the severity of criminal charges filed, or if any will be at all.

When details first emerged about the killing of a fifteen year old girl at the school, anger began to mount after it was discovered that the girls were fighting over a boy. Fights of this nature are not uncommon between teens. Its not the first time that a child lost their life to a fight, and its not the first time that a school kid had been jumped by a gang of their peers either. However, many can’t recall the last time a teen girl was killed in a fight, after being being jumped by a gang of girls in a high school bathroom. In the school of all places! One of the supposedly safest places for a child to be. The shock for many who wonder how such a tragedy could be allowed to happen in a school setting was only exacerbated by heartless social media rants, posted on Facebook by her alleged attackers.

One of the girls wrote of Amy, “Fuck This Retarted Nose Having Ass Biotch, She Ugly. We mad sure we killed that bitch. #ripamy BIOOTCH,” one of the social media post read. Another post stated, “I’m glad she is dead.” All of the post were later taken down, but the ignorance of these heartless children may come back to haunt them. Their callous actions and “as a matter of fact” personification even though a person lost their life as a result of this incident, may collectively cement their fate if the case goes to trial. Sadly though, the term “if” is major in this case. Its been over a week and no one has been held accountable for young Amy Joyner having lost her life. Officials have stated publicly that there are over 3000 documents of data pertaining to the case that have to be painstakingly looked over, and officials probably won’t file any criminal charges until the Joyner teen’s autopsy has been complete.

The surrounding community is awaiting the announcement of criminal charges, while their are those within the community who say that five other children have lost their lives as well, as Joyner’s attackers could potentially spend significant time in prison. Wilmington Mayor William Dennis who is a former police officer, told ABC News that “if the physical evidence shows that a person lost their life during the commission of a crime, then they absolutely should spend a significant amount of time behind bars.” The mayor’s sentiment seem to be echoed throughout the community as an exhaustion of violence among youth appears to be the theme, with some calling for the “resuscitation” of today’s youth during a memorial service held in the teens honor at a local church Friday evening.

Despite the outrage from the Wilmington community over the child’s death, there are some who say that Joyner’s attackers are just kids and should be treated as such. That perspective angers many following the child’s heartbreaking story. Children make mistakes all the time, but a very compelling argument is easily offered for such a posture, when most will submit to the errors of youthful delinquency, and question how many remember having joined in a gang beating that resulted in a person losing their life during their own development as a youth. One some don’t get is that, even after the Joyner youth became visibly unconscious, some of the girls continued to punch, kick, and stomp the child. All of which was allegedly captured on cellphone videos by witnesses in the bathroom who recorded the fight.

Those are the images that many believe should be the deciding factor of how the girls should be treated in the justice system. Its a brutal depiction of heartless cower, by a pack of savages who willingly participated in the killing of another human being, and there is a severe penalty that must be implemented for such behavior that cannot be allowed to persist within any civilized society. Their actions are in fact indicative of their home life, there environment, and their own personal willingness to participate in such a heinous crime. Amy Joyner is never coming home to her family again. She won’t be attending her junior or senior year high school proms. Her father will never be able to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day, and she’ll never bare children in this life. The family of those girls can visit them in prison for years to come.

In the last five years violent crime has continued to rise in the city of Wilmington Delaware. So prevalent that the city has been making national headlines for their volume of homicides per capita. While violent crime isn’t exactly a new social trait for the city of Wilmington, the violence has become alarming and the killing of a teen girl in a school bathroom seems to culminate just how systemic the violence has become in the Philadelphia suburb. That’s the subculture that was meted out in the girls bathroom at Howard High. A community gripped with crime that causes young people to emulate such acts of violence in everything they do, and teaches them that conflict resolution can only be obtained through physical confrontation.

These are the hard knock lessons of urban culture in modern day America, but with the lessons must come consequences. Some will argue that long prison terms aren’t the right answers for ignorant children who are in fact themselves victims of a violent and brutal social code in the world that they are coming up in. The hardships of coming up in communities with tough mean streets isn’t a new trend. Urban communities have always struggled with these kinds of social, political, and educational dilemmas. Failure to properly classify this very disturbing case for what it is would be a tremendous injustice to young Amy Joyner who lost her life in a school fight in a rivalry over a boy.

Time after time in various communities all over the country there are incidents where children are bullied and attacked for a variety of stupid reasons, and often times is always the exact same script. Usually some ignorant, unattractive kid, with self esteem issues, becomes jealously violent toward another student who is popular, outgoing, and has good grades. Their own perceived lack of self worth is usually predicated on other social issues within them individually as a direct result of rejection, family life, and lack of the fundamental physiological needs of acceptance and love. It very well may be these failures of those responsible for these girls’ development that caused such a violent and deadly outburst.

We must ask ourselves, who are these girls? What kind of home did they come from? Where did they develop such hatred and violence? What kind of individuals are these that willingly participate in beating another human being to death? The answers to those question most certainly will be sufficient in determining their individual fate for their role in this crime. When a child cannot successfully navigate the halls of the most basic sanctuary of their development (school), as a society we have failed them beyond measure. What the Wilmington community has created and allowed to manifest within the educational environment of their school system is alarming. Young Amy Joyner could have been anyone’s child. Let her life stand for the righteous indignation for change that must come in the wake of these dark hours, of a dark community, during these extremely troubling and dark times within our society.

The People’s Champion

I’m Crime Blogger David B. Adams

The case files and all of the details surrounding a decades old New York homicide, are neatly packed away on some dusty shelf in an NYPD Cold Case Unit’s storage space. It was nearly ten years ago when a teen girl left her home to fill out a job application and then meet up with a friend. It was Father’s Day 2006 and perhaps a day which has been relived over and over again in the minds of the parents of Chanel Petro-Nixon. The church going kid who had never been in any kind of trouble before, didn’t make it to the local Applebees to fill out a job app as she had planned, nor did she make it to her date with a friend (If you believe his story), while she failed to return home that night, and seemingly just vanished from the rugged streets of Brooklyn New York. Chanel was a Boys & Girls High School honors student who followed a rigid studying habit, and was also very active in her local church. A rare trait for youth coming up during our time, while faced with distractions and the lures of urban culture paramount, and continually persist at every turn of young people’s lives.

Her life was so structured that when she went missing, her family and friends were probably hoping that this extraordinary kid was having a brief moment of youthful rebellion as most ordinary youth her age do, but Chanel’s stray from a straight and narrow path wasn’t due to some type of excursion from discipline. Her disappearance was mysterious, sudden, and remains puzzling still. As the hours mounted after the initial report of her disappearance was reported to authorities, days would elapse before the horrifying news emerged, and the painful discovery of a young female’s body was determined to be that of the Petro-Nixon teen.

Sanitation workers picking up trash on a Brooklyn street corner became alarmed one day when a load appeared unusually heavy, and emitted an extremely foul odor. Suspicious of what they had happened upon, the crew summoned New York police, who made the gruesome find of a body being in a garbage bag. The pretty and studious church going teen had been thrown out on the corner like common trash. Now after all these years, the realization that a cowardice scumbag who did this to a good kid is still on the loose, simply angers so many people, especially men who have daughters. She was a young up and coming girl, somebody’s daughter, a human life, and I have personally been relentless in seeking the whereabouts of the dark heart monster responsible for her killing ever since. The person who committed such a despicable and heinous crime must be captured, and as a society we must take the appropriate measures to insure that this person is permanently removed from  society for ever.

However, Chanel’s case has never offered very many clues that could lead investigators in the right direction of capturing the perpetrator(s) of her murder. A short time after her killing, cops were looking closely at another young female who was killed (Jennifer Moore), and found striking similarities in the Moore and Petro-Nixon cases. Moore who was strangled to death after a night out partying in New Jersey was discovered with her pants pulled down, raped, and her body had been washed down with bleach to hide clues. While the Petro-Nixon teen wasn’t raped, she was also found to have her pants pulled down as well. Petro-Nixon had a chemical burn on her leg that investigators believe could be a result of bleach being used on her body. Both of the females were stuffed in black garbage bags and discarded (Moore was found inside a trash dumpster, and Petro-Nixon was tossed on a curb side with other garbage bags).

Jennifer Moore, body found discarded in a dumpster.

Investigators have publicly stated that known Pimp Draymond Coleman, who was pinched and prosecuted for the Moore killing, could in fact also be responsible for the killing of young Chanel Petro-Nixon as well. These were some of the interest that police officials had very early on in the investigation of the Petro-Nixon homicide, but any hopes of linking Coleman to the Brooklyn teen’s killing has never revealed any evidence connecting him to her murder. As the years have gone by since her death, investigators have since placed a tremendous amount of focus on the young man that Chanel was supposed to have met up with on the day of her disappearance. He has always claimed that she stood him up that day, but he is a very interesting character just like Coleman.

Chanel’s mother says that her daughter met the boy during a church function, he had been by their home on several occasions, and that he never gave any warning signs that he was trouble. A closer look at his background revealed that the youth had anything but a stellar past. Court records show that he had been charged with rape twice, and was acquitted in both cases. Several years later he was collared for violating a restraining order which an ex-girlfriend had filed against him. He was sentenced to prison time in that case, but just like Coleman, investigators have never been able to link him to Chanel’s killing. That’s where cops say they need the public’s help in finding the missing pieces in her case. No one in the teen’s Brooklyn neighborhood has ever come forward with pertinent information related to Chanel’s murder. There appears to be a very chilling and haunting silence in her community regarding her mysterious disappearance and subsequent murder. Investigators are convinced that someone out there has the information that they need to solve her case, and they may not even know that they hold the key to solving this case.

