1
00:00:04,879 --> 00:00:07,160
Speaker 1: What's going on? Thank you so much for listening to

2
00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:09,640
this podcast. It is heard live every day from noon

3
00:00:09,679 --> 00:00:12,519
to three on WBT Radio in Charlotte. And if you

4
00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:16,719
want exclusive content like invitations to events, the weekly live stream,

5
00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:19,239
my daily show prep with all the links. Become a patron,

6
00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:22,600
go to vpeteclendershow dot com. Make sure you hit the

7
00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:25,160
subscribe button. Get every episode for free right to your

8
00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:27,679
smartphone or tablet. And again, thank you so much for

9
00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:33,240
your support. So another murder along the light rail. But

10
00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:37,399
the Charlotte Area Transit system wants everybody to know that

11
00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:44,039
this did not occur on Kat's property. Okay, it did

12
00:00:44,039 --> 00:00:47,759
not occur at the Archdale station platform. It did not

13
00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:53,320
occur on the Charlotte light rail line. It occurred under

14
00:00:54,759 --> 00:00:57,079
underneath the light of course. I mean, just looking at

15
00:00:57,119 --> 00:00:59,960
the video. I used to live down there years ago

16
00:01:00,359 --> 00:01:03,759
in this area, long before there was a light rail line.

17
00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:08,920
But the rail line goes up and over the road,

18
00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:13,519
and so the video that I saw was underneath like

19
00:01:13,599 --> 00:01:17,599
that overpass. So the train track is up above, and

20
00:01:17,719 --> 00:01:23,719
the homicide occurred down at the street level. It occurred

21
00:01:23,719 --> 00:01:28,480
in the wee hours of six thirty pm. So like

22
00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:33,400
rush hour commuting time, basically when people would be riding

23
00:01:33,439 --> 00:01:37,040
the light rail, which is not where the homicide occurred.

24
00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:40,760
The Charlotte Mecklaburg Police Department said they responded to an

25
00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:43,280
assault with the deadly weapon called just after six thirty

26
00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:46,439
pm on the sixty one hundred block of South Boulevard.

27
00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:49,879
At the scene, they found a person near the train

28
00:01:49,959 --> 00:01:53,239
tracks with a gunshot wound. That person was taken to

29
00:01:53,239 --> 00:01:56,840
an area hospital, where they later died. CMPD said a

30
00:01:56,840 --> 00:02:00,719
preliminary investigation indicates that the alter case happened at a

31
00:02:00,799 --> 00:02:05,120
nearby business, but no additional details have been made available

32
00:02:05,159 --> 00:02:12,639
at this time. Also, the other day, this was last week,

33
00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:18,639
when there was a one man crime spree that occurred

34
00:02:18,719 --> 00:02:22,360
in that started up in north West Charlotte and then

35
00:02:22,719 --> 00:02:25,159
ended in West Charlotte about a block from the radio

36
00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:29,719
station here. I think it occurred on Friday maybe and

37
00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:36,919
at like three o'clock in the afternoon it ended. It

38
00:02:37,039 --> 00:02:40,879
started with a double well now it's a double murder,

39
00:02:41,879 --> 00:02:47,879
and then the suspect did a home invasion, kidnapped a woman,

40
00:02:48,439 --> 00:02:50,840
threw her in her car, stole her car, was driving

41
00:02:50,879 --> 00:02:53,719
it around, fled from police, shooting at police from the

42
00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:58,719
car crashed, The car ran shot at the cops again

43
00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:02,520
and the cops returned fire and put the maniac down.

44
00:03:04,439 --> 00:03:10,080
One of the two initial victims that was shot, one

45
00:03:10,199 --> 00:03:12,159
was killed at the scene. The other was taken to

46
00:03:12,199 --> 00:03:15,319
the hospital, but he has now passed away and so

47
00:03:16,199 --> 00:03:20,719
our condolences to his family and friends. His name was

48
00:03:20,759 --> 00:03:25,159
Shabbaz Messiah Grant, thirty four year old father of four

49
00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:28,719
with another child on the way, and he was driving

50
00:03:28,759 --> 00:03:32,840
for lift when he was shot twice on Hoskins Road

51
00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:39,800
that caused him to crash into a house. A passenger

52
00:03:40,759 --> 00:03:46,080
in his vehicle returned fire. There was somebody so he

53
00:03:46,159 --> 00:03:50,520
had a passenger in the lift vehicle who opened fire

54
00:03:50,719 --> 00:03:56,680
on the suspect and then provided aid to Shabaz Grant

55
00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:03,479
until emergency responders arrived. This is according to story WSOCTV

56
00:04:03,599 --> 00:04:08,599
by Jonathan Lowe. Grant was eventually taken to a hospital

57
00:04:08,599 --> 00:04:13,800
where he succumbed to his injuries. Sunday, the suspect, Joseph Andrade,

58
00:04:14,319 --> 00:04:17,240
allegedly stole a car, crashed into a house, kidnapped a woman,

59
00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:20,600
led police on a high speed chase before a shootout

60
00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:26,439
near Pinky's West Side Grill resulted in his death, Andrade

61
00:04:26,519 --> 00:04:30,000
is twenty eight years old. He is from Ocala, Florida.

