Police move to suppress Crime info

U

Unregistered

Guest
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-st...o-suppress-info-a-backwards-step-media-group/

Police move to suppress info a backwards step - media group

Gisborne police have taken a backward step and may create a false sense of security by their decision to restrict the information given to reporters about crime, a group representing the media says.

Last week, Gisborne area commander Inspector Sam Aberahama said police stations in the region would no longer routinely offer detailed information about crimes to the media, in a move to "make the community feel safer".

He said he saw no benefit in "reporting to all and sundry".


What you really mean is that you want to stop the Community knowing that Niggers are destroying NZ cities and Productive citizens lives, every single day.
You don't want them to know which areas are dangerous, which individuals are dangerous, to stay away from certain events and put themselves at risk.
In the US, you'd be at risk of a Huge lawsuit for deliberate suppression of crime information!

It's strange - every possible safety measure is highlighted when firing guns, whitebaiting, skiing or any other sport. I'm damned sure you'd ban any of those activities if you could find a reason to.
But in 'Free' NZ, you don't even want people to know how to be safe in their own Homes and Suburbs, crime trends and Gang activity. On behalf of a safe, productive NZ you supposedly care for, thank you VERY MUCH!!!!


The decision coincides with the appointment of new station supervisor Detective Sergeant Mick Lander, who introduced a similar policy in Rotorua where he last worked.

Way to go! Tourists are being attacked, stabbed and Robbed in Rotorua by organized packs of Niggers. But you don't want them to know abut it so they don't stop coming.

The decision was not national police policy, but was a management matter at a district level, police media relations manager Jon Neilson told NZPA.

However, eastern district police communications manager Kris McGehan said Gisborne was just being brought into line with procedures around the rest of the country.

Restricting public awareness of crime would not restrict crime, Media Freedom Committee chairman Tim Murphy said.

"People will feel safer when they know the police are reducing crime or improving their clearance rates by finding and prosecuting offenders -- not when police suppress information on what is going on in their community," he said.

The committee, representing newspapers, television, radio and magazines, said the decision was a backward step and would shut down debate.

"The unilateral blackout will do nothing to improve public respect for the police," Mr Murphy said.

"Secrecy breeds suspicion and distrust."

Yesterday, Police Minister Judith Collins said, at a press conference about a vicious attack on a Hastings police officer, that media reports on police conduct and other issues had contributed to a lack of respect for police.

She said today that police were more open than in the past, and were releasing crime statistics each month on the police website. But she was still unhappy with some media reporting.

"Certainly the headlines, for instance, around police pursuits are often very misleading and try and blame police for doing their job and that's not acceptable," Ms Collins said.

The area commander had to make the decisions about working with the local community and the media, she said.

Gisborne Herald editor Jeremy Muir has criticised the move, describing it as coming "straight out of a Communist handbook".

Information from police, already filtered, was now being "heavily censored".

"We strongly believe that our careful reporting on crime straight after it happens helps our community know what is going on and allows people to play a role in solving crimes," Mr Muir said.

Labour list MP and Gisborne resident Moana Mackey said the relationship between police and media was of mutual benefit, and of benefit to the wider community.

If police were concerned about sensational headlines, the best way to deal with that was to supply the correct information.
"There's nothing like the facts to kill dramatic speculation about what is or isn't happening," she said.
 
Police not budging
Christine McCafferty

POLICE are standing by their decision to “streamline information”�� provided to the media about daily crimes but the move has sparked strong opposition from Gisborne people, who say they have a right to know.

Last week, area commander Inspector Sam Aberahama said comprehensive information would no longer be provided, because research had shown the public’s perception of crime was heavily influenced by what they saw in the media.

A Gisborne Herald website poll this week asking if the new policy is a good idea shows the majority – 75 percent of voters – are against it.

“This is absolutely shocking by the police. The public need to be aware of what is happening in their community,”�� one voter comments.

