SCRIPTED / ARROGANT / DUMB AND TOWN: Youngsters battle the state of Ohio!

WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 2021

State's system lousy, scribes claim: In print editions, the headline on the front-page report had a heart-rending headline:

Teenage Girl Killed by Officer in Columbus Ached to Go Home

The report appeared atop the front page of last Sunday's New York Times. The shooting victim to whom the headline referred was the late Ma'Khia Bryant, who was shot and killed last month, at age 16, outside the foster home where she and her younger sister Ja'Niah Bryant were living.

Because Bryant was shot and killed by a police officer, the fatal shooting had produced national press coverage. (When teens are shot and killed by civilians, there will rarely be national coverage.) The fact that Bryant had been living in foster care added an unusual element to this latest fatal event.

In Sunday's front-page report, the New York Times presented its overview of this widely-reported case. The assignment had gone to Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, a young journalist listed as lead reporter on the report's three-person byline.

(For a fuller roll call of the troops, see yesterday's report.)

In their report, Burroughs and his colleagues described the events which had placed Bryant and three siblings in foster care. In substantial detail, they described the events which led to the fatal shooting itself, largely relying on accounts provided by "Ma’Khia’s family members and acquaintances."

Why was Ma'Khia Bryant in foster care? Tomorrow, we'll review the account which was offered in its front-page report.  But as young Bogel-Burroughs began his lengthy report, he seemed to offer a stark indictment of the system which had placed the Bryant children in foster care. 

"A review of Ma’Khia’s pathway through foster care shows that it failed her in critical ways,“ the youngster wrote at an early point in his report, possibly giving the impression he knew what he was talking about. 

Tomorrow, we'll look at Bogel-Burroughs' account of this young person's "pathway through foster care." For today, let's examine the early passage in the front-page report in which Bogel-Burroughs' unnamed editors let him pose as an expert on Ohio's foster care system.

Ma'khia Bryant, age 16, had been shot and killed by a Columbus police officer. In this case, though, bodycam video had interrupted a prevailing Standard Narrative, in a way Bogel-Burroughs quickly described:

BOGEL-BURROUGHS ET AL (5/9/21): [On April 20], Ja’Niah called 911 again, telling the police that she and her older sister were being threatened by two young women who used to live at the house. Officers arrived in the middle of a melee outside the house, and one of them fatally shot Ja’Niah’s 16-year-old sister, Ma’Khia Bryant, who was lunging at one of the women, brandishing a steak knife.

The shooting, which occurred moments before a jury in Minneapolis convicted Derek Chauvin of murdering George Floyd, released a new wave of anger over shootings by the police. To calm the furor, the Columbus police quickly released body camera footage, which showed some of the fight outside the house and, they said, demonstrated that the officer had acted to protect the other woman.

The bodycam footage complicated initial suggestions and claims that the police officer had misbehaved (as officers sometimes do). After reporting that fact, Bogel-Burroughs began to target the Ohio foster care system.

What is the overall state of Ohio's foster care system? Like Bogel-Burroughs and his colleagues, we have no real idea.

We would assume that foster care is very difficult to run. Does Ohio perform this service more poorly than other states do?

We don't have the slightest idea. Nor can we find the slightest sign that the three Times reporters and their unnamed editors do.

Did the foster care system behave in some inappropriate way in earlier decisions concerning Ma'Khia Bryant and her three siblings? We can't answer that question, any more than the New York Times can.

That said, Bogel-Burroughs fingered the system early in his report. As he did, he engaged in some of the incompetent analytical practices which are now completely routine in the journalism currently practiced in Our (self-impressed) Town.

Below, you see the indictment. In our view, this is embarrassing, yet thoroughly typical, journalistic work;

BOGEL-BURROUGHS ET AL (continuing directly): But Ms. Bryant’s tragic death was also preceded by a turbulent journey through the foster care system, which had cycled Ma’Khia through at least five placements in two years—after her own mother was found to be negligent—despite efforts by their grandmother to reunite the family.

