Gang member charged with killing Hadiya said to be 'good kid'

**wolverine** · February-13-13, 09:21 PM

Pretty boilerplate statements from the family of the gang member charged with killing Hadiya Pendleton

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...,3977389.story

Whatever family is there deserves a slice of blame as well. The time "to get back on the right path" was years ago. They did nothing, not even kept watch after he had 2nd Chance out on parole. It's possible to turn around a gang member's life as a productive and contributing member to society...some go into gang prevention. But once they become a killer, all hope is lost is my opinion.

Send these two to jail, and never let them out. It's unfortunate one of them apparently has a son, but this guy would have been a terrible father. How could anyone look up to a dad that kills an innocent girl.

My only hope is that Chicago continues to ramp up enforcement and invest in keeping kids out of gangs. I only hope that one day I'll look back and think what great progress the city has made in eliminating violence.

**firstandten** · February-13-13, 10:27 PM

Every time I hear the "he's a good kid " BS it infuriates me to no end. It makes me question the quality of parenting that the shooter got. The next statement they made was just as bad... "the truth will come out" what truth ? The truth that the parents and relatives did a piss poor job of raising the kid ? Anger management classes should be required as part of a high school curriculum.

**sturge** · February-14-13, 08:55 AM

Originally Posted by firstandten

Every time I hear the "he's a good kid " BS it infuriates me to no end. It makes me question the quality of parenting that the shooter got. The next statement they made was just as bad... "the truth will come out" what truth ? The truth that the parents and relatives did a piss poor job of raising the kid ? Anger management classes should be required as part of a high school curriculum.

Me too. I posted about one uncle saying his nephew was "a good kid". However, he had a long drunk driving record and he eventually got someone kid. The standards of a "good kid" are very low these days it seems. Family is family but you can only defend them to a point.

**wolverine** · February-17-13, 01:21 PM

Standards are very low. So lets make prison condition standards very low for violent criminals. Lock them up forever and make prison conditions as terrible as legally possible. It's the only way we can feel justice is servered when violent murderers endure suffering for what they did

Originally Posted by sturge

Me too. I posted about one uncle saying his nephew was "a good kid". However, he had a long drunk driving record and he eventually got someone kid. The standards of a "good kid" are very low these days it seems. Family is family but you can only defend them to a point.

**lpg** · February-17-13, 01:50 PM

Make prison harsh for violent criminals ? Could you imagine the landslide of lawsuits that would bring ?

**wolverine** · February-17-13, 03:29 PM

Originally Posted by lpg

Make prison harsh for violent criminals ? Could you imagine the landslide of lawsuits that would bring ?

Did i not say within our existing legal parameters? They are pretty generous on what prisons can do. Read up on the entire private prison system.

And for the record, it's not exactly working the way it should. Low level offenders are getting caught up in that mess and being locked away longer than they should. But the violent criminals. Think of it, they take the life of an innocent child, end up in one of these facilities and are forced to work the rest of their ables lives. Seems just.

**Django** · February-17-13, 03:57 PM

You cannot get much more brutal than the American prison system, but don't worry as its going to get worse with privatized prisons. I understand that convicts have some cable tv and other conveniences but they also have rape and stabbings, gangs and drugs. Sad fact is non violent offenders highly outnumber violent offenders. The prison system has just become a college for criminals and we have the best most attended colleges in the world.

**Django** · February-17-13, 04:04 PM

"hes a good kid" so they're going to buy him a purple suit and pimp stick for his sentencing in front of the judge and family of the deceased I could imagine.

**Meddle** · February-17-13, 04:38 PM

Originally Posted by Django

You cannot get much more brutal than the American prison system,

US prisons are like 5-star hotels compared to prisons in Asia, South America, Africa and many European countries.

And in other news that's really the same old thing......

February 17, 2013

Hours after Destini Warren, 14, attended President Barack Obama's speech that focused on gun violence Friday, her family learned of a tragic irony.

Destini's sister, Janay McFarlane, 18, was the victim of the very thing the president condemned at Hyde Park Academy in Chicago.

McFarlane, of the 8900 block of South Lowe Avenue, was visiting friends and family in North Chicago when she was shot while on her way to a store in the northern suburb, her family said.

She was pronounced dead at 11:30 p.m., shortly after she was shot once in the head, according to the Lake County coroner's office.

