Stereotypes...

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HOW DARE YOU RUIN MY FANTASY OF YOU GWYNETH PALTROW!!! EVERY HEARD OF ONE OF THESE???

The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword

Something tells me this isn't going to be the last we hear about police in Philadelphia. NBC News has decided to run with the story of a young journalism student at Temple University and her ill-fated ride-along with a rookie cop on a beat in one of the toughest sections of town. Senior Shannon McDonald, who also happens to be quite hot, has decided to tackle the ever present issue of police incompetence in regards to dealing with the community, and I have to say I for one support her.

The Article, from Temple.Edu in its entirety reads as follows:

Bill Thrasher is an officer in North Philadelphia’s 22nd police district. His blonde hair is youthful, unaltered by sun or life. His eyes are identical to the sky blue of the uniform shirt he wears beneath his jacket and bulletproof vest. The faint traces of acne on his jaw reveal his age before he offers it: 24. But Thrasher’s age is irrelevant in the 22nd district, where the majority of people he deals with are younger than he is. The district’s relationship with the community is nothing short of volatile.

“People hate us here,” Thrasher says of the community’s distaste for police officers. “They spit at us.”

The region’s rocky history with the Philadelphia Police Department is no secret among the rest of city. Shootouts, police brutality and tales of each group’s hate for one another flood the media and plague Philadelphia’s reputation. There are two sides to the conflict, and Thrasher isn’t ashamed of his.

“Of the 19 or 20 homicides so far this year, six were in Strawberry Mansion,” he says. “Most were in this district.”

In the 22nd district, burglaries and drug busts are the norm, but homicides are equally prevalent. As Thrasher circles the neighborhoods, he points out recent homicide scenes.

A man was shot 19 times on the 2400 block of Nicholas Street. At 2100 Newkirk St., a 17-year-old boy was shot several times by a friend for $120. On Myrtlewood Street, a man died from multiple gunshot wounds in the stomach.

“People in this neighborhood don’t care about each other,” Thrasher says matter of factly. “They’ll shoot each other for drugs, for money, for bulls---. All they care about is their reputation. They want to look tough.”

It’s hard to tell if Thrasher’s logic is a defense mechanism for his attitude toward the neighborhood, or the sentiment of an entire district.

The stories of police brutality are easier to believe when Thrasher and his colleagues interact. “TNS” is the code they use for many of their cases. When Thrasher arrives at Arthur’s Dog House on Germantown Avenue in response to a midday call about an escalating argument; the cook greets him by saying the fighting couple has already left.

“Nobody died,” he tells her dismissively.

Thrasher’s lieutenant drives by as Thrashers slides back into the seat of his car.

“TNS,” Thrasher tells his superior. “Typical N----- S---.”

Comments like this between two white police officers in a predominantly black section of the city only add fuel to the fire. So does Thrasher’s implication that because most of the houses in the 22nd district belong to the Housing Authority, there are more instances of violent crime.

But Thrasher insists the reasons behind the prejudices are not as superficial as they appear. Take for instance, the gang at 12th Street and Hunting Park Avenue.

“They call themselves “12th and Hunt ‘Em Down,” Thrasher says with a laugh. “They’re into some heavy s---, and most of them are younger than me.”

As he drives back toward Strawberry Mansion, Thrasher continues to point out crime scenes, eager to prove his words and actions stem from 18 months of exposure to black-on-black crime, and not from racism.

He stops on the 3000 block of Page Street, a quiet block whose houses are painted every color imaginable. The car idles in front of 3039, whose inhabitants, Thrasher says, are a constant thorn in the district’s side. This is not the quiet block the residents described it at less than a week ago.

Tyrone, a lifelong resident of Page Street, said the block is mostly quiet and full of seniors. The memorial on the corner, he explained, is for Mike, a friendly guy who died after a fight with another neighbor.

Today, the memorial is gone and Thrasher laughs hard at Tyron’s account of the story.

Michael Lane, 52, the father of 15 and with four prior arrests, was shot in the back of the head by his daughter’s boyfriend, James Moses, 50 years old, who had five prior arrests and a known associate of other homicide suspects.

Thrasher’s innocent eyes and baby face do little to redeem his harsh language.

“These people are f------ disgusting. It’s like they’re animals.”

Tyrone isn’t patrolling the street today, like he was last week. He is not here to explain his statements surrounding Lane’s death. Thrasher’s tone is matter of fact when he says Tyrone was probably involved in Lane’s death or some other crime he’s trying to escape.

Twenty minutes later, Thrasher and his lieutenant are defending their profession again when a mother demands to know why her two sons are consistently pulled over and arrested. The lieutenant says it’s a result of her sons’ long history with the police. The mother argues that it’s because her family is black.

