Second, read p. 69-77 from OTJ, "Evolution: Retired Officer John O'Shea."
1. Compare how each text discusses the 1968 Democratic National Convention -- particularly, how each text engages the other.
Finally, read p. 79-86 from OTJ, "Walkin' Pete: Retired Sergeant Bill Jaconetti."
2. Include in your journal 3 paragraphs from this chapter. Reproduce them exactly as they appear in the text, and include the page number on which they appear.
Revise these 3 paragraphs; improve them. Include your revised paragraphs below the original.
10 comments:
1.First of all, I have to say that it is nice to finally have read something about what happened at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. I could have easily taken it upon myself to do so, but either laziness or distraction has kept me from doing so. After reading so many quick mentionings of the event in ‘On the Job’ it was a very appropriate article. I do wish, however, that Genet did include some of what McCarthy said that day.
The Genet article obviously goes into more detail, beginning from only from one side. Romanticizing the day. The calm before the storm. He is looking at it from the press and therefore, as part of the public. Sort of a-day-in-the-life-of point of view. The whole article is written like that. Not trying to impose, but giving a rather passive account of the entire day. It also completely avoids talking about any sort of provocation on the part of the protestors. Which I find incredibly interesting and going along with the idea that this is a romanticized version of the accounts of that day.
I think that they are told well as opposite parts of the same story. The Genet article, like I said, flows well and has a we’re-not-doing-anything-wrong heir about it, while the O’Shea story makes the hippies and yippies seem completely nuts. They do both, however, make mention of the opposing sides awareness of “cameras rolling.” I though that was an interesting point to make.
O’Shea’s account is a little more graphic (as far as the violence) and reveals more of just what actions were taken against the police force that made them react the way that they did. Sure you can read about flowers and peace walks, but you don’t normally hear about the part with “peaceful protestors” throwing rocks and garbage at the police. And at that point there was no protocol for how to handle a situation like that. I completely agree with his thoughts, and others thoughts, of reacting as a human first. Of course a person initial reaction to attack is to fight back, or flee. Fleeing doesn’t really seem to be a part of the police code.
2. (Pg 81-82)Prior to Jaconetti’s arrival, the previous Wicker Park beat cop was attacked by neighborhood toughs and swore he wouldn’t return. Then came Bill Jaconetti with the edict to begin locking up the bad guys. Jaconetti quickly marked his own territory amid the street gangs that dominated the area, including two of Chicago’s most notorious, the Vice Lords and Latin Kings, both in their primitive days, but each still gaining a reputation for ruthless crime.
“What I had to do immediately was establish my ground,” says Jaconetti. “Once you do that and let people know you’re there to help, then the good people will come to you with info. Even the gangbangers will come to you.”
He gained the moniker “Walkin’ Pete,” a title he carried with him today, from a routine exchange with neighborhood gang members. A teen new to the area asked for Jaconetti’s name in a swift, rude fashion, to which Jaconetti shot back “Pete.” The teens buddy, more grounded in Jaconetti’s increasing neighborhood reputation, told his friend, “Man, you don’t mess with Walkin’ Pete.”
---------Jaconetti obtained the role of Wicker Park beat cop, after his predecessor was attacked by neighborhood thugs. The cop immediately swore he wouldn’t return, leaving Jaconetti the position, a man with a realization that it was his duty to lock up the bad guys. He quickly marked his territory and gained respect, even in the now notorious neighborhoods of the Vice Lords and the Latin Kings. Though only fledgling gangs at the time, they were still gaining reputations for ruthless crimes.
“What I had to do immediately was establish my ground,” says Jaconetti. “Once you do that and let people know you’re there to help, then the good people will come to you with info. Even the gangbangers will come to you.”
Through his routine walks on his beat and as well as his reputation, he earned the nickname “Walkin’ Pete,” a title he carries with him to this day. His routine exchange with neighborhood gang members lead to a particular incident, where a teen, new to the area, asked for Jaconetti’s name in a disrespectful and curt manner, to which he replied, “Pete.” The boys friend, more aware of just who he was talking to and also of Jaconetti’s rising reputation, shot to his friend, “Man, you don’t mess with Walkin’ Pete.”
1.
It's actually really interesting to see how drastically different two interpretations of the same event can be. They're obviously written from two distinct perspectives, that of the police and that of the protesters. O'Shea describes being pelted with rocks and feces and justifies the officers' response as coming from personal offense. Genet describes the protesters as being innocent and with little blame, victims of the uncaring police.
