Judge Craig Brown
DURHAM -- The killings of two local college students have renewed the call for anti-gang legislation. This time that call came from the local district court judge even as he presided over the first court appearance of a Durham teenager charged with first-degree murder.
“We absolutely, positively need to have anti-gang legislation passed by the General Assembly,” District Court Judge Craig Brown said. “I respectfully and sincerely ask the governor to call a special session of the legislature.
“I’m sending an SOS to Raleigh; I expect them to hear it.”
Brown made those comments after giving Laurence Alvin Lovette Jr. 17, a $3 million bond in his first court appearance. Lovette is charged with first-degree murder in two separate shootings. The first happened at Duke University on January 18 when graduate student Abhijit Mahato, 29, was found shot to death in his off-campus apartment.
Watch as Judge Craig Brown calls on the lawmakers to pass anti-gang legislation he'd like to see be called "Eve's Law."
Reporter Tim Boyum has more on the Legislature's efforts to combat gangs.
The second shooting claimed the life of Eve Carson, 22, the popular student body president of UNC Chapel Hill. She was found on March 5 less than a mile away from the UNC campus with multiple gunshot wounds including one to her right temple.
Police say Lovette was not alone in either shooting. Stephen Lavance Oates, 19, faces first-degree murder charges in Mahato’s death, and Demario James Atwater, 21, is charged with first-degree murder in the Carson case.
The Carson murder particularly resonated with Judge Brown.
“I don’t know if Mr. [Lawrence Alvin Lovette Jr.] is [guilty]. That burden is on the state. But I do know that what’s happened here is horrible. And we don’t just need to talk about this; we need to do something about it further.”
While Judge Brown called on Gov. Mike Easley and other lawmakers to hold a special session to deal with the problem of gangs, that is unlikely to happen.
“While the judge's comment is speculative, the legislature is already working on gang-related legislation and will be back in session in May,” representatives of the Governor’s Office told News 14 Carolina in a prepared statement.
Eve Carson
Lawmakers will already meet in one special session where they will discuss the removal of Rep. Thomas Wright who is facing fraud charges. However, Bill Holmes, a spokesman for House Speaker Joe Hackney’s office, said that the House is highly unlikely to bring up the issue of gangs at that time.
“The intention of this session is very limited. Speaker Hackney intends to keep it narrowly focused so the House can focus on this case and nothing else,” Holmes said, adding, “[Gangs] will certainly be something the House continues to pay close attention to.”
The legislation that representatives from the Governor’s Office referred to was House Bill 274, which is better known as the North Carolina Street Gang Prevention Act. That bill defines gangs, makes it illegal to be a member of gangs and outlines the punishments for committing felonies while a gang member.
Judge Brown, however, called on the Legislature to do more than just dictate punishment.
“Any anti-gang legislation that might pass in the vengeance of the moment needs to balanced, thoughtful, and deal with not only punishment but the underlying problems that cause our young people to become members of a gang in the first place,” Brown said.
“There’s no specific legislation that I know of that’s pending,” Holmes said. “There is—and I was just looking over this—the [General Assembly] just set up a grant problem and $4.76 million is to be used for street gang violence prevention, intervention and suppression.” Thirty-four counties were then targeted to receive money based on a higher number of suspected gang incidences.
The Governor’s Crime Commission first studied the number of gangs in 1999. It showed that there were 332 different gangs with more than 5,000 members. By 2004, the number of gang members had jumped to 8,500. A new report is expected this month, and many experts say the number of gang members will easily surpass 10,000.
Gangs are a growing problem in NC.
If Judge Brown has his way though, there will be new, increased legislation, more than what the state government already offers. A bit emotional toward the end of his statement, Judge Brown said it was important to make the legislation balanced and offered a name for any such law.
“Let’s be thoughtful and considerate in terms of anything that we do, whether it be in this particular case or with respect to any legislation. From all I’ve heard of Eve Carson—I’ve never met her but from all I’ve heard—she would want some balanced legislation.
“And I know… well you can call it whatever you want, but I think it would be wonderful if we called it Eve’s Law.”
Currently the state of North Carolina spends federal money and state money to deal with the gang problem. It offers programs like GangNet, and local nonprofit organizations, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, also help combat gangs. Experts say the best way for parents to prevent their child from joining gangs is to be knowledgeable about the problem and know what to look for. Some signs include:
• The child begins hanging out with new friends and/or withdraws from family members.
• There’s a noticeable change in the child’s habits or personality.
• There is drug or alcohol abuse.
• Your child gets new nicknames and uses hand signs or street language.
• You observe gang symbols or graffiti on notebooks and folders.
• The child dresses in the same color clothing every day or wears unusual hats or hairstyles.
• The child gets money without your knowledge.
Statistics show gangs, which have been trouble spots in other states for decades, are an increasing problem in North Carolina. State House Bill 274 defined what gangs are for the first time in state history, but it currently sits in the Senate waiting for approval.
Since I’m going to be talking to Gov. [Mike] Easley, Lt. Gov. [Beverly] Perdue, Attorney General [Roy] Cooper, Speaker [Joe] Hackney, and Senate Majority Leader [Marc] Basnight, I’m going to stand up.
This defendant is entitled to a lawyer under our law. He is entitled to receive a fair trial. He is entitled to have any crime proved against him beyond a reasonable doubt, and he is entitled to be tried by a jury of his peers. That’s the law of this land, and that’s what’s going to be followed here in this courtroom, and in every courtroom.
I don’t know if Mr. [Lawrence Alvin Lovette Jr.] is [guilty]. That burden is on the state. But I do know that what’s happened here is horrible. And we don’t just need to talk about this; we need to do something about it further.
Now I’m not a member of the legislature, I’m not a member of the executive… I’m a judge, and I do know my place, but I’m also a little bit crazy, and I am a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University, and I want to offer a few thoughts to them and to the citizens of North Carolina. Don’t worry, this is going to be short.
We absolutely, positively need to have anti-gang legislation passed by the General Assembly. I respectfully and sincerely ask the governor to call a special session of the legislature. I’m sending an SOS to Raleigh; I expect them to hear it.
It is curious to me that because the victim of one of these cases was such an amazing young lady – I’m told she was quite – that the media has taken so much attention, but I guess I’m not surprised. But I also wonder when there are so many black victims of crime why that is necessarily the case, but I’m blind and that doesn’t make any difference to me and I’m not taking that any further than what I just said.
But what I do mean to say is that any anti-gang legislation that might pass in the vengeance of the moment needs to balanced, thoughtful, and deal with not only punishment but the underlying problems that cause our young people to become members of a gang in the first place.
Now I’m not going to have anything else to say. I know you all might think that’s unusual, but this is a deadly serious matter, and again as I’ve said, I’m not a member of the legislature and I’m not a member of the executive; I just do my job and I follow the laws of North Carolina as I’m required to do.
But let’s not rush to judgment. Let’s be thoughtful and considerate in terms of anything that we do, whether it be in this particular case or with respect to any legislation. From all I’ve heard of Eve Carson—I’ve never met her but from all I’ve heard—she would want some balanced legislation. And I know… well you can call it whatever you want, but I think it would be wonderful if we called it Eve’s Law.