Thursday, November 30, 2006
'Residents of a gang-terrorized Boston'
Perhaps because I don't understand the intricacies of Boston's gang world, I don't understand the criticism of the Herald or the criticism of the Globe for their coverage of the unfolding events in Roxbury. I'll leave it to others to determine the validity of the individual complaints. But something almost epic seems to be unfolding (or unraveling, in this case) in our inner-city neighborhoods -- and criticizing the media's coverage of yet the latest cold-blooded gang murder seems to miss the overarching point that cold-blooded gang murders seem to be occurring at a baffling and frightening pace. I don't have a clue how to break the vicious cycle -- and, I suspect, neither do most cops, crime reporters, ministers, politicians etc. ... It may sound trite, but read Robert Parker's 'Double Deuce' to get an idea what police and community leaders are up against. The gang mentality is almost unfathomable. Some gang members are so far gone, they can't be reached. BTW: The header for this post comes from a description of Parker's 1993 book, not from today's headlines or news stories. Gives an idea how intractable gang problems can be -- then and now. ... BTW II: I work for that newspaper. And, yes, I kind of resent this 'greed' remark. But it's a cheap throwaway insult that's on a par with cheap trying-to-sell-newspapers and cops-and-doughnuts jokes. So I'll let it slide. ...
Perhaps because I don't understand the intricacies of Boston's gang world, I don't understand the criticism of the Herald or the criticism of the Globe for their coverage of the unfolding events in Roxbury. I'll leave it to others to determine the validity of the individual complaints. But something almost epic seems to be unfolding (or unraveling, in this case) in our inner-city neighborhoods -- and criticizing the media's coverage of yet the latest cold-blooded gang murder seems to miss the overarching point that cold-blooded gang murders seem to be occurring at a baffling and frightening pace. I don't have a clue how to break the vicious cycle -- and, I suspect, neither do most cops, crime reporters, ministers, politicians etc. ... It may sound trite, but read Robert Parker's 'Double Deuce' to get an idea what police and community leaders are up against. The gang mentality is almost unfathomable. Some gang members are so far gone, they can't be reached. BTW: The header for this post comes from a description of Parker's 1993 book, not from today's headlines or news stories. Gives an idea how intractable gang problems can be -- then and now. ... BTW II: I work for that newspaper. And, yes, I kind of resent this 'greed' remark. But it's a cheap throwaway insult that's on a par with cheap trying-to-sell-newspapers and cops-and-doughnuts jokes. So I'll let it slide. ...
