Crime Times Mag is Trash

Chris Hatfield
Aug 23, 2017 · 3 min read

We are a culture enamored with gossip.

We are a culture enamored with justice.

When those two paths cross, such as public court records, we tend to not be able to help ourselves from looking.

It’s actually quite interesting when you think about it. Our fascination with law & order is so compelling. Political figures can run entire campaigns on that platform alone. It even allows various popular networks to not only exist but to thrive. A dark culture of lawlessness that most folks stay distanced from, but yet keep a heavy interest in. This is the mindset that would make a publication like Crime Times Magazine so appealing. This is the state of the human condition. It has allowed them to thrive in the city of Louisville, and undermine the good of the public for a decade.

It was about two months ago now, I suppose. I went to buy some American Spirits at the gas station and I first noticed this magazine. The cashier told me my total, I headed her cash and glanced over my left shoulder. Then I saw it, anger took over.

Here it was, in it’s full glory. This was the publication I had heard about, but paid little attention to. The 20-page magazine with the self-proclaimed ‘best mugshots in the world’. It would fulfill all your entertainment needs complete with a $1 price tag like it’s some type of bargain. Marc Anthony Mulligan was on the front page of the magazine.

This is a man who has made a wide range of people in the Highlands area have a better a day. Even in his mugshot, you can quickly find the reason why. A priceless smile and limitless joy. For decades he has been gracing us with his amazing songs and incredible talents. He emits a light, leaving no need for introduction. If you’ve spent some time in Louisville, you know who Marc is. The reason why? One encounter with him is an unforgettable experience. A man who Louisville police were only interested in help rather than policing. A man with a mental condition. A man who Crime Times Magazine was now profiting from.

After realizing this, I did it. The thing you should never do.

I purchased the magazine.

Five minutes had past flipping through the pages and total rage set in. They had marketed themselves as public servants of sorts. Detailing the crimes that have occurred in particular zip codes. Are they honorable for telling you about the sex crimes that occur close to you? No, not when they use that to profit. Yet, it doesn’t stop them from playing that card.

Imagine this. You follow around a group of drug addicts for weeks upon weeks and wait for one to relapse. Once one does relapse, you photo that exact moment that their guilt hits. They are despondent, full of anger with themselves for making a poor decision. This is not much different. Celebrating a moment when people fall off the wagon. Nobody is actually happy to be in this moments and yet we are expected to draw happiness from it. What for? What comes positive out of this?

A publication that thrives on humiliating people to profit should never celebrated. Crime Times are not public servants nor are they entertainment. They are scum. They are trash In a world they we often find ourselves repeating that famailar cliche: Where is the love? We must ask ourselves, if were showing it in our own actions. Build these people up, help these people in their time of need, resist the opportunity to rip them to shreds.

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Chris Hatfield

Written by

I am Chris Hatfield currently calling Louisville, Kentucky — the 502 — my home. I enjoy a funny pun, a nice rhyme/riff and writing words. I’ll do that here.

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