We held off on posting anything about this incident because we wanted details on why a seventeen year old would be out roaming the Lowcountry at four in the morning. As others have reported Marley Lion was arrested last week for simple possession of marijuana 1st offense. As we have previously pointed out, the area one block behind Famous Joe's is a known drug dealing spot. We posted on some of the denizens of that area HERE and HERE. We are sure CPD has been hammering that area since the incident. We are also sure that when arrests are made the suspects will be thugs from the immediate area.
Based on the above information the easy assumption would have been Lion was attempting to purchase marijuana. CPD is reporting Lion told them he had left a party and realized he was too drunk to drive home, so he pulled into that parking lot to sleep it off. Any way we look at it we are confronted with the same concerns, namely, what is a seventeen year old doing running around at that hour. Driving drunk or buying weed, it really doesn't matter. As others have pointed out in comments at various media sites Marley didn't deserve to be gunned down in cold blood as a result of his mistakes. His parents didn't deserve the loss and grief inflicted by callous, thoughtless Charleston thugs.
Many of us older folks may have had some experience with drinking and even smoking a joint or two when we were teenagers. Most of us were lucky enough to not get caught or gunned down when we dabbled in what we now view as a ridiculous and much more dangerous rite of passage.
Is there plenty of blame to go around? Yes, if you want to play that game, but let us ask you a few questions. How much longer do we tolerate a culture among us that glorifies taking the life of a person for no reason other than that person made a mistake? How long do we a tolerate a culture that encourages, glorifies and harbors those who commit these crimes? How much longer do we tolerate a culture that bleeds the taxpayers dry while flashing thousands of dollars and living high on the hog? When will the decent citizens finally stand up and declare, "This is done!"? How long until those citizens take action to hold prosecutors and judges accountable?
Most people bitch and moan, but as long as they are not personally affected they do nothing more. This has to stop. Whether you call, write or e-mail the political hacks we elect, the prosecutors and the judges - you have to do something. We have been doing this since we started this project, but a few harsh tongue lashings from a few citizens has no effect. Once these politicians, prosecutors and judges have to deal with flooded switchboards and in-boxes they might start getting the idea.
We made a decision on 31 March, 2012 and used this blog to make a very public declaration that we were fed up. Since then we have been trying to expose the issues at hand for all to see. We can't do it alone. If we don't get some help in our effort we might as well fold the blog and spend our time organizing our ammunition and cleaning our guns.
So - who is with us?
I have already sent emails about my concerns, with no response. It is very frustrating. I also hope parents wake up and realize that they must keep close tabs on their teens. What are they doing, who are they hanging out with, and where are they when they aren't at home? Underage drinking and using illegal drugs should not be considered just a 'rite of passage'. Teens who make education a priority, are involved in sports, the arts, and other extracurricular activities are too busy to experiment with substances that could ruin their lives (and the lives of others) in an instant. The murderous thugs must pay for this tragic loss of life, but please keep your children from putting themselves in a senseless situation where something like this can happen.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you!!
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