Another Whole Family Shot to Death
For the second time in less than a week, an entire family has been found shot to death, apparently the victims of a murder-suicide by a distraught father. Whitehall, Ohio, Police responded to a call around 2 p.m. Wednesday and found the bodies of Mark Meeks, 51; his wife, Jennifer Dallas-Meeks, 40; and children Jimmy, 5, and Abbigail, 8. “We’re confirming all four victims had gunshot wounds, and a gun was found at the scene,” Sgt. Dan Kelso said. As in the Los Angeles murder-suicide case, authorities say this incident also involved a suicide note. They declined, however, to reveal the contents of the letter. Police believe that Meeks shot his wife and two children and then himself, Kelso said. “Out of respect for the family, detectives are not releasing the actual motive, but it’s not financial, and he was employed,” he said. Officials at Immke Northwest Honda, where Meeks was a service manager, confirmed that he was a current employee. “We as a dealership decline to comment on this devastating tragedy, except to say that all of us here at Immke Northwest Honda are very sad and our condolences go out to the family,” Tom Spicer, vice president of operations, said. On Tuesday, the bodies of Ervin Antonio Lupoe, his wife and five children were found in their Los Angeles-area home after Lupoe faxed a letter to a local television station explaining that he and his wife had lost their jobs and felt it was better to end their lives.

Rev. Al Urges Folks to Speak Out on Crime
The Rev. Al Sharpton, who has been urging communities to stand strong against the bullies and thugs who terrorize neighborhoods, has launched a nationwide campaign against the “stop-snitching” mindset. All too often, says the president of the National Action Network, the people most likely to be victimized are the ones who fail to speak up about known suspects. Sharpton will join the families of two slain teenagers, 16-year-old Brandon Mills and 18-year-old Derrick ”Termite” Gloster. He will appear with Bishop Victory Curry and Rev. Gaston Smith at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Miami. The Harlem based Sharpton will add to a fund that was established to find Mills and Gaston’s killers. The “Stop Snitchin” slogan gained popularity in 2004, when producers Rodney Bethea and Ronnie “Skinny Suge” Thomas released a DVD by the same title, which featured drug dealers exposing various Baltimore, Maryland informants. The DVD also helped expose corrupt police in Baltimore, leading to the drug-dealing conviction of Baltimore PD officers William King and Antonio Murray, who were sentenced to 34 years in prison. Ironically, Thomas was also later sentenced to 15 years in prison for an alleged assault, drug conspiracy and extortion plot. Rap groups and their fans began sporting the “Stop Snitchin’” slogan on apparel. In a now infamous TV news segment, rapper Cam’ron appeared on 60 Minutes in April of 2007, where he explained his reasoning behind supporting the slogan. This is the type of mindset that keeps dangerous criminals on the streets, Sharpton says.  In the case of Mills and Gloster, police believe one or multiple gunmen sprayed a crowd of up to 50 people with an AK-47 assault rifle, leaving two dead and seriously wounding seven others. ”We are all hurting,” said Gloster’s grandmother, Caron Dixon, AP reports. “We are just so tired of these guns.”