62
00:04:30,199 --> 00:04:32,920
Had a criminal record with at least four arrests in

63
00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:38,000
Marion County, Florida, mostly for traffic related charges. There's no

64
00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:44,759
understanding yet at least publicly disclosed about the motive behind

65
00:04:45,759 --> 00:04:52,160
why he did what he did the other day. But

66
00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:56,560
at least he did us all the favor of not

67
00:04:56,800 --> 00:05:02,839
having to go through a trial, which brings us to

68
00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:09,720
one of the I would submit one of the causes

69
00:05:09,879 --> 00:05:14,040
of the crime wave that we are seeing in the

70
00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:18,399
lack of prosecution. There are multiple facets to this issue.

71
00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:22,160
I've been covering this, you know, for the last gosh,

72
00:05:22,199 --> 00:05:25,399
I don't know year. Well, I mean the issue of

73
00:05:25,399 --> 00:05:29,399
crime in general, for most of, if not all, of

74
00:05:29,399 --> 00:05:32,199
my career, because as a reporter, you get sent out

75
00:05:32,279 --> 00:05:35,079
to cover crime stories, and so when you go out

76
00:05:35,079 --> 00:05:38,240
and cover the crime stories, you're talking to victims, families,

77
00:05:38,279 --> 00:05:41,160
You're going to court. I've sat through trials and such

78
00:05:41,199 --> 00:05:46,879
over the years, and as a you know, government beat reporter,

79
00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:51,120
you cover a lot of the policies that lawmakers try

80
00:05:51,160 --> 00:05:54,759
to craft in order to address some of these problems

81
00:05:54,920 --> 00:06:00,319
or to quote unquote reform criminal justice, and of course

82
00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:02,680
we saw a lot of this in the wake of

83
00:06:02,959 --> 00:06:07,040
the twenty twenty summer of fiery but mostly peaceful riots

84
00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:10,959
and this you know, quote unquote racial reckoning that was occurring.

85
00:06:11,079 --> 00:06:13,680
Whatever that meant, it was never really clear what that meant.

86
00:06:13,759 --> 00:06:19,319
But you know, the Ferguson effect, and we're going to

87
00:06:19,439 --> 00:06:22,160
you know, we're going to lighten some of these sentences

88
00:06:22,199 --> 00:06:25,560
and we're going to take a restorative justice approach. And

89
00:06:25,759 --> 00:06:29,480
the MacArthur Foundation and all of their funding they've been

90
00:06:29,519 --> 00:06:33,639
pumping into criminal court systems in North Carolina, Mecklemberg County

91
00:06:33,639 --> 00:06:37,959
for one, like over three million dollars over the years

92
00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:40,519
recent years, like over the last six years they've they've

93
00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:44,279
poured in and what they buy for that trainings, you know,

94
00:06:44,319 --> 00:06:49,000
they do trainings for court staff, magistrates, you know, court

95
00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:53,279
officials and stuff, you know, and they're they're pitching everything

96
00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:58,360
through the quote, you know, le equity lens and what

97
00:06:58,399 --> 00:07:04,160
does that mean. Well, now you're getting into disparate outcomes, like, oh, well,

98
00:07:04,199 --> 00:07:07,480
we see you know, this high proportion of you know,

99
00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:13,439
people who are incarcerated who are black or Hispanic, although

100
00:07:13,879 --> 00:07:16,360
that's an ethnicity, not a race, And so now it's

101
00:07:16,399 --> 00:07:20,480
coming to light that the coding in a lot of

102
00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:28,040
jail systems has been coding Hispanics as whites, which might

103
00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:33,639
maybe skew some of the data. I think maybe not sure,

104
00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:37,360
but I think it might. If you're coding all Hispanic

105
00:07:37,399 --> 00:07:40,480
offenders has white offenders, I think that might have an

106
00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:43,279
impact on some of the data. But that's a different topic.

107
00:07:44,399 --> 00:07:47,079
One of the other issues that we have seen is

108
00:07:47,160 --> 00:07:53,120
this surge in youth offense, right youth offenders that are

109
00:07:53,160 --> 00:07:57,800
constantly being released, sometimes most times, you know, not even

110
00:07:57,839 --> 00:08:00,399
getting any kind of punishment. They're just released back to

111
00:08:00,439 --> 00:08:03,120
their parent or guardian who's doing a terrible job as

112
00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:05,639
a parent or guardian because their kid has a rap

113
00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:10,120
sheet you know, longer than the life they have lived

114
00:08:10,120 --> 00:08:14,879
so far. And so the cause of this, I would submit,

115
00:08:15,040 --> 00:08:19,680
is the raise the age laws. And North Carolina did this,

116
00:08:19,839 --> 00:08:22,399
and it was the Republican General Assembly that did it,

117
00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:26,720
and Roy Cooper signed it into law. Now the legislature

118
00:08:26,759 --> 00:08:34,240
has gone back and toughened some of the law to

119
00:08:34,320 --> 00:08:39,279
make some of the more egregious offenses now you know,

120
00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:43,519
classify or push these juvenile offenders into an adult category

121
00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:47,720
to allow them to be tried as an adult because

122
00:08:47,759 --> 00:08:50,519
they just took everything down for like sixteen seventeen year

123
00:08:50,519 --> 00:08:52,840
olds and just you know, you know, you're a juvenile.