Chanel Petro-Nixon, body was discarded in a garbage bag of a street corner.

Unfortunately, cold cases like Chanel’s go unsolved for years, but there are alternative methods in getting help nfor these kind of criminal cases. While some find the method unorthodox, impractical and useless, Psychic Detectives have been very impressive in providing clues to unsolved murder cases. The use of individuals who possess special gifts and abilities to connect with the unseen, unknown, and spiritual realm is no fluke. Countless of mysteries have been solved by psychic detectives who have provided some very compelling results when their services have been solicited in helping to resolve mysterious cases.

For example, Maria Scott was a prostitute whose body was found seven months after her disappearance. Four and a half years after Scott met her untimely death, the lead investigator of the case, Jeffrey Little, asked for psychic Debbie Malone’s assistance in discovering more about Scott’s death. Malone was able to lead police to the cabin that Scott was killed in, but that’s not all. The psychic also found the murder weapon lodged in a drainpipe. In addition, Malone told police that she felt like the murderer had walked through her as she entered the cabin and explained that this was an action only ghosts are able to do. This was before Little told Malone that Scott’s suspected murderer had committed suicide.

Also, Arthur Herbert was the pilot of a plane that mysteriously disappeared in 1984. After a long search for Herbert and his three passengers, the search was called off. However, Herbert’s sister Jessica Herbert, wasn’t quite ready to give up the idea of finding her brother. Herbert got in touch with psychic detective Noreen Renier from her ex-husband. The psychic was able to give the exact coordinates of the crash site and was even able to describe Arthur’s final moments to his sister. This case provides another example in which police acknowledged that a psychic played a vital role in the solving of a mystery.

Moreover, when I began writing about the mysterious disappearance of another honors teen, the late Phylicia Simone Barnes, I was personally in contact with psychic detectives who described the location of her body as being in a large body of water that runs through two large land mass. Some of those detectives believe that the Barnes teen may have been tortured. None of that was ever proven to be fact, but Barnes’ nude body was found months later, floating in the Susquehanna River in Northern Maryland, near the Conowingo Dam (Which is a body of water interpolated between parts of Northern Maryland and the state of Pennsylvania). That personal experience with psychic detectives in the Barnes case has cause me to understand the value of individuals with certain gifts and abilities to uncover details related to the unseen, hidden, and perplexing details of cold murder cases.

Phylicia Simone Barnes, honors teen who disappeared and psychics predicted her location that later proved to be accurate.

Therefore, of the hundreds of thousands who follow my work related to cold murder cases, missing and exploited children stories, and other important human interest articles, I know for a fact that there are hundreds of psychics who can assist in helping to close this case. Chanel’s lifeless body was discovered in a garbage bag in front of a house at 212 Kingston Avenue in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn New York. I challenge to take the walk. Walk for a little girl who was a bright shining star who had just began life, and was senselessly snatched from this world by some heartless killer. Let’s all take a walk down there to see what we can, for Chanel!

The People’s Champion

I’m Crime Blogger David B. Adams

From its “shab row” European style brick cottages to its cobblestone pathways, its perhaps the ideal community that resembles the “old country” kind of living which attract rural family culture. Its scenic landscapes provide thrill seekers with adventure, and cutting edge cuisine is served up in Civil War-era buildings alongside unique specialty shops, galleries, museums, and theaters. The town’s motto “Where Hip meets History” is an alluring calling cry that solicits tourist to one of the state’s many historical communities embodied with modern flare and culturally rich southern hospitality, but perhaps the Northern Maryland town of Frederick is still lagging far behind in other areas of modern society, like class, race, and social consciousness. Some say while the proud community promotes its self for cultural diversity, a subtle and covert culture of racism persist.

Black families living in Frederick say that actions by an Oakdale High School Assistant Principal, surrounding the county’s annual Rev. Martin Luther King Celebration is indicative of the kind of subliminal forms of racism that still potentially exist within the Frederick community. Recently, a group of all black students were summoned to the school’s main office, where Assistant Principal William Caufield met with the kids, gave them a flyer announcing the county’s annual King Celebration, and had the students sign a participation list indicating that they have agreed to participate in the program as “Servers.” The parents concerns weren’t very explicit initially, because of the significance of the celebration, and the national pride usually associated with the holiday within the black community.

However, once the parents explained their objection toward only black students having been selected for the role of “Servers” for the function, juxtapose to the ethnic demographics of the school’s student body population, a crystal clear perspective can be easily discerned, and establishes why developing concern and suspicion pertaining the criteria for selecting these particular kids for the purpose of serving food at the event. Oakdale High of Frederick in Northern Maryland has a total of 1205 students that are enrolled this school year, and the ethnic breakdown is:

White Students      =1002
Hispanic Students =64
Black Students        =55
Asian Students        =32
Mixed Students       =45

Parents argue that its extremely troubling that while black kids only make up just about 6% of the entire student body, only black kids having been selected as participants to serve food at the event, is not just problematic, but they say it more than likely was done so deliberately. They cite the demeaning roles that ancestors of blacks in America (who were slaves) were subjected to during slavery, the Jim Crow era, and other social settings that reduced people of color to servant like capacities. The parents believe that while there clearly isn’t a coincidence for the selection of a black only student “wait staff,” no rationalization could ever explain the choice of just black kids being hand picked for such a role considering their small number within the student population. They believe that common sense alone should have kicked in, allowing the school official to avoid the mere appearance or implication of prejudice by choosing the participants from a more diverse aspect of the student body, especially considering the sensitive nature  of the event for which these kids would be participating.   

Additionally, they also believe that not all of the kids actually wanted to participate in the program, but rather were compelled to agree to participate because of the Assistant Principal’s authority, or felt coerced into doing so. The parents believe the kid’s lack of desire to participate in their chosen capacity is why it was brought to their attention. The alarm sounded by the kids has caused parents to question exactly how long the practice of only choosing black students to serve food has actually been going on in the 25 year history of the County’s celebration of the Martin Luther King holiday. Since its a Frederick County Public Schools event, its believed that other schools in the county would also have students participating, and parents are questioning whether Oakdale’s Assistant Principal has been selecting only black students from his school for past King Holiday events. Some also wonder if only black students were chosen because of a lack of desire to participate by students of other ethnic backgrounds. Either way, the parents believe its problematic for the county.

One question posed to the parents was whether they believed the incident had impacted the kids in a negative way. A parent stated, “if you look at the racial dynamic of the school, it makes you wonder what criteria did these kids meet, other than the color of their skin, to cause them to be chosen in this capacity for the King holiday event? Absolutely, they have been negatively impacted by this,” the parent said. The parents say it now places more scrutiny on the school’s administration when their children are hand picked for service in school events. They make it clear that they’re not going to pretend like the town of Frederick doesn’t have its share of racial strife, just like everywhere else in the country. They say these kind of incidents breed mistrust, suspicion, and fear their kids are vulnerable to a system that still manifest residuals of racial prejudice.

Frederick historically has been linked to a vibrant culture of race hate, primarily because it serves host to a small but prevalent faction of the Ku Klux Klan hate group. Once a very large group in Frederick, and the Carroll County Maryland region in general, the Klan has seemingly been run off, and reduced to “Big bad loud mouth cowards” as one local activist claims. While an influx of families who prefer diversity have transcended the community into the now dominate social order throughout the county, the Klan has been continuing their recruitment campaign efforts in the county by soliciting members through fliers and other advertisements being placarded on cars, mail boxes, and homes of town residents. The recruitment attempts were so pervasive back in 2013, that it caused the Frederick Police Department to contact the Klan Organizers directly regarding the flier distribution. Frederick authorities said that it wanted to make it perfectly clear to Klan recruiters that lifting the windshield of a vehicle constitutes tampering. Maryland law states that a person may not willfully damage or tamper with any vehicle without the consent of the owner. Such proactive measures being taken by the town’s police department are seen as an indication that their is tremendous resistance to the Klan’s presence in their county, but is an continuous and ongoing battle some say.

One of the more noted instances of racism in Frederick was captured in a Youtube video back in 2014, which depicted white males at a bar scene drinking, on the floor attempting to “break dance”, and mocking lyrics of a rap song by Snoop Doggy Dog (Gin and Juice) that in an unedited version of the song, contains a profanity laced theme with the term “Nigga” being repeatedly utilized. The white males who appear to be using the song as their theme music as an anthem of dislike for blacks, also appear to be offering the song in a salute to a man name Willie (who many believe is in fact Willie Lynch). The male in the video with a beard is well known and long time Klan supporter and member Jeffrey Dobson.

On October 5th, 2013 – KKK members blanketed the downtown section of Frederick, Maryland with fliers depicting white hooded members, and another depicting a semi-automatic weapon stating, “No Jobs, No Money, No Future. It’s time for the second American Revolution! Democrats and Republicans Beware of the Loyal White Knights of the KKK. Frederick citizens say that after that recruitment effort incident by the faction of Klans, Dobson “went trolling on the internet to draw a reaction and attention to himself and his cause.” View the viral Youtube video below:

However, Frederick residents for the most part have responded to the Klan’s action by pushing back with documented planed rallies that denounce the bigotry and racism that the hate group is attempting to bring into their community, and continue to promote pride in their town’s diversity. As recent as just a few months ago, residents and churches held a candlelight walk and special sermons as counterbalances to a Ku Klux Klan demonstration in the Braddock Heights section of the county back in just October of 2015. The walk was organized to demonstrate opposition to the Klan and show solidarity with groups who are historically targeted by the Klan. The Traditional Rebel Knights of the Ku Klux Klan were holding a “private rally triple cross and swastika lighting” for an event “in honor of Columbus Day.” “This is a tiny Klan group full of big, bad talk, but they have not been able to produce more than 10 people in their existence” since 2014, an article in The Frederick News-Post reported last year.

