Also, on my mind is this operation "gangsgiving." That sounds so juvenile and actually makes a mockery of the holiday and destroys the "spirit of the season."
You know where these people are. You can do this anytime of the year without attempting to impress the 'un-impressibles,' like myself.
Happy Holidays with much love and a 'smile.'
Brenda Washington
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The fact that there are outstanding warrants on felons and that there is cocaine and there are illegal guns in people's home should "impress" upon you more than when the police can come together to enforce the actual laws.
Do you care about the children that are in these homes? Do you care about what drugs do to our society? I'm amazed at the community that we live in and the ill-placed outrage. This is exactly why people can't speak freely and it's why it's hard to do my job. Great. People think marijuana should be legal. But it's NOT. Great. People think police are thugs UNTIL THEY NEED THEM. I am proud to say that day in, and day out, I am a Hamilton County Prosecutor and that I work side by side with some very impressive police officers. I cry with victims, I sympathize with defendants. I try to get them help in the form of drug, alcohol addiction or mental help. It's not easy. We don't have a lot of options. But I lock people up, as best I can. And to be honest, I'm sick of hearing you complain. Please come sit with me. Please come to court and see how it works. My boss, Honorable Bill Cox has not approved this message, he is not aware that I'm sending this on Thanksgiving, but I can assure you, that if you come see me Monday morning, I will show you how every step of our process works and would be pleased to do so. You have been well versed in the past and I think you care about the community. It's time to come and experience what I experience every day. Maybe you will learn something new and maybe I will too.
Rachel Winfrey Beavers
Assistant District Attorney
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Thank you for your blunt and concise reply to Brenda Washington's post. I have read her well written, but seriously flawed replies, for over six years now, and yours is the best rebuttal of her mind set I have read to date. I have often wondered if Brenda would ever put her money where her mouth is concerning the reality of the carnage that goes on in her community. Now that you have called her out I hope you will keep the readers of Chattanoogan.com abreast of her reply and actions to your challenge. Who knows, something good may come of your effort. My question to Ms Washington is this: when do you start holding the members of the black community accountable for their actions and their crimes and start to realize that poor circumstance is not an excuse to do harm to society? That there is a price to be paid for criminal actions?
I would also add the following: until we as the whole Chattanooga community challenge the leaders and residents of the gang ridden areas to put aside their historic prejudices and grudges to the policing authority in order to better cooperate with the them to have a safe environment, nothing will ever change. The gangs will grow their membership and continue to prosper while perpetrating the genocide of the vulnerable youth, and the decay of the fabric of the community will accelerate. The blame game and such is just a avoidance mechanism to keep from doing the hard work of having a safe community. I applaud your challenge to Ms Washington, I would like to see a similar, blunt, challenge issued to the gang affected communities by our police and government leaders. But being so politically correct I doubt that anything like it will happen.
Thank you for your dedication and hard work on behalf of the whole Chattanooga community,
Harry Uffalussy
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Though I doubt Ms. Washington will ever see the light in any of this, and though I also doubt that she'll take up the offer, bravo to ADA Beavers for telling her like it is. It's been a long time coming. ADA Beavers, keep up the good work.
Nathan Daugherty
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I never thought it possible and it scares me to say this, but for the first time ever, I agree with Ms Washington.
Using cutesy little names for these sweeps need to cease. It's juvenile and makes a mockery of the system.
Ronnie "Rock" Land
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My word. Gangsgiving, is mocking the holiday and ruining the spirit of the season?
I can't imagine what " Black Friday" does to you. Talk about juvenile, stop hating the police.
Michael Burns