Several Hundred Big Pieces

Here is another example of how screwed up race relations are in this country. James Frey writes a so-called memoir that details a number of criminal activities and his path toward redemption. It turns out that his stories are mostly false. So, although he wanted desperately to be incarcerated, Frey couldn’t get arrested to save his life.

Meanwhile, Colton Simpson, an original member of the Crips gang based in L.A., wrote a critically-acclaimed book that chronicles his life inside the gang and his path toward redemption. Now the book is being used as evidence in his trial on charges that he participated in a robbery of an $800 diamond earring from a jewelry store. As you might infer, Simpson is African-America.

Why wasn’t there this much fortitude in pursuing Frey’s claims? Smoking Gun accidentally happened upon it, but no one else. I bet if law enforcement officials had investigated Frey, he would have come clean about his exaggerations long before Smoking Gum came knocking on his door. Even then, he should have been arrested just for being a buffoon.

If I’m Simpson, I would use the James Frey defense. He should say he exaggerated details in his book for dramatic effect. Heck, he should say that he’s really white.