The parents of an Oakdale High student stated that while recent strife with hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan in Frederick are not directly related to the Dr. Martin Luther King holiday incident, they “believe that certain cultural beliefs and racial intolerance of some people in and around Frederick, may be the catalyst which sparked the kind of thinking which led to black students having been singled out in such a capacity.” The parents say they will be closely monitoring the situation at Oakdale High, but for now choose to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation against their children from potentially racist members of the school system. “We just don’t know who’s who,” they say.

To Be Continued …

References:

The Frederick News-Post

Carroll County Times

The People’s Champion

I’m Crime Blogger David Adams

“On the fifth anniversary of the disappearance of honors teen Phylicia Simone Barnes, I have chosen to publish a series of articles which highlight her older sister’s perspective pertaining to the child’s tragic killing and the circumstances surrounding the ensuing criminal cases that followed, and her efforts to launch a national campaign through clothing apparel to memorialize her kid sister, and to bring awareness to the issue of missing, abused, and exploited children everywhere. These articles will be dedicated to the late child’s memory. The interview with Shauntel Sallis-Evans by The People’s Champion Blog, will be the first comments she has made to media about her sister’s murder of any kind. May justice prevail and that young Simone rest in eternal peace.”

 — David B. Adams, Crime Blogger

For most, the Christmas season is a joyous time of year where family gatherings are the focus of holiday activities. Most families continue festive traditions with corals and other songs of cheer, in preparation for the countdown to the New Year. This season is also one of the most saddening as well for some families who have fell upon hard times, are experiencing the holidays without certain loved ones for the first time, and others experience haunting reminders of tragic events that occurred around this time of year, resulting in the lost of  a close relative. One such family that has had to endure the horrors of such tragedy every Christmas for five years is the relatives of the late Phylicia Simone Barnes, the book smart honors teen from Monroe North Carolina who disappeared in Baltimore exactly five years ago today, while visiting her half siblings over the Christmas holiday in 2010. Her disappearance garnered national media attention which was rare for a missing child of color. While many may have forgotten about the pretty and studious child’s tragic ending, her older sister prepares to fight on to seek justice for her kid sister.

The horrifying ordeal went on for months while city, state, and federal authorities conducted searches throughout the Baltimore metropolitan area in a failed attempt to locate the missing child. Sadly, in the spring of 2011 when the chilled waters of the Susquehanna River began to thaw, the nude decomposing body of a young female emerged and was discovered by workers near the Conowingo Dam in Northern Maryland. State police and medical examiners used the tattoo of a red rose located on the ankle of the body to identify the remains as the Barnes teen. The grueling discovery dashed any hopes that Phylicia had simply run off on her own without notifying her family. Such a scenario was the initial posture of the Baltimore police when the child was first reported missing. Her death drew closer attention to the people she was around prior to disappearing, and from the very start, the little girl’s family became suspicious about what they were being told.

In the first interview with media of any kind Shauntel Sallis who is the older sister of the Barnes teen, shared her perspective with The People’s Champion Blog regarding her sister’s murder case. Her account depicts what it was like on the ground in Baltimore when they were notified that Phylicia was missing. When news first broke about the 16 year old’ s disappearance from her older half sister’s West Baltimore apartment, her mother and stepfather had to travel from the south, and her older sister came from the New York Tri-state area in the north. They all converged on  an apartment complex off of Reisterstown Road in Baltimore Maryland. As the teen’s relatives began questioning a volume of people around the complex, looking for clues to help establish Phylicia’s whereabouts, an eerie innervation and disturbing narrative began to emerge pertaining to what the child’s immediate family was being told about her disappearance. Phylicia’s oldest sister Shauntel Sallis said she recalls immediately developing the impression that those who were around her little sister were lying, extremely secretive, and appeared to be collectively covering up details about what happened to young Phylicia Barnes.

Unable to obtain any meaningful progress in determining what happened to the teen, her family began scouring around the streets of the city in an effort to locate the child. Shauntel who isn’t familiar with Baltimore, contacted her son’s father, a Rap Music recording artist, who immediately dispatched several people in Baltimore City to accompany the Sallis family during their search for Phylicia. After spending hours walking the streets, visiting night clubs, and other known hangouts for youths in Baltimore, the little girl’s family search efforts fell short of locating her. That’s when Shauntel says she began a more direct approach to get answers. She asked her mother who was the last person to see Phylicia, and she said her mother responded “Michael” (Phylicia’s oldest half sister boyfriend Michael Johnson). She asked for his cellphone number and called him.

Shauntel said that as she began to question him, “he was obviously nervous, stuttering, and appeared evasive” to her questions. She asked him where was Phylicia when he arrived at the apartment, and he said “she was in the shower,” a revelation that Shauntel said was very alarming because her sister was alone in such a vulnerable and uncompromising situation with him (Michael) being there. She went on to inquire about what he was actually doing. She said he initially told her that he was “moving his property out of the apartment,” and then under further questioning he stated that he was “doing laundry.” When she challenged him pertaining to the discrepancy in his account, he claim to have started a load of laundry and was moving belongings out of the apartment while her kid sister was taking a shower.

The older sister’ account confirms what earlier speculation suggested that Johnson was there while the Barnes teen was in fact bathing, an aspect that angered followers of this case, and cited concerns as to why the older Barnes female (her half sister) wasn’t more proactive about insuring the physical safety of the child. Shauntel told TPC that after efforts to physically locate her sister failed she believed Phylicia was already gone (deceased). Also Shauntel said that Phylicia had come to her in a dream and warned her that everyone at the older half sister’s apartment were all involved in what happened to her. She further believes that the dream had tremendous merit because what Simone told her in the dream, confirmed what she was feeling while on the ground asking questions and trying to find her.

Just like Phylicia’s mother Janice Mustafa believed, Shauntel also suspected that the child’s father was complicit in efforts to cover up what happened to young Phylicia. Shauntel recalled Russell Barnes (Phylicia’s biological father) and his half brother Sgt. Jackson of the Baltimore police, telling Janice and Raheem Mustafa (parents) that Jackson was in charge of Phylicia’s disappearance case. Its a revelation that has never been made public, and a very interesting element of the child’s disappearance case since Baltimore police found no wrong doing on Jackson’s part, after he showed up at the apartment where Phylicia was staying with her half sister on the day she went missing, and began questioning people. Jackson was never assigned to the missing person investigation, and Shauntel believes like many others, that Jackson’s role, along with his brother Russell Barnes during the crucial hours of her disappearance may have in fact helped the perpetrators responsible for the murder of her sister.

Shauntel goes on to point out that there were a volume of inconsistencies in the stories that were given to her by Deena Barnes (Phylicia’s half sister) and her boyfriend Michael Johnson. For instance, she says that when she questioned Michael, that he told her the front door to Deena’s apartment was always left open (suggesting that anyone could have entered the apartment and killed the child). After speaking with him she immediately called Deena, and challenged her on why the door to the apartment was always open. Shauntel said that she overheard Deena asking Michael, “Did you tell her that about my front door?” She explained that it was very telling for Deena and Michael to be “laid up” together somewhere while Phylicia was missing, and growing suspicion was developing related to Michael’s potential knowledge about the child’s whereabouts.

The story initially offered to police that Phylicia went to purchase food in the nearby business district is just one of a volume of untruths that Shauntel believes were deliberate deflections and obstacles that were crafted to orchestrate a cover up regarding what happened to young Phylicia, by her own father, his brother Sgt. Jackson, her older half sister Deena Barnes, and Michael Johnson. More importantly, Shauntel told TPC that “I believe they both (Michael and Deena) know what happened to Simone.”  Her perspective on what happened and why she believes Phylicia was killed is perhaps an extremely profound aspect of the entire case that has never been made public. While Michael Johnson has largely been on the hook for the demise of such a promising kid, Shauntel believes that Deena was complicit in what happened to her kid sister as well. She says that she could tell that Deena was hiding something.

On the “Peas and Their Pods” Radio Broadcast when the Barnes siblings were interviewed about their baby sister’s disappearance, Deena Barnes was specifically questioned about allegations that Phylicia had fallen asleep on top of Michael Johnson, a claim that Deena vehemently denied during the Blogtalk radio show. It was a rumor which implied that a sexual relationship had transpired between the Barnes teen and Michael Johnson, and further explored by investigators who discovered that Johnson had shared over 500 text messages with the child over a span of several months. When asked whether she believed that her sister had sex with Johnson, Shauntel said “I believe without Deena knowing, sounds crazy but this whole thing is bananas. I feel they started as a group thing (Phylicia, Michael, and Deena having sex together) then Michael took it to the next level, i.e. the text messages etc…”

Shauntel further explains that she struggles with Michael’s ability to text message his girl friend’s baby sister all of those times without some issue developing. She believes Michael couldn’t have text her at such a volume of times without Deena sanctioning it. She points out other factors that doesn’t make sense and supports her group sex theory. When Deena Barnes testified during Michael Johnson’s first trial that she had witnessed him attempting to touch Phylicia in the nether regions (vagina area) of her body, her failure to be proactive about resolving his perverted actions, seems to suggest that such behavior wasn’t uncommon in their social setting. Deena testified that she asked Johnson, “Did I just see try to feel on my sister.” Shauntel says that’s about the time that Deena should have called her uncle who is a cop, to have the situation properly dealt with, and Michael should have never been allowed to have contact with Phylicia ever again. She says that Deena may have only challenged Michael on the fondling incident because “she didn’t say it was okay to be freaky yet.”