“What do these police think New Zealand is — North Korea?”�� says another.


But district commander Superintendent Sam Hoyle said he supported the initiative to ensure “appropriate information”�� was available to media.

“Providing daily detailed lists of each and every incident attended by police, to the media, is outmoded and was largely discontinued by police around the country some time ago,”�� he said.

“Gisborne police will continue to provide detailed information on significant crimes, or series of crimes —particularly where there is a public safety issue.”��

Gisborne Herald editor Jeremy Muir said information from the police was already filtered.

“Now it is being heavily censored.”��


He was disappointed Police Minister Judith Collins had failed to front yet on this issue, despite repeated requests for comment.

“We are really surprised if the Government endorses this approach to crime reporting — the next step for police to tidy up their image, it seems, would be to bring down their stats by not policing minor crimes.

“We want to work with Gisborne police on a sensible media policy that works for everyone and is informed by solid research.”��

MP Anne Tolley said she spoke to Mrs Collins on the matter and it was an “operational matter”�� for police.

“However I would encourage police and media to work together on building a good relationship that works in the best interests of the general public.”��

Labour list MP Moana Mackey said The Gisborne Herald’s approach to crime reporting had always been to work with police to assist in raising awareness of issues such as domestic violence.

“This has been of mutual benefit to both parties, as well as to our wider community, and I would hate to see that partnership lost.

“It’s true that sensationalist reporting of crime can make people feel more at risk than they actually are, but this is not the case here.

“The Gisborne Herald has always been responsible in their reporting of crime, and I do not believe locals feel less safe as a result.

“I also don’t believe there is any evidence to support assertions to the contrary,”�� she said.

“If anything, the provision of detailed information to the media means that sensationalist reporting is less likely. There’s nothing like the facts to kill dramatic speculation about what is or isn’t happening.”��

Police were using a sledgehammer to crack a non-existent walnut.

“What will make our communities feel safer is to see crime actually reducing. An ”�’ignorance is bliss’ approach to crime will not make anyone safer.”��

Newspaper Publishers’ Association chief executive Tim Pankhurst had a similar view, saying while it was part of the police brief to manage perceptions of crime and reassure the public, the best way to do that was to be seen catching the criminals.

“The media play a huge part in assisting police to keep the community safe. Crimewatch columns that many newspapers run, where information is sought from the public, have led to numerous arrests.

Mr Pankhurst, who is secretary of the Media Freedom Committee, which represents all branches of the New Zealand media, said The Gisborne Herald was a responsible and reputable newspaper that had a track record of supporting its community.

“Local police should think again before they risk alienating one of their closest allies,”�� he said.

“Yes, there are times when the relationship is strained, when there is critical reporting of police actions, but that is healthy.

“The media are not an arm of the police, to be manipulated as local commanders see fit.

“But they are a vital part of a caring community and of the democratic process and any attempted muzzling or drip-feeding of information deemed suitable, will surely backfire.”��

http://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/article/?id=18644
 
Feels good doesn't it? When the 'solution' to Crime isn't action, but Censorship.

You know, the ONLY Countries where this is 'necessary' are Socialist Paradises, where the people are living in a Free society. Period.

Police and the Media have already admitted that some NZ murders are NEVER mentioned in our papers. They won't say why, but it isn't hard to guess.
What a wonderful society we live in, where the one-time Worst crime a person could commit, is now censored from public view lest people get upset.
 
Perth, Western Australia Police Union angry at 'political correctness gone mad'on naming offenders' race

* Anthony DeCeglie and Nicole Cox
* From: The Sunday Times
* November 27, 2010 6:00PM

POLICE say a ban on using ethnic or religious words to describe offenders is obstructing investigations.

The police union has labelled the policy, a direct order from Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan, as "political correctness gone mad".

Officers can no longer use details such as a suspect's nationality, race or religion when seeking public help.

Instead, they have been told to say if the person is light or dark skinned.

