It should be interesting to see if any information is offered that would explain the Globe's use of Knisley's color and the color of the prisoner, David Neal. It is also interesting that Globe reporter Debby Woodin's article interviewing Neal's mother, the following passage was included:
(Chief Lane Roberts) called on Lt. LaMonte Ratcliff, a black officer and the department’s excessive-force training officer, to discuss the use of the Taser and the use-of-force policy. Ratcliff said the officers use Tasers to avoid using more dangerous weapons like a metal club. He also said that use of force is guided by a policy developed from a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows enough force to be used to overcome the resistance. Force can be used if resistance doesn’t actually occur but a person’s demeanor suggests a threat to an officer, Ratcliff said.
Why was there a need to point out that Lt. Ratcliff was black? Would there have been any mention at all of Lt. Ratcliff's race if he were white?
The Globe appears to be hinting there is a racial aspect to this situation, which may very well be true, but until that is pinned down strong enough to put into a story, these unnecessary references to color need to be omitted.
You criticized the Globe's mention in an earlier story of the victim's race, calling it unnecessary, but made no mention of the NAACP's involvement or that the fact that the police department held a forum following the incident in a mostly black neighborhood to discuss the incident with concerned residents. Both, I beleive, do make it relevant.
ReplyDeletePerhaps, but why not just say it. This business of talking around a subject, which appears to be what the Globe is doing, is not doing anyone any good.
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