Shauntel Sallis also pointed out that the “sex video” that depicted Phylicia, Deena, Michael, Michael’s younger brother, and allegedly William Johnson (a cousin), streaking nude in and out of the apartment, and onto the playground of an adjacent school, was just a test to see how far Phylicia would go in preparation to introduce her to group sex. She believes the very fact that Deena condoned Phylicia’s participation in such activity was extremely compelling, and supports her theory that Phylicia was involved in group sex with the pair (Deena and Michael) as well as other males who were regulars frequenting Deena’s West Baltimore apartment. Other factors of her group sex theory Shauntel says is, “The way that ‘Bootz’ or Glenton (Michael’s younger brother) was talking about her during his testimony in the first trial, his demeanor, and like he was mad that he wasn’t the top of her list. Especially for him to say he slept with Simone x number of times as if it’s cool.”

Her main concern after all of this time has always been, how at the very least, no one captured “Streaking” nude in the sex video with her kid sister, have never been charged with a crime. She points out that the “sex video” was captured in July of 2010, and Phylicia would only have been 15-years-old at the time when the video was created. She believes that public nudity, indecent exposure, and while involving a minor child captured on video should be sufficient grounds to file charges for child endangerment at the very minimum, for the adults seen on film in the video. Shauntel says she has been beating down prosecutor Lisa Goldberg’s office door ever since. When she finally caught up with Goldberg, Shauntel says she was hostile, and advised her that she didn’t want to argue with her about the case. Shauntel said that Goldberg eventually told her that her mother Janice Mustafa (Phylicia’s mother) had requested that prosecutors not provide any information related to the prosecution of the case with Shauntel. This discovery Shauntel said, has angered her because her mother made negative comments in various other TPC articles in the past. The pair have had a contentious relationship to say the least, since this entire tragic ordeal unfolded, and revealing the particulars at this time serves no productive purpose.

Missteps By Investigators

Prior to Phylicia being discovered in the Susquehanna River near the Conowingo Dam in Northern Maryland, her disappearance case had been assigned to Baltimore police detective Nicholson, but because of the location of her remains, the Maryland State Police took over the murder investigations once her cause of death was determined to be a homicide. Shauntel discussed very important elements of the case and wondered why investigators along with prosecutors haven’t found a lot of information useful in the process of  determining who murdered Phylicia. She doesn’t understand how the tweet from one of the girl friends of the males that cops originally interviewed isn’t a vital piece of information, Phylicia went missing on December 28 and just a month later on January 28, the girl friend tweets “Its trapped at the dam, don’t pull the lever.” Shauntel says that there is no way that’s a mere coincidence, but the prosecutors never mentioned the tweet during either of the trials.

The Twitter Girl

Like most people closely following this case, its just mind blowing that cops failed to connect the dots with that kind of information. With it being widely known that a volume of young males were regular hangouts around Deena’s apartment, mostly who were relatives of Michael Johnson, the social media accounts of many of these young men were perhaps very crucial in determining what people may have known during the course of the murder investigation. It was actually crime “websluethers” who found the twitter information by the girl friend of a Johnson cousin and turned it over to the Maryland State Police investigator, but Shauntel is among a number of people who question whether the state police and the Baltimore police ever shared investigative notes related to this crime. Other social media information turned over to the police by the public, point to the potential involvement of some of Michael’s family members, but for some reason prosecutors never made mention of the highly circumstantial information during either of Johnson’s criminal trials.

TPC received a volume of information pertaining to the Johnson family which outlined their Matriarch and Patriarch, businesses and property that they owned, and various social media content that were extracted from the web. I forwarded all of that information to Shauntel Sallis who advised me that she was aware of much of the information entailed within the social media content, and what stuck out to her the most was the Tweet from Glenton “Bootz” Johnson, who tweeted “Don’t tell her twice, whoop her ass,” literally minutes just before Michael Johnson says he reportedly last saw Phylicia. Shauntel says “Yes, that tweet made me boil, like I can feel something in that message. Bootz’ tweet, ‘Whoop her ass don’t tell her twice’, it’s like I can feel what Simone went through, she was scared to death before they killed her.”

Shauntel also discussed with TPC how her little sister’s killing almost seems like a hit. She believes it appeared that Kelly Barnes and Deena Barnes, Phylicia’s two older half sister knew to stay away because they were knowledgeable of what was going to happen to the child. Kelly Barnes lived just a few blocks away from the apartment where Phylicia was staying with Deena, but despite either of the two older woman’s inability to contact Phylicia most of that day, Kelly who was reported suppose to be off from work that day, was also schedule to pick Phylicia up to go shopping for beauty supplies, and make a hair dresser appointment. The fact that Kelly never went by the apartment to check on Phylicia has outraged followers of this heartbreaking story.

The social media content that was allegedly turned over to police is almost like a blue print if properly studied, with knowledge of street vernacular, and a little common sense. The tweets between the Johnson males on the day that Phylicia went missing is for the most part the very core of the investigation surrounding the murder of young Phylicia Barnes, and like most people who think logically, Shauntel is angered by the police seemingly inability or lack of professional skill to sift through the available information to find out what most people who have read the social media content already know, that Michael wasn’t the only person who was alone with Phylicia the day he was at the apartment allegedly moving out. Strong circumstantial evidence suggest that Michael (aka “Ease”) was riding along Rolling Road in Baltimore County with his younger brother “Bootz” during the early afternoon hours on the day that Phylicia went missing, and may have even transported Michael to Deena’s apartment. After personally viewing the information from the public that TPC forwarded to her, she says that she believes the tweets tell it all.

Johnson Male Tweets

Shauntel expressed serious doubt that Michael killed her little sister because he wanted to have sex with her. “Why would he kill her for that? He already got the cookie (An inference to her group sex with Deena and Michael theory). I believe he killed her for what she knew. That’s what I would like to know, what did she know or see that led to her murder? It was someone who knew her and close because they got rid of her body and made it seem as if nothing happened. Shauntel also believes that who ever was responsible for Phylicia’s murder also had to know her mother. “They didn’t call her (mom), too many lies and secrets, and a stranger wouldn’t do all that covering and cleaning up.”

Michael told Shauntel that Deena had gotten on her little sister for giving her cellphone number to some guy in a green galant, but when I inquired as to why that was never made public before or mentioned by police, Shauntel explains that it was just lies that Deena and Michael had told her family during the cover up. In fact, there is a lot of information that was given to Baltimore police detective Nicholson who traveled to New York to interview Shauntel during the course of the investigation, and she explains that she advised him of everything that she has told TPC. However, she believes much of that information may not have made it to state police investigators once Phylicia’s body was found in their jurisdiction, and the personal troubles that Nicholson experienced related to his criminal charges that derived from a disappearance case concerning his own daughter who is also a minor.

Shauntel also expressed concern that her mother allowed Russell Barnes to be the spokesperson in the media pertaining to Phylicia’s murder case, when he knew absolutely nothing about her, wasn’t active in her life, and for the most part gave false details about her to the media. She stands firm on the belief that Russel along with his brother who is a cop (Sgt. Jackson) were vital in the cover up of Phylicia’s killing, in an effort to protect his other kids, mainly Deena Barnes. Shauntel believes that the only reason that her sister’s case is not still in the media, is because of her mother’s abscence in advocating for her child. “I know people are wondering, where is this child’s mother?’

To Be Continued …

The People’s Champion

I’m Crime Blogger David Adams

Now that the state and defense have both rested their cases in the criminal trial of William Porter, one of six police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray, we can start to grasp a closer look at what actually happen the day Gray was arrested in West Baltimore and subsequently encountered a severe spinal injury that he would later succumb to a week later. Porter is the first to go on trial and is believed to be a material witness against other officers whose trial dates will occur next year. The most severe charge he faces is manslaughter. While the prosecutors believe that Porter and the other officer’s neglect in the care of Gray reached heights of criminal proportions, Porter’s defense counsel at least, have attempted to convince the jury that Gray’s death was the result of an accident.

In fact, much of the defense’ case seem to suggest that Porter wasn’t criminally responsible for aiding in the cause of Gray’s injuries because the Baltimore City Police Department had an on going cultural practice of not following agency policy and procedure. Defense counsel for the accused former cop put a number of witnesses on the stand to combat the state’ argument that Porter willfully neglected to properly restrain Gray in a paddy wagon per departmental policy. The prosecutor’s office presented a strong case by highlighting both, Porter’s knowledge of agency policy requiring all prisoners to be properly restrained in police transport vehicles, and his admitted failure to follow these established procedures. The state hammered Porter by presenting his police academy instructor as a witness, who testified that Porter was trained to restrain all prisoners being transported and to call for emergency medical services if a prisoner request medical care. The state also produced a witness from the city police’ IT Department, who testified that a departmental memorandum regarding prisoner transport, and the seat belt policy which had been emailed to all city police just a few weeks before the Freddie Gray incident, had in fact been emailed to Porter and confirmed to have reached his inbox..

