Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Official Negligence by Lou Cannon, Chpts 15-18
In Chapters 15, 16, 17 and 18 Cannon effectively investigates what was going on behind the scenes, uncovering the "official negligence" surrounding the second case. Cannon reflects the damage the legal mind games between Braun, Stone and Judge Davies; though the memo "did not contain much that the defense could not have figured out for itself," it created unnecessary drama between the different defense lawyers and wasted valuable time (402). Because the situation was handled so poorly by all three parties, "instead of equalizing the odds, the memorandum damaged the defense it was intended to help" (404). In addition, the media manipulated the vulnerability of the city in its portrayals of the trial, running stories on the necessity for a guilty verdict of the city was to ever recover form the riots of 1992 (405). The trial itself was also run poorly; Cannon states that the defense and prosecution basically ran circles around each other, choosing jurors based mostly on race alone. Cannon reveals "Both government and defense lawyers presumed much and knew little about the jury candidates whose merits they debated. The Watts man proved a competent juror who listened to the evidence, leaned initially toward acquittals, and eventually went along with the majority... Braun was wrong... Salzman wrong... and Clymer wrong" (410). True that Cannon has the benefit of hindsight, but you would think a defense as premier as this would have more intelligence than to resort to blatant racial stereotyping. As Braun said during the trial "'We survived the prosecution just fine. The questions is whether we can survive the defense'" (430). The defense was its own worst enemy because of miscommunication and ignorance.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Rodney King NYTimes Articles: a biased story
The New York Times reports on the Rodney King case present a story to the paper's audience. Here is my interpretation of the story told by five different articles.
March 10: An investigation began into the beating of a 25 year old black motorist by three white police officers as 15 other officers, including a sergeant looked on. A videotape shot by an amateur photographer, which has been broadcast all over the nation, captured the 56 kicks, stomps and hits to King's person as he lay on the ground offering no resistance. His doctor has said some of the extensive injuries may be permanent and his lawyer stated the beating will do severe damage to King's emotional stability. The police said that King resisted arrest after a high speed freeway chase at which point King reached 115 mph in his car. However, King denies both charges and the director of public relations at Hyundai Moto America says the car cannot top 100 mph. Many people believe the beating to be an example of racism and excessive aggression in the LAPD.
April 3: Disputes between the Mayor and the Police Chief have surfaced as tensions continue to rise in the aftermath of the Rodney King beating. After initially reserving judgment, Mayor Bradley is now calling for the resignation of Chief Gates because he can no longer count on the Chief to do what is best for the city. In his briefing room, the Mayor said the Chief is taking the investigation as a personal attack rather than an opportunity to improve his department. Though the Chief still enjoys a large following of supporters, many minority and justice oriented groups have asked for the Chief's resignation since the incident last month, saying the healing process cannot begin until there is a new Chief. However, a representative from the police union has said opening up the position would cause even more chaos in this difficult time and that the accusations of the Mayor are unfair and are a result of personal feelings.
June 7: Confidential reports released today illustrate the latest Rodney King run-in with the LAPD. Reports had previously indicated that King was suspected of trying to run over an undercover police officer with his car after officers found him with a transvestite prostitute, but new reports say he fled from undercover cops because he was paranoid they were trying to kill him rather than trying to flee arrest. King walked with a cane and appeared panicked. His lawyer believes this to be the latest of an ongoing attempt by police officers to incriminate King so he will lose credibility, an accusation the police department vehemently denies.
June 12: Judge Bernard Kamins ruled that past racist comments by police officers involved in the Rodney King beating may be used as evidence in the upcoming trial because he believes race played an important role in this incident. At the hearing, the judge also said that it is only fair to use information from the officers's past since the defense will be using information about King's past in the trial. The hearing also marked the first time King had face-to-face contact with the officers in question and the first time King met with Judge Kamins, who seemed sympathetic about King's medical condition and emotional state. Kamins has begun a jury selection process, as the trial will begin on June 19.
July 10: An independent commission released today came back with a harsh judgment of the LAPD. The commission reports extensive internal issues including promotion of minority officers, prevalent racism among officers, falsified police reports, ignored complaints dealing with racism, sexism and excessive force and little to no enforcement of punishments against officers. The commission calls for major reorganization within the department, including the resignation of Police Chief Gates and the Police Commission. The Mayor supported the findings of the commission and called for their suggestions to become enacted immediately. Chief Gates acknowledged the weaknesses highlighted but said they were limited to a small percentage of the force and refused to resign until the change in the City Charter limiting the chief term to 10 years is approved.
March 10: An investigation began into the beating of a 25 year old black motorist by three white police officers as 15 other officers, including a sergeant looked on. A videotape shot by an amateur photographer, which has been broadcast all over the nation, captured the 56 kicks, stomps and hits to King's person as he lay on the ground offering no resistance. His doctor has said some of the extensive injuries may be permanent and his lawyer stated the beating will do severe damage to King's emotional stability. The police said that King resisted arrest after a high speed freeway chase at which point King reached 115 mph in his car. However, King denies both charges and the director of public relations at Hyundai Moto America says the car cannot top 100 mph. Many people believe the beating to be an example of racism and excessive aggression in the LAPD.