WA Police Union president Russell Armstrong wants the rule overturned.

The Equal Opportunities Commission says the ban was introduced six months ago after complaints that using ethnic descriptions was racist.

The commission said witnesses who made reports to police would often get the ethnicity of a suspect wrong.

Mr Armstrong said using "scant descriptions" made it harder to catch criminals.

"If you just turn around and say we are looking for a 20-year-old male, 180cm, with black hair, how many people in the community does that description fit?" he said.

"If somebody is Australian or if somebody is English or if somebody is Nigerian, wherever they are from, police should be allowed to say that in their description of offenders.


One police insider said the policy had prevented the capture of suspects.

"These rules don't give a true indication of who police are looking for," the source said.

"There is a big difference between a dark-skinned person being Aboriginal or African. And if we are looking for an Asian person-of-interest it's a bit narrow to describe them as simply having fair skin and dark hair."

But Equal Opportunity Commission state commissioner Yvonne Henderson said using ethnic descriptions reinforced negative stereotypes.

"It can feed into prejudiced ideas in the community about which ethnicities are mainly responsible for criminal behaviour," she said.

Ms Henderson also said the police use of ethnic descriptions was often misleading. "Often they were inaccurate because they were based on one person's assumption of someone's racial background, which could be wrong," she said.

The commission will investigate any incidents where police use ethnic descriptions.


Ethnic Communities Council of WA president Maria Saraceni said the ban stopped police condemning everyone of a particular race in an area they were investigating.

"If police say they are looking for an Indian, how would the public know to distinguish between an Indian and a Pakistani?," Ms Saraceni said.

"It is much more accurate to use details like height, weight or hair colour."

Police spokesman Insp Bill Munnee defended the rule.

"The continued use of ethnic descriptors enforces stereotypes, does not promote understanding between cultures, damages police-community relationships and is not considered a sound investigatory practice," Insp Munnee said.

http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/wes...ectness-gone-mad/story-e6frg13u-1225961961931
 
“However I would encourage police and media to work together on building a good relationship that works in the best interests of the general public.”

Un-quote

Whore's for a paycheck with no concern for truth or Safety for the public Common's.

In the end this only breeds contempt for the regime there IMO.

:niglet:
 
When the cops are complicit in holding back information concerning jig crimes, they they are lowering themselves almost to the level of jiggaboos. Why the police would do that rather than stop the troublemakers is beyond me. Not too long ago, cops were still eager to stop TNB it its tracks whenever they could.
 
When the cops are complicit in holding back information concerning jig crimes, they they are lowering themselves almost to the level of jiggaboos. Why the police would do that rather than stop the troublemakers is beyond me. Not too long ago, cops were still eager to stop TNB it its tracks whenever they could.

I think it is more than 'almost'. They lower themselves because the police are run by our ideological enemies. There's no other explanation why those who serve and protect the public would adopt policies that would have the effect of serving and protecting criminals - in large part, brindled criminals - hence the policy.

The rank and file may have views much like our own but they're 'yes' people. They'd as happily arrest us as any nigger thug.
 
The rank and file may have views much like our own but they're 'yes' people. They'd as happily arrest us as any nigger thug.
Un-quote


Exactly right.

From England across Canada/US to N.Z. the uniformed police and NKVD forces that have been greatly increased in numbers over the last ten years are also very much less White, and less straight White Males.


The White police who would dare to not carry the Red Guard attitude will find himself in trouble in hurry as police Leadership in all the English speaking Nations are enemy aliens of Western Civilization and care not about the Whites being pummeled.
 