124
00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:58,840
So there was a piece by the editorial board at

125
00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:01,120
the New York Post the other and this is through

126
00:09:01,159 --> 00:09:09,039
the lens of their you know, mayoral election. But they

127
00:09:09,039 --> 00:09:11,919
are dealing with the same problem that Charlotte is and

128
00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:17,039
every urban you know, blue city run jurisdiction is dealing

129
00:09:17,039 --> 00:09:21,639
with these raise the age offenders, a generation of kids

130
00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:26,559
who have become career criminals before they are even eligible

131
00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:30,440
to vote. And there's no coming back from that, right

132
00:09:30,639 --> 00:09:34,240
you rack up two three dozen charges as a juvenile

133
00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:37,240
and I know they're like, oh, you know. Stories are powerful.

134
00:09:37,279 --> 00:09:40,399
They help us make sense of things, to understand experiences.

135
00:09:40,639 --> 00:09:42,919
Stories connect us to the people of our past while

136
00:09:42,960 --> 00:09:46,360
transcending generations. They help us process the meaning of life,

137
00:09:46,440 --> 00:09:50,320
and our stories are told through images and videos. Preserve

138
00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:53,799
your stories with Creative Video started in nineteen ninety seven

139
00:09:53,840 --> 00:09:56,679
and Minhill, North Carolina. It was the first company to

140
00:09:56,679 --> 00:10:00,720
provide this valuable service, converting images, photos and videos into

141
00:10:00,759 --> 00:10:04,799
high quality produced slide shows, videos and albums. The trusted,

142
00:10:04,919 --> 00:10:07,919
talented and dedicated team at Creative Video will go over

143
00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:10,840
all of the details with you to create a perfect project.

144
00:10:10,919 --> 00:10:14,080
Satisfaction guaranteed. Drop them off in person or mail them.

145
00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:16,440
They'll be ready in a week or two. Memorial videos

146
00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:20,799
for your loved ones, videos for rehearsal, dinners, weddings, graduations, Christmas,

147
00:10:20,919 --> 00:10:25,080
family vacations, birthdays, or just your family stories, all told

148
00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:28,840
through images. That's what your photos and videos are. They

149
00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:31,720
are your life told through the eyes of everyone around

150
00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:34,000
you and all who came before you, and they will

151
00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:37,360
tell others to come who you are, visit creative video

152
00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:41,720
dot com. So here's the thing. This Raise the Age

153
00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:47,279
quote reform is not actually keeping kids out of jail.

154
00:10:48,279 --> 00:10:52,039
What it's actually doing, according to the editors at The

155
00:10:52,039 --> 00:10:57,120
New York Post, with whom I agree, what it's actually

156
00:10:57,200 --> 00:11:04,200
doing is creating more teenage criminals, more teen victims, and

157
00:11:04,279 --> 00:11:11,120
that means more futures ruined by crime, not saved from it.

158
00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:16,879
That is exactly right, because you've got this massive increase

159
00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:20,960
in the number of teenage victims, a ninety six percent

160
00:11:21,159 --> 00:11:24,679
increase in victims under the age of eighteen who have

161
00:11:24,720 --> 00:11:28,639
been shot, and you've got this even larger increase in

162
00:11:28,679 --> 00:11:31,879
the number of shooters, one hundred and forty eight percent

163
00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:38,120
increase in teen shooters and that comes as overall shootings

164
00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:42,399
have declined. And again, this is in New York State

165
00:11:42,600 --> 00:11:46,120
or New York City, I believe, uh, I believe it's

166
00:11:46,159 --> 00:11:50,919
New York City. But they adopted this Raise the Age

167
00:11:50,919 --> 00:11:56,000
reform seven years, six years ago, way before North Carolina did.

168
00:11:56,080 --> 00:12:00,600
North Carolina has already had to go back and edit

169
00:12:00,759 --> 00:12:04,879
their law in order to boost some of these sentences

170
00:12:04,919 --> 00:12:08,279
and say, Okay, we're going to take these crime categories

171
00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:10,440
out of the Raise the Age and move them into

172
00:12:11,200 --> 00:12:13,639
the category where you can be tried as an adult.

173
00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:18,639
They go on to say teenagers are impulsive and make

174
00:12:18,799 --> 00:12:23,240
bad decisions. I have heard this, by the way, about teenagers.

175
00:12:24,080 --> 00:12:27,960
I mean I never did. I was never impulsive, I

176
00:12:28,039 --> 00:12:30,480
never made bad decisions as a teenager. But I have

177
00:12:30,679 --> 00:12:36,120
heard that. It's it's pretty well known. So it's up

178
00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:39,240
to adults to show them what behavior society will not

179
00:12:39,399 --> 00:12:46,240
accept and will accept. Right teens, kids, even adults, we

180
00:12:46,279 --> 00:12:51,039
all need guardrails. And I'm not saying, you know, legislate morality,

181
00:12:51,240 --> 00:12:55,000
not saying that, but if you accept certain behaviors in

182
00:12:55,039 --> 00:12:58,799
your society, you will get more of it because you've

183
00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:03,080
told people it's acceptable. And if you tell them this

184
00:13:03,240 --> 00:13:07,279
is not acceptable, and we will punish you severely because

185
00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:10,159
it is not acceptable, then you will get less of

186
00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:14,320
that thing. Now I understand, Like, what about the war

187
00:13:14,399 --> 00:13:17,320
on drugs? I understand that, But what has happened? And look,

188
00:13:17,360 --> 00:13:20,879
as a lowercase libertarian, I have argued for the decriminalization

189
00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:28,200
of marijuana for years. I understand you drive, you drive

190
00:13:28,279 --> 00:13:32,159
the market underground. However, I'm not going to sit here

191
00:13:32,159 --> 00:13:36,279
and tell you that the decriminalization has led to less usage.

