There is something a bit unsettling about the latest anti-crime initiative launched by the Boston police.
To be sure, in the face of a “crisis” or an “emergency” or, at the least, in the face of an embarrassment, all manner of organizational bureaucracy, be it government or corporate, tends to launch something dramatic to make the sin go away. At times, the public relations initiative is constructive, but when these grand experiments are begun in haste, the product may be defective.
And so, with the seemingly senseless, meaningless, frustrating death of a 14-year-old on the mean streets of Boston, in what appears to be some kind of gang-related mistake, the Boston cops and the usual team of community-based “organizers” have vowed to move against the evil, shadowy gangs in “troubled” neighborhoods.
In a strange publishing adventure, the Boston police released photos of 10 unpleasant looking young men whom you would not want to bring home to mom as a potential prom date.
The flier identifies the guys as suspected gang members, who may or may not have anything to do with the death of the 14-year-old – but it’s enough that they should be embarrassed about their suspected gang membership.
None of the 10 young charmers is charged with any crime related to the killing of the 14-year-old – it’s just that the police seem to think they’re part of the gang that probably, maybe, kind of, perhaps, had something to do with killing the kid.
In fact, none of the 10 guys pictured are at the moment charged with anything at all tied to the case – nor do they have standing warrants against them for other sins unrelated to the current case.
Publicity Stunt
The crime-solving strategy at the heart of this photo display seems to be an effort to deliver a reassuring message to the unsettled upper-middle-class: The murder of the 14-year-old was not committed by the valedictorian of the Boston Latin school, nor by a senior bond trader at Fidelity. No, the crime was committed, as you can see by these photos, by disaffected minority youth who hang around in gangs and don’t do their homework.
The area news media did their parts, by publishing the photos – which makes the campaign that much more discomforting.
Beyond the police assurance that the young men are “known to associate with known criminals and gang members who are involved in firearm violence,” what precedent has been established by this fashion shoot?
If there is ever a date-rape and murder in a snobby Boston suburb, will the local cops publish the photos of 10 Ivy League prospects who are “known to associate with other reckless guys who drink too much and don’t respect women?”
The photo display of these 10 minority young men in Boston newspapers brings to mind a decision in 2002 by the Philadelphia Daily News to publish the photos of 15 murder suspects who were wandering around Philadelphia, without having been arrested. None of the fugitives were white.
It caused quite a stir at the time, prompting the paper to sort-of apologize.
But at least in that case, the photo display focused on men who were formally charged with murder. The Boston case seems to be a publicity stunt – an abuse of discretion aimed at young minority men who probably aren’t going to hire lawyers and sue for invasion of privacy or libel.
No, the Boston cops probably didn’t make up the inference that the young men on display are very naughty. But there is a slippery slope here that seems to suggest that whenever bad things happen in “bad” neighborhoods, we’ll simply offer up a roster of the dispossessed for all of us to stare at – because we all know the criminal black folks stick to their own kind.
The subtext of what the police are suggesting is reasonable enough: Wouldn’t it be nice if these young men belonged to a church-based chess club, instead of a street gang? That being said, suspected gang affiliation is not in and of itself sufficient justification to call out the public relations dogs and indirectly accuse the young men of a conspiracy to commit murder.