They have become militarized bureaucrats serving the elite (or those id'd as such), their salaries, perks and, most important of all, their pensions.

v
 
Hopefully we'll get so pissed that we'll fight kwaps and jigs at the same time--and take them out. The LAPD utilize spray and pray to satan when they fired on a pair of hispanic ladies whose truck wasn't even the same color as Christopher Dorner's; one of the poor ladies was injured severely by the dirty, cowardly kwaps They also did the spray and pray to satan on a White man who luckily escaped without a scratch. This tactic won't work against people who are aware that spray and pray is a niggerish way to fire weapons. The kwaps are NO better than jiggaboos in my book. When you fear jigs less than kwaps, you know something is VERY wrong in Amerikwa!

:mad::barf2:
 
What you really mean is that you want to stop the Community knowing that Niggers are destroying NZ cities and Productive citizens lives, every single day.
You don't want them to know which areas are dangerous, which individuals are dangerous, to stay away from certain events and put themselves at risk.
In the US, you'd be at risk of a Huge lawsuit for deliberate suppression of crime information!
HA!!
FBI stopped reporting on gang threats in 2015.
 
When the cops are complicit in holding back information concerning jig crimes, they they are lowering themselves almost to the level of jiggaboos. Why the police would do that rather than stop the troublemakers is beyond me. Not too long ago, cops were still eager to stop TNB it its tracks whenever they could.

President Lyndon Baines Johnson ordered the suppression of media's reporting on crime with the Kerner Commission report and recommendations with new media rules.


None of it has worked, except to degrade White areas.
AND WE HEAR AND HEAR AND HEAR ABOUT NEGRO GRIEVANCES UNTIL WE PUKE.


Chapter 15--The News Media and the Disorders

In his charge to the Commission, the President asked: "What effect do the mass
media have on the riots?"
The Commission determined that the answer to the President's question did not lie
solely in the performance of the press and broadcasters in reporting the riots. Our analysis
had to consider also the overall treatment by the media of the Negro ghettos, community
relations, racial attitudes, and poverty-day by day and month by month, year in and year
out. A wide range of interviews with government officials, law enforcement authorities,
media personnel and other citizens, including ghetto residents, as well as a quantitative
analysis of riot coverage and a special conference with industry representatives, leads us
to conclude that:
* Despite instances of sensationalism, inaccuracy and distortion, newspapers, radio and
television tried on the whole to give a balanced, factual account of the 1967 disorders.
* Elements of the news media failed to portray accurately the scale and character of the
violence that occurred last summer. The overall effect was, we believe, an exaggeration
of both mood and event. .
* Important segments of the media failed to report adequately on the causes and
consequences of civil disorders and on the underlying problems of race relations. They
have not communicated to the majority of their audience--which is white—a sense of the
degradation, misery and hopelessness of life in the ghetto.
These failings must be corrected, and the improvement must come from within the
industry. Freedom of the press is not the issue. Any effort to impose governmental
restrictions would be inconsistent with fundamental constitutional precepts.
We have seen evidence that the news media are becoming aware of and concerned
about their performance in this field. As that concern grows, coverage will improve. But
much more must be done, and it must be done soon.

The Commission recommends that the media:
* Expand coverage of the Negro community and of race problems through permanent
assignment of reporters familiar with urban and racial affairs, and through establishment
of more and better links with the Negro community.
* Integrate Negroes and Negro activities into all aspects of coverage and content,
including newspaper articles and television programming. The news media must publish
newspapers and produce programs that recognize the existence and activities of Negroes
as a group within the community and as a part of the larger community.
* Recruit more Negroes into journalism and broadcasting and promote those who are
qualified to positions of significant responsibility. Recruitment should begin in high
schools and continue through college; where necessary, aid for training should be
provided.
* Improve coordination with police in reporting riot news through advance planning, and
cooperate with the police in the designation of police information officers, establishment
of information centers, and development of mutually acceptable guidelines for riot
reporting and the conduct of media personnel.
* Accelerate efforts to ensure accurate and responsible reporting of pot and racial news,
through adoption by all news gathering organizations of stringent internal staff
guidelines.
* Cooperate in the establishment of a privately organized and funded Institute of Urban
Communications to train and educate journalists in urban affairs, recruit and train more
Negro journalists, develop methods for improving police-press relations, review coverage
of riots and racial issues, and support continuing research in the urban field.

