Generally I’m not into the whole police blotter thing, but since it might be of interest to others, the Alameda Police Department has made an arrest in the homicide of Troy Lancaster. Today, 19 year-old Alameda resident, Michael James Edgar was arrested by APD in the shooting dead of Troy Lancaster.
One great thing about the Alameda Police Department is they certainly know how to close a case, which we all as residents should be thankful of.
A parolee from an Alameda low income housing project kills another kid … ON OUR ISLAND! Why so many of you want to make it easier for scumbags like Michael James Edgar to live here is absolutely beyond me.
I guess that, once again, it was the usual suspects …
Comment by Tay Tay Shaniqua — August 7, 2008 @ 2:22 pm
PS – My condolences to Troy’s family. As a community, I wish that we had done more to have protected our citizens from murderers like Michael James Edgar.
Comment by Tay Tay Shaniqua — August 7, 2008 @ 2:35 pm
Before anyone jumps to conclusions there needs to be a trial if the defendant does not plead guilty. The case isn’t closed. Emotions run high when a crime has been committed and that is why we have a criminal justice system that requires finding of facts. It is too easy in situations like this to let emotions run wild.
A co-worker of mine is related to the young man that was killed and his death was just announced at work.
Here is a link to the story about the arrest.
http://www.mercurynews.com/alamedacounty/ci_10129244
Comment by AlamedaNayTiff — August 7, 2008 @ 2:49 pm
A jerk from who knows where posts an intentionally inflammatory attack(known as a troll) … ON OUR ISLAND! Why so many of you want to make it easier for idiots like Tay Tay to access the internet is absolutely beyond me.
I guess that, once again, it was the usual suspects …
There. fixed it for you.
Comment by notadave — August 7, 2008 @ 3:00 pm
I want to play back-up-my-ignorance-with-a-single-meaningless-anecdotal-story too!
Alameda Magazine has the scoop
From the article:
Clearly, we all know that being from a poor background gains our community classical piano playing Princeton students. We should really look at having our city be all people from low-income families so that they can all be talented and smart!
Comment by Johnknoxwhite — August 7, 2008 @ 4:01 pm
So, notdave, can’t admit when you are wrong? Not surprising
Comment by Tay Tay Shaniqua — August 7, 2008 @ 4:16 pm
Does anybody know how many parolees reside in Alameda? Is there any way to find out?
Comment by Citizen X — August 7, 2008 @ 4:46 pm
#6
Put the rope away and calm down.
http://www.ktvu.com/news/17125309/detail.html
Comment by AlamedaNayTiff — August 7, 2008 @ 5:00 pm
Ahh Tay tay, you moronic douche. How does shoe leather taste? Someone in another thread talked about how you shoot first and ask questions later. They were sure right about that.
Comment by notadave — August 7, 2008 @ 5:29 pm
#2 Your “condolences”. Like you care about the kid as much as you are salivating at any opportunity to bait people with your disgusting attitude and stereotypes. Well, you baited me again you anonymous he-man you. You challenge # 4 but conveniently haven’t responded to #5 which really paints your dumb ass into a corner.
Comment by Mark Irons — August 7, 2008 @ 6:29 pm
This is a tragic event. Both of these boys were just babies; and they were friends at one point.
Both of these boys were members of this island community.
It is the overall attitude of retribution that creates conditions like the ones we see so sadly displayed here.
Where is the sadness and concern over the tragedy; why are we so quick to seek more blood?
God bless Troy and his family in this difficult time, and god bless that poor young man Michael who commited a terrible atrocity in an act of anger.
We are not here to judge our brothers. May god have mercy on him.
Comment by TakeAnotherLook — August 7, 2008 @ 7:19 pm
May G-d have mercy on all our souls. We are all human, fallible and vulnerable.
Comment by AlamedaNayTiff — August 7, 2008 @ 7:42 pm
# 9 & #10 – Interesting that Mark Irons and notdave resort to slinging their “moronic douche” and “dumb ass” slurs at this moment … I truly hope that neither of these individuals ever hold an elected office ON OUR ISLAND. I must say that it is the holier-than-thou attitudes like theirs that is turning the once serene tolerant oasis of Alameda in to the over-taxed, transgender promoting, criminal attracting, closed minded, politically correct welfare state that OUR ISLAND is becoming. Good luck in your quest to ruin Alameda guys … you will not succeed.
Comment by Tay Tay Shaniqua — August 7, 2008 @ 7:52 pm
Could someone direct me to where the grown-ups are posting?