Despite whatever argument that may be utilized to justify failure by Porter to secure Gray in the back of the paddy wagon, the facts are clear. Porter did not do his job and unfortunately a man died. This cannot be disputed one way or the other, but the defense seems to believe that a widespread systemic failure by Baltimore police personnel to follow agency policy is sufficient enough to justify Porter’s individual failure to secure Gray in the back of the wagon as required by police policy. One of the rationalizations for the widespread noncompliance of this particular departmental policy has been rumored to be predicated on perceived concerns related to officer safety. Cops have openly complained about the dangers of the close quarters that exist between officers and prisoners inside the transport vehicle. In the concerns regarding safety, police officials say officers have been spat on, bitten, and sustained other injuries while attempting to secure seat belts on prisoners, and as a result, police personnel regularly violate the established guidelines for prisoner transport out of concerns for their personal safety. Porter’s legal counsel isn’t arguing that he failed to secure Gray out of concerns for his safety though, but rather he only failed to do so as a routine practice similar to what other officers were doing (“Monkey see monkey do.”)

Also, considering the fact that Gray had requested for medical care on multiple occasions and the request was verified by various officers who interacted with him on the day of his arrest, selling the story that Porter was fearful of his safety resulting in his failure to secure Gray in the wagon would have been a hard sell to a seated Baltimore jury, especially with the video capturing Gray’s arrest going viral depicting the appearance of him severely injured. Common sense would almost certainly challenge exactly how much of a threat Gray would have been to the officer in his apparent condition. The battle over why Porter neglected to do his job of placing Gray in a seat belt seems to be a tremendous upheaval for his defense considering the established police policies, and regardless of the culture of not following police rules. The defense’ attempt to deflect responsibility of  securing prisoners in transport vehicles over to that of the actual driver of the vehicle is a stretch, and Porter’s lawyer has to know that he is really reaching on that argument. The state even put a witness on the stand who testified that caring for prisoners in police custody is a shared responsibility of all personnel who come in contact with a prisoner while they are in custody.

The point being here is, once a prisoner is physically restrained and placed in a transport vehicle, their personal safety for the most part is almost entirely out of the scope of their own control. Hence, why police agencies have policies in place requiring the restraint of all prisoners. Its almost like a complete oxymoron for the defense to think that police are not bound by seat belt laws, while “Joe Public” is subject to be ticketed by the very same police agency as demonstrated by Porter’s own testimony. The state will be able to make a hell of a summation on these points during closing arguments.

Moreover, Porter’s defense has run into trouble related to the comments he initially gave to investigators. The state produced a detective who testified that during an unrecorded phone call to Porter regarding what happened to Gray, Porter said to her that Gray told him he couldn’t breathe. The investigator went on to testify that Porter admitted that he wasn’t really sure if Gray was injured because Gray had a history of exaggerating his injuries when being arrested. During Porter’s own testimony on the stand however, he completely dismissed and denied the notion that he had made such a comment to the investigator. Well not entirely. Porter testified that he overheard a person saying that they were having difficulty breathing and needed an inhaler. Porter went on to testify that he later learned that it was Freddie Gray who had made the comment. I mean this isn’t rocket science here. Exactly how many prisoners were around at the time Porter allegedly overheard the “I can’t breathe” comment, and does he (Porter) really believe that his recollection on these events are actually going to be deemed credible? His testimony on this issue is vital to his defense and seemed to have been carefully crafted to establish that he really didn’t know Gray was injured. Its a conflicting account that the state’ witness may easily win because Porter’s recollection appears unbelievable on its face.

The depth of the unreliability of Porter’s testimony is further revealed in comments the officer made to investigators indicating that he (Porter) and the transport vehicle driver Ceasar Goodsen had discussed the unlikelihood of Central Booking personnel taking Gray in his condition, and that he would require to be taken to the hospital. An obvious indicator that Porter reasonably believed that Gray might actually have been injured, and not as he had attempted to convince the jury of not knowing if Gray was in fact in need of medical care. Therefore, Porter’s testimony seems to contradict the available facts related to the Freddie Gray arrest. It just isn’t very credible that Gray never told Porter that he couldn’t breathe as the former cop testified to, when he has already established on record with investigators that he and the transport driver had in fact discussed Gray’s purported injuries.

In the extremely veil elusion of responsibility from the criminal charges that Porter faces, there is minimal extrication available to him, and that’s only if he received an order from a superior specifically directing him not to call for emergency medical assistance for Gray. While Porter told investigators that he advised Sgt. Alicia White that Gray would need to be taken to the hospital, it doesn’t help his cause because Porter established on record that he reasonably believed Gray was injured long before he told Sgt. White, and he failed to get Gray help. Besides, nothing has been introduced in the record of this trial that establishes White or any other supervisor for that matter, having told Porter not to obtain medical help for Gray.

The trial against William Porter seem to hinge on contrasting elements pertaining to Porter’s actual knowledge related to whether Gray was injured or not. Porter’s seemingly shady testimony on these facts may sway the jury to conclude that he’s being untruthful. The history of how police typically have an unbreakable barrier between their rank and file, and usually stick together at all cost, kind of illustrates how Porter’s testimony appear more unreliable with police investigators having said on record that he acknowledged that Gray had requested medical care. Other comments Porter made on the record doesn’t help is case either. Porter stated that when he initially spoke with investigators about Gray, that he thought that he was considered a witness, and didn’t realize that he had to defend himself. That comment is extremely incautious because it almost implies that had he known he was being considered a suspect in Gray’s death, he probably wouldn’t have made certain statements. That may potentially be the test that jurors use to determine his integrity related to his actions while interacting with Freddie Gray that day. Some see telling the truth as a natural process and requires very little complexity, but to infer that a person should have been made aware of being a suspect tends to suggest potential concealment of the facts.

In totality regarding everything that police officials, their supporters, and other pundits from the public who are critical of Gray’s lifestyle have said about him in this case, none of the conjecture or rationalizations pertaining to Gray’s history of allegedly faking injuries, past crimes and arrest matters regarding what ultimately happened to him. He was actually injured during this incident which resulted in his death. Porter and every officer who came in contact with him while he was in police custody, had a duty to insure his personal safety, and despite how they may have felt about Gray as an individual it doesn’t circumvent the responsibility that was entrusted in Porter as a police official. Police officials seem to default to the old discredit him tactic, in an attempt to make Gray appear less deserving of any consideration because he was a petty criminal who sold drugs. While that may have in fact been the case in this instance, his arrest was for the purpose of mitigating such conduct in a court of law before a jury of his peers. Failing to get help for a prisoner who is physically restrained inside a police transport vehicle after he made multiple request for medical care, perhaps can only be described as cruel and heartless negligence that should result in a conviction based on the evidence presented to the court during this trial.

A “Monkey see monkey do” defense is really not a defense at all, and it may be a telling factor in a jury’s determination to come back with a guilty verdict for manslaughter in this case.

The People’s Champion

I’m Crime Blogger David Adams

He was celebrated perhaps as one of Baltimore’s greatest native sons, who emerged from poverty, and manifested a street pedigree from his days as a hooligan while navigating the card parlors, pool halls and back-alley crap games of West Baltimore. An endeavor that “Little Melvin” Williams would eventually transform into a multi million dollar empire.

Many who still remain that remember, are either too ignorant, or simply don’t care about how the underworld of organized crime utilized the likes of a young street hustler to exact a paralyzing, and poisonous culture of drug abuse on an entire city through the solicitation of heroin throughout Baltimore’s poorest communities. At the height of the civil rights movement in this country, and just about around the time that America began to cave in to the pressures of the illegality of segregation, and unconstitutional “Jim Crow” laws, another plan was being formulated to replace the oppressive state of black America that was once being implemented through racism.

In the backdrop of a revolutionizing social code in this country which would give people of color new found freedoms, a manipulative transformation of how mobsters and other crime figures during that era would conduct business in the black communities began to take shape. In an ironic but obvious coincidence of timing, the change that civil rights brought to this country gave birth to a seemingly new tactic to control an entire race of people, and when crime bosses began authorizing the solicitation of drugs, they took notice of a young Melvin Williams who possessed a persona seemingly impervious to the pressures of Baltimore’s tough streets.

It was the East Coast factions of the “mafia” who recruited “Little Melvin” and gave him the Baltimore heroin franchise. Later on local Jewish crime boss figure Julius “the Lord” Salisbury took Melvin under his wing, and introduced him to mobster Meyer Lansky (Depicted as the character Hyman Rothe in the iconic film “The God Father II”). Lansky who was a Russian immigrant, teamed up with a more notable crime figure Charles “Lucky” Luciano, and organized a national  and international crime syndicate which included a strong hold on Cuba, linking together various mob factions across the globe while also incorporating more reputable spheres of power into their criminal dealings.

With help from organized crime families of such powerful men connected to the mob, Melvin Williams had the backing of street muscle (violent enforcers), police officials, and some say politicians and judges alike, who were covertly complicit to his ability to reach such success of selling 40-50 kilos of heroin in Baltimore on a monthly basis. The city’s black business district which ran along the corridor or West Baltimore’s famed Pennsylvania Avenue, was ground zero for drug enterprises that prove to be extremely lucrative for Melvin and his mob cronies.-

As the acquisition of new laws such as the Fair Housing Act of 1964 became the norm, white flight from the inner city  also became very prevalent, and drug dealers who worked for “Little Melvin” moved in and set up shop . The open air drug markets that came about on that side of town created a devastating impact on the social, economic, and educational dynamics of the black community, because during that era Pennsylvania Avenue was the commerce mecca of Baltimore’s business and cultural centers for black people.

