Political Potpourri
The Calm before the Storm
My sources tell me we could be sitting on two more homicides after a relatively quiet mid-August in Indianapolis. One person was nearly beaten to death and is not expected to make it. There has also been another shooting. Looks like things are getting back to normal.
Carl and Melina’s Continuing Domestic Dispute
The two candidates for Marion County Prosecutor continue their own domestic dispute over domestic violence. Democrat Melina Kennedy says Republican Carl Brizzi has dropped the ball on domestic violence prosecutions because she argues the conviction rate went from 37% in 2002 to 9% in 2005. I did some random checking on the stats both sides are using and noticed there are a lot cases where the domestic violence charge was dropped but a more serious charge (say criminal confinement or felony assault) was upheld. One person on the list I knew personally who was charged with domestic violence had the charges dismissed because hi wife lied. So it will be interesting to see how this all breaks down.
Lights, Camera, Community Service!
In partial response to the shenanigans at the second Indiana Black Expo weekend, city officials moving forward with a plan to install cameras in the downtown area, as well as the rest of the city. The primary purpose is to protect the city from terrorism. The money is coming from a department of Homeland Security grant. However, incidents like the ones shown on youtube.com (just type in Indiana Black Expo if you haven’t seen it) have motivated officials to move a little quicker. The nice part about all this is that if a young person is caught, arrested and convicted of a crime they can get community service. It may not sound like much, but think of this. A lot of these kids could use some hard work cleaning the city, cutting grass and helping board up abandoned buildings. Just to name a few. I’m ready for my close up Mr. Deville.
The BMV in 30 minutes or less
Indiana House Republicans are taking a page out of the Dominos Pizza handbook when it comes to the BMV. The GOP and their House candidates are proposing fee waivers if a customer has to wait more than 30 minutes before being served. In addition, they want to expand places where Hoosiers can get service such as the AAA Motor Club, auto dealerships, banks and insurance agencies. They also want to expand the number of days and times the BMV is open. The GOP says it wants to make the BMV more efficient and user friendly. In a bit of irony though, they had the news conference at the BMV on Virginia Ave in Indianapolis which ironically has two separate entrances, one for standard licenses and another for license renewal.
