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Ta-Nehisi Coates

Ta-Nehisi Coates - Ta-Nehisi Coates is a senior editor for The Atlantic, where he writes about culture, politics, and social issues for TheAtlantic.com and the magazine. He is the author of the memoir The Beautiful Struggle. More

Born in 1975, the product of two beautiful parents. Raised in West Baltimore—not quite The Wire, but sometimes ill all the same. Studied at the Mecca for some years in the mid-’90s. Emerged with a purpose, if not a degree. Slowly migrated up the East Coast with a baby and my beloved, until I reached the shores of Harlem. Wrote some stuff along the way.

Not Helping

By Ta-Nehisi Coates
Dec 23 2009, 1:47 PM ET Comment

Via Radley Balko, we have a dude who did ten years on triple murder set free because, well, the state, among other things, destroyed evidence. Mind you he hasn't been exonerated, and may well have did it. But the cops and prosecutors cut corners trying to nail him and now he's on the street.

If you're interested in putting the right people in jail, you aren't doing any favors by being sloppy. This isn't said enough. Destroying evidence isn't a "favor" to the all the innocents criminals prey upon, any more than blowing the rent money to take your kid school shopping is an act of love.


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