Los Santos, SA – How long does it take to reform a criminal? How long does it take to reform a terrorist? How long does it take to reform an entire group of terrorists? These are the questions that need to be asked as we digest the news that members of the notorious domestic terrorist organization ‘The Lost M.C.’ may be facing an early release from the Bolingbroke Penitentiary. Are these people even capable of reform? And just what kind of message is the release of these individuals sending to the good hearted citizens of Los Santos.
Under normal circumstances I’ve always made an effort with my reporting as a freelance journalist to avoid bias in my stories. I prefer to cut any ties with the notion that my stories include anything other than cold, hard facts. This, however, is not a normal circumstance. Like many of you, when the story broke from local Weazel News reporter Oscar Faulkner about the potential for this unprecedented change I spewed my morning coffee across the room in abject horror.
I’ve had run-ins with these low-lifes before. I’ve met people who had to deal with their unforgiving tendencies. The time I spent with former Mayor Bryn Jones hearing him recall the terror of being kidnapped and held for ransom still haunts me. When these people were arrested it was cause for celebration on the streets, because a great weight had finally been lifted. It was a weight that should have been lifted long before it became as big of an issue as it did, but at least it was dealt with.
The mark of The Lost is still present in Los Santos. Many are familiar with the fact that the auto and bike repair shop King’s, formerly owned by prolific Lost M.C. gang leader Maverick King, is still not only in business, but seems to still be popular. I understand the new owners have gone to great lengths to distance themselves from their shady past and turn the page, yet after all this time the name King’s remains standing above those roll-up doors on Elgin Avenue.
Are we truly supposed to believe that any member of this so-called motorcycle club has spent enough time behind bars to be remorseful for the crimes they committed, let alone had time to truly reform themselves? I’m all for giving people a second chance and a fresh start to make things right. But that kind of internal revelation doesn’t happen overnight, and Bolingbroke doesn’t exactly have a track record of reforming garden variety street thugs, much less certified domestic terrorists.
No, this is too soon. The decision by this Judge Morgan to grant these people early parole is ignorant at best. One can only boggle at the thought process that was behind the decision to release these agents of chaos back onto the streets of Los Santos. Who instigated this movement, what was the inspiration, what evidence was brought forward to warrant such a ruling? Not to mention all of this is coming from a Department of Justice that has been largely absent from Los Santos.
Is this truly the introduction such an institution wishes to make? Is this the precedent that is being set? That people known to have held government officials hostage are allowed to walk free after only a short time in prison. That ground shattering rulings like these will be made without so much as an official press release from the courts? That these types of decisions will be made with near immediate effect, without a public hearing, or even so much as an explanation of who will be released or why? Is this the message such a critical pillar of American society as the Department of Justice wishes to send to the people it’s supposed to serve?
I’m sorry Los Santos, but we deserve better than this. We deserve to live a life free of terror. We deserve to live in a society where the people that govern us and work to protect us work fairly and communicate with us. These are supposed to be our rights as Americans. This is why we separated from the tyrannical rule of the English. Whether it’s the leaders of this terrorist group, or brand new recruits, it simply hasn’t been long enough for the streets to be safe with any member of The Lost M.C. to be let out of their cage.
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Chris Barstow-Carson Chris is a freelance reporter. He aims to bring truth to the people through honest reporting of the unknown stories. He got his start in Liberty City where he broke the story of how the city’s biggest factory was dumping chemicals into the local water supply, which led to a formal investigation and a $5 million fine. He looks for the human story wherever it is.