April 3: Disputes between the Mayor and the Police Chief have surfaced as tensions continue to rise in the aftermath of the Rodney King beating. After initially reserving judgment, Mayor Bradley is now calling for the resignation of Chief Gates because he can no longer count on the Chief to do what is best for the city. In his briefing room, the Mayor said the Chief is taking the investigation as a personal attack rather than an opportunity to improve his department. Though the Chief still enjoys a large following of supporters, many minority and justice oriented groups have asked for the Chief's resignation since the incident last month, saying the healing process cannot begin until there is a new Chief. However, a representative from the police union has said opening up the position would cause even more chaos in this difficult time and that the accusations of the Mayor are unfair and are a result of personal feelings.
June 7: Confidential reports released today illustrate the latest Rodney King run-in with the LAPD. Reports had previously indicated that King was suspected of trying to run over an undercover police officer with his car after officers found him with a transvestite prostitute, but new reports say he fled from undercover cops because he was paranoid they were trying to kill him rather than trying to flee arrest. King walked with a cane and appeared panicked. His lawyer believes this to be the latest of an ongoing attempt by police officers to incriminate King so he will lose credibility, an accusation the police department vehemently denies.
June 12: Judge Bernard Kamins ruled that past racist comments by police officers involved in the Rodney King beating may be used as evidence in the upcoming trial because he believes race played an important role in this incident. At the hearing, the judge also said that it is only fair to use information from the officers's past since the defense will be using information about King's past in the trial. The hearing also marked the first time King had face-to-face contact with the officers in question and the first time King met with Judge Kamins, who seemed sympathetic about King's medical condition and emotional state. Kamins has begun a jury selection process, as the trial will begin on June 19.
July 10: An independent commission released today came back with a harsh judgment of the LAPD. The commission reports extensive internal issues including promotion of minority officers, prevalent racism among officers, falsified police reports, ignored complaints dealing with racism, sexism and excessive force and little to no enforcement of punishments against officers. The commission calls for major reorganization within the department, including the resignation of Police Chief Gates and the Police Commission. The Mayor supported the findings of the commission and called for their suggestions to become enacted immediately. Chief Gates acknowledged the weaknesses highlighted but said they were limited to a small percentage of the force and refused to resign until the change in the City Charter limiting the chief term to 10 years is approved.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Official Negligence by Lou Cannon, Chpts 1,2,5
Here are the examples of biases of journalism and features of argumentation at play in the three chapters I read for tomorrow's class.
My first example deals with the document titled "McCone Revisited". This was a report issued in 1985 which addressed many issues due to the rapidly enlarging population of South Central Los Angeles. The title "McCone Revisted" is an allusion to John McCone, a former CIA director who "headed the inquiry into the 1965 Watts riot" (Cannon 14). The report noted problems with education, housing, "equitable law enforcement" and "police-community relations, police-community understanding and the current allocation or deployment formula [of police] in South Central Los Angeles" (Cannon 18). The report was largely ignored however because "it was issued on plain paper, written in uninspired prose and had no illustrations" (Cannon 14). It was also contradictory to Mayor Bradley's lavish and optimistic LA 2000 report. This is an example of visual bias; the report was ignored because there wasn't a flashy image to go along with it.
My next example is the edits made to the George Holliday's video by KTLA. KTLA edited out the first 13 seconds of the video because after three seconds in, George Holliday moved the camera, causing a ten second fuzzy patch. For aesthetics sake, KTLA cut that part out. However, the first three seconds depict Rodney King resisting arrest; a crucial piece of evidence. Many news agencies, and millions of viewers watching the footage from their homes, did not even know the video had been edited. This is an example of a couple different biases; it is a visual bias because the producer wanted the most aesthetically pleasing shot and also a bad news bias if the decision was intentional to paint the police in as poor light as possible. But the fact that the other new agencies never checked all the facts before releasing the footage is an expediency bias; they were so anxious to be cutting-edge and have the story first that they released the footage without a clear understanding of the situation.
My next example deals with a feature of argumentation. It is possible to form a deductive argument based on cultural or social truths leading to specific conclusions. Srgt Koon used deductive reasoning as he tried to understand the situation unfolding in front of him. Rodney King was not responding to the Taser, he appeared intoxicated, he giggled and mumbled incoherent words, was drenched in sweat despite the cold weather and seemed to exhibit superhuman strength as he resisted the arresting officers. Koon's experience with PCP users taught him that they were impervious to pain and acted strangely, so Koon decided Rodney King was under the influence of PCP and he carried out his plan accordingly. Even though there were other explanations for all of Rodney King's behaviors, Koon only saw one option because of his deductive reasoning: PCP users are impervious to pain and act strangely; Rodney King is resisting multiple acts of force and is acting strangely; therefore, Rodney King must be on PCP.