Chapter 16--The Future of the Cities
By 1985, the Negro population in central cities is expected to increase by 72 percent
to approximately 20.8 million. Coupled with the continued exodus of white families to
the suburbs, this growth will produce majority Negro populations in many of the nation's
The future of these cities, and of their burgeoning Negro populations, is grim. Most
new employment opportunities are being created in suburbs and outlying areas. This
trend will continue unless important changes in public policy are made.
In prospect, therefore, is further deterioration of already inadequate municipal tax
bases in the face of increasing demands for public services, and continuing
unemployment and poverty among the urban Negro population:
Three choices are open to the nation:
* We can maintain present policies, continuing both the proportion of the nation's
resources now allocated to programs for the unemployed and the disadvantaged, and the
inadequate and failing effort to achieve an integrated society.
* We can adopt a policy of "enrichment" aimed at improving dramatically the quality of
ghetto life while abandoning integration as a goal.
* We can pursue integration by combining ghetto "enrichment" with policies which will
encourage Negro movement out of central city areas.

The first choice, continuance of present policies, has ominous consequences for our
society. The share of the nation's resources now allocated to programs for the
disadvantaged is insufficient to arrest the deterioration of life in central city ghettos.
Under such conditions, a rising proportion of Negroes may come to see in the deprivation
and segregation they experience, a justification for violent protest, or for extending
support to now isolated extremists who advocate civil disruption. Large-scale and
continuing violence could result, followed by white retaliation, and, ultimately, the
separation of the two communities in a garrison state.
Even if violence does not occur, the consequences are unacceptable. Development of
a racially integrated society, extraordinarily difficult today, will be virtually impossible
when the present black ghetto population of 12.5 million has grown to almost 21 million.
To continue present policies is to make permanent the division of our country into
two societies; one, largely Negro and poor, located in the central cities; the other,
predominantly white and affluent, located in the suburbs and in outlying areas.
The second choice, ghetto enrichment coupled with abandonment of integration, is
also unacceptable. It is another way of choosing a permanently divided country.
Moreover, equality cannot be achieved under conditions of nearly complete separation. In
a country where the economy, and particularly the resources of employment, are
predominantly white, a policy of separation can only relegate Negroes to a permanently
inferior economic status.
We believe that the only possible choice for America is the third-a policy which
combines ghetto enrichment with programs designed to encourage integration of
substantial numbers of Negroes into the society outside the ghetto.
Enrichment must be an important adjunct to integration, for no matter how ambitious
or energetic the program, few Negroes now living in central cities can be quickly
integrated. In the meantime, large-scale improvement in the quality of ghetto life is
essential.
In the meantime, large-scale improvement in the quality of ghetto life is essential.
But this can be no more than an interim strategy. Programs must be developed which
will permit substantial Negro movement out of the ghettos.
The primary goal must be a
single society
, in which every citizen will be free to live and work according to his
capabilities and desires, not his color.
Chapter 17--Recommendations For National Action
INTRODUCTION