192
00:13:36,519 --> 00:13:39,360
That hasn't happened. It's the opposite, More people use it

193
00:13:39,399 --> 00:13:43,600
because it's legalized. The point there was that there was

194
00:13:43,639 --> 00:13:47,759
a black market, which then, of course has massive criminal

195
00:13:47,919 --> 00:13:53,039
incentives around it. Intervening in the life of a wayward

196
00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:56,720
kid with real punishment early on teaches him to stay

197
00:13:56,759 --> 00:14:00,320
away from law breaking and discourages making a life's style

198
00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:04,759
out of victimizing others. Right, It also destroys the fabric

199
00:14:04,799 --> 00:14:12,080
of your society, allowing teenagers to run wild in the streets,

200
00:14:12,639 --> 00:14:20,559
attacking people, murdering people, vandalizing things, you know, robbing stores

201
00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:23,919
and such, without any kind of repercussions. Any kind of

202
00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:27,039
penalties teaches them that they can continue to do it,

203
00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:29,720
and it teaches the society that you don't want to

204
00:14:29,759 --> 00:14:34,000
be anywhere around this kind of lack of enforcement, and

205
00:14:34,080 --> 00:14:39,799
people will leave, businesses will close. You destroy the high

206
00:14:39,799 --> 00:14:45,320
trust society that you are enjoying. Like this is civilizational stuff.

207
00:14:45,360 --> 00:14:49,360
I keep coming back to the hierarchy of needs on

208
00:14:49,440 --> 00:14:54,360
this thing, Like fundamental to any functioning civil society is

209
00:14:54,399 --> 00:14:58,720
an expectation of security. And if you cannot provide that,

210
00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:02,840
then there is no re and for free citizens to

211
00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:07,960
engage in the social contract. I would not. Why would I?

212
00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:10,480
Why would I go down and spend money in an

213
00:15:10,519 --> 00:15:14,799
area where I'm taking my life into my hands? If

214
00:15:14,840 --> 00:15:17,799
I if I were looking to open a business, if

215
00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:23,039
I'm a wealthy entrepreneur looking to set up businesses someplace,

216
00:15:23,240 --> 00:15:26,679
why would I go into a location that has high crime.

217
00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:32,480
I would not because my patrons would be victimized, my

218
00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:37,919
employees would be victimized, I would lose money, and I

219
00:15:37,919 --> 00:15:40,279
would have to close. I would I would That's not

220
00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:43,840
a profitable business, so I would not go there. This

221
00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:51,000
is the reverse of actual compassion. You are putting these

222
00:15:51,240 --> 00:15:58,039
kids on a life long path towards misery. Lawmakers have

223
00:15:58,120 --> 00:16:02,159
to drastically revise this law. This raised the age law

224
00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:07,200
before it ruins an entire generation. Here's a great idea.

225
00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:10,080
How about making an escape to a really special and

226
00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:13,320
secluded getaway in western North Carolina. Just a quick drive

227
00:16:13,399 --> 00:16:16,159
up the mountain and Cabins of Asheville is your connection.

228
00:16:16,399 --> 00:16:19,559
Whether you're celebrating an anniversary, a honeymoon, maybe you want

229
00:16:19,559 --> 00:16:22,120
to plan a memorable proposal, or get family and friends

230
00:16:22,120 --> 00:16:25,080
together for a big old reunion, Cabins of Ashville has

231
00:16:25,120 --> 00:16:27,879
the ideal spot for you where you can reconnect with

232
00:16:27,919 --> 00:16:31,120
your loved ones and the things that truly matter. Nestled

233
00:16:31,120 --> 00:16:34,080
within the breath taking fourteen thousand acres of the Pisga

234
00:16:34,159 --> 00:16:37,720
National Forest, their cabins offer a serene escape in the

235
00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:40,840
heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Centrally located between Asheville

236
00:16:40,879 --> 00:16:43,320
and the entrance of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

237
00:16:43,519 --> 00:16:47,559
It's the perfect balance of seclusion and proximity to all

238
00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:52,320
the local attractions, with hot tubs, fireplaces, air conditioning, smart TVs,

239
00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:56,080
Wi Fi, grills, outdoor tables, and your own private covered porch.

240
00:16:56,360 --> 00:17:00,399
Choose from thirteen cabins, six cottages, two villas, and a

241
00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:04,519
great lodge with eleven king sized bedrooms. Cabins of Ashville

242
00:17:04,519 --> 00:17:07,799
has the ideal spot for you for any occasion, and

243
00:17:07,920 --> 00:17:11,480
they have pet friendly accommodations. Call or text eight two eight,

244
00:17:11,599 --> 00:17:14,839
three six seven seventy sixty eight or check out all

245
00:17:14,839 --> 00:17:17,440
there is to offer at Cabins of Aashville dot com

246
00:17:17,519 --> 00:17:21,279
and make memories that'll last a lifetime. Charlotte Observer, in

247
00:17:21,359 --> 00:17:27,079
a piece by Ryan Orley headlined years after Charlotte's Juvenile

248
00:17:27,200 --> 00:17:32,440
Jail closed, some hope for its return. And this is

249
00:17:32,559 --> 00:17:36,519
one of the things that people, I think outside of journalism,