Nearly every black person in the city did some form of shopping or other business on Pennsylvania Avenue. Mobsters knew what they were doing when they unleashed Melvin into that portion of the black community with a constant supply of heroin. It almost but certainly guaranteed that drug soliciting would be marketed at the very apex of Baltimore’s black consumer base. The drug epidemic that followed has lasted decades, and much of the residuals of how organized crime literally paralyzed and destroyed an entire culture of people with heroin can still be seen throughout Baltimore to this day.

At the same time that heroin became a popular and acceptable form of recreational drug usage in Baltimore, those in charge of the city’s commercial growth began to implement the development of high rise public housing, which gave birth to the storied Murphy Homes and Lexington Terrace housing projects. The projects were designed to preempt white flight to the suburbs and keep white money in the city. The mob reeked havoc on the poor black communities that rose from the construction of housing projects. The misery of poverty, despair, and the lack of opportunity economically made many of these communities extremely vulnerable to drug solicitation, which “Little Melvin” Williams gladly served as ambassador for powerful organized crime figures.

Baltimore police officials say that Melvin’s first conviction was a sham. He was set up by the feds, who planted drugs on him. Upon his parole in 1979, Baltimore City would never be the same. He became Baltimore’s main supplier of heroin, a substance that plagues the city beyond epidemic proportions to this very day. At its peak, Melvin’s operation employed some 200 dealers and made millions of dollars a year. He owned dozens of properties and vehicles, and his gang waged a campaign of violence and intimidation throughout the city. A trail of bloody carnage, drug addiction, and an extremely devastating impact on the black family structure in Baltimore, typically rooted in heroin addiction was left in its wake.

Years after multiple convictions for various crimes, Melvin would eventually change his life and turn to the church. Ironically, two of the very people responsible for his demise, were also the ones who gave him his first acting gig on “The Wire.” It seemed fitting, especially since much of the material that producers Ed Burns and David Simon were writing for the show’s scripts were based mostly on Melvin’s activities as a drug kingpin at the peak of his career as a criminal. Burns was the detective responsible for investigating Melvin and eventually arrested him. David Simon was a writer for the Baltimore Sun during that time and had wrote most of the articles about Melvin’s drug gang.

Later on in life “Little Melvin” Williams would go on to do great things within the black community by mentoring troubled and at risk young black males. His deeds in that regard have been highly praised by many clergy, community leaders, and other public officials who know about his legacy as a kingpin on the streets of Baltimore. However, despite his evolution as man from a drug dealer to a mentor for many black youth, the blood stains, death, and tears of grieving families whose loved ones fell as casualties of Baltimore’s violent drug culture, are aspects of Melvin’s rein as a notorious drug kingpin that will never be forgotten. For some the very memory of “Little Melvin” Williams remains a constant reminder of his intricate role in the revolution of heroin dealing onto the streets of Baltimore.

Although the highly addictive drug wasn’t a common narcotic within the black community (Came on the scene initially as a rich man’s high), noted and famed entertainers like native Baltimore Jazz Great Billy Holiday, John Coltrane, Ray Charles, and others were some of its early junkies who were lured to its grasp while indulging in intravenous drug usage. You didn’t see a plethora of junkies buying that kind of “smack” (its street name back in the day) on street corners in the white community, because they didn’t allow it. Now considering how heroin and other drugs have such a strong hold on the black community, coupled with the carnage left in its path, we can clearly see how well orchestrated organized crime figures utilized men the likes of Melvin “Little Melvin” Williams as a prostitute, who solicited such a poisonous death to his own people, while serving as the Mob’s whore in the underworld of drug dealing.

Moreover, there are people who will argue that bringing up his past missteps in life serves no good, but rather we should celebrate a man’s growth whether its spiritually, educationally, or socially. There is in fact some merit to such a perspective when discussing an individuals personal transformation into a posture of righteous indignation for the betterment of his community, but when the missteps of such a heinous criminal are directly responsible for the solicitation of poisonous toxins to hundreds of thousands of his own people, and leaving a pathway of death and destruction still visible decades later, perhaps his death is the only meaningful contribution and amends that he could ever make to the very culture of people to whom he is in debt in modern society.

Those who have become aware of the urban blight that permeates the city of Baltimore, got a first hand look at the economic, educational, and social disenfranchisement of communities like Sandtown-Winchester (home of the late Freddie Gray), Penn-North, and Murphy Homes/ Lexington terrace project developments on the city’s west side. The abandoned homes, homelessness, and pervasive drug addiction are the residual bi-products that are the direct result of the criminal enterprises of “Little Melvin” Williams, who gave the mob a door key to the black community at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. The partnership eventually accomplished two objects:

1. It earned them both lucrative drug profits in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
2. Guaranteed that a devastating impact would be made on the black community through drug usage and addiction, that would cripple their growth as a people for decades.

So, the next time you take a trip to Lexington Market in downtown Baltimore or any other part of the city where there is an abundance of  drug addicts gathered, attending court ordered drug counseling, and posted up in the iconic “dope fiend lean,” you can thank the likes of the late Melvin Williams. His legacy has meant nothing but death to black people in Baltimore, and he should not be celebrated as the notorious drug kingpin that television shows like “American Gangster” depict him as. Our children should be taught to revile the very memory of men like him forever! His death is perhaps the greatest contribution he ever made to society.

The iconic image coined by Baltimore’s street vernacular as “the dope fiend lean.”

The People’s Champion

I’m Crime Blogger David Adams

When the world first became aware of the terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday the 13th, it sent shock waves of fear across the globe. The Western World Governments and its allies quickly spent the story as a direct result of ISIS. The media has been promoting propaganda about the so called terrorist group for the past few years in stories mainly related to the Syrian conflict in that country. Now the global media wants humanity to believe that these ban of terrorist who were originally only thought to be composed of stone throwing rebels trying to oust Syrian President Brashar al-Assad, have some how risen to the heights of a global threat and are now miraculously expanding their purported acts of violence outside of Syria.

The volume of human life lost in what appeared to be six separate well organized attacks against innocent French citizens, at public venues in Paris, were for the most part unprovoked related to ISIS’ so called acts of terror that were  originally alleged and thought to have been isolated to the Syrian conflict. The sudden attack on the French has sent a rippling effect around the world challenging the reliability of the media’s coverage of the attacks, and exactly who may have been responsible for such devastating carnage against the French people.

While the world mourns for Paris a developing perspective continues to rise from the dust of horror, and perhaps suggest that the attacks were well planned, orchestrated, and met out to symbolize an act of evil dating back to the ancient times of the world. Scholars and others of higher learning are easily led to the annals of archaic history during “The Dark Ages.” Few are knowledgeable regarding the very origins of Friday the 13th, its superstition, and why a legacy of unluckiness has shadowed that particular day for centuries.

Often dismissed as myth deriving from folklore, Friday the 13th has in fact often been referred to as “the day that changed the world.” Its disturbing parallel of the Paris attack to the original Friday the 13th in the year 1307, ironically also in Paris France, perhaps is well beyond coincidence, circumstance, and chance. Two of the most horrific days in French history were both on this daunting and curse filled day. Mirroring details surrounding wealth, power, and deception which resulted in fear within the masses, as well as murderous death throughout the land would be the order for both of these days.

The initial unlucky day was on October 13, 1307 when King Phillip IV pulled off a stunning piece of work by having hundreds of the most powerful within the Christian military order (The Knights Templars) arrested. The Templars were among the most wealthiest and powerful, and were prominent actors in Christian finance. King Phillip was in debt to the Templars for their assistance to France’ in the crusades against England. Endorsed by the Roman Catholic Church around 1129, the Order of the Templars became a favored charity throughout all of Christendom and grew rapidly in membership and power. Templar Knights, in their distinctive white mantles with a red cross, were among the most skilled fighting units of the Crusades of ancient Europe.

A costume resembling the image of the Knights Templar.

Unfortunately, the secrecy surrounding the Templars’ initiation grew into mistrust, and King Phillip took advantage, by ceasing the opportunity to spread false accusations against the Templars (similar to today’s government attempts to spread untruths throughout the world, for the purpose of accomplishing objects of the elites and superpowers). Through coercion by torture, many of the Templars confessed to crimes for which they had not committed. Jacques de Molay who was the last Grand Master of the Templars, recanted his confession, and King Phillip ordered him to be burned at the stake on an island in the River Seine in front of Notre Dame de Paris. The dramatic execution of the last leader of the Templar Knights turned  de Molay into a legendary figure and subsequently created the superstition surrounding Friday the 13th.

Considering the circumstances surrounding the details of how the order of Templar Knights fell, directly as a result of fabricated accusations against the Templars and the associated power and wealth that the order possessed, only causes widening suspicion related to the most recent Friday the 13th tragedy in France. Critics and other pundits may argue that tragedies over seven centuries apart is a tremendous stretch in terms of making a comparative argument.

However, regardless of who the terrorist actually were that committed such a heinous act against humanity, a very compelling argument could be made that the conspirators were very well learned, and perhaps students to the origins of Friday the 13th. Additionally, the initial reports related to the alleged terrorist suggest that none of them were Syrian Nationals (possibly not ISIS), until reports emerged out of France today alleging the killing of suspected terrorist Abdelhamid Abaaoud. All but one of the suspected terrorist that killed 129 people are also now dead, accept suspected terrorist conspirator  Abdeslam Salah who French authorities say is now on the run.

So, in all actuality there are over a hundred innocent people who are now dead, nearly all of the alleged terrorist are reportedly dead as well, and nothing remains but the government and the media’ version of what they allege actually occurred. Its a disturbing reality directly derived from other questionable acts of terror, like the events of 9/11 which served as a cause to launch the U.S. and other nations into war on the basic premise  that democracy was under attack by terrorist around the world. These questionable campaigns of war heighten greater suspicion toward world governments when the subject country from which politicians claim are the source of evilness and terrorism, just coincidentally happen to be sovereign countries with vast natural resources that are vital to the U.S. economy. The world war machine spearheaded by the United States marches on in the latest crusade against Islam.

