Chicago Judge Shot Outside His Home

At around 5am, Associate Circuit Court Judge Raymond Myles was shot multiple times outside his home on the south side of Chicago. He was pronounced dead later at the hospital on Monday. The witness was a woman who was also shot and knew the judge. At first, the shooting looked like an armed robbery gone wrong but nothing was taken from the judge. According to Police Deputy Superintendent Kevin Navarro, the shooting was "a senseless act of violence." and

"Every day civil servants like Judge Myles and those of us in law enforcement work tirelessly to hold criminals accountable and make our streets safer," Navarro said. "That's why, when incidents like this occur, it's not only a reminder of the ever-present challenge we have with illegal guns and the offenders willing to use them, but it's also a direct attack on the criminal justice system that keeps our society safe"(Associated Press, 2017). The shooting of Judge Raymond Myles is a reminder that working in law enforcement can be dangerous. The investigators said that Myles could of been targeted for many different reasons.  

Different Notebooks for Law Enforcement

1.  Rite in the Rain Notebook  - This notebook would definitely be my first choice considering that it is weather-proof. This brand "Rite in the Rain" also has notebooks of all sizes. I would pick the 4 5/8" x 7" side- spiral notebook because it is easy enough to carry around and is large enough to write an adequate amount of notes. I prefer the side spiral just because I have always used them. The only downside to this is you must have the proper writing utensil because pen will not work on a rainy day with this notebook. 
2. Minimalist Ideabook, Action Publishing -  This notebook would be my second pick because of the size (5.25 x 8.5),
   minimalist design, and alternating line and graph pages. The alternating pages allow for more drawing and sketching. Unfortunately, this notebook is not weatherproof. 
3. Five Star Notebook -  This last notebook would be my last choice. The size of the notebook is good and it allows for space for field notes. This notebook only has lined pages and is not weatherproof. The cover can be though. I would use the 6" x 9 " size because it is not too big but not too small. 
   

Do You Trust The Police? - Reflection

First off, I really enjoyed how VICE News covered this issue. The answers to the question at hand was covered on both sides. Some individuals said that they have total trust in police officers while other do not. Although, I do wish that more individuals from minorities were interviews. For example, the men interviewed in Chicago were all white. Although, there have been a lot of civil rights violations and use of force cases in Chicago involving African Americans. Including those individuals would of allowed for more diverse answers. Yet, it was awesome hearing from people across the globe. It gives the audience a better understanding of how the police work outside of their own country. Also, this video is definitely a tool to get people talking about the current views about law enforcement. VICE News does a great of hitting both sides of the issue with the interviews and not having a bias. Furthermore, there was a comment that struck me. One man from Mexico talked about how police should only have a taser. We talked a little bit about this in class and in my opinion police should be armed for their own protection and for others. Like Brian said in class, when the ones committing the crimes are unarmed, the police can be as well.

Faster Legal Help in Chicago

An article I found in The New York Times talks about new legal help for those arrested in Chicago. Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans plan allows for those arrested in Chicago to have proper representation before their court appearance. According to Chief Judge Evans, "attorneys from the organization and the Cook County public defender's office will send attorneys to police stations or designate a volunteer private attorney to do so at the public defender's office request"(THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, 2017). Furthermore, a great point in this article is that the younger people arrested may not understand their rights and what they encompass. This  allows for those younger people to meet with a lawyer and discuss their rights and better understand them before trial. In my opinion, this is a great program. The city of Chicago has a vast amount of excessive force cases and civil rights violations and this is a new platform to serve justice to those involved. Ultimately, everyone is entitled to justice.

Private Prisons

       Since my time studying Criminal Justice, private prisons has always been a controversial issue. In my opinion, private prisons should not be in commission. Ultimately, those who run private prisons benefit from crime. These prisons take in inmates and thus make a profit off of these individuals. Some may say that they solve some overcrowding issues.. But, many non-violent offenders are being put away for long periods of time. Why not put non-violent offenders in a probation, community service, or other programs? Furthermore, prisons run by the government provide a better environment for criminals, according to Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates.  Truly, private prisons benefit the one's running it and not the rehabilitation of the offenders. 