What I found fascinating was how they dehumanize each other in their accounts. Genet speaks of the police as muscular, scowling sentinels, attacking without emotion. O'Shea does little to describe the protesters at all, just in a sort of vague, “us vs. them” way. It seems difficult for either to see the other's motivations as well. The O'Shea passage characterizes the protesters as merely “challenging authority” without considering why they were so angry. Genet, likewise, doesn't seem to consider the idea that the cops may have just been following orders.
It's confusing to try and determine whose account is truthful and whose was colored by their perspective. Perhaps they're both telling the truth, perhaps they just had different experiences.
2.
Original Paragraphs (pg. 83-84):
Upon arriving at Phillip's Jewelry that late winter morning, Jaconetti saw one Chicago squad car sitting outside. He pulled off his winter glove and reached for his gun as he stood directly outside the store's entrance.
“I was getting a glare from the window as I tried to look inside and I couldn't see any copper inside,” he recalls. “I had a bad feeling about it all.”
In an instant, the lead stick-up man swung open the door and put a gun right into Jaconetti's stomach. The fired shot ran through the slack in Jaconetti's jacket, hitting between his raised arm and torso. Jaconetti immediately fired four shots, the final one in the man's ear.
“I knew I had to put on the moves or I wouldn't be around,” says Jaconetti.
Though Jaconetti was lying on the ground outside, his work continued. Still inside the store were 13 hostages, an additional two armed robbers, and one Chicago cop. Jaconetti crawled into a gangway to reload his gun. Moving forward, he got within clear sight of one robber inside and, with his gun drawn, told the man to give it up.
Revised Paragraphs:
Jaconetti arrived at Phillips Jewelry and found a Chicago squad car idling outside, empty. He pulled off a glove and drew his gun while standing in front of the store's entrance.
“I was getting a glare from the window as I tried to look inside and I couldn't see any copper inside,” he recalls. “I had a bad feeling about it all.”
Before Jaconetti could consider his course of action, the lead stick-up man emerged from the door and in one clean motion fired a shot directly into Jaconetti's gut. His body stunned but reacting quickly, he returned four quick shots, one into the suspect's ear.
“I knew I had to put on the moves or I wouldn't be around,” says Jaconetti.
The robber's two armed accomplices,13 hostages and another cop were still inside the jewelry store. Bleeding out onto the ground outside, Jaconetti's determination was that his job was not yet over. He dragged himself into the store's entry way and reloaded his gun. Pulling himself into the store with his gun drawn, he aimed it at one of the suspects and told him to surrender.
Daryl Meador
Journal #5
1. These two descriptions of the Democratic National Convention are very different. I’m glad that the article by Jean Genet gave a little background information on what actually happened there, because the account in the book did not, and I think it would have been helpful if it had. The book seemed to jump around the violent parts or any parts that would make the police department look bad. He didn’t describe specifically any of the violence that took place in terms of police brutality. The article was written in a much different style and tone of voice. While the author did no particularly voice any negative opinions on the police, they did seem to side with the hippies that were present. The gentleness of the hippies is repeatedly referred to, but is described as “too gentle”. I was a little confused as to what the role of the author was at the Convention, but the writing was much freer and more sarcastic and funny than the book.
2. (Pages 80-81) Jaconetti has reached the conclusion that law enforcement, at its core, gives credence to the simplicity of good versus bad, a certainty Jaconetti defines with a thin black line drawn on a folder. In walking the beat of Chicago’s Wicker Part neighborhood for over 30 years, a task he left just last year for sergeant’s post, Jaconetti has seen the line crossed many times.
These days, the Chicago Police Department has a name for what Jaconetti did throughout his three decades of walking the beat in Wicker park. These days, they’ve branded it and marketed it with a logo and dressy PR lingo. The call it CAPS (Chicago Alternative Police Strategy) and say it’s community policing at its finest- an attempt to create a working relationship between police and citizens, making the lives of each party easier. But Bill Jaconetti neither needed PR blitz nor requested a mission statement to define his work in Wicker park. He just went out and did it. Each Day. For over three decades.
Arriving in the cutthroat days of the early 1970s and leaving in 2004, Jaconetti saw the metamorphosis of a neighborhood, it’s gentrification, and the transformation from one of Chicago’s most brutal neighborhoods into one of it’s most trendy. So entrenched in Wicker Park neighborhood history is Jaconetti that a stretch of street is named in his honor at the intersection of Milwaukee, Damen, and North Avenues- a symbolic nod to his stature in both the neighborhood and the department.
Redo:
Jaconetti is confident in the idea that law enforcement in its simplest form is simply the difference between good and bad, a confidence that he describes with a thin black line drawn on a folder. This is a line Jaconetti has seen crossed many times in the more than thirty years that he spent patrolling the Wicker Park neighborhood on foot. (It’s stupid to add the part about how he only left last year, because last year is going to change every year.)