250
00:17:36,559 --> 00:17:39,720
actually people inside journalism don't even understand this point. I

251
00:17:39,759 --> 00:17:47,680
think so much of good journalism requires a look back,

252
00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:54,000
requires you to know, as the reporter, to tell a

253
00:17:54,039 --> 00:17:57,119
story of something that's happening now, you have to understand

254
00:17:57,359 --> 00:18:01,519
how you got to where you are now. And that's

255
00:18:01,559 --> 00:18:06,240
the benefit of what we call institutional knowledge. Right, you're

256
00:18:06,279 --> 00:18:08,440
on the beat, You've been on the beat, that's been

257
00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:11,279
your beat for a very long time, and so you

258
00:18:11,519 --> 00:18:19,039
know the history of these policy changes or the personalities involved, right,

259
00:18:19,079 --> 00:18:24,640
the candidates and such. You have that historical record and knowledge,

260
00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:28,119
and so This is a I think a well timed piece.

261
00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:34,279
There's a jail that is basically empty. It was a

262
00:18:34,319 --> 00:18:39,200
juvenile detention facility in North mech and it was closed

263
00:18:40,519 --> 00:18:45,359
like three years ago by our sheriff, Gary not my

264
00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:48,799
fault McFadden. Now, this may surprise you to learn that

265
00:18:48,799 --> 00:18:51,519
the sheriff says the closure of the facility was not

266
00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:57,039
his fault, but he closed it. It was the only

267
00:18:57,119 --> 00:19:01,680
juvenile detention center in Mecklenburg County. Now some in the

268
00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:04,400
criminal justice system, according to the reports, still hope for

269
00:19:04,440 --> 00:19:09,279
its return. State public safety leaders and local advocates agree

270
00:19:09,599 --> 00:19:13,799
something important was lost when McFadden shut down the facility,

271
00:19:14,039 --> 00:19:18,200
once known as Jail North. Today, much of the building

272
00:19:18,319 --> 00:19:21,799
sits empty in North Charlotte, and local teenagers who are

273
00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:26,680
charged with crimes that are actually sent to a jail,

274
00:19:28,039 --> 00:19:31,599
they're sent to a state juvenile facility located in Caberras County.

275
00:19:33,319 --> 00:19:37,640
For years, according to the story, State Department of Public

276
00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:43,079
Safety Deputy Secretary William Lassiter has tried to persuade not

277
00:19:43,200 --> 00:19:46,759
my fault McFadden to do something with the building that

278
00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:52,759
once housed seventy two teenagers. While North Carolina is responsible

279
00:19:52,799 --> 00:19:57,119
for juvenile jails. Lassiter has argued that Charlotte saw benefits

280
00:19:57,119 --> 00:20:01,480
when the sheriff's office ran one. Listen to this quote.

281
00:20:03,160 --> 00:20:08,559
I tried to lease the facility from McFadden. This is

282
00:20:08,599 --> 00:20:12,680
the state Deputy Secretary for Public Safety, William Lassiter. I

283
00:20:12,799 --> 00:20:16,119
tried to lease it. I tried to buy it. I

284
00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:20,119
tried to offer incentives for them to do it. All

285
00:20:20,319 --> 00:20:25,279
those have been rejected. At this point, I feel like

286
00:20:25,359 --> 00:20:29,759
the ball is in their court, meaning the sheriff's office.

287
00:20:30,319 --> 00:20:35,319
The sheriff McFadden has his own plan though, to reopen

288
00:20:35,359 --> 00:20:39,279
the jail, and we have heard this. I mentioned this

289
00:20:39,839 --> 00:20:43,359
couple months ago when I came across this line in

290
00:20:43,400 --> 00:20:45,319
some interview that he gave, and I thought, well, that's

291
00:20:45,359 --> 00:20:49,599
just a stupid idea, and apparently the state agrees with me.

292
00:20:50,839 --> 00:20:55,480
They called it unfeasible, so it's not feasible. I called

293
00:20:55,480 --> 00:21:01,400
it stupid. In twenty twenty two, McFadden closed Jail North.

294
00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:06,200
Staff working at that facility were then moved to Uptown,

295
00:21:06,279 --> 00:21:10,680
where they worked with adults instead of teenagers. Short staffing

296
00:21:10,759 --> 00:21:14,319
numbers and other issues forced the sheriff's hand, he said

297
00:21:14,319 --> 00:21:17,559
at the time. The law says juvenile justice is a

298
00:21:17,599 --> 00:21:23,440
state responsibility, which it is like the creating these juvenile

299
00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:26,640
jails and stuff. The state operates a handful of them

300
00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:31,240
across the state. Jail North was always optional, even if

301
00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:35,519
it was beneficial. Okay, so far, totally agree with all

302
00:21:35,599 --> 00:21:39,119
of that. It's like the crime lab. Charlotte has its

303
00:21:39,119 --> 00:21:42,160
own crime lab. It built its own crime lab because

304
00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:44,599
the state crime Lab, when it was being run by

305
00:21:44,920 --> 00:21:48,640
then Attorney General Roy Cooper, was not able to keep

306
00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:54,519
up with the demand on its services from Charlotte. So

307
00:21:54,640 --> 00:21:56,799
Charlotte built its own crime lab so it could actually

308
00:21:56,839 --> 00:22:00,440
get the data analyzed and get it back to the

309
00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:05,279
investigators in a timely fashion. Housing adults and ensuring they

310
00:22:05,279 --> 00:22:08,359
are in a safe facility, however, is something that sheriffs

311
00:22:08,680 --> 00:22:12,839
are legally mandated to do. In an interview on Monday,

312
00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:17,759
McFadden repeatedly said he would like to reopen Jail North. Quote.

