(From Press Release) – Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig, Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel and the FBI will hold a joint press conference today at the Davis Police Department to announce the arrest of 30-year-old Davis resident Lauren Kirk-Coehlo.
The complaint filed by the Yolo County District Attorney alleges that during the early morning hours of January 22, 2017, Kirk-Coehlo vandalized the Islamic Center of Davis. Video footage shows a female suspect smashing six window panes and placing something on the exterior door handle of the Islamic Center of Davis. It was later determined that strips of bacon were placed on the door handle. The suspect also destroyed two bicycles on the property.
Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel and the FBI will give a briefing on the investigation and arrest and District Attorney Jeff Reisig will discuss the charges and the prosecution of Kirk-Coehlo.
The briefing will take place at 2 pm at the Davis Police Department located at 2600 5th Street in Davis
Only previous appearance on the internet. Is an interest in the appropriateness of glittery Y2K sunglasses the foreshadowing of a bacon smearer? Should we have seen this coming? Did she cut those bicycle seats with ‘the fire of a thousand suns’?
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How can the human race survive the next hundred years?
In a world that is in chaos politically, socially and environmentally, how can the human race sustain another 100 years?
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Dear Professor Hawking,
I don’t know. However, I sincerely hope that the next three years are appreciated, since the “2000”-style glittery new years’ glasses won’t be appropriate after 2009.
With the fire of a thousand suns,
Lauren Kirk-Coehlo
I attended the press conference.
Learned a few things:
She went to Davis high
Her mother is a judge of some sort in Sacramento
She is being charged with a felony hate crime and facing six years.
And she’s being held on $1 million bail.
And the arrest was facilitated by tips from some people who watched the video – did I hear that correctly?
Yes
Thanks.
I am very glad to see that we have a suspect apprehended. I am not pleased by the $1 million bail nor the idea of a sentence for six years. I would say that this is exactly the kind of situation where some kind of economic restoration to the mosque, home monitoring and community service might be of much more benefit than incarceration as well as much less expensive for the tax payers.
Needless to say I have some extensive thoughts on this. The lack of flight risk and danger to the community is clear here. The bail schedule for the two offenses and enhancement is a total of $60,000. I imagine they had much more serious offenses in mind when they set the bail schedule for hate crime offenses.
Tend to agree with you Tia, but would add “shunning” to the restorative justice mix, to last at least 3 years… no-one in Davis talks to her, or even acknowledges her presence… we could start that now, if we had a good picture of her, and avoid the need for bail, trial and incarceration… it would make clear, “not in our town”… guess we still need the trial unless she ‘plea bargains’ for the restorative justice thing (which, I agree, is appropriate)…
Howard
Shunning would have some satisfaction for the populace I am sure, but it seems too punitive for me. And too much like an episode of Black Mirror. I believe in safety, and help to gain perspective and understanding both of the feelings of others and the consequences of our own actions. I am not a fan of punishment which I feel feeds the vindictive tendencies of those not undergoing the punishment, and does little to help the individual reintegrate into the society.
Tia:
From what I know of the situation, I agree with your thoughts, even though this had a big impact on the community (including members of the Islamic Center). Hopefully, the community’s response helped heal that impact.
If this person is in fact guilty, it just seems so strange to me. (30 years old, female, apparently sole participant.) If there was no video, I wouldn’t have “guessed” that profile.
Ron… the vandalism wasn’t so much a ‘big’ impact, as a ‘broad’ impact… it meant that Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Ba’hai, etc. need to ‘watch their six’… also anyone else who is ‘different’… race, gender, sexual orientation, political orientation, also need to ‘watch their six’, and all who work by a moral compass should be prepared to assist all the others to do so…
Howard:
Good point. “Broad” is a better way of describing it.
Also, if one were to create a comprehensive list of “differences”, it could be quite extensive. (Depending upon who is making the list, as well.)
Ron… that’s why I used the term “etc.”… yes, very extensive… Tia is on the right track, as you were when you said, “If this person is in fact guilty, it just seems so strange to me. “.
May be a MH issue… too early to judge either guilt and/or motivation… but as they say “does not compute”… I’m content to wait and see how this plays out…
Ron
“ I wouldn’t have “guessed” that profile.”
I appreciate your sharing. And I think that this sentence illustrates why “profiling” is not a very good strategy. It is based on assumptions, which themselves are based on our personal biases.
Agreed, Tia. But, regarding your statement:
“It is based on assumptions, which themselves are based on our personal biases.”
Might these assumptions also be based on statistics, to some degree? For example, young male teenagers (as a group) might engage in vandalism more often, compared to other populations? And, we sometimes internalize that knowledge (leading to biases)?
In other words, do biases arise out of thin air? Or, do they sometimes have some basis in reality?
Are biases something to be stamped or somehow ignored? (Or, should we just be aware of them?)
I realize that these questions are closely related to profiling.
I sometimes struggle with the best way to reconcile these thoughts, myself.
Ron/Tia… years ago I heard an “inconvenient truth”…
“There are ‘reasons’ for all stereotypes”… they all have scintillas of truth… yet, we should be aware of those, but act based on facts, individuals, NOT on stereotypes…
[one of my favorite quotes is, “even if you are paranoid, that doesn’t mean someone isn’t out to get you”… another comes from Satchel Paige, “Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.”]
Howard:
Excellent post.
I wonder if there’s ever going to be some way for individuals and society to come to terms/peace with this. It’s such a sensitive issue, and honest discussion, empathy and understanding seems to be lacking (and quickly degenerates into blame of some type). Generally, a topic that I’d rather avoid.
I also wonder if “categorizing” is somehow related to the way that our minds evolved, to survive. A way to “make sense” of the world, by generalizing (with emotion such as fear and anger involved, as well). (Even if it’s not an entirely accurate assessment of the world.)
Perhaps the crime discussed in this article might simply be a much more extreme manifestation of the biases that many (all?) of us have? And, by “condemning” this crime in a very public manner, it helps us convince ourselves that we’re all “free” of biases?
I think I’ll shut up and sign off, now. Before I get myself deeper in trouble. 🙂
David, has anyone in any of the local media made an attempt to get this person’s booking photo from the Sheriff’s Department? Booking photos are commonly made available. Why not in this case?
They just said if we wanted the booking photos we could get them through the Sheriff’s Office. I didn’t attempt to do so.
Have you read the Enterprise comments about the booking photo? Many of the commenters are trying to make it about race. That they used an innocent looking high school photo in order to try and portray her in a better light. That if she were a person of color that a booking photo would’ve been used. Even when an Enterprise employee explained that the booking photo wasn’t available at that time some commenters still refused to back down. It’s getting disgusting how race has to be infused into everything even a simple photo used to accompany a story.
You act as though race doesn’t infuse a whole host of decisions and reactions.
Not in that case, as was explained by the Enterprise employee it was simply that the booking photo hadn’t been released at the time and wasn’t some kind of plot.
But it doesn’t surprise me that you would come back with that response.
I agree it wasn’t a plot in this case, but I’m convinced that police are more likely to release bad booking photos than good ones. And people who are better off generally get decent pictures to the press so they don’t use the booking photos.