These days, the Chicago Police Department has a new name for what Jaconetti did during his three decades of walking the beat in Wicker Park. They call if Chicago Alternative Police Strategy, or CAPS. The program attempts to bridge the gap between policemen and civilians through good community policing. Jaconetti didn’t need this publicity to motivate him into doing his job though, he simply went out and did it with pride every day for over thirty years.
Beginning his career in the aggressive early 1970’s and leaving in 2004, Jaconetti witnessed a neighborhood change from on it it’s most dangerous to one of it’s trendiest. He has become so involved in the area that a stretch of street is named in his honor at the intersection of Milwaukee, Damen, and North Avenues.
After reading the “The Members of the Assembly” article and John O’Shea’s story in the book I felt like I was looking at the same sky, but one was in the day time and the other at night. They were both talking about the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago, but both were coming from opposite perspectives. I did not have any prior knowledge of what occurred at the convention and I did not rally have a clear knowledge of the riots altogether during that time. I did read the book first, which gave me an initial understanding of what was happening there. The way that O’Shea explained it made it sound like a horrible and humiliating experience for the CPD. He talked about all the disrespect that the protestors were showing against the authority of the police officers. He really elaborated about how they got ambushed by having disgusting things being thrown at them. I found this to be very disrespectful because the police was there to protect the important figures inside the Hilton not to beat random people up for the pure joy of it.
Then I read the article, which I found to be bias on many levels. The whole time I felt like this article was written by an immature protestor. He only took the side of all the other protestors. He did not take in the consideration about why the police were called to be there in the first place. He made it sound like they just appeared out of thin air and began bashing everyone. I am not saying that not one police officer did take that shady route, but he spoke of the CPD as a whole. He also only talked about the peaceful sit-ins and the harmonious sing-alongs that went on and not once did he mention the throwing of garbage at the guarding officers. I felt like he was trying really hard to make himself and the other protestors the primary victims. I did not get that reaction from John O’Shea. In the book he talked about what was happening, but I do not think that he was over glorifying the CPD. I just think that the article was the point of view of an extreme radical who wanted to prove his drastic point.
(Pg. 80) “Jaconetti, a 63-year-old Chicago Police sergeant, pulls out a manila folder and begins drawing a line down the middle of the folder top. “This is the line that separates the good guys from the bad guys,” he instructs, writing the antonyms on separate sides of the line. “As a police officer, you need to ask questions. Anytime people, including cops, drift from one side to the other, they need to suffer the consequences. Any question people have about law enforcement, I always separate the good and the bad by this line. And I say, don’t fall victim to this bad side because then greed takes over. You’ll go from being a bad guy to being the biggest asshole in the world.”
----There is a world of a difference between being on the good side of the law and being on the bad side. Whichever route people decide to take, they will deal will the outcome they deserve. In order to figure out an answer, a question needs to be asked. Throughout his 38-year experience in the CPD, he has learned that law enforcement is basically “good versus bad”. He has witnessed both of the lines being crossed and therefore he uses this theory to answer any questions that citizens and fellow officer have regarding law enforcement.
(Pg. 82) “From his 33-years walking the beat in Wicker Park, Jaconetti achieved a grounding in a community that few officers ever do. Though foot officers have largely been replaced by squad cars these days, a trend the department has subtly worked to reverse, Jaconetti’s work displays the inherent value force in the community. “When you walk the foot beat, you’re including yourself in the community. You’re sympathetic to their problems because you’re in their world,” he says. “The foot guy prevents and solves more crimes than you could ever imagine because he feels needed and important to the community.
----When a police officer is tightly involved in the community he is guarding there is a strong bond between him and the people. The trust that he has from the community is the trust that he earned by demonstrating that he is truly engaging himself into doing what he can to improve the community and keep it safe. By walking around the community, instead of driving around, he is recognized as a face of law enforcement not just merely a cop car strolling by. When people call to him for help or questions they know who they are talking to. They feel comfortable reaching out to him. This is a trend that should be practiced more often in communities and with the police department working on it, hopefully it will be.
(Pg. 86) “I’ve probably worn a hundred different hats in my career,” says Jaconetti. “All cops have to change their hats every 20 minutes when on duty. You go from the copper to the psychologist to the clerk to the mailman to the historian to the doctor. Most times you’re switching one to the other and not even realizing it. But it’s all about helping people out.”
----A police officer is usually portrayed as the super hero who pops in when something out of place is happening, when in reality they are so much more. When a police officer is on duty he or she is faced with different people in different places all the time. A police officer does not have time to be bias against insignificant things like race, gender, or culture. He puts on the persona that fits the part and helps whoever needs it. He is there to make people feel safe in their surroundings, wherever that may be. A police officer can be a guide, a comfort, and a friend.