313
00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:21,160
Do I want to open the juvenile detention Center? Absolutely?

314
00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:23,359
One hundred percent. This is how he always talks. He

315
00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:27,279
always he always asks himself a question and then answers

316
00:22:27,319 --> 00:22:30,400
the question. You know, so why not open it on

317
00:22:30,440 --> 00:22:32,799
a small Oh, so, he says, but hiring here's why

318
00:22:32,799 --> 00:22:37,319
he can't reopen it. Hiring more than ninety people to

319
00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:42,920
work at the facility would be long involved work, even

320
00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:46,039
if the state helped pay for some of those employees.

321
00:22:48,079 --> 00:22:51,880
So it's just too hard to hire people. Why not

322
00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:54,319
open it on a smaller scale, he says. If you're

323
00:22:54,319 --> 00:22:56,880
going to open it up and it goes max on

324
00:22:56,920 --> 00:23:00,960
the first week, I believe he means maximum population, then

325
00:23:00,960 --> 00:23:04,160
what are you going to do Whether you entertain one

326
00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:07,240
person for mental health or fourteen, you still have to

327
00:23:07,279 --> 00:23:10,480
have a doctor for mental health. You cook fourteen chicken

328
00:23:10,519 --> 00:23:13,960
sandwiches versus one hundred chicken sandwiches, you know what, you

329
00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:16,319
still need You know what, you still need a cook.

330
00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:20,000
So he just can't staff it, is what he's saying.

331
00:23:20,599 --> 00:23:25,079
So why bother trying, why bother trying a phased in approach?

332
00:23:27,680 --> 00:23:32,119
This is absurd. This is why this is maladministration. This

333
00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:35,240
is something you should actually be removed from office for.

334
00:23:35,799 --> 00:23:38,680
If you can't figure out how to phase up and

335
00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:42,640
open a facility, then you should not be the top

336
00:23:42,680 --> 00:23:47,799
administrator of that facility. So how about the idea of

337
00:23:47,880 --> 00:23:50,279
leasing it to the state or selling it to the state.

338
00:23:50,319 --> 00:23:52,559
And you know what his answer is, Well, how are

339
00:23:52,599 --> 00:23:56,599
they going to staff it, that's not your problem. If

340
00:23:56,640 --> 00:23:59,559
they have offered to lease it and staff it. If

341
00:23:59,599 --> 00:24:02,039
they have all offered to buy it and staff it,

342
00:24:02,519 --> 00:24:06,960
that's not your problem anymore. Why wouldn't you, Why wouldn't

343
00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:09,599
you offload this to the state that you point out

344
00:24:09,720 --> 00:24:12,240
it's their responsibility to do this stuff, Well, then just

345
00:24:12,720 --> 00:24:15,880
sell them the building or lease it to them and

346
00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:19,079
let them worry about the staffing that you are incapable

347
00:24:19,119 --> 00:24:25,079
of doing. Lassiter, the deputy director who oversees juvenile justice,

348
00:24:25,119 --> 00:24:28,039
said he has tried to find a solution with McFadden

349
00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:32,640
for years, but he recently gave up. He said it's

350
00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:35,440
up to the sheriff's office to say what it needs.

351
00:24:36,359 --> 00:24:40,799
So what's McFadden's idea? The stupid idea, I shall tell

352
00:24:40,839 --> 00:24:43,000
you in a moment. All right, if you're listening to

353
00:24:43,039 --> 00:24:44,519
this show, you know I try to keep up with

354
00:24:44,559 --> 00:24:46,680
all sorts of current events, and I know you do too,

355
00:24:46,880 --> 00:24:49,359
And you've probably heard me say get your news from

356
00:24:49,440 --> 00:24:54,039
multiple sources. Why Well, because it's how you detect media bias,

357
00:24:54,079 --> 00:24:56,640
which is why I've been so impressed with ground News.

358
00:24:57,000 --> 00:24:59,960
It's an app and it's a website, and it come

359
00:25:00,079 --> 00:25:02,400
binds news from around the world in one place so

360
00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:05,839
you can compare coverage and verify information. You can check

361
00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:10,400
it out at check dot ground, dot news slash pete.

362
00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:13,079
I put the link in the podcast description too. I

363
00:25:13,119 --> 00:25:15,680
started using ground News a few months ago and more

364
00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:18,319
recently chose to work with them as an affiliate because

365
00:25:18,319 --> 00:25:21,599
it lets me see clearly how stories get covered and

366
00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:24,839
by whom. The blind spot feature shows you which stories

367
00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:27,400
get ignored by the left and the right. See for

368
00:25:27,440 --> 00:25:32,599
yourself check dot ground, dot news slash pete. Subscribe through

369
00:25:32,599 --> 00:25:35,240
that link and you'll get fifteen percent off any subscription.