Arts and Ideas - Documentary

       For the Arts and Ideas event I feel as if using a documentary film as a tool to teach rhetorical knowledge and skill would be useful. Last year, I attended many of theses events for Cultures and Civilization and they quite frequently showed documentaries or other films. I think that watching documentaries help us understand and appreciate the world around us more. The topics that different films focus on can inspire writers to dig deeper into that topic. The film opens the writers mind to that possibility. Also, the directors of these documentaries give the audience a real world version of the topic at hand. Seeing the topic in a real world setting can help the writer better understand the topic and therefore aide in the writers ability to write about it. 

Donald Trump's Tweet's..

       This week we were asked to take a look at the new President, Donald Trump's tweets. First, I would like to bring up how Trump speaks about the Democrat's and Hilary Clinton's loss. As the new President, to me that is not professional and he should be focused on improvement, not putting down Hilary Clinton and the Democrats. Next, he tweets a good amount of repealing and replacing Obamacare. Although, from what I can remember something like this can take years to do. How is he going to do this by the end of 2017? He also tweets about 'Fake News' quite a lot. In my opinion, the fake news is not doing much to distort his image.. he has already done that. Ultimately, from reading his tweets and seeing what Obama has tweeted while he was President shows how much the dynamic has changed. It worries me to see some of the things Trump has to say. 

Cartel Land Review

The New York Times: Cartel Land Review 

     In this review, Manohla Dargis pays close attention to the idea of vigilante groups in the U.S. and Mexico that are working against the cartels in Mexico. In my reflection, I feel as if I focused more on the people who were suffering from the work of the cartels and how the government is not responding to that suffering. Although, I did touch on how the vigilante groups were being silenced by the government by making them legal. Also, Dargis touches on the cinematography in the film. I agree that all the scenes in this documentary were well timed, thought out, and cut perfectly. The scene I particularly was drawn to was the burial of those murdered on the lime farm. Matthew Heineman did a fantastic job of showing the impact the cartels have on the community. 

Cartel Land Reflection

Cartel Land 

Funeral of the one's who lost their lives on the lime farm.

1. There was one specific scene that really got to me in the film. The scene shows the people of Michoacan, Mexico on the way to the burial of their loved ones. The Templars (the cartel) murdered thirteen people including men, women, and children because the lime farm they worked at could not pay the tax the cartel had in place. This scene showed how the impact the cartel has on the families of the one's who lost their lives. It truly made me upset to see the amount of lack of regard for life that the cartels have. One woman spoke about how they killed the infants. It shocks me to see how one can do that and go about their life after. Although, another woman talked about how the men of the cartel were intoxicated when the killings happened. Truly, this scene made me appreciate the security we have in the United States. 
2. What surprised me the most about this documentary was the conspiracy regarding José Manuel 'El Doctor' Mireles and Mexico's government. The conspiracy was that Mireles, the leader of the Autodefensas, was arrested and kept silent by the government whom was working with the cartels. Mireles explained that the government wanted him to make the autodefensas an official force so they could control them. It is very well known the amount of corruption is high in Mexico but it still shocks me that the government would work hand in hand with the groups that puts citizens at risk. Although, the government may be forced to do so. That I am not sure of. 
3. After viewing this film I felt very fortunate for the kind of security we have in the United States. Although, it made me wonder what more we can do to ensure the cartels do not continue to enter more into the states. Also, how can the people of Mexico protect themselves against the work of the cartels? 
4.  Some problematic concepts that arose in the film were what Mexico's government is doing to catch the individuals behind the cartels, how is the United States preparing for the cartels expansion, what can the immigration enforcement agents on the border do better, if we legalize marijuana will it decrease the amount of drug trafficking, and the impact of Mexico's government cutting deals with the cartels.