Tarika Wilson's Family Gets $2.5 Million

The family of an unarmed black woman who was shot and killed by a white police officer during a drug raid has settled a wrongful-death lawsuit against the city for $2.5 million.

The death of Tarika Wilson, 26, ignited protests and debate about race relations in Lima, a northwestern Ohio city where one in four residents is black. Wilson was holding her 1-year-old son in her arms when she died. The child also was shot and later had a finger amputated.

Police Sgt. Joseph Chavalia, who killed Wilson, was acquitted of criminal charges in her death and has since returned to work, although he is no longer allowed to patrol the streets.

The Columbus Dispatch

You cannot put a price tag on the value of someone's life. That being said, I am always curious how cities and states come up with these payout figures. A $2.5 million dollar nest egg will do wonders for Tarika Wilson's children, but no amount of money can replace the loss of their mother.

My prayers go out to the Wilson family and the man who took her life. I am hard on police officers from time to time, but I realize they have a tough job. This shooting apparently happened during a drug bust/arrest. I understand that law enforcement officials cannot be timid when they attempt to apprehend pushers. This officer's recklessness could be attributed to his fear that his own life might be taken. His actions are inexcusable, but I think I understand his line of thinking. Stories like this make me appreciate my life even more. You never know when your time on this Earth will to an end.

One day you're here baby
And then you're gone

Legalize It & Tax It

A pro-marijuana group launched a television advertisement Wednesday in California advocating legalization and taxation of the drug to help solve the state's budget woes. The 30-second spot, airing Wednesday and paid for by the Marijuana Policy Project, features a retired 58-year-old state worker who said state leaders "are ignoring millions of Californians who want to pay taxes."

"We're marijuana consumers," says Nadene Herndon of Fair Oaks, who says she began using marijuana after suffering multiple strokes three years ago. "Instead of being treated like criminals for using a substance safer than alcohol, we want to pay our fair share."

State lawmakers are bitterly debating how to close a $26.3 billion budget deficit that likely means cuts to state services. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday said he would like to see current laws against marijuana remain in place, adding that legalizing pot to create revenue for the state is not a good idea.

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I applaud the Marijuana Policy Project's efforts, but there is no way in hell marijuana will be legalized. You can't even smoke cigarettes in most public places and there is even talk of banning tobacco sales on military bases. If Big Tobacco, North Carolina's cash cow, is catching it from all angles, the proponents of marijuana don't have a snowball's chance.

We're in a recession and almost everyone is looking for ways to get us out of it. Doing so will require a lot of creativity and fiscal restraint. Legalizing marijuana would do wonders for the economy, but most people have been trained to believe that weed is the devil. These same people probably believe that marijuana is a gateway drug and that its legalization would catalyze the destruction of our society. I don't think weed is more harmful to our society than tobacco and alcohol. If weed is illegal becomes of its potential destructive value, than we need to have another Prohibition. I have witnessed the horrors of alcoholism and they pale in comparison to what weed is capable of doing. Since tobacco and alcohol are legal, states should be given the legislative power to legalize the sale of marijuana.

There are a lot of good weed songs out there. My favorite is "I Got 5 On It" by The Luniz. If our government decides to put 5 on it, we just might get out of this recession.

I got five on it
Grab your four, let's get keyed
I got five on it
Messin with that endo weed
I got five on it
It's got me stuck, cannot go back
I got five on it
Potnah let's go half on a sack

Drank: The New Pseudo Drug

The success of energy drinks like Red Bull, Monster and Rockstar have proven that consumers are constantly thirsting for a boost. But will they ever want to come back down and reach for a nonalcoholic drink that will help them chill out? According to the recent sales figures from Innovative Beverage Group, a Houston-based drink distributor and maker of a "relaxation beverage" called Drank, there's strong demand for the anti–Red Bull too.

The company's revenues, though small, were up 198% in 2008, to $2.2 million, and it turned a $172,000 profit last year, compared with a $320,000 loss in 2007. Peter Bianchi, founder and CEO of Innovative Beverage, says first quarter '09 revenues, fueled by Drank's success, are up 534% year over year. During the past few months, the company has signed a slew of distribution deals in places like Atlanta, St. Louis, Mo., and Grand Rapids, Mich. And at the end of April, the emerging brand scored the big one: 7-Eleven announced it would roll out Drank to stores nationwide.

