Speaking of crime: Wait for the laughing to begin

So no sooner did I write this morning's post on Durham's crime reputation and reality (mathematical, at least), than this story comes in the hopper. From the N&O:

"Durham police have arrested a 93-year-old man on cocaine-trafficking and related charges.

William C. Tinnen was arrested Thursday during a raid at 204 Teel St., police said in a news release issued today. Police spokeswoman Kammie Michael said she assumed police had a tip that drug activity was taking place there.

In addition to trafficking, Tinnen is charged with possession of cocaine with the intent to sell or deliver, possession of drug paraphernalia and maintaining a dwelling for the sale of drugs. Officers also confiscated three firearms from the house."

I would be shocked if this hasn't made the news-of-the-weird and human-interest sections of once-proud, now-pandering outlets like CNN tomorrow, to say nothing of Drudge Report, which is certain to carry this on its home page, too. (Am I the only person who remembers when Matty Drudge was just a shrill annoying guy who posted to the alt.showbiz.gossip newsgroup? Anyway.)

A story like this is good for a chuckle in the media spotlight. Too bad this one comes from the Bull City's doorstep.

Comments

[KeepDurhamDifferent!]

I sure hope this makes the newswires, but I doubt it simply because Mr. Tinnen is black. The abuses of police in the drug war are well documented, but as usual the poor will be overlooked in favor of rich whites with daddy money who get screwed by crooked cops (to give one recent example from last year).

I don't know anything more about this case, but I'd say Tinnen is lucky to be alive. As firearms were confiscated, he could have easily ended up like Kathryn Johnston, the 92-year-old Atlanta woman killed by police during a November 2006 drug raid on her home. She thought the police doing a "no knock search" were criminal intruders (seems reasonable to me). After meeting them with an old pistol she was shot, then had to listen to the cops plant drugs in her basement while she bled to death in handcuffs. This was common practice in the Atlanta PD.

[To]

And this story is funny because? Maybe you can let me in on the joke. Old people can't be criminals? Old people can be criminals, but we should look the other way? Or is it because of the previous comment's implication that any police activity against african americans must be racially-motivated and apparently murderously intended?

The story seems more sad than funny, no matter how you look at it; that you find it funny strikes me as kind of sad not to mention rather insensitive coming from a liberal guy who rides the bus with the common folk.

[barry]

Umm, where did you read that Kevin thought this was funny

I read that Kevin expects the media to play this up as a humorous and "weird" story.

He's probably right. Drudge does have it linked on his front page, although it's devoid of any commentary.

And David, i consider myself to be a pretty decent reader, but i have no idea what this paragraph means:
I sure hope this makes the newswires, but I doubt it simply because Mr. Tinnen is black. The abuses of police in the drug war are well documented, but as usual the poor will be overlooked in favor of rich whites with daddy money who get screwed by crooked cops (to give one recent example from last year).

[Bull City Rising]

Just to be clear, anonymous commenter: I don't happen to find this funny at all. I do think that a media obsessed with non-stories involving the Lohans, Spears, Hiltons, etc. will lap up a story like this.

I highlighted this on the blog because it is an interesting story in contrast to what I published Friday morning about Durham's decline in crime over the past eight years. This is another example of a 'sensational' story being the kind of coverage Durham gets while the good news often doesn't.

But not because I think it's funny.

[JDC]

The wires ate it up indeed. The story even made it to the Boston Globe's "Odds & Ends" section: http://www.boston.com/news/odd/?p1=OddsAndEndsBanner

[To]

Kevin, My bad, and thanks for the clarification. Anonymous sniper from yesterday...

[KeepDurhamDifferent!]

Barry, I'm sure you're more than decent in all of the three Rs. Don't sell yourself short.