One of the things that struck me reporting on Baltimore is how persistent the city's murder problem has been. While other cities see ebbs and flows, Baltimore's homicide rate has remained persistently high. In 2020, the murder rate was eight times the national average.
Why, then, did murder start dropping in 2023? Part of the story is doubtless whatever drove the national trends. But the interventions I reported on β focused deterrence, a new prosecutor β were part of a broader push by city leadership to take violence seriously. And it worked!
This is a theme I write about a lot. Violence is not an inevitable feature of urban life. We know what to do about it. Violence is a policy choice. Policymakers just need to take it seriously.
https://t.co/VzPBFFkwO7
Good reminder that the argument for LeBron is that heβs better in every statistical measure and was completely dominant for twice as many seasons. The argument for Jordan is that his team managed to lose before the Finals every time they werenβt going to win. Riveting debate!
As I write this, the reality still hasnβt fully set in. It was less than a month ago that Marc came to San Jose to hang out. He was sober, healthy, and full of life. We had a blast reminiscing about the old days. He seemed genuinely excited about the future. He even extended his ticket by a couple of days so he could explore some of the old haunts around San Jose.
When it came time to drop him off at the airport, he handed me an envelope. I waited until I got home to open it. Inside was a three-page list of his hopes and dreams for the future. Never in a million years did I imagine that less than a month later, he would be gone.
I met Marc when he was 17. I watched him achieve all his skateboard dreams, and I sat next to him at the Away Days premiereβonly to later watch his career fall apart. I still donβt understand why my friend is gone at 49 years old. I donβt know why he chose to come visit me. Was there some bigger purpose to it, or was he looking for closure?
Marc was a genius and a tortured soul. He told me he wanted to be remembered for his skateboarding, not for his failures or shortcomings. He was just a poor kid from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, who grew up in a trailer at the end of a dirt road. Yet he made it out, traveled the world, and touched so many lives. He will live on through the video parts that nobody can recreate. He gave opportunities to people who might never have had a chance otherwise.
Without a shadow of a doubt, Marc Johnson was the single most influential person in my life. Everything he did was art. He was endlessly creative and always tried to elevate his friends and everyone around him. He opened doors for guys like me and Jerry, and single-handedly put San Jose back on the map. Marc had the golden touchβwhether it was on a skateboard, creating brands, or developing ad campaigns.
Marc Johnson passed away today. He was one of the most talented and creative people to ever step on or off a skateboard.
- Louie Barletta
James Comey is likely to face a Trump voting jury in North Carolina. He picked the wrong seashore to make a seashell message. Smart prosecution here. Great venue and a simple case. Comey is a moron to put himself in this legal peril over an Instagram picture.
Virgil van Dijk wins the derby for Liverpool! π₯
π Mo Salah scores on his π₯ππ¬π ππ―ππ« πππ«π¬ππ²π¬π’ππ πππ«ππ² and equals ππππ―ππ§ πππ«π«ππ«πβπ¬ π«πππ¨π«π, 9 PL Derby goals ππΌ
Whoβs been your Man of the Match?
On this day in 1994, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain died at age 27.
His loss marked the end of one of grungeβs defining voices, whose work on Nevermind and βSmells Like Teen Spiritβ helped shape a generation of rock.
You don't actually have to let people into your country who hate you just because some neurotic woman once wrote a poem that they placed under the Statue of Liberty.
Breaking: North Carolina's Caleb Wilson broke his right thumb in a non-contact drill in practice Thursday and has undergone season-ending surgery, sources tell @ShamsCharania.
Wilson is expected to be cleared during the NBA pre-draft process, where he'll compete to be the No. 1 pick in June.