Lucy Report — july 10, 2016
What a devastating week it has been. At the beginning, we were celebrating our nation’s independence. By week’s end we were mourning yet again the needless death of two black men at the hands of police — Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge and Philando Castile in Minnesota.
Then a lone sniper assassinated five police officers as they worked at a peaceful protest in Dallas — Brent Thompson, Patrick Zamarippa, Michael Krol, Michael Smith, and Lorne Ahrens.
Deep breath.
The names are important. These are real people, with real lives, real families, real communities, real dreams. They are innocent victims of toxic racism, violence, guns and a social infrastructure built so thoroughly for the advantage of some (white people) that one thing is clear: as a nation, we are so far from the ideal laid out in the preamble of the Constitution we just celebrated that it seems it will take another 240 years to get to “all men are created equal.” And then only if we — us, now — change directions.
Can we in the majority (white people) find the road to redemption for the United States? Can there be one? Without one, is there any hope of peace? Any end to pain and injustice for African-Americans? It is not up to them to figure this out for us.
Deep breath.
Because I give pop culture only a cursory review these days I often turn to my nephews for quick explanations. Reading about recent movie releases, I asked Jack, 16: “Why are all the superheroes fighting each other? Why are Batman and Superman fighting? Why are the Avengers having a civil war?” A comic fan who has read the stories the movies are based on, Jack began to explain but quickly dialed back, realizing I really didn’t want all the character and plot details. He paused for a moment and then said: “They have to have these conflicts to work some things out, but then they come together.”
Let’s not turn away from the conflict, then. Let’s all do our part to work things out so someday we can come together.
Deep breath.
Criminal Justice and the Constitution: At the heart of the most notable and recent conflicts revealing the inequity and injustice of our systems lies criminal justice. And this past Supreme Court session, one Justice took a long look at criminal justice as it is practiced in America today: Sonia Sotomayer. In her first dissent in November, she said a police officer’s “rogue conduct” had left a man dead thanks to a “shoot first, think later” approach. In total, she wrote eight dissents, and taken together, Adam Liptak writes in The Washington Post, they outline a criminal justice system “clouded by arrogance and machismo and warped by bad faith and racism.” Read more here.
License to Betray: Switching gears here, but I don’t want to let some amazing journalism go unnoticed. Let’s be honest. Going to the doctor always carries a bit of anxiety with it, whether it is “I hope they don’t make me wait too long” to “I hope they don’t find something horribly wrong with me.” Friend and former colleagues at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution have given us one more thing to be acutely alert for: sexual abuse. In their shocking series “License to Betray: Doctors & Sexual Abuse,” they outline a chilling truth — many patients experience sexual abuse in the doctor’s office. And even when doctors confess, or allegations of abuse are proved against them, most are allowed to continue to practice.
The AJC did a year-long investigation, researching public documents in all 50 states. Just read the opening of the first story here to get an idea of who are the most common victims. Then take some time to explore the whole microsite. It offers ability to check stats by state. Check out what’s happened near you and then speak out for more patient protection and greater punishment for proven abusers.
This week will be noted for one uplifting moment — another awe-inspiring accomplishment by Serena Williams, as she won her 22nd grand slam title at Wimbledon.
In a press conference, a reporter said: “There will be talk of you going down as one of the greatest female athletes of all time.” To which Serena replied: I prefer “one of the greatest athletes of all time.”
For more on Serena’s thoughts of gender equity, check out her 2015 essay in Wired.
Honorary “Lucy” of the week: Ida B. Wells, who bravely led an anti-lynching crusade in the 1890s, believing “the way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.” Take a few moments to read more about her courageous work here. In a way, that we are amid very similar battles now is disheartening; but that journalism can continue to play a key role in righting wrongs is encouraging.
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Thanks for reading — Editor, Reagan Walker