Black and White and Thin Blue Lines
"We refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.” Black and White and Thin Blue Lines is an original podcast created by two former police officers, Serge Antonin and Clarke Ahlers, who are inspired by the hopeful words of the Reverend Martin Luther King. Serge Antonin is African American. Clarke Ahlers is Caucasian. The podcast is a discussion about current issues in criminal justice and law enforcement, especially where these issues intersect the topic of race.
Episodes
In Queens, New York, a man shoots and kills a robber. The shooter's conduct is determined to be self-defense, but he is charged with firearms violations. In Charlotte, North Carolina, a bus driver shoots back at a passenger shooting at him! The bus driver is not charged with a crime, but is fired by the employer. In this episode, Serge and Clarke discuss the breaking of the social contract, citizens arming themselves, and the ...
In 2022, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the "proper cause" gun permit requirements of New York prevent law-abiding citizens from free exercise of their second amendment rights to keep and bear arms in public for ordinary self-defense. This decision effectively negated Maryland law. In its very next session, the Maryland General Assembly passed new gun laws restricting the places that a person may carry even a...
On May 11th, 2023, Baltimore Police Detective Cedric Elleby shot a fleeing suspect holding a semiautomatic handgun with an extended magazine in his right hand. The young man had not fired the weapon at the time he was shot. He was not pointing the pistol at Detective Elleby or anyone else. He was running away from the police and he was apparently shot in the back. Serge and Clarke discuss this controversial case.
Daniel Penny is charged with manslaughter, second degree, after holding Jordan Neely in a choke hold on the NY City Subway F Train. In this episode, Serge and Clarke discuss this sad, but compelling, case.
In rural New York, a 65-year old man fired two shots from his porch killing a young woman in a car who was lost and turned around in his driveway. In Missouri, an 84-year old man fired two shots from his front door injuring a teenager who rang his bell, mistakenly at the wrong address to pick up his younger brothers. In both cases, activists allege that stand your grounds laws are in part responsible for these tragic circumstances....
Two months before the death of George Floyd, seven California Highway Patrolmen - including a Sergeant -- and one nurse held Edward Bronstein face down while handcuffed behind his back to take blood in a DUI case pursuant to a search warrant. Bronstein screamed that he couldn't breathe. The incident was videotaped. Bronstein died during the incident allegedly due to methamphetamine intoxication and positional asphyxiation. Lo...
Serge and Clarke "reimagine" the qualifications to be a police chief in 2023. We tell you what cops say they want; want the IACP says it wants; and what the DOJ says it wants in a police chief. But, Serge lists his list of qualifications and Clarke lists his. We guarantee you that some of the ideas will surprise you.
Serge and Clarke discuss a controversial January 2023 proposal in the Massachusetts legislature to let Massachusetts inmates reduce their prison sentences by donating bone marrow or organs, such as a kidney. Their are pros and cons of course and these ideas are the subject of today's podcast.
Reverend P.M. Smith, Pastor of the Huber Memorial Church in Baltimore City is this week’s guest on Black and White and Thin Blue Lines. Pastor Smith brings an unmatched focus on crime in Baltimore. He is a Baltimore born and raised former criminal defense attorney and now the Pastor of Christian community. If you watch television or read the news in Baltimore, you are familiar with Reverend Smith. In this episode, the good Reverend...
On January 7, 2023, the Memphis Police Department's Scorpion Unit stopped and caused serious physical injury to 29-year-old Tyre Nichols. Mr. Nichols died in a hospital three days later. Five officers were fired on January 20, 2023. The same five officers -- Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr., and Justin Smith -- were charged by Grand Jury Indictment on Thursday, January 26, 2023, with secon...
In the first episode of 2023, Serge and Clarke discuss an alarming statistic: 2022 had more people killed by law enforcement than at any time since police deadly force has been tracked. Also, there was an increase in the number of police officers who were shot in the line of duty.
The legal profession is filled with high-extroversion, low-content, self-promoters more interested in lining their pockets than achieving justice for their clients. And then, there is Sam Nalli. Sam tells the listeners about his background and interest in the law, and takes us behind the scenes in the defense of a 17-year old child charged as an adult with first-degree murder. The story is about a high stakes trial, the high stress...
In the last episode, Serge and Clarke discussed the idea of a trial penalty. A trial penalty occurs when an accused citizen rejects a plea offer, goes to trial, and is convicted but receives a sentence grossly disproportionate to the plea offer. In this episode, Serge and Clarke interview Gary Baynor about an incredible story of injustice: a trial penalty of 70 extra years incarceration after being acquitted of the most serious cha...
In this episode, Serge and Clarke explore the phenomenon of the diminishing trial by jury. After explaining the statistics -- which are shocking -- Serge and Clarke seek to answer the questions of why the trial by jury is disappearing and the consequences of this significant change to the criminal justice process in America.
Serge and Clarke discuss the tragic circumstances surrounding the arrest, guilty plea and sentenced in the Brittney Griner case. Brittney, a WNBA all star, was arrested at a Moscow airport in February of 2022 for .7 grams of cannabis oil in her luggage. She was convicted and sentenced to 9 years of hard labor in a Russian penal colony. It appears that the Biden administration is negotiating a prisoner exchange for the notorious &qu...
The Supreme Court tells us that we have no constitutional right to expect the police to protect us, unless we are in their custody. Yet a Baltimore City Police Officer is sentenced to 60 days incarceration for not preventing an assault and a Yonkers Police Sergeant is under investigation for not stopping an assault. Serge and Clarke explore this vexing situation in this podcast.
Two for the price of one in this episode. Serge and Clarke contacted Moe Robinson because he teaches firearms law and skills to applicants for Maryland's carry permits. But he first shared his views on police leadership; they are so good we made the episode about both things: police leadership and firearms training for carrying a firearm in Maryland. Please listen to this excellent police leader!
Several listeners have asked Clarke and Serge for their advice on hiring a lawyer. In this episode, Clarke and Serge discuss everything from solo to big firm, hourly to fixed rate, young lawyer to senior advocate, local attorney to outsider, as well as the personal bias of the co-hosts when it comes to hiring a lawyer. We plan to upload this episode as a permanent part of the website.
In Maryland, most of the rehabilitation of adjudicated delinquent offenders is the domain of correctional personnel. Dr. Keith Hannon, Ph.D., has had a 30-year career as a licensed psychologist with extensive experience in the Maryland juvenile justice system. Dr. Hannan challenges the efficacy of the Maryland system, compares it to the District of Columbia juvenile justice system, and makes a compelling argument that mental health...
On June 23, 2022, the United States Supreme Court in a case called NY State Pistol & Rifle Association v. Bruen decided that New York's penal statute which required a particularized showing of "proper cause" in order to obtain a wear and carry pistol permit was unconstitutional. The second amendment guarantees to all citizens the personal right of self defense. States may prohibit a permit to convicted felons, pe...
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