Em Rosa and the Doom Cowboys
A week ago I wrote about George Kelling, the father of "broken windows" policing and the legacy of lawsuits and civil rights abuses the policy has reaped over the years. I basically stated that the theory--supported by our mayor and with millions from our city--was corrupt, meticulously seeking out the "disorderly elements" of society, or as Kelling called them, the "panhandlers, drunks, addicts, rowdy teenagers, prostitutes, loiterers, the mentally disturbed."
But let's be frank here. The Denver Police Department has one of the worst human rights records in the country. "Broken windows" policing is only going to agitate the problem and provide a convenient excuse to wipe homelessness under the carpet. The best solution would be an authentic Citizen Review Commission that would have the power to affect the police department and make pertinent decisions regarding an officer's conduct.
But before we can move towards a solution we need to understand and expose the problems blocking us from it. And right now, there is another study refuting Kelling's theory; and the mayor's office might be starting to realize that they've hooked their wagon to a PR disaster:
But let's be frank here. The Denver Police Department has one of the worst human rights records in the country. "Broken windows" policing is only going to agitate the problem and provide a convenient excuse to wipe homelessness under the carpet. The best solution would be an authentic Citizen Review Commission that would have the power to affect the police department and make pertinent decisions regarding an officer's conduct.
But before we can move towards a solution we need to understand and expose the problems blocking us from it. And right now, there is another study refuting Kelling's theory; and the mayor's office might be starting to realize that they've hooked their wagon to a PR disaster:
But Bernard Harcourt, a University of Chicago law professor, and Jens Ludwig, associate professor of public policy at Georgetown University, in their upcoming article argue: "From a public policy perspective, the faith that many policymakers place in the efficacy of broken windows is in the end just faith, rather than the result of convincing empirical evidence."Read More »
They said that a 2001 study Kelling co- wrote on broken windows is flawed. Kelling, who helped implement the broken-windows theory in New York during the 1990s, said in the study that a crackdown on misdemeanor crimes in New York reduced felony crimes...
I've just been dazzled by the circus surrounding Overland High School teacher Jay Bennish's comments. Comments recorded by a student, that showed the educator criticizing Bush's foreign policy and yes, the capitalist economic system.
Now famous first amendment attorney, David Lane, has jumped into the fray, while the bleeding heart fascists on marginalized talk radio bah their guts out.
Students of the teacher have walked out of class in protest, in a move that is unique for supposedly apathetic and immature individuals who are themselves marginalized by the very people who teach them. It all leads up to a decision in the next couple of days that will determine Bennish's fate.
Even Gov. Owens has said his piece, idiotic as it was:
"I'll bet that you don't have Mr. Bennish balancing later in the day talking about the good things that the United States is doing in Iraq, discussing why George Bush is not similar to Adolf Hitler," the governor said. "I'll bet there just aren't any tapes from any student of Mr. Bennish giving that other side."
But the most interesting thing for me was reading the liberal and Democratic response to it. Where are the Democrats on this issue? Have any of them even bothered to take a stand on it, and more importantly, should we expect them to?
Now famous first amendment attorney, David Lane, has jumped into the fray, while the bleeding heart fascists on marginalized talk radio bah their guts out.
Students of the teacher have walked out of class in protest, in a move that is unique for supposedly apathetic and immature individuals who are themselves marginalized by the very people who teach them. It all leads up to a decision in the next couple of days that will determine Bennish's fate.
Even Gov. Owens has said his piece, idiotic as it was:
"I'll bet that you don't have Mr. Bennish balancing later in the day talking about the good things that the United States is doing in Iraq, discussing why George Bush is not similar to Adolf Hitler," the governor said. "I'll bet there just aren't any tapes from any student of Mr. Bennish giving that other side."
But the most interesting thing for me was reading the liberal and Democratic response to it. Where are the Democrats on this issue? Have any of them even bothered to take a stand on it, and more importantly, should we expect them to?