370
00:25:35,599 --> 00:25:38,359
I use the Vantage plan to get unlimited access to

371
00:25:38,440 --> 00:25:41,880
every feature. Your subscription then not only helps my podcast,

372
00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:44,279
but it also supports ground News as they make the

373
00:25:44,319 --> 00:25:48,559
media landscape more transparent. So what is the stupid idea

374
00:25:49,119 --> 00:25:54,640
from Gary? Not my fault. McFadden Mecklimer County sheriff. So

375
00:25:54,759 --> 00:25:58,039
he's got the Jail North facility, but he's mothballed the

376
00:25:58,119 --> 00:26:02,119
thing basically for the last three years, saying he couldn't

377
00:26:02,160 --> 00:26:07,480
keep it staffed, and they relocated the employees to Central

378
00:26:07,640 --> 00:26:12,519
Jail to now guard adults. So now Mecklimber County has

379
00:26:12,640 --> 00:26:16,599
no juvenile jail facility, which means that the state can't

380
00:26:16,720 --> 00:26:20,519
house any of these juveniles in Mecklimber County. They got

381
00:26:20,559 --> 00:26:23,200
to send them up to Cabaris or to the other

382
00:26:23,359 --> 00:26:26,480
I think there's like two, three or four around the

383
00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:28,240
rest of the state, and they got to ship them

384
00:26:28,279 --> 00:26:33,640
off there. And the state has said, well, we'll lease

385
00:26:33,680 --> 00:26:35,880
the building from the sheriff, and the sheriff says no,

386
00:26:35,960 --> 00:26:38,839
and we'll buy the building from you. The sheriff says no.

387
00:26:39,799 --> 00:26:43,119
And the reason why, according to the sheriff, is because

388
00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:45,720
he doesn't think that the state will be able to

389
00:26:45,799 --> 00:26:51,200
staff it. But that's a state problem, that's not a

390
00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:55,960
Sheriff macfadden problem. So you blocking the lease or sale

391
00:26:56,000 --> 00:27:00,720
of this facility to the state like you are now responsible.

392
00:27:00,759 --> 00:27:04,160
I know it's not your brand to ever accept the

393
00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:07,119
responsibility or the fault for something, but this is on

394
00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:09,880
you now because you don't want the state to take

395
00:27:09,880 --> 00:27:12,599
over this facility to open it back up, which is

396
00:27:12,680 --> 00:27:16,640
kind of on the same brand as the you know,

397
00:27:16,720 --> 00:27:20,599
not going to cooperate with ice and uh, you know,

398
00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:22,599
just let people out of the jail and we can

399
00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:25,279
you know, we can reform everybody in the jail by

400
00:27:25,960 --> 00:27:28,640
giving them access to a recording studio so they can

401
00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:33,200
cut their their sick wraps and licks and such. But

402
00:27:33,240 --> 00:27:35,359
he does have an idea for that facility, the Jail

403
00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:39,000
North facility. He proposed this idea to the Observer in

404
00:27:39,039 --> 00:27:41,519
this interview, but he has proposed it before, and I

405
00:27:41,599 --> 00:27:45,119
have called this a very stupid idea. He says the

406
00:27:45,200 --> 00:27:48,599
state could shut down the juvenile detention center in Cabaris

407
00:27:48,640 --> 00:27:52,519
County and then move all of the Cabaris County staff

408
00:27:53,279 --> 00:27:59,079
to Mecklenburg and put them under his employment because he

409
00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:03,279
has created some such a fantastic work environment that everybody

410
00:28:03,319 --> 00:28:08,759
wants to work for sheriff, not my fault, McFadden, So

411
00:28:08,880 --> 00:28:12,599
they don't. They actually are leaving. They are fleeing his employee,

412
00:28:12,880 --> 00:28:18,039
and they are writing scathing letters to the public, to

413
00:28:18,119 --> 00:28:23,880
the sheriff, to their fellow colleagues about the dictatorial nature

414
00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:30,839
of McFadden's leadership style, calling it a toxic work environment,

415
00:28:31,119 --> 00:28:38,640
calling him a narcissist, a micromanager, abusive use, using racial

416
00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:43,279
slurs against his employees, his command staff, Like, nobody wants

417
00:28:43,359 --> 00:28:47,680
to work with this guy, So why would the state

418
00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:51,519
close the Cabaris County facility and move all of those

419
00:28:51,559 --> 00:29:01,319
employees under McFadden's employment overnight. He says, they could start

420
00:29:01,359 --> 00:29:08,599
reporting to him. What a megalomaniac. Here's the quote. I

421
00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:11,640
hate to say this, spoiler, he doesn't. I hate to

422
00:29:11,640 --> 00:29:14,759
say this, but it's kind of like the Jeffersons kind

423
00:29:14,839 --> 00:29:23,920
of moving on up. Oh my god, the raging narcissism

424
00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:28,599
of this man. The idea that you would consider that

425
00:29:29,039 --> 00:29:32,920
as an employee at Cabaris County's jail, that if I

426
00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:35,960
were now transferred to go work for Mecklimberg County, which,

427
00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:38,000
by the way, for those who are unaware, is a

428
00:29:38,079 --> 00:29:42,359
different entity than Cabaris County. So you now are no

429
00:29:42,440 --> 00:29:46,160
longer an employee in Cabaris County. Now you're an employee

430
00:29:46,240 --> 00:29:50,680
of Meclimberg County. Okay, but you would somehow transfer that

431
00:29:50,759 --> 00:29:55,440
employment or something. But he says, you'd be moving on

432
00:29:55,599 --> 00:29:59,880
up because we're better than Cabarras County, which is what

433
00:30:00,039 --> 00:30:02,680
I Obviously, you have such a hard time recruiting people