My next example deals with the language used by journalist when describing the tape. On many news programs, the Holliday video would play in the background as "wallpaper" as the following statement scrolled across the screen: "white officers beating a black motorist" in an attempt to highlight racism as a cause or factor of the the event (Cannon 49). This is a bad news bias because the news agencies portrayed the situation as gravely as possible to create controversy. It is also an example of a narrative bias because by drawing conclusions and enhancing the drama, reporters created a story-line. This story-line of racist cops beating a defenselessness, pleading victim was understood by many as fact rather than as one interpretation. Because viewers never received another perspective of the event, they were shocked by the acquittals of the officers.
My first example deals with the document titled "McCone Revisited". This was a report issued in 1985 which addressed many issues due to the rapidly enlarging population of South Central Los Angeles. The title "McCone Revisted" is an allusion to John McCone, a former CIA director who "headed the inquiry into the 1965 Watts riot" (Cannon 14). The report noted problems with education, housing, "equitable law enforcement" and "police-community relations, police-community understanding and the current allocation or deployment formula [of police] in South Central Los Angeles" (Cannon 18). The report was largely ignored however because "it was issued on plain paper, written in uninspired prose and had no illustrations" (Cannon 14). It was also contradictory to Mayor Bradley's lavish and optimistic LA 2000 report. This is an example of visual bias; the report was ignored because there wasn't a flashy image to go along with it.
My next example is the edits made to the George Holliday's video by KTLA. KTLA edited out the first 13 seconds of the video because after three seconds in, George Holliday moved the camera, causing a ten second fuzzy patch. For aesthetics sake, KTLA cut that part out. However, the first three seconds depict Rodney King resisting arrest; a crucial piece of evidence. Many news agencies, and millions of viewers watching the footage from their homes, did not even know the video had been edited. This is an example of a couple different biases; it is a visual bias because the producer wanted the most aesthetically pleasing shot and also a bad news bias if the decision was intentional to paint the police in as poor light as possible. But the fact that the other new agencies never checked all the facts before releasing the footage is an expediency bias; they were so anxious to be cutting-edge and have the story first that they released the footage without a clear understanding of the situation.
My next example deals with a feature of argumentation. It is possible to form a deductive argument based on cultural or social truths leading to specific conclusions. Srgt Koon used deductive reasoning as he tried to understand the situation unfolding in front of him. Rodney King was not responding to the Taser, he appeared intoxicated, he giggled and mumbled incoherent words, was drenched in sweat despite the cold weather and seemed to exhibit superhuman strength as he resisted the arresting officers. Koon's experience with PCP users taught him that they were impervious to pain and acted strangely, so Koon decided Rodney King was under the influence of PCP and he carried out his plan accordingly. Even though there were other explanations for all of Rodney King's behaviors, Koon only saw one option because of his deductive reasoning: PCP users are impervious to pain and act strangely; Rodney King is resisting multiple acts of force and is acting strangely; therefore, Rodney King must be on PCP.
My next example deals with the language used by journalist when describing the tape. On many news programs, the Holliday video would play in the background as "wallpaper" as the following statement scrolled across the screen: "white officers beating a black motorist" in an attempt to highlight racism as a cause or factor of the the event (Cannon 49). This is a bad news bias because the news agencies portrayed the situation as gravely as possible to create controversy. It is also an example of a narrative bias because by drawing conclusions and enhancing the drama, reporters created a story-line. This story-line of racist cops beating a defenselessness, pleading victim was understood by many as fact rather than as one interpretation. Because viewers never received another perspective of the event, they were shocked by the acquittals of the officers.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Rodney King NY Times articles
The assigned articles span over a year and highlight different aspects of the beating, trial and ensuing violence, but several themes are universal. In almost every article, the journalist refers back to George Holliday's videotape of the Rodney King beating; the shocking evidence forever immortalized this case and elevated this instance above all other cases of racism or police brutality of that time. The videotape was the catalyst in this explosion of racial tension; one 80 second video spurred riots so destructive that the National Guard had to be called in. The videotape was immediately broadcasted throughout the whole country and world. The degree to which the beating and trial consumed L.A. is enormous: the trial was moved to Ventura County because the judge decided a trial in L.A. would be too biased, and yet almost all of the potential jurors from Simi Valley had already seen the videotape before the trial. But the video also allowed the beating to be removed from any sense of context; in one of the articles, a witness called "Mr. G" described many of the rioters and looters as "opportunistic thugs who have absolutely no feelings about Rodney King and were just out to get stuff for free". The video became an excuse for complete chaos and unchecked brutality, as is seen in journalist Richard Perez-Pena's comparison of the Rodney King video to the video of store owner Soon Ja Du shooting and killing a teenaged customer whom she believed to be shoplifting.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
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