The animosity between the black communities in North Philadelphia and the 22nd police district is cyclical. Crime begets more police, begets crime, and so on, but it is unclear when and where the cycle began.

Thrasher and another rookie officer exchange a wink and the TNS call after a traffic stop as Thrasher turns in the direction of headquarters to file paperwork.

“I’m not racist,” he says. “I work with black people everyday. They have jobs, they support their families, [and] they’re good people. Most of the people who live in this area are bad people. And they happen to be black.”

So just what is it that makes the cops hate people and people hate cops. The answer is, of course, human nature, and the root problem is the fact that people want to be free to do what they want. And why shouldn't people have the right to ruin their own lives? I don't care if people in bad parts of my city want to kill, rob, and generally destroy each other, but when it personally affects me, then I react. The problem with law enforcement in general is that we have long ago gave up on community policing and employing neighborhood cops who care about the citizens they serve and live in the communities they work in. Simply put, cops don't care, because they will be going home to their suburban gated communities once they get off the clock, and that disconnect from the "animals" they have to deal with day in and day out further dehumanizes them.

Yet, I can see the other side of the story too. Here is a young guy from the burbs who only wanted to get a good paying job where maybe he thought he could make a difference, and he gets himself into the clusterfuck that is modern day policing. Then an ambitious journalism students comes to see what its like to really be a cop, and doesn't like what she sees, or seeing as how she went to high school at an all girl's catholic school, maybe she has the typically sheltered view of the world as all roses and tulips. The world is an ugly place, especially when you get your first taste of the filth that hides behind human faces. Officer Thrasher has plenty of supporters however, and the city of brotherly love, like so many older eastern and southern cities, is so ethnically and racially divided that the rift looks more like a chasm than the papercut it ought to be.

"I had no idea what he was thinking," McDonald says, "but I was surprised that anyone could say something like that to someone with a pen and notepad."

Maybe that's part of the problem...the pen can be far more powerful when wielded by someone so untouched by harsh reality. I've never visited Philadelphia, but now I want to, I want to see if it's really so bad that the cops feel like targets themselves. According to Jane Thrasher Barnett, the cops sister, McDonald was likely a victim of her overzealous and left-wing nutcase professor, who butchered her piece into looking like some Bill O'Rielly would have pimped back in his "Hard Copy" days. She defends her brother by offering up:

This student, Shannon McDonald, is not a journalist.

She has not the credentials but is only a blogger.

If Ms. McDonald were a journalist, she would have violated the Journalists 'Code of Ethics' (attached).

I will speak (unauthorized) in P/O Thrasher's defense:

First Affirmative Defense:

Ms. McDonald did not seek truth; under the Preamble: "Members of the Society of Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty
of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues."
-By this, Ms. McDonald did not seek clarity from her quotes of P/O Thrasher. What was obviously vernacular, P/O Thrasher should have been questioned further as to avoid semantics. P/O Thrasher indicated that he is 'not a racist' which means McDonald should have gotten into more detail with Thrasher's slang. In other words, her report was not comprehensive and under the 'Code of Ethics'''Minimize Harm' -Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage. Use special sensitivity when dealing with children and inexperienced sources or subjects. -P/O Thrasher is still considered 'green' and not a veteran.

Second Affirmative Defense:

The DN reporter, Dafney Tales also did not try to 'minimize harm' by giving away much of P/O Thrasher's privacy by basically giving away his address: 'MINIMIZE HARM' -Recognize that private people have a greater right to control information about themselves than do public officials and others who seek power, influence or attention.
Only an overriding public need can justify intrusion into anyone’s privacy. Also private, was her [McDonald's] quoting of Thrasher, who did not make those vernacular statements to the community but to McDonald - this did not show compassion as in the 'Minimize Harm' section: "Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage."

Third Affirmative Defense:

McDonald stereotyped P/O Thrasher: As is token in the mainstream media, it is quite common for White Police Officers to be stereotyped as 'racist'. Never is this term, at least I have never read or seen any other ethnic group be termed 'racist'.
-SEEK TRUTH AND REPORT IT -"Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual
orientation, disability, physical appearance or social status." and under 'MINIMIZE HARM' - "Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance."

Fourth Affirmative Defense:

Code of Ethics 'ACT INDEPENDENTLY' - On each of Ms. McDonald's stories, she post's them but included in every story are two others who, by all accounts, appear to be phantoms: By Ibtisam Abdul-Barr, Shannon McDonald and Stephanie Ramirez - So, did all of these three [sic] people all do the same story?