434
00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:05,720
to come work in Mecklenburg from Cabarras County, right, Nobody

435
00:30:05,759 --> 00:30:10,519
wants to come work in Mecklimburg County. He says, you

436
00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:13,480
move from this facility to this facility, and I'll give

437
00:30:13,519 --> 00:30:16,119
you what you want. I mean, if you want a

438
00:30:16,160 --> 00:30:21,240
toxic work environment and racial slurs and micromanagement, then yes,

439
00:30:21,359 --> 00:30:26,039
that's what he would be able to provide you. McFadden

440
00:30:26,079 --> 00:30:30,359
has floated this idea before, according to the spokesperson for

441
00:30:30,440 --> 00:30:34,480
the Department of Public Safety, Matt Debnan, he said it's

442
00:30:34,519 --> 00:30:37,119
not feasible though. First, he says, the employees working at

443
00:30:37,119 --> 00:30:40,960
Cabarras County's juvenile jail or state employees, meaning they applied

444
00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:44,440
specifically to work for North Carolina, and there is not

445
00:30:44,559 --> 00:30:48,559
a way to simply transfer them to a county job. Also,

446
00:30:49,519 --> 00:30:54,960
closing Cabaris County's facility would not actually alleviate the capacity

447
00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:59,480
issues that are facing the juvenile justice system. In fact,

448
00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:04,680
it would result in a net loss of juvenile detention beds.

449
00:31:05,079 --> 00:31:10,759
You see, Jail North has seventy two beds, Cabaris County

450
00:31:11,279 --> 00:31:15,079
has one hundred and fifty eight. So this is why

451
00:31:15,160 --> 00:31:20,079
McFadden's idea is stupid. Why would you close the facility

452
00:31:20,880 --> 00:31:24,720
that has one hundred and fifty eight beds and then

453
00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:27,880
transfer all those employees somehow or another to a new

454
00:31:27,880 --> 00:31:32,640
employer of Mecklenburg County and get like half the number

455
00:31:32,640 --> 00:31:40,759
of beds, less than half the number. How dumb it

456
00:31:40,880 --> 00:31:45,319
makes you wonder. It makes you wonder is there some

457
00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:49,160
other reason? Is there another reason why you refuse to

458
00:31:49,319 --> 00:31:53,799
lease or sell this property to the state so it

459
00:31:53,839 --> 00:32:01,480
can now open another juvenile justice facility? Is there something

460
00:32:01,519 --> 00:32:05,000
else going on? Is there another reason? Because this isn't

461
00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:07,279
a plan. What you have pitched here is a stupid plan.

462
00:32:07,359 --> 00:32:09,759
It's not going to work. It doesn't work, and it

463
00:32:09,799 --> 00:32:13,680
would be worse. Appending lawsuit in federal court alleges poor

464
00:32:13,720 --> 00:32:17,160
conditions at the Caberras County facility. The lawsuit mentions Jail

465
00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:20,279
North's closure because the kids who were going to Jail

466
00:32:20,319 --> 00:32:24,119
North now go to Caberras. The Department of Public Safety

467
00:32:24,200 --> 00:32:27,240
is not shy about those problems, saying the reality is

468
00:32:27,319 --> 00:32:30,519
right now in juvenile detention, we are overcrowded, we are

469
00:32:30,599 --> 00:32:36,839
short staffed. Yes, there are three facilities in Rockingham Perkamont's County.

470
00:32:36,880 --> 00:32:38,880
I always get that one wrong, and Richmond County. They

471
00:32:38,880 --> 00:32:42,920
have opened since Jail North closed. That's given the juvenile

472
00:32:43,039 --> 00:32:46,359
justice system some breathing room, according to the state, But

473
00:32:46,480 --> 00:32:49,160
facilities across the state are still at capacity and some

474
00:32:49,279 --> 00:32:53,319
teenagers are having to sleep in cots. Statewide, there are

475
00:32:53,440 --> 00:32:57,279
four hundred and twenty five miners in facilities and only

476
00:32:57,319 --> 00:33:01,279
four hundred and seven beds for them, So that's the delta.

477
00:33:01,400 --> 00:33:06,519
That's the gap, is about twenty beds. Jail North has

478
00:33:06,559 --> 00:33:11,640
seventy two. So you could even if you're half staffed,

479
00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:14,799
you could open some of those beds. You could open

480
00:33:14,880 --> 00:33:18,079
like a third of that space and alleviate the overcrowding.

481
00:33:18,960 --> 00:33:23,279
But he won't do it. McFadden won't do it, and

482
00:33:23,359 --> 00:33:26,119
I don't believe it has to do with his concern

483
00:33:26,240 --> 00:33:31,839
that the state can't staff it. All right, that'll do

484
00:33:31,880 --> 00:33:34,440
it for this episode. Thank you so much for listening.

485
00:33:34,519 --> 00:33:36,640
I could not do the show without your support and

486
00:33:36,720 --> 00:33:39,400
the support of the businesses that advertise on the podcast,

487
00:33:39,799 --> 00:33:41,839
so if you'd like, please support them too and tell

488
00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:43,599
them you heard it here. You can also become a

489
00:33:43,640 --> 00:33:48,319
patron at my Patreon page or go to thepetecallanershow dot com. Again,

490
00:33:48,559 --> 00:33:51,079
thank you so much for listening, and don't break anything

491
00:33:51,079 --> 00:33:56,359
while I'm gone.

