Israel prisoner released in exchange for thousands of Palestinians. Nazi war criminals may get their day in court. @LAMurderCop overshares on the job – what about you? Former LAPD detective unwraps rappers’ murders.
Israeli prisoner released in exchange for thousands of Palestinians
Gilad Schalit, an Israeli soldier captured in June 2006 during a cross-border raid by Palestinian militants, was released Tuesday in a move that could roil Middle East politics.
Schalit was freed in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners who spent many years in Israeli jails. Hours after Schalit’s release he arrived by military helicopter – looking pale and thin – to his home town in northern Israel and was greeted by thousands of jubilant people waving Israeli flags.
In an interview with Egypt television, Schalit said, “I hope this deal will promote peace between Israel and the Palestinians.” But critics say it’s the most lopsided prisoner swap in Israel’s history. Several Israelis petitioned their government to block the exchange but these were rejected on Monday by Israel’s high court.
In a televised address from the air base, Israel Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu declared, “today we are all united in joy and in pain.”
The first group of Palestinian prisoners was transported by bus into Egypt then taken to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, where relatives celebrated their return.
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The swap was arranged through indirect negotiations between the Israeli government and Hamas using Egyptian intermediaries. But many are asking if Israel was able to negotiate with Hamas, why can’t they work with Fatah? Could these releases lead to more abductions of Israeli soldiers and endanger the nation of Israel? Or could the exchange help foster peace in the region?
Guest:
David Siegel, Israel’s consul general for the southwestern United States
Yousef Munayyer, executive director, Palestine Center
Nazi war criminals may get their day in court
Kurt Schrimm is the man the German government has put in charge of chasing down and bringing to justice the people responsible for the atrocities of the holocaust.
Yesterday he announced that he’s reopening hundreds of cases of suspected war criminals that could lead to the prosecutions and convictions of dozens of former Nazi guards and officials.
Schrimm decided to reopen the cases because of a major legal breakthrough he got last year with the conviction of a former Nazi guard named John Demjanjuk. Demjanjuk was accused of contributing to the deaths of nearly 30,000 people at a death camp in Poland.
According to Schrimm the case gave him legal precedent to prosecute suspected war criminals even when they couldn’t be connected to a specific crime, only to a death camp or event. Schrimm says it also gave German courts jurisdiction over crimes that occurred outside their borders, in places like Poland.
Jewish organizations are applauding the move. The American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and their Descendants says this is the final opportunity for many survivors to see justice in their life time. But even Schrimm admits that many of the people who are implicated are over 90 years old and may not last through an extended investigation.
Meanwhile, even Demjanjuk, who by some accounts was one of the most sadistic guards at the death camp in which he worked and was convicted for helping to murder tens of thousands of people, was only given 5 years in prison and is currently free on parole pending an appeal.
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Are the investigations and trials worth it? How does the system of investigating, chasing down and prosecuting alleged war criminals work? Is this an important part of the healing process for the survivors? Or are there higher priorities that Germany should be focused on right now?
Guest:
David Rising, Germany bureau chief, Associated Press
Note: A previous version of this story referred to the death camp differently. The reference has been rewritten to clarify that it is a Nazi death camp that existed in Poland.
@LAMurderCop overshares on the job: What about you?
Guests:
Erick Huerta, Contributing Writer, LA TACO (a blog focused on the east side of Los Angeles)
Alexandra Levit, Workplace expert and author of the new book “Blind Spots: The 10 Business Myths You Can’t Afford To Believe”
Former LAPD detective unwraps rappers’ murders
In the 1990s, nothing sent ripples through the world of rap like the deaths of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. Shakur, from California, and Smalls, from New York, became icons representing both stylistic musical differences and the terse rivalry between West and East Coast hip hop camps.
The fierce split between coasts represented by Smalls and Shakur, along with the musicians' reputed ties to gang and criminal activity, made many attribute Tupac Shakur’s murder in 1996 to his cross-country rival. When Smalls was later gunned down in 1997, several links were drawn between the two cases.
Retired LAPD detective Greg Kading spoke to KPCC’s Larry Mantle about a growing violence between the two rappers' entourages, which he closely followed while on the force.
“These urban attitudes, dealing with gang members, promoting an attitude of thug life […] The whole thing really took on a life of its own, selling a lot of records,” he said. “Regardless of the money, this friction was going back and forth and it was just a matter of time [before the murders].”
Kading said they were on the cusp of solving Biggie Smalls’ murder when the whole task force was disbanded. He said that after Smalls’ mother dropped her lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police Department, the LAPD no longer felt pressure to investigate further.
“It was just a matter of an attitude of indifference in the police department at the brass level. They just didn’t want to expend any more resources towards it,” he said.
Kading examines both unsolved cases in his new book, "Murder Rap: The Untold Story of the Biggie Smalls & Tupac Shakur Murder Investigations." With 25 years of experience in law enforcement, Kading provides a detailed account of the task force which eventually uncovered many of the facts behind the deaths of these two rap icons.
WEIGH IN:
What were the similarities between the murders of Shakur and Smalls? Who was responsible for their deaths? Was there a connection between the two incidents? Will the criminals responsible ever face justice?
Guest:
Greg Kading, author of "Murder Rap: The Untold Story of the Biggie Smalls & Tupac Shakur Murder Investigations"; retired Los Angeles Police Department detective, specializing in the fields of gangs, narcotics and homicide
Former LAPD detective Greg Kading discusses and signs copies of his new book "Murder Rap: The Untold Story of the Biggie Smalls & Tupac Shakur Murder Investigations" click here.