Comment by j'adoube — August 7, 2008 @ 9:13 pm
Hopefully, they’ll get the guy who robbed Trader Joe’s next …
Comment by alameda — August 7, 2008 @ 9:49 pm
Tay Tay….oxymoron? Once..tolerant…into transgender promoting, closed minded? Don’t like it move…the suburbs are opening up maybe you will find what you are looking for there.
Comment by Joel — August 7, 2008 @ 10:35 pm
RIP Troy, love to Ivan, Jackson and the rest of the Lancasters
Comment by Bob — August 8, 2008 @ 3:50 am
Tay Tay is a “TROLL”, if you quit feeding it, it will go away.
Comment by john piziali — August 8, 2008 @ 7:58 am
Actually John, I believe strongly in what I am saying … as do the MANY Alamedans who agree with my points of view. Your closed minded intolerance of anyone who disagrees with your myopic view of the world only serves to underscore the need for people like me to provide a balance to your tyrannical designs for OUR ISLAND.
Comment by Tay Tay Shaniqua — August 8, 2008 @ 10:15 am
So, Tay Tay, how would you remake OUR ISLAND in your image? Expel anyone who moved here after 1980? Police checkpoints at the Webster Tube to keep out parolees, trannies, and other undesirables? Compulsory re-education programs to ensure that no one ever uses PC terms like “African-American” and “visually impaired” ever again?
I’m sure we’re all eager to find out more about how you would keep OUR ISLAND free of the sort of “tyranny” you deplore.
Comment by pch1013 — August 8, 2008 @ 10:24 am
I think it’s more important to address the bigger picture– that perhaps the weakening economy is causing a slight rise in violent crime. This shooting took place in the low-income area of town. Were there drugs involved? What drives late teens to twenty-somethings to drugs and general vagrancy? Maybe it boils down to not enough opportunities in terms of jobs, activities, and not being able to go to college after high school.
I like looking at the bigger picture rather than always pointing fingers at individuals. It is a community problem.
Comment by kb — August 8, 2008 @ 12:52 pm
21 Keep Blabbing
An individual committed that crime. If you committed it as part of the village, go turn yourself in.
Stick your collective guilt where the sun don’t shine.
Comment by laquan white — August 9, 2008 @ 1:17 pm
“I like looking at the bigger picture rather than always pointing fingers at individuals”
You’re right kb … we should give that poor murdering scumbag a break. After all, it is society’s fault that he shot an unarmed boy point blank in the head … TWICE.
I am sure that if we all hold hands, sing cumbia, and add a few more tolerance classes in kindergarten things will be just fine …
Comment by Tay Tay Shaniqua — August 9, 2008 @ 2:08 pm
I want to express my condolences to the Lancaster family. I can only begin to imagine what the family is experiencing.
As someone who is from this community, and actually worked with youth there for nearly five years, it is disheartening to read such narrow-minded remarks on comments here and on Chron about our young people. This tragedy should not be a forum for race-baiting and politics of fear and stereotypes.
And as someone who knows the alleged perpetrator of this crime, I have to say, it is completely out of character. Fortunately blogs are not courts of law and the suspect is innocent until proven guilty.
I appreciate those who recognize that, while personal responsibility is core to an act as homicide, there is a social responsibility that all Alamedans bare. As I would suspect, one of our own has committed this crime, meaning we need to find the truth to what lead to this to prevent another child from being taken from us. Remember, two or more young promising lives may be lost because of this.
I have no doubt in my mind that this island has failed too many of its young people. So many are lost and feel as if they are without opportunity.
I pray that Troy’s death will not be in vain. There are so many young people who are dying inside, who cry out for help, yet Alameda’s “adults” are too arrogant or fearful, or ignorant to help. May our island’s isolationism and “Us-them/here-there” mentality and perception of violence end, allowing us to heal internally, as well as our neighbors.
As the youth in the Esperanza have written on countless walls on the West End: RIP Troy.
Comment by Reginald James — August 10, 2008 @ 12:20 am
Reginald … I understand your sentiments but take issue with some of your statements. When another crime is committed at 2 am in a crime-ridden area, it is hardly narrow minded to assume that a criminal did it. Nor is it an inappropriate time to ask ourselves how do we rid our community of such criminals and how to prevent them from moving here in the first place.
You also say that the murders actions were completely out of character. The suspect is a parolee who was in a crime-ridden area at 2 am and shot someone in the head point blank … TWICE. Character is not determined by how one wishes he would act but by one’s actions. I would say that the facts (if proven in court) speak for themselves and that such action was completely within the murders character.