Students of world history know that religion has been the catalyst for every conflict among the nations since the onset of recorded history. Just like every historic act of war ever, religious leaders have always been involved in the affairs of politics, government finances, and the use of a nations’ military to achieve objects influenced by theology. Though he sits seemingly cloaked and far removed from all that is occurring throughout the world, the Pope administers to faithful followers while wearing the traditional white mantle embroidered with the iconic emblem of the Knights Templar. Perhaps in an act of solidarity by the Catholic church over the lost of Catholicism’s greatest defender of the Christian (scottish) Right, the very coincidence of France’ most recent tragedy on Friday the 13th may suggest, just like Pope Clement V’s involvement in events of the cursed day back in 1307, the current day leader of the Catholic Church hands might also be stained with the blood of French citizens who died in the Paris attack.

The “Holy Father” Pope Benedict wearing a sash embroidered with the emblem of the Knights Templar.

While the leader of modern day Catholicism still parades the world in attire that replicate iconic symbols of archaic orders of the Christian (Scottish) Right, for those who already know, such images only exposes the close relationship between the Catholic Church and totalitarianism among secretive organizations around the world. After all, it was in fact Pope Clement V who ordered Papal arrest warrants for hundreds of Knights Templars during the initial Friday the 13th of the early 14th century. Though such power and influence by the Pontiff has largely been shadowed from the world, the Roman Catholic Church has always been involved in the politics, and decision making regarding military action surrounding global affairs through out the development of civilization within the last millennium. The current state of world crisis that is being circulated by global media, like the purported onset of terrorist by so called Islamist groups across the globe, is a kin to the spreading of lies, rumors, conjecture, and other hyperbole that King Phillip IV utilized to persuade condemnation of the Knights Templars’ fall from prominence to death during medieval times.

The vast majority of the world’s population remains brainwashed by superpower governments and their supporting cast of media outlets, regarding threats of terror from violent extremist from Muslims around the globe. Without the benefit of knowledge pertaining to the history of Christianity and Islam, most may find themselves confused as to why such a religious group of people are hell bent on destroying those who practice other religions. This is where history teaches us that wars between Muslims and Christians date back hundreds of years, when European barbarians were essentially poor and starving in the hills of the most gelid part of the world. The quest for wealth and the promotion of Christianity is what brought the King’s to Jerusalem (the Holy City) during countless battles. The period of the early 12th century teaches us that the Muslim were the indigenous culture of people throughout the land of Palestine (believed to be the home of Abraham and Solomon from the Bible), and that the great Muslim leader Saladinn Eyubi led countless forays against the crusades of England and France who continuously attempted to overtake Jerusalem from the Muslims.

Conflicts between the two religions would carry on for centuries as the Holy City of Jerusalem would fall in and out of the hands of both faiths respectively. The Europeans would finally recapture Jerusalem from the Muslim World in 1921 after the First World War. Then in 1947 the French, Great Britain, and the United States assisted in settling German Jews who fled the holocaust, into the land of Palestine, and essentially creating modern day Israel. The Palestinians and Muslims from other Islamic countries around the world have been fighting such an acquisition, that for the most parts amounts to Europeans taking a homeland from its indigenous people in that part of the world. In similar fashion in which Europeans took America from Native Americans. Even if most of the stories and other propaganda about alleged violent extremist Muslims were in fact entirely true, in the case of Israel at least, it would almost seem justified when considering the volume of people, especially innocent children that have been slaughtered by the U.S. backed state of Israel, who has historically rationalized such violent aggression against the Palestinian people by claiming an illegitimate birth right to that region of the world.

So it continues to baffle scholars and other learned men of “Light,” how easily manipulated Christians are by their government leaders and clergy in the Western World. The solicitation of fear to the Christians by opportunistic men of power throughout the globe has all of humanity transfixed and gripped with fear of Muslim people who have only fought to get their land back from Europeans who invaded their country. The entire myth regarding Jesus Christ being a Jew is a lie. Fact! The untruth that has been told now for nearly a hundred years, that European Jews’ ancestors were born in Palestine is a lie. Fact! Just like the Western Worlds’ claim that violent extremist want to kill Americans for some unprovoked reason is a lie. In fact, I would even venture to say that the terrorist attacks in Paris France wasn’t the work of some radical Muslims hell bent on killing a bunch of innocent people.

Instead of allowing Western propaganda to control the way Americans and Christians around the world think, perhaps some good old fashion common sense might assist with sorting out the dilution of the facts which continuously are being predicated on lies told by evil, violent, and cowardice men in power, who aim to push an agenda no matter who may end up as a grisly image of carnage circulating through media around the world.

For years considerable thought has been given by the American people to the consequences of our government’s actions pertaining to foreign affairs when innocent civilians are caught between the cross hairs of religious wars that are only verified by what the media and politicians tell us here in America, but whether they are actually true accounts of what’s really going on throughout the world or not, the images of dead and dieing children at the hands of the U.S. military, seems to be a tremendous expense to incur in the name of protecting democracy. Stop the lies so the world may live in peace.

The People’s Champion

I’m Crime Blogger David B. Adams

On the day family and friends buried one of Sandtowne-Winchester’s own native sons,  Freddie Gray, violence and rioting erupted across Baltimore City. Historians labeled such an uprising as “the lid finally popping off of a social and political fire storm within one of Baltimore’s most disenfranchised communities that had been simmering for generations.” In the wake of burned buildings and looted businesses, an urgent cry for justice emerged within the black community across our nation. The ongoing scrutiny of purported police brutality, violence, and the killing of unarmed black men in America, seem to provide the perfect backdrop for further advocacy, protest, and public unrest in a place like Baltimore that historically has been neglected by politicians, community leaders, and while suffering from aggressive tactics targeting blacks by city police.

In the glare of unprecedented media coverage since the “1968 riots” that erupted in Baltimore after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, all of Baltimore’s social disparities played out on a national stage. Followers of the Freddie Gray story became dismayed over the level of destruction that citizens of the city displayed, and in some incidents on live television. A very gloom depiction of Baltimore seem to rise above the smoke clouds and mass demonstrations that transpired, not only in Gray’s community, but across the entire city, all while a pervasive, but lingering unanswered question of exactly how, and why Freddie Gray died in the custody of Baltimore police permeated throughout the country.

Until now, there were no details made public related to the justification for criminal charges by the state against six city officers charged with Gray’s death. In a recent article published in the Baltimore Sun police officials reveal exclusively to a reporter, that statements made by officer William Porter during the investigation process conducted by Baltimore police brass surrounding the death of Freddie Gray, indicate that Gray had repeatedly made pleas for medical help. Although the police source doesn’t reveal Porter’s actual incident report he submitted pertaining to the case, it suggest that Officer Goodson and Porter specifically had a discussion about Gray’s physical condition near Druid Hill and Dolphin street (just blocks away from Central Booking), an admission most likely destroying any claim that the officers could potentially have made to suggest they were unaware of Gray’s physical injuries.

Assuming that Freddie Gray wasn’t the very first prisoner that Officer Caesar Goodson ever transported, he must have been aware of the policy in place at Booking, requiring any injured prisoner arriving at that facility to be cleared medically, before processing into their lockup. Goodson had to have encountered such a instance in the past, if he drove transport vehicles for Baltimore police prior to this incident. Officer Porter seemingly having to remind Goodson of Booking policy, suggest an unwillingness on the transport driver’s part to get Gray medical help. The Sun article also highlights that Porter admitted that he was unsure whether Gray was actually injured, or was putting on an act to delay a trip to a police lockup at Central Booking. These are very compelling details related to this case that have been leaked to the news media, and goes a long way to support prosecutor’s belief that Baltimore officers committed misconduct while in office, by not rendering aid to Gray, or at least calling for an EMS unit.

Porter’s purported communication to investigators creates a tremendous task for the defense of these officers to refute, repel, and justify there being no responsibility on their part regarding what happened to Freddie Gray. Initially it was believed that officers were concerned that Gray was faking his injuries, but now the indication that a police officer involved in the case has stated on the record, there was concern for Gray’s physical condition prior to him subsequently being found unresponsive, unconscious, and in apparent cardiac arrest by paramedics later on the morning of his arrest, may be all the ammunition the state needs to prove a volume of the charges against some of the officers. The idea that officers primarily focused their concern on whether Gray was just trying to delay being locked up, has to be completely dismissed, especially with the realization that he went into cardiac arrest, never regained consciousness after coming out of that paddy wagon, and ultimately died from a severe spinal cord injury a week later. That debate for the most part is over, and cops can’t use a faking prisoner argument anymore. The man died, which pretty much concludes that he was in fact injured, regardless of how he may have sustained his injuries.

More importantly, the mental image of these officers engaged in dialogue while a man is actually inside the paddy wagon in complete distress, probably won’t settle very well with a Baltimore jury, which are notoriously critical and suspicious of city police. The two cops may have a very small window to crawl out from under the scrutiny pertaining to their failure to get Gray help. Charging documents outline that while Goodson and Porter were at the Druid Hill/Dolphin location, a call for assistance (signal 13) in an unrelated arrest at Penn/North, may have took precedence over calling an EMS for Gray at that time. A signal 13 is perhaps the most alarming call a Baltimore police officer could receive during the course of their tour of duty. Such a call typically indicates that an officer is in trouble, and needs back up right away. Most Baltimore police officers are fanatical about responding to such an alert from police dispatch. This doesn’t create an excuse for the officers’ failure to get Gray help, but it could explain why his pleas for medical help were ignored.