Ohio places children in foster care at a rate 10 percent higher than the national average, and child welfare officials here are considerably less likely than in the country as a whole to place children with their relatives. Black children, like Ma’Khia and her sister, account for nearly a third of children removed from homes—nearly twice their proportion in the population.

A review of Ma’Khia’s pathway through foster care shows that it failed her in critical ways.

Research has demonstrated that children fare far better when they remain with family members, a practice known as kinship care. It also shows that each successive placement causes additional trauma, further setting back a child in crisis.

“Everybody knows and the research has proven over and over and over again that the best placement for children is with their kin,” said Ronald R. Browder, the president and chief executive of the Ohio Federation for Health Equity and Social Justice. “But the focus has always been on foster care.”

What the Bryant sisters wanted, Ja’Niah said, was to return to their family.

“We can go to Mommy or Grandma, it doesn’t matter, as long as we can get off the system,” Ja’Niah recalled Ma’Khia telling her younger siblings, who were also in foster care. “That was her biggest thing, she didn’t want to be in the foster care system until she was 18.”

A spokeswoman for Franklin County Children Services, which had custody of the siblings, declined to comment on Ma’Khia’s case, citing confidentiality laws...

Those are paragraphs 7-14 of an 81-paragraph report. In this early section, Bogel-Burroughs seems to say that the Ohio foster care system "failed [Ma'Khia Bryant] in several ways."

"Easy to be hard," top experts frequently tell us. Meanwhile, consider this:

As you can see if you look very closely, the\at passage doesn't explicitly say that Ohio's foster care system failed Ma'Khia Bryant in several ways. But that's the likely impression the passage will leave with Times subscribers, and the passage does seem to criticize the Ohio system in several specific ways.

Is there something notably wrong with Ohio's system? Like the intrepid Times team, we have no idea.

That said, the intrepid team seems to scold the Ohio system, including its treatment of Bryant and her siblings. The charges include these:

Criticisms of the Ohio foster care system:

Ohio places children in foster care at a rate 10 percent higher than the national average. 

Ohio's child welfare officials are considerably less likely than in the country as a whole to place children with their relatives. 

(Apparently) in Ohio, black children account for nearly a third of children removed from homes—nearly twice their proportion in the population.

Research has demonstrated that children fare far better when they remain with family members.

According to one source, "the research has proven over and over and over again that the best placement for children is with their kin.” 

 In these ways, the Times team conveys the impression that something is notably wrong with Ohio's foster care system, and that they know what it is. 

They link this apparent claim to the tragic outcome in Bryant's case, without quite attempting to show how their overall criticisms might relate to the decisions which were made in her particular case. 

Meanwhile, much of the Times' account of her particular case is drawn from reports by her family and friends. As would presumably be the case almost everywhere, local officials weren't allowed to comment on her case.

Near the start of a lengthy report, the Times team lowers the boom on the Ohio foster care system. Their effort strikes us as pseudo-journalism, though of a highly familiar kind. 

A cynic will tell you this:

The bodycam video robbed the scribes of the chance to work from a standard Storyline, in which a police officer will be said to have stepped way over the line. 

(Sometimes, officers do step over the line.)

Robbed of that standard narrative, the scribes turned to a related claim. In this case, it was the Ohio foster care system which had "failed" Ma'Khia Bryant, apparently in several ways:

It's better if children stay with their relatives!  They're putting too many black kids in foster care! It almost sounds like the Bryant kids shouldn't have been in foster care at all! 

The Times' strikingly young reporting team advanced these suggestions, claims and accusations early in their front=page report.

Tomorrow, we'll consider the merit of these claims, both as a general matter and in the way they may relate to this particular case. As we do, we'll ask an important question:

Can Our Town hope to survive in thrall to major news orgs with such lowbrow intellectual tastes?

For the record, no one should be shot and killed when she's just 16. Even more radically, we'll say that no one should ever be shot and killed at all.

We'd also say that Ma'Khia Bryant and her siblings had apparently been exposed to many influences and events from which young people deserve to be spared. It sounds like these problems, which didn't start with these kids, were underway long before Ohio's foster care system became involved.