As for what youth in the Esperanza have written on countless walls on the West End, how disgusting that the Esperanza youth are vandalizing and graffitiing the area with spray paint in the name of the victim. Is there anyone in that project that is not a criminal???
Comment by Tay Tay Shaniqua — August 10, 2008 @ 9:18 am
We don’t have trial by blog. We need to end the rush to judgment.
As for that spray paint. It doesn’t make the community look good and the practice has not helped to end the violence in other communities. If that were my son, I would find it disturbing. It would be best if it were taken down and something more positive put in its place.
Comment by AlamedaNayTiff — August 10, 2008 @ 9:59 am
#19 ” actually John I believe strongly in what I am saying”
You do ?
nice try “TROLL”
you know my name.
Comment by john piziali — August 10, 2008 @ 4:43 pm
“Nice try “TROLL. You know my name.”
Not only do I know your name John, but I know you as well. However, the aforementioned closed minded intolerance of anyone who disagrees with your myopic view of the world makes it economically dangerous for me to reveal mine. This fact was made abundantly clear during the Measure H debate throughout the Island: disagree with the masses and you will be targeted …
Unfortunately, John, the respect that I once had for you has been great diminished. Not because of your points of view … I am happy to agree to disagree with people on issues of importance and embrace the opportunity to have my mind changed by a persuasive argument. My complete lack of respect for you is stemming from your obvious utter contempt for people who disagree with your methods for accomplishing similar community goals … a personality flaw that will completely eclipse any political aspirations you may have during your upcoming retirement.
Nevertheless, should you wish to cross swords again, I’ll be right here on this blog ready to condemn violent crime on OUR ISLAND, overtaxation on OUR ISLAND, wasteful government spending on OUR ISLAND, and hateful intolerance of opposing points of view on OUR ISLAND.
Comment by Tay Tay Shaniqua — August 10, 2008 @ 5:22 pm
#28
How come, whenever you say, “OUR ISLAND,” I get this gut feeling that it does not include me?
Comment by AlamedaNayTiff — August 10, 2008 @ 7:31 pm
ANT – Which part of #28 did you disagree or feel excluded by?
Comment by Dave K — August 10, 2008 @ 7:53 pm
#30
“OUR ISLAND.” Not quite sure who the us versus them is, but whenever I hear that sort of language I get quite uneasy. Perhaps the writer should clarify what he means.
BTW, what are you doing in “OUR NEIGHBORHOOD?”
Comment by AlamedaNayTiff — August 10, 2008 @ 8:08 pm
ANT – I do not understand how you would feel excluded. There has been only one group that I have stated I would like to see driven off of the Island: criminals. Please enlighten me as to which part of post #28 you feel excludes you from what I call OUR ISLAND?
Comment by Tay Tay Shaniqua — August 10, 2008 @ 8:15 pm
“OUR ISLAND. Not quite sure who the us versus them is, but whenever I hear that sort of language I get quite uneasy. Perhaps the writer should clarify what he means.”
You are reading between lines that do not exist … OUR ISLAND, OUR COUNTRY, OUR PLANET obviously refers to members of those particular communities. I do not know how to dumb it down any more for you …
As for what I am doing in “OUR NEIGHBORHOOD”, I live here …
Comment by Tay Tay Shaniqua — August 10, 2008 @ 8:20 pm
economically dangerous to reveal my name,
What a lame excuse, I have earned my living in Alameda for over 27 years, and have always been willing to use my name when I have something to say.
Troll I don’t know anyone that is as evil as you sound.
Comment by john piziali — August 10, 2008 @ 8:57 pm
“I have earned my living in Alameda for over 27 years, and have always been willing to use my name when I have something to say.”
Easy to do when you blindly follow mass thought and persecute anyone who disagrees with anything but the most politically correct offerings.
“Troll I don’t know anyone that is as evil as you sound.”
First, if you think that Im evil, you need to get off of the Island more often, Second, the fact that you think that someone exercising their right of free speech when it comes to discussing governmental solutions to community problems as “evil” exemplifies the need for more free thinkers to log on and voice their opinions in defiance of your weak attempt at thought control. Tyrannical intimidation attempting to force politically correct conformity should never be tolerated on OUR ISLAND, in OUR COUNTRY, nor on OUR PLANET.
Comment by Tay Tay Shaniqua — August 10, 2008 @ 9:12 pm
PS – As more houses are built and more successful people move on to OUR ISLAND, fanatical voices tend to be displaced to the point of non-existence. Your political career is over John. But don’t worry, OSH will be hiring before you know it
Comment by Tay Tay Shaniqua — August 10, 2008 @ 9:20 pm
“Tyrannical intimidation attempting to force politically correct conformity should never be tolerated on OUR ISLAND”
And once again I invite you to share your solutions for ridding Alameda of politically correct tyranny.
