Boyfriend charged with attempted murder of pregnant girlfriend

Cowards. That’s the only word to describe these two men who attempted to murder a pregnant woman because one of the men did not want to have another baby.

This is what the world we live in today has become. These young men,  and  I use the term loosely, can be a sperm donor, but are not man enough to take responsibility in raising the child. Latonya Brown, 22 years old and nine months pregnant, was lured into a garage by her boyfriend (at the time of this press release, it has not been determined which one is the boyfriend). The other man then put a gun to her head; duct taped her eyes a month; tied her hands, then took her from Warren to Detroit. From there they doused her with lighter fluid, set her on fire, and shot her in the back shoulder.

Luckily, Brown was able to roll over to put out the flames while the cowards fled the scene. Brown’s baby was born a couple of days later.

These young men should be charged to the fullest extent of the law. Just putting them in jail for life doesn’t seem like enough. The Bible says “an eye for an eye”.  Dousing them with lighter fluid seems like a fitting punishment for these two cowards.

District Court Judge Matthew Sabaugh ordered both men to be held at the Macomb County Jail without bond because of the violent nature of the charges and the defendants' criminal histories, he said.

These cowards will never see the light of day again. Get ready to introduce yourself to Bubba and the rest of the boys in the Pen. From that point on, you deserve whatever you get.

S.Ray Harris

Live From Detroit

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In Detroit, it's lights out

Has it really come down to this? The City of Detroit, which is on a downward spiral toward uncontrollable violence, is contemplating turning off 40,000 lights inside of its borders. I guess it doesn’t matter that about half of the more than 80,000 street lights in the city are not working anyway!

Other cities in the country have tried this lights out business in order to save money. The difference is, these other cities, such as Colorado Springs, Santa Monica, and Rockford, IL, doesn’t have nearly the economic problems that the City of Detroit is now facing.

Detroit’s leaders are thinking that if basic services are cut altogether in distressed neighborhoods, then those residents will move into areas that are more populated. The city in turn will focus their resources on those populated neighborhoods, including making sure the lights are working at night.

In theory, it sounds like a good idea. However, I don’t think these leaders have thought about the areas that will become pitch black. These areas will become nothing but a dumping ground to anything from excess trash to dead bodies. Criminals are much more comfortable at night. And with the lights being out, it will be an invitation to do what they do best, and that is terrorize this depressed city even more.

Let me just cut to the chase here. Detroit right now is a complete mess. There are incompetent leaders from Dave Bing down to City Council. Whether the residents want it or not, an Emergency Manager is in the wings ready to take over the city. Severe cuts will be made affecting city employment and city services. With the hot summer approaching, Detroit is a powder keg waiting to explode.

At this point all we can do is pray that this city will eventually turn around. It will unfortunately take years, and it will certainly get worse before it gets better.

S.Ray Harris

Live From Detroit

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Marvin Winans Carjacking

It's not even summer in Detroit, and already the criminals are out full force.

Detroit is like most urban areas in the United States. Chicago, Philly, L.A., NY, etc., all have their issues. Here in Detroit, however, I believe that crime will rise to an all time high in 2012.

There are too many internal forces, specifically City Hall, that will surely derail any chance of Detroit having a somewhat peaceful summer.

Talk of an Emergency Manager, which I still think will happen; reduced or eliminated city services; reduction in public safety personnel; massive layoffs of city employees; continued hopelessness among citizens and, you get the message.

The negativity surrounding this once great city is at an all time high. City Council, Mayor Dave Bing and Governor Rick Snyder are all fighting to gain control of the city. With all of the bickering going back and forth, it's the citizens themselves that are caught in the middle of all of the ridiculous finger pointing. When the heat of the summer is at its peak, crime may skyrocket to levels that we have never seen before.

Last week, internationally known Pastor Marvin Winans was carjacked at Davison and Linwood in the city's west side. If you know anything about that neighborhood, it is not a place where you want to showcase a $15,000 Rolex piece of bling. Now most people will say that Pastor Winans should be able to pump gas wherever he wants; wear whatever he wants, and drive whatever he wants (he was in a purple Infinity that is rarely seen around inner city Detroit). All of this is true, however, in my humble opinion, Pastor Winans should have known better.

Whatever side of the fence you are on regarding the Pastor's choice of gas stations, it doesn't take away from the fact that we have young thugs who are laying in wait for unsuspecting victims. Ralph Godbee, who is doing a decent job with very limited resources, seems to be at a loss for words. The police department morale seems to be declining by the minute, and our city government is too busy playing the "he said, she said" game.

The bottom line is the so-called politicians that run this city need to put their egos behind them and come up with a solution to this spiraling problem of crime in this city. Can the State of Michigan National Guard be a possible solution? If it were left up to Snyder, it could come to fruition in the long, hot summer of 2012.

S.Ray Harris
Live From Detroit
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Party Bus Killing: When Will It End?

When will it end?

People today have such a disregard for life, that death is a mere afterthought.  Young Shuntrice Sylvester, all of 19 years old with an infant son, was killed on a party bus in Pontiac.  Yelling at a man trying to rob another man outside of the bus, Sylvester and Anthony Ellis was gunned down by trying to do the right thing in stopping a robbery.

We have come to a point now where murder seems to be inevitable. We watch the news every night, wondering when “breaking news” will scroll across the screen.  More often than not, it will be another violent act committed in our surrounding communities.

When will it end?

In our church congregations, sermons regarding our young people today should be the topic on most Sunday mornings. We are losing our children at an alarming rate, and there seems to be no end in sight. In Detroit, Pontiac, Flint, Saginaw, and other major African-American cities throughout the country, no one seems to be able to put a finger on how to stop this madness.

In many of these communities, police officers are being laid off; unemployment is at an all time high; and there is a feeling of hopelessness that leads to the death of young men and women like Ellis and Sylvester. Can you visualize where our communities will be 10 years from now? A scary thought, indeed.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the Ellis and Sylvester families.  They were two young people taken from us for all the wrong reasons.

When will it end?

Your thoughts, comments and prayers are welcome on this blog.

S.R. Harris
Live From Detroit