On the whole, we thought this New York Times front-page report was arrogant, scripted, dumb. Anthropologically, we shouldn't expect anything better, despondent top experts all say.

Tomorrow: Let's take a look at the "research"


24 comments:

  1. "the police officer had misbehaved (as officers sometimes do)"

    Welcome back, Bob. We've missed you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isiyku Abdulahi
      My ex-boyfriend dumped me one week ago after I accused him of seeing someone else and insulting him. I want him back in my life but he refuse to have any contact with me. I was so confuse and don’t know what to do, so I reach to the Internet for help and I saw a testimony of how a spell caster help them to get their ex back so I contact the spell caster and explain my problem to him and he cast a spell for me and assure me of 2 days that my ex will return to me and to my greatest surprise the third day my ex came knocking on my door and beg for forgiveness. I am so happy that my love is back again and not only that, we are about to get married. Once again thank you Dr Believe. You are truly talented and gifted.He is the only answer. He can be of great help and I will not stop talking about him because he is a wonderful man. Contact this great love spell caster for your relationship or marriage problem to be solved today via email: believelovespelltemple@gmail.com or WhatsApp: +19713839183














      Isiyku Abdulahi
      My ex-boyfriend dumped me one week ago after I accused him of seeing someone else and insulting him. I want him back in my life but he refuse to have any contact with me. I was so confuse and don’t know what to do, so I reach to the Internet for help and I saw a testimony of how a spell caster help them to get their ex back so I contact the spell caster and explain my problem to him and he cast a spell for me and assure me of 2 days that my ex will return to me and to my greatest surprise the third day my ex came knocking on my door and beg for forgiveness. I am so happy that my love is back again and not only that, we are about to get married. Once again thank you Dr Believe. You are truly talented and gifted.He is the only answer. He can be of great help and I will not stop talking about him because he is a wonderful man. Contact this great love spell caster for your relationship or marriage problem to be solved today via email: believelovespelltemple@gmail.com or WhatsApp: +19713839183


      Delete
  2. "In substantial detail, they described the events which led to the fatal shooting itself, largely relying on accounts provided by "Ma’Khia’s family members and acquaintances.""

    Who else is going to know about those events? The police only know what happened once they arrived on the scene. To know about the background of her life, those who knew her are the go-to sources.

    Somerby implies that they are somehow biased, but so are the police and those at other institutions, especially if they are being accused of malfeasance.

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  3. "But as young Bogel-Burroughs began his lengthy report, he seemed to offer a stark indictment of the system which had placed the Bryant children in foster care. "

    Stark indictments of foster care are the norm because the foster care systems in the US are flawed and need reform. All of the professionals who interact with and work in such systems are the first to point this out. This is one of the ways in which our country lets down poor and struggling families, especially children.

    As a former teacher, Somerby should know this too. Why doesn't he acknowledge it? Instead, he seems to be blaming these reporters for saying what everyone knows who has had any contact with the foster care system across the US.

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  4. "They link this apparent claim to the tragic outcome in Bryant's case, without quite attempting to show how their overall criticisms might relate to the decisions which were made in her particular case. "

    Or perhaps the reporters are thinking that readers could use a bit of background about foster care. They may be using this as an opportunity to advocate for the children enmeshed in it.

    Advocacy for children! What a novel idea! Somerby should try it sometime. Instead of just using the needs of children to bash the press for political purposes.

    ReplyDelete
  5. "It sounds like these problems, which didn't start with these kids, were underway long before Ohio's foster care system became involved."

    Here Somerby blames the parents and the granny. If you go back far enough you can blame the entire human race, and then no one is to blame, which is what Somerby prefers. The cop certainly isn't to blame, even though he shot the girl. The foster family isn't to blame for the confrontation the girls were trying to escape (based on the 911 calls). Ma'Khia was not feeling threatened, according to Somerby, not trying to defend herself when the cops arrived.

