If a Tree Falls...
If a violent home invasion takes place in one of our "safe" neighborhoods here in Boston, but the major local news outlets choose not to report on it, did it really happen?
Elected officials in Boston are always eager to remind us, through their friends in the local media, that the problem of violent crime in the city isn't as bad as many perceive it to be, and that it's only happening in a few small, isolated portions of the inner-city.
Seems to me, this illusion will continue to be an easy one for the politicians to sell to the public, as long as their comrades in the "news" media remain seemingly determined to avoid reporting on incidents like this when they happens in the upscale, Caucasian-American neighborhoods of Boston.
After all, an uneducated populace is a compliant populace.
From the Beacon Hill Times (12/06/05):
Home invasion intimidates residents
This happened in the upper-class neighborhood of Beacon Hill the week after Thanksgiving. Anyone remember reading about this in the Boston Globe? No? How about the Herald? Still no?
How about Channel 4? 5? 7? 25? 38? 56?
Hut, hut, hike!
Spends time on Beacon Hill? Carries a shotgun? Possibly enjoys skiing?
Can John Kerry account for his whereabouts on the evening in question? As we all know, after witnessing his many hunting forays last fall, that is our junior senator's "weapon of choice". No word on whether any of the assailants was driving an Oldsmobile.
Was that machete on AG Reilly's list of "prohibited weapons"? I mean, I realize it's not as lethal as a $5 plastic slingshot, but still...
Clearly, they're bluffing. They would never do such a thing. There are laws against doing mean stuff like that.
Living a life where you're forced to subject yourself to the "kindness" of heavily-armed home invaders in order to provide for your personal well-being - it's the Massachusetts way! Now shut up and get back in line with the rest of the peasantry.
But, again, if the Globe didn't print it, did it really happen?
(link via reader Boston Shepherd)
Elected officials in Boston are always eager to remind us, through their friends in the local media, that the problem of violent crime in the city isn't as bad as many perceive it to be, and that it's only happening in a few small, isolated portions of the inner-city.
Seems to me, this illusion will continue to be an easy one for the politicians to sell to the public, as long as their comrades in the "news" media remain seemingly determined to avoid reporting on incidents like this when they happens in the upscale, Caucasian-American neighborhoods of Boston.
After all, an uneducated populace is a compliant populace.
From the Beacon Hill Times (12/06/05):
Home invasion intimidates residents
Two Grove Street residents were allegedly threatened and tied up during a mid-day home invasion and robbery last Tuesday, while a third man remained undiscovered in a locked bedroom in the apartment.
This happened in the upper-class neighborhood of Beacon Hill the week after Thanksgiving. Anyone remember reading about this in the Boston Globe? No? How about the Herald? Still no?
How about Channel 4? 5? 7? 25? 38? 56?
Hut, hut, hike!
According to a police report, the incident began at about 11:30 p.m. [mid-day? -ed.] when three men knocked on the door of the Grove Street apartment. The two individuals living in the apartment did not answer the door after seeing the men through a peephole. The suspects then broke the door and entered the apartment. At least one wore a full-face blue ski mask and carried a shotgun.
Spends time on Beacon Hill? Carries a shotgun? Possibly enjoys skiing?
Can John Kerry account for his whereabouts on the evening in question? As we all know, after witnessing his many hunting forays last fall, that is our junior senator's "weapon of choice". No word on whether any of the assailants was driving an Oldsmobile.
Another carried a machete and "talked like a black person," and a third was described as dressed in blue jeans and a white hooded sweatshirt, and spoke with a Spanish or Russian accent.
Was that machete on AG Reilly's list of "prohibited weapons"? I mean, I realize it's not as lethal as a $5 plastic slingshot, but still...
The suspects attempted to open the bedroom door occupied by the third apartment dweller, but did not break the door when discovering it was locked. That man said he had heard the suspects tearing tape, tying the two victims to the floor, and asking them where their property was. The victims later reported that the suspects then stole a lap top computer, cell phone, wallet, driver's license, cash and a bottle of prescription medicine before leaving the premises.
According to the police report, the pair waited about 90 minutes after the suspects left to call 911 because they had been threatened not to contact the police. They told police that one suspect had said, "You call police and you'll get a bullet in your pretty head" and another had told them, "We know who you are and where you live. If you call police, we will come back and get you."
Clearly, they're bluffing. They would never do such a thing. There are laws against doing mean stuff like that.
Captain Bernard O'Rourke of Area A-1 Boston Police Department said that, despite the fact that the two victims struggled when pushed to the ground and tied up, they did not appear injured and did not require medical attention.
Living a life where you're forced to subject yourself to the "kindness" of heavily-armed home invaders in order to provide for your personal well-being - it's the Massachusetts way! Now shut up and get back in line with the rest of the peasantry.
But, again, if the Globe didn't print it, did it really happen?
(link via reader Boston Shepherd)