No American-white or black-can escape the consequences of the continuing social
and economic decay of our major cities.
Only a commitment to national action on an unprecedented scale can shape a future
compatible with the historic ideals of American society.
The great productivity of our economy, a
largest cities.
* Elements of the news media failed to portray accurately the scale and character of the
violence that occurred last summer. The overall effect was, we believe, an exaggeration
of both mood and event. .
* Important segments of the media failed to report adequately on the causes and
consequences of civil disorders and on the underlying problems of race relations. They
have not communicated to the majority of their audience--which is white—a sense of the
degradation, misery and hopelessness of life in the ghetto.
These failings must be corrected, and the improvement must come from within the
industry. Freedom of the press is not the issue. Any effort to impose governmental
restrictions would be inconsistent with fundamental constitutional precepts.
We have seen evidence that the news media are becoming aware of and concerned
about their performance in this field. As that concern grows, coverage will improve. But
much more must be done, and it must be done soon.
The Commission recommends that the media:
* Expand coverage of the Negro community and of race problems through permanent
assignment of reporters familiar with urban and racial affairs, and through establishment
of more and better links with the Negro community.
* Integrate Negroes and Negro activities into all aspects of coverage and content,
including newspaper articles and television programming. The news media must publish
newspapers and produce programs that recognize the existence and activities of Negroes
as a group within the community and as a part of the larger community.
* Recruit more Negroes into journalism and broadcasting and promote those who are
qualified to positions of significant responsibility. Recruitment should begin in high
schools and continue through college; where necessary, aid for training should be
provided.
* Improve coordination with police in reporting riot news through advance planning, and
cooperate with the police in the designation of police information officers, establishment
of information centers, and development of mutually acceptable guidelines for riot
reporting and the conduct of media personnel.
* Accelerate efforts to ensure accurate and responsible reporting of pot and racial news,
through adoption by all news gathering organizations of stringent internal staff
guidelines.
* Cooperate in the establishment of a privately organized and funded Institute of Urban
Communications to train and educate journalists in urban affairs, recruit and train more
Negro journalists, develop methods for improving police-press relations, review coverage
of riots and racial issues, and support continuing research in the urban field. .
Chapter 16--The Future of the Cities
By 1985, the Negro population in central cities is expected to increase by 72 percent........

Other reading
Hrach, Thomas J. (2016). The Riot Report and the News: How the Kerner Commission Changed Media Coverage of Black America. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press. ISBN 978-1-62534-211-9. OCLC 930997446.
 
Charles David Ginsburg (April 20, 1912 – May 23, 2010) was an American political advisor and lawyer who was among the founders of Americans for Democratic Action and served as executive director of the Kerner Commission, which concluded that the rioting of 1967 was caused not by radicals or riffraff, but was instead a response to decades of pervasive discrimination and segregation, and which warned that the U.S. was "moving toward two societies—one Black, one white, separate and unequal."

After completing his military service, Ginsburg returned to Washington and quickly became the consummate Washington insider. Recognized for his "keen wisdom and flawless honesty" and his ability "to analyze situations, get people to work together, listen attentively to competing points of view, and use his considerable legal skills to find common ground,"[3] he founded a law firm and became, along with the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt and John Kenneth Galbraith, one of the founders of Americans for Democratic Action. As counsel to the Jewish Agency and adviser to Chaim Weizmann, he also paved the way for Harry S. Truman's recognition of the state of Israel in 1948.[2]

In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Ginsburg to serve as executive director of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, commonly known as the Kerner Commission after its chair, Governor Otto Kerner, Jr. of Illinois. This commission was charged with investigating as to why over 150 riots had occurred that year and to determine what could be done to prevent them from reoccurring.

In July 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson formed the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders and named Kerner its chairman.[8] As chairman of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, Kerner sent a number of letters to Lyndon Johnson urging him to increase the number of black officers in the United States Army, which was drastically low (Army 1.15%, Air Force 0.6%).[9]
 
If wanting to read more, then Chicago 8, became Chicago 7 in the 1960s.
About a bunch of Jews, a few Whites, and Bobby Seale (black) highly involved in militant violent counter-culture riots, yippies, hippies. The related tune "Light My Fire" by The Doors, Jim Morrison's father Navy officer r/t Israeli attack on USS Liberty, is r/t the 153 race riots during the Long Hot Summer of 1967, numerous movies about class conflicts, blacksploitation films, rise of porn films & porn theaters, horror films, extreme violence in films, drug trade. All of that is r/t the Rise of the Black Serial Killers, inner city black killers in general.