    Somerby would rather place blame safely in the distant past, not consider what actions might have prevented a tragedy, what reforms might better serve children.

    ReplyDelete
  6. BLM has been around since 2013. Plenty of time to build a detailed plan to replace the current police system with a system where violent and disturbed Black people can be dealt with by unarmed and lovingly caring people who are willing to risk their lives and even to die for people like Ma’Khia or Jacob Blake. Their family members should have the option of calling such people rather than non-Black police.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If someone had paid attention to Ma'Khia and her sister's complaints about their foster care placement, the precipitating event would most likely not have happened. That seems pretty obvious. You don't have to revise a whole system to prevent this kind of tragedy.

      BLM has not devised such an alternative system because that is not what they are calling for. Gloucon, not BLM, is insisting that the cops be black or that no cops respond to calls. That's a sarcastic and extreme position that BLM has not expressed.

      If it too much to ask that cops: (1) not be racist, (2) be properly trained in conflict deescalation, (3) be held accountable for their misuse of their power and authority? Even black cops have abused their badges. Gloucon seems to think it is ridiculous when black AND WHITE people complain when unarmed people are shot and killed. He is essentially, saying: These are the police we've got. If you don't like it, form your own police force or call a social worker. That is a refusal to seriously consider the problem.

      Delete
    2. Blacks deserve the option of calling in only Blacks who would be more willing to die in a confrontation with an armed or violently disturbed Black person than a non-Black person would. This should be obvious to everyone.

      Delete
    3. Even a supposedly woke white person like Anonymous May 12, 2021 at 12:15 PM should not be trusted with a single Black life. Its incredibly naive, and a refusal to seriously consider the problem to expect that non-Blacks can be trained to sacrifice themselves in violent situations where they feel threatened by a Black life. We're done with these delusional dreams that all non-Blacks can be made into non-racists.

      Delete
    4. Remedial reading for Gloucon:

      https://www.aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/its-past-time-to-end-the-federal-militarization-of-police/?initms_aff=nat&initms_chan=eml&utm_medium=eml&initms=210512_policing1033_cultivation_gradead_sail&utm_source=sail&utm_campaign=policing1033&utm_content=210512_criminallaw_cultivation_gradead&af=3CVCkI%2BeZxZplU6cWGdlbYMJx9RCrj0h1zUqRAFw%2FCiJqHM6ey%2FOtA5BW%2BzQ11%2FMilqYUIunIRk%2BL24O5lB3S4IiQ8THAQjbEo3UbUWmuLMAzcwlPSGwXEpFwRmdsUzM%2F350Qlp9CyF5tccGep1duvFhVLGjKI5xJD5epx1QVrndrTDW5yud41FrqHxRdibS&gs=2S0HNICAbmtrqPM4MuEhLoyoTst%2BFzjD3IuvTxPYPzHzPb4n%2Bu10adDHhQUMKY4I&ms_aff=nat&ms_chan=eml&ms=210512_policing1033_cultivation_gradead_sail

      Delete
    5. Micah X. Johnson died for our sins.

      Delete
  7. "Because Bryant was shot and killed by a police officer, the fatal shooting had produced national press coverage. (When teens are shot and killed by civilians, there will rarely be national coverage.)"

    But also because the untimely departed belonged to the Superior Race, of course.

    How insensitive of you to miss that, dear Bob.

    ReplyDelete
  8. oh the banality of sameness! oh the horror!

    ReplyDelete
  9. If it isn't the fault of the foster care system, then it must be the fault of the 16 year old girl, but knife fighting isn't typical of 16 year old girls. If your view of black people is sufficiently negative, you might believe, as Somerby seems to do, that 16 year old girls do that kind of thing without provocation. This reflects his jaundiced view of black teens, that he scolds the press for presenting other contributors to the situation. Shame on Somerby!