I mentioned a couple of solutions in #20 above. Do you support measures like these? If not, then what — besides commenting on this blog — would you suggest we do?
Comment by pch1013 — August 10, 2008 @ 11:14 pm
pch1013 … your suggestions in #20 were so ridiculous that I did not feel compelled to respond. However, you made one interesting sarcastic query: “Compulsory re-education programs to ensure that no one ever uses PC terms like “African-American” and “visually impaired” ever again?” To me, this is no different than what our school district intends to do now with its compulsory re-education programs to ensure that no one ever uses the term homo, fag, queer, or tranny again?” It is another governmental attempt to force politically correct thought upon its citizenry. I occasionally have gay friends over to my house for dinner, but they have never looked across the table and tried to convince me what they are doing is “normal” or “ok”. Mainly, because it is none of my business how my friends want to live their personal lives … and it certainly isn’t the government’s.
I subscribe to a simple political philosophy … that the government should stay out of the people’s heads and out of their wallets as much as possible …
Comment by Tay Tay Shaniqua — August 11, 2008 @ 12:05 am
Why should they have to convince you that sitting across the table and eating dinner with you is “OK”?
It’s not about what gay people do, it’s about who they are. And if you object to the schools’ efforts to dissuade its students from using anti-gay slurs, what about the “N” word? Should schoolkids be free to bandy that one about too?
Comment by pch1013 — August 11, 2008 @ 8:21 am
“And if you object to the schools’ efforts to dissuade its students from using anti-gay slurs, what about the “N” word? Should schoolkids be free to bandy that one about too?”
Actually, as I have said again and again, I object to the methodology, not the message. But thank you for clearly illustrating the problem with Alameda “Progressive” (truly a misnomer) thinkers. You take incredible leaps of logic and presume to know what every one “really means”. You took my desire to not have the government legislate family values and turned it in to me condoning homophobic and racial slurs. Try addressing my actual statements instead of arguing against what you think I really mean. There is enough meat in what I actually say for you to chew on …
Comment by Tay Tay Shaniqua — August 11, 2008 @ 8:39 am
What you actually said is that the schools are conducting “compulsory re-education programs” so that people — by which I assume you mean schoolchildren; there aren’t very many adults attending Alameda schools — won’t say homo, fag, or queer anymore. I doubt very much whether Johnny’s fourth-period “tolerance” teacher will be deputized to arrest anyone, least of all a random adult, for using those terms, so this appears to be a very far cry from a government program to “legislate family values.”
So where is this government program to “legislate family values,” and what measures are they taking? It will be easier for me to address your concerns once I know what you “really mean.”
Comment by pch1013 — August 11, 2008 @ 8:51 am
At the risk of sullying your reputation (but considering a large portion of the group that contributes here, that’s a good thing) you are spot on, Tay Tay!
It’s refreshing to know that all the sane people haven’t left the island.
Comment by laquan white — August 11, 2008 @ 9:01 am
What Tay Tay Shaniqua and Laquan White mean to say is:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2008/06/sandy-banks-jus.html
Comment by AlamedaNayTiff — August 11, 2008 @ 9:24 am
And here’s what NayTiff meant to say:
go roll th’spliff fat, go’ave quick snack then it is time to burn th’nother” I am noooo jumayken a naytiff kunaidyen who loff muh shwag mon …
I believe he’s an english chap and to have gone through the trouble to get the ‘naytiff’ phonetics correct albeit by way of ‘misspelling’ …
emm not a naytiff inglish speekar! P.P.S.: You’re free to use the “Print And Play” concept in your own files as long as you mention me as the guy who had …
Comment by laquan white — August 11, 2008 @ 12:19 pm
So, Mark Irons, notdave, ANT, pizzali … I guess your “progressive” love for all the low income scumbags of the world resulted in another murder in the Alameda projects. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK
Comment by Jeff R. Thomason — March 9, 2009 @ 9:15 pm
I grew up with Troy and all of the Lancasters. It is heartbreaking to see that 2 lives have been completely ruined because of a murderer acting on emotion. I miss you Troy Alan Lancaster, and I’m sending much love to the Lancaster family. As time goes on, people forget tragedies that have happened because it is much easier to forget. This family will be thinking of this senseless act that took their dear son, as long as they live. Can’t wait to see you all again.
Comment by Jackie Paisal — June 17, 2009 @ 6:32 pm