And all blame for everything is scapegoated unto Whites. The extreme numbers of Mexican migrants and hundreds of thousands of Southern African-Ams into California, Japanese internment camps, all leading to the highest racial tensions ever.
I suppose all that gets me thinking about Biden's unrestricted millions of immigrants, many militants or military or actual mercenaries, knowing the real economic/jobs state, I believe it will be a huge SHTF incoming after the manufactured food crisis hits + inflation. Supposedly we're presently in a recession.

Much of what I know Biden's DHS Mayorkas is "knowingly" doing with immigration is on a much higher scale of greater than 10,000% of 1943 as a recreation of 1967 and 1943 riots. If I can see it, if Tom can see it, then I know Mayorkas knows he is creating conditions to start a civil war, but as a Russian Jew, Mayorkas plays it as if he is dumb. ALL IT NEEDS IS A FUSE LIT, A FEW SUDDEN MARTYRS.


Before that was the 1943 Zoot Suit Riots, Whites got into it with them over their baggy suits, generally the Mexicans were bringing drugs such as marijuana, heroin, peyote and bennies in much higher quantities into the USA, border patrol was much smaller in the early 1940s. Mostly the Zoots were upset & their riots in several big cities were caused by the "Sleepy Lagoon murder" a Mexican mob killing of a Mexican fella, coming out of the Great Depression, early feminism problems, everyone was thrown together and stressed through survivalism and race. Gangs formed.
At least the Mexican parents were smart enough to make & enforce curfews for their kids, unlike blacks EVER.

I lived in Bell, Ca., where the Lagoon murder took place, and know its history. Bell is still a hard core Mexican town.


Beginning in the early 1930s and exacerbated by the Great Depression, approximately one million Mexican immigrants and native-born Americans of Mexican descent were forced to leave the United States for Mexico during Mexican Repatriation. Repatriation occurred across many different states, with an estimated 75,000 people forced from Southern California to Mexico during this period. An estimated 60% of them were U.S. citizen minors due to birthright citizenship. In February 1942, the U.S. government interned Japanese Americans from the West Coast, after classifying them as security threats following the United States' entry into World War II. As society mobilized for war, thousands of Mexican citizens under the Bracero program arrived to Los Angeles for agricultural jobs, as did hundreds of thousands of Black southerners during the Second Great Migration to the city for defense-related jobs such as munitions factories and shipyards. The rapid influx of laborers from Mexico and defense workers of ethnic backgrounds from all across the country into Los Angeles heightened racial tensions in the city.
In the Sleepy Lagoon Murder trial
Judge Fricke also permitted the chief of the Foreign Relations Bureau of the Los Angeles sheriff's office, E. Duran Ayres, to testify as an "expert witness" that Mexicans as a community had a "blood-thirst" and a "biological predisposition" to crime and killing, citing the culture of human sacrifice practiced by their Aztec ancestors.[15]
Readers might remember Senator Jack Tenney, critic of ADL. Actor Anthony Quinn, Zorba the Greek.
Activist involvement
The Sleepy Lagoon Defense Committee (SLDC) was a community organization made up of Los Angeles community members and activists who came together to support the defendants. The SLDC was also known as The Citizens' Committee for the Defense of Mexican-American Youth. During the time of the trials many activists criticized the way that Judge Fricke went about the case as a result of the manner in which the case was handled, thus many supported the defendants. Many of the supporters of the defendants turned and created/joined the Sleepy Lagoon Defense Committee.[16] The committee was labeled a Communist front organization by the California state legislature's Joint Fact-Finding Committee on Un-American Activities chaired by Jack Tenney. Actor Anthony Quinn writes that he began raising money for the defense after his mother urged him to "remember the eggs" they had been given by a mother of one of the accused defendants during a time of poverty. He writes of enlisting the help of Orson Welles and Eleanor Roosevelt, and being branded a communist as a result, almost costing him his career.[17]
Eleanor Rosenfeld was a Communist.

 
Back
Top