Fifth Affirmative Defense:

Taking notes. With Ms. McDonald using Blogger via Blogspot, a program with spellchecker (see attached image) her misspelling of the word 'restaurant' indicates that even with a program, she did not 'check' her notes. This could be for a number of reasons. 1. She made a mistake 2. She did not go over her notes 3. She is dyslexic. For a true journalist, one's reputation is at stake. She could have easily made the same mistake while taking notes. And by the way, is she skilled in shorthand? This is a journalistic requirement. Apparently, she is not very good at crossing the T's and dotting the I's.

Sixth Affirmative Defense:

Ms. McDonald deceived P/O Thrasher:
SEEK TRUTH AND REPORT IT:
Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information except
when traditional open methods will not yield information vital to the public.
Use of such methods should be explained as part of the story.
-Ms. McDonald informed P/O Thrasher that she "informed him would be published for a class." -That's pretty specific as far as confidentiality goes. I'm sure P/O Thrasher thought the it would be isolated by this student.

Ms. McDonald also appears to have targeted P/O Thrasher with this: I run an online magazine for Northeast Philadelphia - my home, and the home of mostly white people who are cops or who are related to cops. Ms. McDonald did not seek diversity -" Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary should be labeled and not misrepresent fact or context"

Seventh Affirmative Defense:

Ms. McDonald's main blog site http://shannonmcdonald.net/ appears amateurish with hardly any readership and very few comments. I bet an ip search of those comments would reveal very similar to her own. She apparently was looking for a story to 'shoot her to stardom' and picked the stereotypical 'police racism' tactic.

Eighth Affirmative Defense:

Ms. McDonald's story was edited by her Professor. This certainly can ruin context.



And Who is McDonald's editor? None other than Linn Washington, the uber liberal Gregory Hines impersonator who also happens to be a well publicized and valiant defender of Mumia Abu-Jamal. Abu-Jamal is former Black Panther, stoner journalist and overall thoroughly thought provoking dude accused of murdering a white police officer, Daniel Faulkner. Put the pieces together and you can start to see how the problems of the city come full circle, as is with all things in life. Abu-Jamal himself could be a forebearer to the situation that appears to be at a head in many cities in our country. There is indeed a socio-economic machine that rules and controls all, and people need to wake up and realize what is happening to our country. Watch the video at the end to get a taste of his radical thinking and then you begin to realize things he said 13 years ago now hold even more true today. It's only a matter of time before the ghettos of the wealthiest, most powerful country in the history of the world rage against said machine...

And you know what, he's right, and Washington was right to edit the piece into the expose it was. McDonald, being new to the game, was just the pawn, but she deserves credit too for willing to ostricize herself in the search of truth. After her article came out, McDonald was worried she might have ruined her chances of getting hired, but I guarantee it helped put her on the map and somebody is going to take a risk on a reporter unafraid of spilling the guts of a city for all to see. And lastly, Officer Thrasher wasn't wrong to feel the way he does, he deals with the worst of the worst for a living and obviously wasn't smart enough not to run his mouth off to a reporter, but that's the price you pay sometimes. But the brutal reality of this whole debacle is that everyone comes off as a waste of space...the reporter, the cop, the editor, and even the whole damn city.

McDonald claims that her online site neastmag.wordpress.com is:

...for the police officer who grew up in Philadelphia, went to North Catholic High School and wants his kids to do the same. NEast is for the Mom who works a part time job while her kids are in school to make ends meet. NEast is for the cheerleader at Washington High School who likes to read magazines after school. NEast Magazine is for every Northeast Philadelphian who wants to read a magazine about their part of the city.

Somewhere along the way, sometime between now and 2005 when she started her mission to inform the masses, she started trying to appeal to the masses with sensationalism. The true mark of an independent mind is not to shamelessly destroy, but to create through innovative reporting, exposing the kindness and decency in everday people, and giving us hope and advice on how to make things better. Otherwise, you're nothing more than another Perez Hilton, Shawn Hannity, or Al Franken. Tooting your own horn while those around you go deaf is no way to garner attention, just a sure fire way to make people tune you out. But I digress, you needn't worry Shannon, you will always have a place in my heart and are always welcome to irse a la cama con papi grande blanco!!!

The Next Snuggie?

I'm currently working on inventing the fire hydrant bidet...

From The Secret Files Of Dr. Eggroll

Original or Extra Crispy?

Even In This Economy, I'm Not Interested...

From the San Diego Craigslist:

Senomyx is seeking an outstanding part-time front desk clerk to work in our Office Services department providing lunch coverage for the Receptionist, Monday – Friday from
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm. Please note that this position is for 5 hours/week, 1 hour/day. Experience in routine front desk tasks, knowledge of multi-line phones systems, and general computer skills are preferred. Excellent communication skills are required. This position requires an outstanding candidate who possesses the ability to exercise sound judgment and adhere to defined front desk procedures and practices when determining appropriate actions. High school diploma required with minimal experience.