The Republican National Convention is now less than a week away and the Democrats will start up a few weeks from now. If you hurry, there’s still time to make other plans, so you don’t have to be caught home in front of the set.
The Republicans are meeting in Philadelphia, a large city with a Democratic mayor. The Democrats are meeting in Los Angeles, a large city with a Republican mayor. Someone needs to have a talk with the advance teams.
In Philadelphia, they’re knocking down houses in poor, black neighborhoods so the Republican fantasy of a rich, white nation can continue uninterrupted.
I was staying in a hotel last week, so I got to repeatedly watch CNN broadcast the video of Philadelphia police beating the daylights out of Thomas Jones. Mr. Jones, of course, had stolen a police car and engaged in a shootout with the Philadelphia PD, and yes, we do allow police officers to use force and yes, I too, would like to beat the living daylights out of some people, sometimes. But I don’t, and neither should the Philadelphia police. Once Mr. Jones was subdued, he should have been handcuffed and taken away. Society gives police officers extraordinary power, including the power to use force. In return, society has a right – actually a duty – to hold police officers to a higher standard of behavior.
What happened in Philadelphia, however distressing, looks like an isolated incident. In Los Angeles, seat of Al Gore’s coronation, the latest police scandal has been unfolding for months. Faked evidence, suspects beaten and/or shot, overturned convictions. I can’t say I’m surprised, nor am I an entirely innocent bystander to this mess. As is often the case, the system is a big part of the problem.
Fifteen years ago, I was a newspaper reporter, writing about crime and the justice system. When a crime was committed, my newspaper ran a story in which the police described the crime. When the suspect was arrested, we ran another story giving the police’s version of events. The story was rehashed for the arraignment article, during pre-trial motions and again at trial. The police and prosecution version of events got at least five chances to be aired in the media. The defense got one. This was not a sin committed only by my newspaper. Unless the defendant is a well-known person, that’s how crime is covered in America. Occasionally, a defense attorney would approach me after her or his client had been arrested, trying to tell the other side of the story. It was a no go. “We’re not here to help the defense attorney,” my managing editor would say. What was implied by that statement was that we were there to help the prosecutor. Add that kind of biased coverage to the steady diet of righteous tee vee cops and it’s no wonder things get out of hand. LA’s mayor, Richard Riordan, recently wrote that even non-violent protests will not be tolerated at the Democratic convention. Abuse of power starts at the top.
Don’t bother wasting any summer days watching the conventions. There’s nothing to see. All the dissenting voices have been shut out and all that remains is a corporate-sponsored, multimedia festival of insincerity.
But check the news to see if there’s any coverage outside the convention halls. See if you can find out what’s going on in the host cities. See if you can read the protesters’ placards. See if you can see any protesters at all. They’re easy to distinguish from the politicians. The protesters will be the ones talking about the issues.
Conventional Thinking
The Republican National Convention is now less than a week away and the Democrats will start up a few weeks from now. If you hurry, there’s still time to make other plans, so you don’t have to be caught home in front of the set.
The Republicans are meeting in Philadelphia, a large city with a Democratic mayor. The Democrats are meeting in Los Angeles, a large city with a Republican mayor. Someone needs to have a talk with the advance teams.
In Philadelphia, they’re knocking down houses in poor, black neighborhoods so the Republican fantasy of a rich, white nation can continue uninterrupted.
I was staying in a hotel last week, so I got to repeatedly watch CNN broadcast the video of Philadelphia police beating the daylights out of Thomas Jones. Mr. Jones, of course, had stolen a police car and engaged in a shootout with the Philadelphia PD, and yes, we do allow police officers to use force and yes, I too, would like to beat the living daylights out of some people, sometimes. But I don’t, and neither should the Philadelphia police. Once Mr. Jones was subdued, he should have been handcuffed and taken away. Society gives police officers extraordinary power, including the power to use force. In return, society has a right – actually a duty – to hold police officers to a higher standard of behavior.
What happened in Philadelphia, however distressing, looks like an isolated incident. In Los Angeles, seat of Al Gore’s coronation, the latest police scandal has been unfolding for months. Faked evidence, suspects beaten and/or shot, overturned convictions. I can’t say I’m surprised, nor am I an entirely innocent bystander to this mess. As is often the case, the system is a big part of the problem.
Fifteen years ago, I was a newspaper reporter, writing about crime and the justice system. When a crime was committed, my newspaper ran a story in which the police described the crime. When the suspect was arrested, we ran another story giving the police’s version of events. The story was rehashed for the arraignment article, during pre-trial motions and again at trial. The police and prosecution version of events got at least five chances to be aired in the media. The defense got one. This was not a sin committed only by my newspaper. Unless the defendant is a well-known person, that’s how crime is covered in America. Occasionally, a defense attorney would approach me after her or his client had been arrested, trying to tell the other side of the story. It was a no go. “We’re not here to help the defense attorney,” my managing editor would say. What was implied by that statement was that we were there to help the prosecutor. Add that kind of biased coverage to the steady diet of righteous tee vee cops and it’s no wonder things get out of hand. LA’s mayor, Richard Riordan, recently wrote that even non-violent protests will not be tolerated at the Democratic convention. Abuse of power starts at the top.
Don’t bother wasting any summer days watching the conventions. There’s nothing to see. All the dissenting voices have been shut out and all that remains is a corporate-sponsored, multimedia festival of insincerity.
But check the news to see if there’s any coverage outside the convention halls. See if you can find out what’s going on in the host cities. See if you can read the protesters’ placards. See if you can see any protesters at all. They’re easy to distinguish from the politicians. The protesters will be the ones talking about the issues.