North Chicago police officials did not return calls for comment Saturday.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...,6753644.story

**rb336** · February-17-13, 04:46 PM

Originally Posted by Django

You cannot get much more brutal than the American prison system, but don't worry as its going to get worse with privatized prisons. I understand that convicts have some cable tv and other conveniences but they also have rape and stabbings, gangs and drugs. Sad fact is non violent offenders highly outnumber violent offenders. The prison system has just become a college for criminals and we have the best most attended colleges in the world.

have the violent criminals put in walled, not barred, single indoor/outdoor cells, food through a slot, no TV, no radio?

**wolverine** · February-17-13, 09:01 PM

Originally Posted by Django

You cannot get much more brutal than the American prison system, but don't worry as its going to get worse with privatized prisons. I understand that convicts have some cable tv and other conveniences but they also have rape and stabbings, gangs and drugs. Sad fact is non violent offenders highly outnumber violent offenders. The prison system has just become a college for criminals and we have the best most attended colleges in the world.

You are right Django. And I want to make it clear again, that I agree it's bad there is more non-violent than violent criminals in that system. I do believe that many non-violent individuals can be rehabilitated to become very productive people in society. We must be certain the prisons they are in aren't influential on bad behavior once they get out. And America needs to continue investing more in education and after school programs, and gang prevention to keep kids off the streets.

But my opinion changes for people who want to do harm to others. The private prison experience is apparently very awful to endure, yet safe but also very profitable to keep dangerous individuals locked up forever and ever and ever.

**firstandten** · February-17-13, 09:32 PM

Each state should have a super-max type of facility modeled after the Fed gov't facility. These facilities should only be for housing and punishing only and no pretense of re-habilitation should even be discussed. The non-violent ones should be put in less restrictive prisons. Right now doing time is a badge of honor for some of these gang bangers and other types. They get a chance to re-unite with their homies. They wouldn't be so exited about doing time if they were looking at doing it in a super-max type facility.

**gnome** · February-18-13, 07:15 AM

All this locking up and we are still not any closer to figuring out how people become criminals.

it is similar to the Death Penality argument. No one likes a Maddog killer but do we do anything to figure out how he became a maddog? Do we do enough to stop other maddogs for being formed?

in most of the country, we stick a needle in their arm and call it a day. Time McVey, gets his 15 minutes of fame and a needle. We are no closer to understanding his motivations.

Let the circle be unbroken.

**Meddle** · February-18-13, 08:00 AM

All this locking up and we are still not any closer to figuring out how people become criminals.

As for government, power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

For the common folk, it's greed and inequality. The have-nots want what the haves have. How did the haves get what they have? Largely by screwing over the have-nots. You don't get rich by being honest and fair.

The whole 'win at all costs' system is out of control.

**canuck** · February-18-13, 08:14 PM

He's a good kid maybe, but he's going to find it pretty ungood where he is headed.

**wolverine** · February-18-13, 09:38 PM

Originally Posted by gnome

All this locking up and we are still not any closer to figuring out how people become criminals.

it is similar to the Death Penality argument. No one likes a Maddog killer but do we do anything to figure out how he became a maddog? Do we do enough to stop other maddogs for being formed?

in most of the country, we stick a needle in their arm and call it a day. Time McVey, gets his 15 minutes of fame and a needle. We are no closer to understanding his motivations.

Let the circle be unbroken.

Well....there's non-profits and volunteer organizations everywhere in cities by the hundreds that have a mission to keep kids out of crime. But the dollars, resources, and people to make things happen only go so far. We know the problem is skyrocketing homeless population of children. We know the problem is lack of parental involvement in children's lives. We know the problem is bad influences from a slightly older generation of kids. We know that there are disparities of unemployment so that young adults cannot start working as early or even be within proximity of places of employment as young adults in other neighborhoods.

The specter of what these kids face in their lives sucks. Many without parents. Current unemployment in Chicago is a devastating 10% that affects mostly south and far west communities. As you point out, the circle must be broken. There needs to be an intervention and programs that are somehow attractive to helping kids get the skills they need to become focused and successful.

Crime will continue to rise, and of course locking people up won't help solve the problem. Preach to choir. There's always a new wave of criminals to follow. But letting violent criminals loose after a few years isn't helping either.

Personally, I don't agree with the death penalty and I see it as an easy out of punishment. Living 70 more years of your life in a concrete box seems like far worse punishment.