Even giving considerable weight to my perspective regarding failure to get help for a prisoner, Goodson bares a tremendous degree of responsibility for the obvious reasons. Its standard for the transport driver to be on hand when a prisoner is being placed in the back of a vehicle they are responsible for operating, if for no other purpose but to conduct the standard pat-down search, and make certain the wagon is secure. Goodson assumed liability of Gray upon allowing the arresting officers to place a man who visibly appeared injured inside the wagon. Baltimore police veterans advising TPC state that Goodson was only asking for trouble when he pulled off with Gray inside, after personally viewing Gray’s cries for help prior to being placed inside the transport vehicle. Porter could always make the argument that he wasn’t the wagon driver, and that he was responding to a police alert involving the imminent safety of another Baltimore cop, to justify why he didn’t radio for an EMS. Goodson has no logical premise what so ever for denying Gray access to medical care.

The only reasonable explanation that could be offered by officer Caesar Goodson that would trump scrutiny over failing to provide assistance to Freddie Gray, would be if he received a direct order from a superior officer, who specifically ordered him not to radio for and EMS to aid Gray. Its doubtful any supervisor would ever make such an admission considering the magnitude of such direction, but even if that were the case, there would still have to be an extremely valid reason not to assist a prisoner in police custody who requested medical help. Goodson radioed for assistance with his prisoner at Druid Hill and Dolphin, so its unsettling that he didn’t follow up by radioing for an EMS upon the discovery that Gray was requesting medical care. Also, his failure to report a stop at Freemont and Mosher streets, where he parked the transport vehicle, went into the back to supposedly check on Gray, and failed to report those details to investigators is very troubling. In fact, Goodson’ actions demonstrates a reckless disregard for police procedure and the personal safety of his prisoner.

Its not unusual for a Baltimore police transport vehicle to make multiple stops, picking up a volume of prisoners before heading to the lockup at Central Booking, but it does appear strange that there were multiple stops made (three to be exact) prior to the transport vehicle responding to Penn-North (4th stop) to load another prisoner. Stops and timeline indicated below:

Freddie Gray Arrest Timeline

1. 8:39:12 a.m.

   Initial Contact – Lt. Brian W. Rice and Officers Edward M. Nero and Garrett E. Miller were on bike patrol near the corner of North Avenue and Mount Street. Lieutenant Rice made eye contact with Mr. Gray, who ran away.

2. 8:39:52 a.m.

   “I Got Him” – Mr. Gray surrendered to Officers Miller and Nero in the 1700 block of Presbury Street. “I got him,” one officer stated, according to Jerry Rodriguez, the Police Department’s deputy commisioner.

3. 8:40 a.m.

   Inhaler Requested – Ms. Mosby said the officers handcuffed Mr. Gray and placed him face down. Mr. Gray said he could not breathe and requested an inhaler, but does not receive one, Ms. Mosby said.

   Illegal Arrest Alleged – Officers Miller and Nero put Mr. Gray in a seated position and find a folding knife, which Ms. Mosby said was legal under Maryland law. The officers charged Mr. Gray with illegal possession of a switchblade. The officers then placed Mr. Gray down on his stomach and restrained him until the police van arrived. Ms. Mosby said Lieutenant Rice and Officers Miller and Nero “failed to establish probable cause for Mr. Gray’s arrest as no crime had been committed.”
    
   No Seatbelt Used – The police van arrived. The officers put Mr. Gray into the van but did not secure him with a seatbelt, as required by department regulations, Ms. Mosby said.

    

4.  8:46 a.m.

   Stop No. 1 – Ms. Mosby said Lieutenant Rice directed the van driver, Officer Caesar R. Goodson Jr., to stop. She said Officers Miller and Nero and Lieutenant Rice removed Mr. Gray from the van and placed him in leg restraints. Mr. Gray was loaded head first onto the floor of the van, Ms. Mosby said.

5.  Between 8:54 and 8:59 a.m.

   Critical Neck Injury – Lieutenant Rice directed Officer Goodson to take Mr. Gray to Baltimore’s Central Booking and Intake Center, Ms. Mosby said. “Following transport from Baker Street, Mr. Gray suffered a severe and critical neck injury as a result of being handcuffed, shackled by his feet and unrestrained inside the B.P.D. wagon,” she said.

   Stop No. 2 – Officer Goodson stopped the van at Fremont Avenue and Mosher Street and went back to observe Mr. Gray. “Despite stopping for the purpose of checking on Mr. Gray’s condition, at no point did he seek nor did he render any medical assistance for Mr. Gray,” Ms. Mosby said. With Mr. Gray still unsecured by a seatbelt, Officer Goodson returned to the driver’s seat and continued on to Central Booking, Ms. Mosby said.

6.  8:59 a.m.

   Stop No. 3 – A few blocks later, Ms. Mosby said, Officer Goodson called dispatch for help checking on his prisoner. Officer William G. Porter arrived and he and Officer Goodson went to the back of the van. “Mr. Gray at that time requested help and indicated that he could not breathe,” Ms. Mosby said. She said Mr. Gray “indicated at least twice that he was in need of a medic.” Officer Porter helped Mr. Gray from the floor of the van to the bench, she said, but neither officer belted him in nor requested or rendered medical assistance.

   Picking Up Another Person – A call went out for a van to pick up and transport another person who had been arrested. “Despite Mr. Gray’s obvious and recognized need for assistance,” Ms. Mosby said, “Officer Goodson, in a grossly negligent manner, chose to respond.”

   Stop No. 4 – Ms. Mosby said Officer Goodson was met here by Officers Nero, Miller and Porter. Sgt. Alicia D. White and Officers Porter and Goodson observed “Mr. Gray unresponsive on the floor,” Ms. Mosby said. Sergeant White spoke to the back of Mr. Gray’s head, and he did not respond. “Despite Mr. Gray’s seriously deteriorating medical condition, no medical assistance was rendered or summoned for Mr. Gray at that time by any officer,” Ms. Mosby said. The additional prisoner was loaded into the van on the opposite side. For the fifth time, according to Ms. Mosby, Officer Goodson failed to restrain Mr. Gray with a seatbelt.

7.  9:24 a.m.

   Arrival at Police Station – When the van arrived at the Western District police station, Ms. Mosby said, Mr. Gray was not breathing. A medic was called and Mr. Gray was rushed to the University of Maryland’s Shock Trauma Center, where he died a week later.

Additionally, before the prisoner who was loaded in the police wagon at Penn-North came forward to personally dispute claims that Baltimore police officials had stated publicly, that the second prisoner overheard Gray thrashing about on the other side of the wagon, in what sounded like an attempt to intentionally harm himself. In the above timeline, indicated with the green underlined text, police investigators concluded that Gray was unconscious and unresponsive at the time the second prisoner was loaded. Since Gray was determined to be in cardiac arrest by a paramedic a very short time later, it just further discredits the absurd claim that police supporters continue to theorize regarding Gray potentially attempting to harm himself. The source of the self inflicted injury claim appears to have originated from fabrication, as the established facts doesn’t support such an assertion by police officials.

Upon officers Goodson and Porter arriving at Penn-North, where they met Lieutenant Rice, officers Nero, Miller, and Sergeant Alicia White, Gray was further observed in the back of the wagon, and despite his apparent rapidly deteriorating medical condition, no one called for medical assistance while Gray was transported to the Western District police station. In the aftermath of these strange and unexplained bizarre sequence of events that transpired after Gray was taken into custody, exactly what happened may never be fully explained. What is crystal clear though, is that a video out there captured Freddie Gray in apparent distress at the time he was physically taken into custody, and despite what rationalizations anyone may offer surrounding what happened, he was never seen conscious outside of the police wagon ever again.

Some may argue that while these officers failed to do their jobs in many respects pertaining to securing the personal safety of Freddie Gray, they’re convinced that the actions of these Baltimore police officers doesn’t reach the heights of serious felony charges against them. However, close observers of this case think that officer William Porter is not only the “chink in the armour” that exposes the accused rank and file, but he just may have provided additional details regarding the communications that transpired among the officers. I mean let’s face it, failure to get a prisoner help of not buckling him in the wagon properly won’t get a conviction for depraved heart, second degree murder. The manslaughter and negligent homicide by vehicle count may stick (and that’s a stretch), but there has to be more for the state to feel confident that the depraved murder two beef will stick.

In the end, those pundits who disagree with prosecutor Mosby are holding firm to the belief that the officers were only doing their jobs, and Freddie Gray was a co0nvicted heroin dealer who didn’t deserve sympathy, not even a trip to the emergency room. The actions of the cops who interacted with him that day, illustrate at the very least, Freddie Gray’s life didn’t matter. Their failure to protect him while in their custody, decries the culture of policing in Baltimore that many have long become exhausted. It doesn’t matter if Freddie Gray sold heroin for a billion years, he was a human being who didn’t deserve to die despite his sins. What happened to him was disgusting, despicable, and inhumane. Hopefully, as Porter’s truth about what happened that day brings about a resolute culmination to this horrible story, those who remain in Sandtowne-Winchester may claim a small victory for one of their own, who died trying to survive on a playing field that has always been unfair and uneven, since the day he was born.

The People’s Champion

I’m Crime Blogger David Adams

Sources:

The New York Times

The Baltimore Sun