Do you remember the name Shaneen Allen?
To refresh your memory, Ms. Allen is a single mother who lives in Pennsylvania and worked at two jobs to support her children. After being robbed, she applied for, and got, a gun permit, so she could protect herself.
In October, 2013, Ms. Allen, while in New Jersey, was pulled over for a minor traffic infraction. At that time, in an effort to avoid any misunderstanding, she voluntarily advised the police officer she had the gun in her car.
Bub because she did, Ms. Allen found herself facing somewhere between 3 1/2 and 10 years in prison. Why? Because New Jersey does not recognize Pennsylvania\’s gun permit – a fact which Ms. Allen either was unaware of or had forgotten.
If that were not disturbing enough, the District Attorney prosecuting Ms. Allen\’s case – jim mcclain – was the same guy who gave football star Ray Rice a virtual free pass when he knocked his then-girlfriend (now wife – which is another story unto itself) unconscious in the elevator of an Atlantic City casino and dragged her out by her hair.
A slap on the wrist for a football hero who intenionally beat up a woman, but throw away the key for a woman working at two jobs to to support her family who made an honest mistake. What a guy.
In my blog of September 9th, 2014, I wrote this:
Someone – I\’m voting for Governor Christie, either directly or through an intermediary- has to take jim mcclain aside and read him the riot act. Tell him that what he is doing to Shaneen Allen does not come within 1,000,000 miles of actual justice. Tell him that he had damn well better run, not walk, back to his office and make these charges go away.
Do it, Governor Christie. Even if you don\’t give a damn about Shaneen Allen (which, after waiting almost two months for you to act, apparently is the case), then how about doing it so that this disgraceful episode does not come back to haunt you in a future political campaign….maybe as soon as two years down the road.
A week later (FYI: I take no credit for this), mcclain\’s office announced it would allow Ms. Allen to enter a pretrial-intervention program and avoid jail time – the same treatment that Ray Rice got for intentionally clocking his girlfriend.
Well now, a full half year later, we find out, via an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, that Governor Christie has decided to pardon Shaneen Allen.
Great job, Governor Christie. You are really cooking. It only took you until April, 2015 to do the right thing.
Let me end by suggesting readers spend a few moments wiping my sarcasm off their computer screens.
