Saturday, May 22, 2010
Cities First 48 Controversy in Detroit
Posted by Mary Cashiola on Sat, May 22, 2010 at 12:00 PM
Remember when the City Council decided they didn't want The First 48 filming in Memphis?
Maybe there were on to something.
From the NYTimes' Tragedy in Detroit, With a Reality TV Crew in Tow, about the killing of a 7-year-old girl during a police raid:
Beyond Detroit, the incident is raising a larger question in this age of reality TV: Does the presence of TV crews affect how well police officers do their jobs?
'Those cameras can influence the behavior of what’s already a very dangerous and unpredictable job,' said Brian Willingham, a laid-off Flint, Mich., police officer and author of 'Soul of a Black Cop.'
Comments (11)
Showing 1-11 of 11
A man fires a gun into a building where he knows a child is present and it's... the camera's fault? That is the most preposterous thing I have heard all day, and I just got done rereading that thread on Bruce's blog.
If it hadn't been for the presence of the camera crews, we would have no idea that the initial report from the police in that case was completely false.
like
dislikeFunny, Atoego. I didn't get that impression from what I've read so far. All I hear is that the case is ongoing, and that the "family" has hired a scum-bag lawyer and is looking for a payday from The City of Detroit. (You know..."Movin on up, to that DE-Lux apartment in the skyyyyy..." )
There are 2 sides to every story, and, of course, the scum-bag lawyer can have all the publicity at the moment. The Police, can't comment, until the case is closed. I am sorry for the death of this young girl that was obviously in the line of fire, and obviously was first put in jeopardy by the same "family" members that protected the felon that initiated this entire chain of events.
You're sorry for the death of this young girl, but not quite sorry enough to spare us from a racist cheap shot in the wake of her death? I certainly see at least one scumbag here, lawyer or no, bubba.
The police terrorize people regardless of the presence of cameras. To profess that cameras are at fault for the girls death is ridiculous and as far removed from a logical analysis as you could get. Would Oscar Grant be alive if some one wasn't filming in the BART? Where the hell do you come off assigning such a simple outlook to such a tragic situation.
Man listen, when i heard this show caught this on tape the first thing i thought was uh oh this show is about to be cancelled. I cant say they had an influence but what are the chances of them filiming and this happens...Its crazy man a poor child is dead. Reality tv is going too far. I feel bad for the girl and as much as i love the first 48 i have a feeling they are gonna pull this. as of yesterday they didnt give up the footage.
I think the police records of the parents need to come to light first, then the stats of Detroit, then that neighborhood, then what evidence was found on premises, then start talking about bad cops if you still think you can.
Bring the First 48 back to Memphis. It was enjoyable to watch Dotson's confession first-hand on TV.
How many times have you seen entire communities go into lock-down mode on this show? It's sickening how people in these neighborhoods live their lives and possibly sleep at night. The ONLY reason this one extremely rare tragedy happened is because everyone living in the area is blind, deaf, and completely innocent. I would bet my life 98% of the cops out on the street want to SOLVE crimes. I would also bet 99.9% of the gang members, everyone seems to enjoy protecting, wouldn't think twice about killing you. Good luck suing a gang for wrongful death. After all the gangs are protecting you.
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