Griffin Speaks

SHE WAS HOT FROM HER HEAD TO HER TOE

In 1984, I was sitting in a Church’s Fried Chicken Restaurant on Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, Massachusetts, when a beautiful young black girl walked inside. She was elaborately dressed. She looked like a movie star. One could easily see that her clothes were very expensive.

She was meeting a couple of girlfriends as elaborately dressed as herself. They popped their fingers and swung their heads back and forth as they greeted one another. Each complimented the other about how wonderful they looked. I tuned into their conversation and what I learned has stayed with me to this very day.

“Girl I am hot from my head to my toe!” I soon learned that every item this young lady was wearing was stolen. She told the other girls that she had the hookup. She would shop at a particular store then contact her thief and he or she would shoplift the requested item. I was amazed even though I had some earlier exposure to people being accused of purchasing items hot.

In 1975, the first black Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina, Clarence Lightner had the unfortunate experience of having his wife; Marguerite arrested and tried for receiving stolen property. I attended her trial and listened to the embarrassing testimony. The thief was portrayed as the best shoplifter in the city. She told the jury that the mayor’s wife was a regular customer. She said that she would make orders for clothing as though she was ordering from a catalog. I did not believe a word of the testimony. Personally I believed that it was a setup to destroy the first black mayor’s political career.

Mrs. Lightner was found not guilty. The Black Community rejoiced, but the political career of our Mayor was over. He lost his bid for re-election. Why did the Mayor’s detractors choose to use a thief to entrap the wife of the mayor?

As I became older I learned that it is not uncommon for Black Folk to buy things hot! It is much cheaper than the outrageous prices in the stores. In fact, the person purchasing the hot items is rarely caught. Amazingly many prominent African Americans continue the practice after they have become solidly middle class citizens. What message do we send our kids when we participate in such immoral activity? The message could lead them to believe that it is permissible to be dishonest. It is a message that could destroy their life. I thank God that my parents never participated or condoned such dishonest activity.

In 1998, the FBI released a report that there were 155,300 arrests for buying, receiving and possessing stolen property. It is not uncommon to pick up a paper and read that a celebrity or community leader has been arrested for participating in this immoral act.

When the police arrest people that steal for prominent people they often make a deal with them. They ask them to flip the fence. They ask for the names of their regular customers. The next thing you know the customer is arrested when he receives his next order.

In the State of Alabama a person commits the crime of receiving stolen property if he intentionally receives, retains or disposes of stolen property knowing that it has been stolen or having reasonable grounds to believe it has been stolen, unless the property is received, retained or disposed of with intent to restore it to the owner. (Section 13A-8-16) Receiving stolen property in the first degree occurs when a person receives stolen property, which exceeds $1000.00 in value. This is a Class B Felony punishable by not more than 20 years or less than 2 years. Receiving stolen property in the second degree occurs when a person receives property, which exceeds $100.00 in value but does not exceed $1000.00 in value. This is a Class C Felony punishable by not more than 10 years or less than one year and 1 day. Receiving stolen property, which does not exceed $100.00 in value, constitutes receiving stolen property in the third degree. This is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by 1 year or less in jail.

Please think twice before you purchase something hot. The next knock at your door could very well be the POLICE!

Greg Griffin is a free lance writer. You can read his previous articles at www.greggriffin.com