    ReplyDelete
  10. The only reason a lot of people are interested in this case is because she was shot by a policeman. Here in Chicago, blacks shoot and kill other blacks everyday. But this community does not care because the police are not involved.
    There is always very little discussion about WHY a person is shot by the police. For example, a 13 year old who was shot and killed by the police was out at 2:30 in the morning with a 21 year old gang member but we dare not discuss this. Almost all of these victims and perpetrators come from single parent homes. But again, this cannot be discussed or one is racist.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Here are some people who care about violence in Chicago. These are black organizations:

      https://abc7chicago.com/stop-the-violence-resources-chicago-in/3894299/

      "Have you or someone you know been affected by violence in your community? The following is a list of resources in Chicago that are ready to help."

      Adam Toledo ran away from home. His parents didn't give him permission to be with a gang member or to be out that late. Young kids join gangs for protection against other gangs, and for a sense of belonging, such as white students obtain through school clubs. They are essentially trying to stay safe. The topic of gangs has been discussed repeatedly since the 1970s.

      @2:35, you want to blame single parents but perhaps you should read what sociologists have to say too. They have actually studied this violence. Anti-gang efforts have been more successful in some communities than others.

      And while you are at it, please explain why so many children from single parent homes do not become involved in violence, as victims or perpetrators. Might it have something to do with poverty vs middle class incomes, resources available to that single parent? How might the greater tendency to incarcerate black men contribute to family dysfunction? Or are you implying that black people are just naturally inclined to be single parents? Do you even know whether white divorce rates are increasing or decreasing?

      Delete
  11. “Research has demonstrated that children fare far better when they remain with family members.”

    Somerby says:
    “They link this apparent claim to the tragic outcome in Bryant's case, without quite attempting to show how their overall criticisms might relate to the decisions which were made in her particular case. “

    The specific failure is here:

    “Service agencies offer far less support to family members who agree to take care of children in need: The per diem allowances paid to licensed foster parents are often 10 times greater than the public assistance paid to relatives. A grandparent can become licensed as a foster parent, but it can take as long as six months, said Anthony Capizzi, an Ohio family court judge who took part in a comprehensive review of the state’s family services in 2019.

    Ms. Hammonds did not have that long to wait.

    “I was worn out,” she recalled. “I was doing all the laundry, all the cooking, and I was working a part-time job at the time. And it was difficult because these children came from a lot of dysfunction.”

    Then her landlord found out that the children had moved into the apartment and told her she would have to move. She scrambled, placing the older girls at a summer camp and the younger two siblings in temporary foster care. When the camp ended, she had few options.
    In desperation, she called the children’s caseworker to ask if she could take them to a hotel with her for a few nights, but the caseworker said that was not allowed. “

    So, the children were taken from the grandmother.

    These are specific failures related to the obstacles faced by the children’s grandmother.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Note: Ms Hammonds is the grandmother.

      Delete
  12. "Anthropologically, we shouldn't expect anything better, despondent top experts all say."

    Top experts are despondent because young, inexperienced journalists do not write like older ones? That strikes me as an unreasonable expectation on the part of those top experts, anthopologically speaking or not.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Should we bring back orphanages? Would they work better than the foster care system?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What part of this did you not understand?

      "Research has demonstrated that children fare far better when they remain with family members, a practice known as kinship care."

      Research has demonstrated this. Why would you think that institutionalizing a child would be better?

      Delete
  14. Isiyku Abdulahi
    My ex-boyfriend dumped me one week ago after I accused him of seeing someone else and insulting him. I want him back in my life but he refuse to have any contact with me. I was so confuse and don’t know what to do, so I reach to the Internet for help and I saw a testimony of how a spell caster help them to get their ex back so I contact the spell caster and explain my problem to him and he cast a spell for me and assure me of 2 days that my ex will return to me and to my greatest surprise the third day my ex came knocking on my door and beg for forgiveness. I am so happy that my love is back again and not only that, we are about to get married. Once again thank you Dr Believe. You are truly talented and gifted.He is the only answer. He can be of great help and I will not stop talking about him because he is a wonderful man. Contact this great love spell caster for your relationship or marriage problem to be solved today via email: believelovespelltemple@gmail.com or WhatsApp: +19713839183


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