The News According to Myo

Sometimes current events in Queen City make me shake my head....

Once again, Cincinnati is a lead story on CNN. Once again, it's regarding a death of an African-American man while being apprehended by the police. This time, though, the public has been provided with surveillance tapes from the police cruiser as well as the White Castle where the incident took place. Videotape should clear up the details, right?

Wrong. On the one hand, watching the police subdue the man is horrifying. As far as I can tell, less violent means of getting the situation under control like pepper spray were completely skipped over in favor of nightsticks. The fire department and ambulance (who had reported to the scene before the police were even called in) seem to have left and had to be called back after it became apparent that the man was not breathing.

But on the other hand, the guy was coked up and was smoking PCP-laced cigarettes. He verbally provoked and physically attacked the police. He continued to resist arrest and refused to comply with orders to stop. And this was a large man. If I had been in the shoes of one of the officers on the scene, trying to restrain a violent flailing narcoleptic guy hopped up on coke and angel dust, I'd probably feel more than a bit fearful for my well-being. I can't say what I would do in a situation like that; thankfully, I'm not in a position where I have to consider things like that.

The coroner has ruled that Jones died as a direct result of the struggle with the police, taking into account his obesity, heart problems, and the drugs in his system. The report also emphasizes that while his death is ruled as a homicide, "This word should not be implied as inappropriate behavior or the use of excessive force by police. The word does not imply hostile intent."

My head hurts. I'm worried about how this will affect the already-too-strained racial tensions in Cincinnati. I don't judge people by the color of their skin, but I'm not so naive to believe that it doesn't happen. While I no longer live in the city itself, I work in the middle of a predominately African-American neighborhood. I drive through a pretty seedy couple of blocks. If weirdness breaks out again, there is no alternate route to the Zoo. (I'm thinking - hoping - that things won't get as bad as the whole 2001 riot scene. There's been a lot of outrage, but so far everyone's just talking, trying to find answers to incredibly muddy questions.)

But enough about that trainwreck. There's so much more.

In regional news, there's a sniper targeting I-270. I'm quite glad that I won't be traveling anywhere near the Columbus area in the near future. For those of you who live there, or may just be passing through, be careful up there.

In the news that no one has bothered to report, the city of Cincinnati has proposed cutting curbside recycling to reduce the city's budget deficit. Apparently having a landfill (affectionately named Mount Rumpke) that is widely believed to be the highest point above sea level in Hamilton County wasn't big enough? How can you pat yourself on the back about having one of the largest curbside recycling programs in the nation while trying to underhandedly get rid of it at the same time? Bright move, guys. What happened to that whole "Don't Trash the 'Nati" campaign?

But then again, this is a city where Cinco de Mayo means drunken riots near the UC campus. This is the city where the city charter bars council from passing anti-discrimination laws based on sexual orientation. (And I shouldn't be so hasty to do my high and mighty "I don't really live there anymore" dance. I now live in a city where council is threatening eminent domain on a block of houses and businesses so they can clear the path for office buildings and retail space.)

In sad anniversary news, yesterday was the 24th anniversary of the Who concert tragedy. I remember my father picking me up that night from a dress rehearsal of the school musical (Oliver!, for anyone who might be interested), and hearing the news come across the radio. Yesterday, WEBN played "Behind Blue Eyes" while I was driving to work, and the whole scene came rushing back, down to the nasty smell of stage makeup and Pond's cold cream. Not a great way to start the day.

But just when I start to think about Cincinnati being a sad or scary place to live, I think about the strange stuff that goes on here. Apparently the nearby city of Fairfield is being overrun with coyotes. (In the immortal words of Rosencrantz, after I told her about the initial sightings a few years ago, "Yay Nature! Go Nature!") First a rogue cow, now this?

And then there's the surreal news... after years of being a Jay Leno punchline, the Bengals are winning. THE BENGALS ARE WINNING! They're tied for first in the AFC Central division. The last time the Bengals had a winning season was 1990. Who dey, indeed.

I also discovered today that Cincinnati has the highest rated CBS affiliate in the nation. Huh. I knew we had an inordinately high percentage of Survivor watchers here, but I had no idea it spilled over to encompass all of the CBS lineup. It was probably my newfound obsession with CSI that pushed us over the edge.

But it's entirely too late at night to be thinking about the news. I need to get some sleep to prepare for the most frightening news of the week: the first winter storm of the season is on its way. (I think Jim Borgman summed up the typical Cincinnati reaction to winter weather advisories pretty well... scroll down on that link to the December 17, 1995 cartoon towards the bottom.) Yeah, I can hardly wait to navigate that new employee entrance at work going downhill on an iced-over busy street. Fun stuff.