The name Drank has roots in Houston's hip-hop scene; "purple drank" is a slang term for an illegal concoction that mixes codeine syrup with soft drinks or alcohol. Several Houston community leaders have protested the beverage's name, arguing that it glorifies the drug culture.

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Capitalism is a double edged sword. On one hand, it gives almost everyone the opportunity to make as much money as possible. On the other hand, it allows people to make money off of entities that are harming our society. The Drank manufacturers are capitalizing on the "Sizzurp" craze that is found predominately in Texas. I am not surprised at the popularity of this pseudo drug beverage. The real drug has been glorified in hip hop culture for years. It has also led to the deaths of Chad "Pimp C" Butler, DJ Screw, and countless other people who aren't famous. I feel like the makers of Drank are socially irresponsible because they are capitilizing on something that is deadly. The FDA needs to ban it like it did the Cocaine Energy Drink.

Big Moe crafted a song called "Purple Stuff" that is a ode to the drink that eventually claimed his life. His story should be a cautionary tale for anyone who wants to develop a taste for Sizzurp.

Everybody clap yo' hands and sing along wit me
It's Big Moe, da barre baby, representin these Southside streets
Now if you ain't heard of me then you don't know wassup
You can find me on them Screw CD's talkin about 'Purple Stuff'

Fast Money Gets You Slow Time

Mexican authorities arrested Vicente Carrillo Leyva, a leader of the Carrillo Fuentes drug cartel. Carrillo Leyva was arrested as he exercised in a park in a residential area of Mexico City, where he had been living under the alias Alejandro Peralta Alvarez, officials said. Carrillo Leyva "is considered one of the heirs to the criminal organization known as the Juarez Cartel, after the death of his father, Amado Carrillo Fuentes," said Assistant Prosecutor Maricela Morales. Federal officials offered a reward of up to $2.16 million (30 million pesos) for information leading to Leyva's arrest. The same reward has been offered for his uncle, cartel leader Vicente Carrillo Fuentes, also known as "El Viceroy" and "El General," who remains at-large. Rewards of $2 million apiece have been offered for 22 other leading cartel suspects. Authorities on both sides of the United States-Mexico border blame drug cartels for a surge in violence in the region.

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The violence at the US/Mexican border is getting out of control. I am glad Hilary Clinton admitted that the US is partially responsible for the violence. Innocent lives are being lost and college students are being warned that Mexico may not be a safe Spring Break destination. Hopefully, the authorities on both sides of the border can stop all the bloodshed. The Underground Kingz (UGK) seem to know a lot about drug trafficing at the border. The Port Arthur, TX duo wrote a song called "Cocaine", which details their experiences selling snow.

Uh the bitch, been good to me
Been bad to my homies, keep it cool with me
I played it by the rules, and the regulations
I use to switch cars with the Mexican, at the gas station

You Too Fine To Be Doing This...

Montgomery County (Maryland) police said a former Miss Maryland is facing drug charges along with her boyfriend after a raid found drugs, ammunition and cash in their Germantown, MD apartment. Police say Tia Shorts, who was crowned Miss Maryland USA in 2004, and her boyfriend, Joey King, were charged with conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine, and possession of marijuana. . King also faces a firearms charge. Shorts was released in lieu of $10,000 bail.

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I wholeheartedly believe that the average person LOVES to read stories like this. Misery loves company and nothing makes miserable people more happy than seeing someone fall from grace. Tia Shorts is a beautiful sister who had a very promising future. I have absolutely no idea how she got herself into this situation, but I'm pretty sure it's because she felt she didn't have any other options. It's amazing how someone's fortunes can change in only five years. Jay-Z's "Fallin", which appeared on his American Gangster album, fits this situation.

I know I shouldnt've did that
I know its gon' come right back
I know its gon' destroy everything I made
Its probably gon' get ya boy sent away
But this game I play, ain't no way to fix it Its inevitable that I'm...