The Holtzclaw defense team, which has denied the charges, is banking on the notion that an all-white jury won’t believe the accusers and that they will believe any sexual acts that took place were consensual. Invariably, over the course of the trial, the accusers were cast as liars and criminals whose testimony could not be trusted. Meanwhile, his defense attorneys described Holtzclaw as a model police officer who had been on the force for three years and was an “all-American good guy.”
Curiously, the case—the allegations, the investigation, and the trial—has largely escaped widespread media coverage. The silence, save for a spate of bloggers and a handful of news stories about the trial, has been deafening. The women, the case, the horrific nature of the crimes allegedly committed by a sworn officer have been all but invisible.
In too many newsrooms, a story doesn’t get real attention until a college football team threatens to walk out or thousands take to the streets in protest. Until a bridge or highway gets blocked or a hunger strike takes root in a statehouse, we’ve got other things to do. Unfortunately, we don’t take notice until somebody sets a drugstore on fire or a reporter gets arrested in a fast food restaurant. For too many of us, the story doesn’t get real attention until we think it could happen to us—until we can see ourselves living the life of the victim.
Too many of us cannot imagine ourselves in the same shoes as an Oklahoma prostitute, a crack addict, or a teenage runaway. We cannot see ourselves—our daughters, our sisters, or our mothers—knowingly living under the watchful eyes of an unrepentant predator. We cannot imagine what it’s like to have no voice. We cannot imagine ourselves black, poor, and powerless.
Holtzclaw apparently knew we wouldn’t give a damn. That’s why he allegedly chose them.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...-ve-never-heard-of.html?utm_source=feedburner
Curiously, the case—the allegations, the investigation, and the trial—has largely escaped widespread media coverage. The silence, save for a spate of bloggers and a handful of news stories about the trial, has been deafening. The women, the case, the horrific nature of the crimes allegedly committed by a sworn officer have been all but invisible.
In too many newsrooms, a story doesn’t get real attention until a college football team threatens to walk out or thousands take to the streets in protest. Until a bridge or highway gets blocked or a hunger strike takes root in a statehouse, we’ve got other things to do. Unfortunately, we don’t take notice until somebody sets a drugstore on fire or a reporter gets arrested in a fast food restaurant. For too many of us, the story doesn’t get real attention until we think it could happen to us—until we can see ourselves living the life of the victim.
Too many of us cannot imagine ourselves in the same shoes as an Oklahoma prostitute, a crack addict, or a teenage runaway. We cannot see ourselves—our daughters, our sisters, or our mothers—knowingly living under the watchful eyes of an unrepentant predator. We cannot imagine what it’s like to have no voice. We cannot imagine ourselves black, poor, and powerless.
Holtzclaw apparently knew we wouldn’t give a damn. That’s why he allegedly chose them.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...-ve-never-heard-of.html?utm_source=feedburner