The papers are abuzz right now, with the news that "crime consultant" George Kelling will be implementing his "broken windows" policing in two Denver neighborhoods--with a hefty paycheck from our mayor.
It was announced late last year that the Hickenlooper would be hiring Kelling, and it was met with dismay by those who monitor the Dever Police Department's less than stellar human rights record. And for good reason, as I shall later show.
To put it bluntly, the hiring of George Kelling and the implementation of the "broken windows" policy in Denver is extremely bad news for anyone who values civil rights and individual liberty. It's especially bad for minorities, young people, and the homeless. Not to mention our city's fiscal solvency.
So I'll bring my opinion on the matter to the table, and I want you to at least consider it. Because this move--along with the way our police work in general--has ramifications that could change this city forever.
Sure, our papers can use sunny euphemisms all they want about the issue. But when Republicans and the Heritage Foundation support the theory, you know there's something fishy going on here. Read More »
It was announced late last year that the Hickenlooper would be hiring Kelling, and it was met with dismay by those who monitor the Dever Police Department's less than stellar human rights record. And for good reason, as I shall later show.
To put it bluntly, the hiring of George Kelling and the implementation of the "broken windows" policy in Denver is extremely bad news for anyone who values civil rights and individual liberty. It's especially bad for minorities, young people, and the homeless. Not to mention our city's fiscal solvency.
So I'll bring my opinion on the matter to the table, and I want you to at least consider it. Because this move--along with the way our police work in general--has ramifications that could change this city forever.
Sure, our papers can use sunny euphemisms all they want about the issue. But when Republicans and the Heritage Foundation support the theory, you know there's something fishy going on here. Read More »
Denver's already depressing media apparatus sank a little deeper into the black quicksands of Hades yesterday, with the announcement that Gannett Co, owner of NBC Channel 9, will be buying UPN 20.
Gannet owns the lame-duck Coloradoan in Ft. Collins, and the "readers don't want news, they want pretty pictures" USA TODAY. It also profits internationally with outlets in the UK and Guam. This will be the second city where the company has two television stations. The other is in Florida, where Gannett owns both local ABC and NBC stations.
"Denver's robust media market makes it a great location" for ownership of two stations, said Roger Ogden, Gannett Broadcasting's president and chief executive. Until July, Ogden was KUSA's president and general manager.
Gannet owns the lame-duck Coloradoan in Ft. Collins, and the "readers don't want news, they want pretty pictures" USA TODAY. It also profits internationally with outlets in the UK and Guam. This will be the second city where the company has two television stations. The other is in Florida, where Gannett owns both local ABC and NBC stations.
We can thank the FCC for this. Because even though this purchase still has to be approved by the government, it's almost a guarantee that the company will get what it wants come this April.
So don't be surprised if next year you see on 9news increased coverage about those "great" new UPN shows. It like 9news giving special time to the movie King Kong, while failing to mention that the movie was produced by Universal Studios which is also owned by GE.
Currently, UPN is already responsible for censored South Park, a wannabe Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and boring stereotypical black comedies.
The late outlaw, Hunter S. Thompson, once said this:
True words. Put your ear to the ground and listen. It doesn't take long to figure out where the real whores roam. Thuggish cowboys still haunt our streets, unleashed and unkempt. They're not on East Colfax either, but in urbane and gruesomely decorated offices. In LODO. On capitol hill. That's Denver. Read More »
When you think of Denver you think of cowshit and gunfights, small brains and big guns, dumb brutes and wild whores with hearts of cheap gold. Yes, sir, that is Denver in a nutshell-a cowboy town with cowboy rules and cowboy justice.
True words. Put your ear to the ground and listen. It doesn't take long to figure out where the real whores roam. Thuggish cowboys still haunt our streets, unleashed and unkempt. They're not on East Colfax either, but in urbane and gruesomely decorated offices. In LODO. On capitol hill. That's Denver. Read More »
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