Chapter 4
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10:50 am
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Bill and I had been able to catch a couple hours of sleep and were woken up to prepare for the raid. I had already called Michelle, let her know I'd be late. She said she understood, knew who I was when she proposed to me. She let me know that our baby, Teri, would probably be in day care for the day.
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11:00 am
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Bill and I left for the raid. Captain Mackey didn't have surveilance on the suspect building, fearing it would spook the owner and he would destroy the evidence inside. Thus even if Earl Turner was inside, we couldn't know just yet. A local reverend, reverend Barnes, had been trying to persuade the local kids to stay away from this place, he called it the _Anti-community center." Barnes helped manage a legitimate community center, a place where kids could go for tutoring, play baseball, have some healthy snacks. Smokeasies like this presented kids with vices, convinced them they could get rich through gambling, but almost all lost money they needed. Soon, we would know how effective reverend Barnes had been, how many listened to his advice.
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11:34
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Bill and I saw two teenagers, maybe 14 years old each, one male and one female. We decided they could be our way in, and approached them. We never learned their names.
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Joe: Can we talk to you two for a minute?
Male: We don't talk to strangers.
Bill: We're police officers, here are our badges.
Female: Oh God, are we in trouble?
Joe: Depends, do you have tickets to go in there?
Male: You don't need tickers, just twenty bucks and the code word, "Snapdragon."
Joe: Are you aware that an illegal sporting event going on in there.
Male: Then why is everyone else going in?
Bill: Kids, we're trying to help you.
Female: Are you about to raid the place?
Bill: We're not at liberty to say.
Male: But we can just go back to school?
Joe: I think that would be a wise decision.
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The kids left, and presumably went back to their school. Bill and I went to the doorman, gave him twenty bucks and the code word "Snapdragon." He let us inside and showed us to the basement. I could smell the stench of tobacco before we entered the basement, I knew I would need a long shower when I returned home. This was a fairly large basement, large enough for a boxing ring, and approximately 50 spectators. A man named Daniel seemed to be in charge, we heard him talking to one of his dealers, a young man named Gregory, both had cigars. Gregory was peddling tobacco products to highschoolers, and it seemed he had recently gotten his girlfriend pregnant. Daniel was giving Gregory a pill to end the girl's pregnancy, he even advised him how to slip her the pill without her knowing it. There were a few known Anne Bonnys and Mary Read's here, evidently fighting over territory. In the old days, they would sometimes settle disputes with pistol duels, and innocent people sometimes got caught in the crossfire. Now, with so few guns on the street, they settled disputes with illegal boxing matches, not thinking about the brain damage they might endure as a result. After getting the pill from Daniel Gregory went over to a corner, where four recent Maldavian immigrants were standing. He was coaching them on how to box, to beat each other up for spare change from the spectators. They didn't seem to completely understand what was going on, how these people were exploiting them. There were assorted teenagers, some making bets on the upcoming matches, some smoking. They had apparently been lured in by vices and promises of easy money, and ignored reverend Barnes advice about avoiding this place. Soon, they would regret their decision. There were others, adults. They seemed excited about seeing two young girls beat each other up, they thought it was sexy. They also liked to see immigrants killing each other, they were also racist. Bill and I zeroed in on one such conversation. I couldn't recognize one of them right away, I later learned it was Pierce. Seven years ago Pierce had been part of Earl Turner's group, they raped maldivian women to frighten them into going home. They'd both served their sentences and been released. More recently Pierce had gotten in trouble for his online "newspaper" the New Frontiersman. This publication preached hatred of maldivians, sangalans, roma. It claimed that they were all rapists and murderers, it inspired others like Earl Turner to commit acts of terrorism. The New Frontiersman had also featured a "hero" known as the Knight of Labor, who beat and murdered refugees. Lawsuits by victims rights groups had forced Pierce to file for bankruptcy. He sold this character to Disney, who made him into a villain for comic book movies. Angry over this change Pierce continued using this character, and Disney was suing him for it. That, combined with violating his parole by coming to a smokeasie, and illegal boxing match, might just get Pierce sent back to prison. Then I saw his friend clearly, it appeared to be Earl Turner. Bill and I approached them, they didn't seem to have any weapons. We signaled for Vice to begin the raid, as we arrested Turner and Pierce. It seemed that the last known terrorist was now in police custody.