Another small moment [Albany]

[rebeccmeister]

Modified from a reply to a post by ivy about the state of the CHOP in Seattle.

I am very frustrated by the resurgence of gun violence here in Albany. It isn't entirely clear what's going on here, although as annikusrex points out it's probably just the reappearance of typical levels of summer gun violence. I haven't lived here long enough to really know or judge, but I am disappointed by how the local gun violence issues seem to be getting handled by the local media. Incidents are reported, and then that's it. They disappear.

I did have a really uplifting moment here on Sunday, though. While I was biking home through the neighborhood that continues to bear the brunt of the local gun violence, there was a band out playing live music in the middle of the block. I can't tell you how happy it made me to see them out. It was all I could do at that moment to just give a huge wave; my smile was lost underneath a face mask and sunglasses. That neighborhood is awesome and special in how community members hang out and interact on their porches, and there are a number of places where people often have barbecues and parties going out on the front sidewalk. But this is the first time I have seen a live band out playing.

If I see it again I am going to have to stop and take pictures at least. And come to think of it, put a tip in a tip jar.

The neighborhood I used to live in, in Arizona, also had its own live music scene going. But what I love about it in this Albany neighborhood is that it's a sign that the people who live in the neighborhood are continuing to work to claim the neighborhood back from all of the violence experienced there. It would be a tough place to live but I deeply respect the people who do live there and who make the space as good as they can.

Comments

[twoeleven]

Stupid question time: what would you like your local media to do to about shootings?

[rebeccmeister]

More in-depth reporting. Who's getting shot, what happened, why. Instead the most I've seen is a story about how it's all because of a convenience store with an absentee landlord that is the only place for people to buy alcohol late at night. Any and all interviews with neighbors have been superficial at best.

[twoeleven]

All very reasonable. They may be either against the paper's/site's policy -- many media sources have stopped naming crime victims, except in unusual cases -- or beyond their abilities. But they also may not be trying; hard for me to say.

Here, the newspaper and its website are part of the McNews network, but they will probably fold despite that. Investigating every crime is beyond their means*, and in any case, there's a culture of silence in some neighborhoods. (Edit: and the Wilmington police are saying as little as the law allows, to cover up their ineptitude.) Obviously, I don't know the situation there, but I've read similar things about other areas.

*: to the extent they can investigate anything, they focus on government and corporate corruption, of which there's plenty. :(

[rebeccmeister]

So as it turns out, I recently subscribed to the RSS feed for emails for The Marshall Project, and this morning they had a link to a timely NYT Opinion piece:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/opinion/objectivity-black-journalists-coronavirus.html

(disclaimer: I have only skimmed this so far)

[twoeleven]

I'm not sure I see the connection, other than both being about the press. But thanks, that was an interesting read!