1.I find what rattles my brain the most is the how two very different stories can come out of one event. Its interesting to hear both sides, from the police and then the protesters as well. O'Shea depicts a disgusting and violent scene while Genet tells a much different story that where the protesters were just and innocent.
I think what makes that situation difficult is that no one is really right or wrong, and both sides will be too stubborn to admit defeat. The Police were just doing their job in accordance with the law, while the protesters were using to right of free speech to make a point to the world. O'Shea feels the power being practiced was not needed, while genet feels like the cops made up the fact that they were following orders.
2. page 83.
"He was sitting right here with me when a call came in about a robbery at phillips jewelry", says Norm Levin of February 16, 1979. "And he bolted right out the door
Upon arriving at Phillips Jewelry that late winter morning, Jaconetti saw one chicago squad car sitting outside. He pulled off his winter glove and reached for his gun as he stood directly outside the store's entrance.
"I was getting a glare from the window as I tried to look inside and I couldn't see any copper inside," He recalls. "I had a bad feeling about it all."
Revised
He was sitting right here with me when a ring came in about a robbery at phillips jewelry", says Norm Levin of February 16, 1979. "And he booked it right out the door.
When he showed up at Phillips Jewelry late that cold but sunny morning, Jaconetti saw one chicago squad car sitting outside. He pulled off his winter glove and reached for his peice as he stood directly outside the store's entrance.
"I was being blinded from the glare from the window as I tried to peek inside and I couldn't see any copper inside," He recalls. "I had a bad feeling about it all."
Question 1
Both of the texts have the obviously point and counter-point arguments within them. Namely, On-The-Job had the perspective of the police while the article on the Hand-Out had it from the perspective of a citizen or hippie. I personally felt each text was lacking something though. The article written by Jean Genet seemed very ignorant of the views of the police, it was very "we're good, they're terrorist." As far as what was written by John O'Shea, it was a bit better in terms of providing what I felt to be facts, but at the same time it really never explained what the police did that day other than say "we did what we had to." It wasn't until Genet's article that I knew what the police did at all.
Jean Genet's article bothered me somewhat. For a long time at the beginning of it, I just didn't understand what was going on at all. Some strange metaphor with thighs that went on for several paragraphs giving very cryptic meanings and then ending abruptly, as well as other strangely described images. Such as the hippies all gathered as if it were some kind of holy church of god which was then interrupted by what could easily be interpreted as the devil himself. A very biased story meant to use imagery as to "seduce" the audience into defending the hippies. Moreover the somewhat unexpected mention of racism in it (at least I didn't expect it, others might have), I personally wasn't sure what the deal with that was at all.
John O'Shea's article was spoken like a true officer. It was an unfamiliar situation and they did what they had to do. Sounds like a line one of his superiors fed him and all the other cops to tell anyone who asked. However, the article itself did make me actually understand what was going on much better than Jean's. Instead of using strange and abnormal imagery, he gave me facts, or at least gave me something believable and understandable as to why they did what they did, whatever it may have been.
John O'Shea's article led to a very interesting point. People are beginning to understand and exploit their rights more and more as time passes. Police methods might not have always been agreeable or nice to watch, but they would get the job done, sometimes too well. No one would care if a thief was beaten mercilessly, but should the police ever make a mistake, even if quickly fixed, might have caused severe damage. Due to this, people began to view the police and any form of law enforcement as the enemy. They forgot they were there to protect them; it just didn't seem that way anymore. In Genet's article, it mentions the hippies taking back society for them. For something better. For a more worthy cause. As it were, society today seems to be taking itself back from the government and laws that we put there in the first place, not liking it anymore because it's not as lax as we wish it was. Jean Genet's article wishes to produce the future that John O'Shea dreads, and feels it is soon upon us.
Question 2
Originals pg 80 - 81
Jaconetti has reached the conclusion that law enforcement, at its core, gives the credence to the simplicity of good versus bad, a certainty Jaconetti defines with a thin black line drawn on a folder. In walking the beat of Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood for over 30 years, a task he left just last year for a sergeant’s post, Jaconetti has seen the line crossed many times.
These days, the Chicago Police Department has a name for what Jaconetti did throughout his three decades walking the beat in Wicker Park. These days, they’ve branded it and marketed it with a logo and dressy PR lingo. They call it CAPS (Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy) and say its community policing at it’s finest-an attempt to create a working relationship between police and citizens, making the lives of each party easier. But Bill Jaconetti neither needed the PR blitz nor requested a mission statement to define his work in Wicker Park. He just went out and did it. Each day. For over three decades.
Arriving in the cutthroat of the early 1970s and leaving in 2004, Jaconetti saw the metamorphosis of the neighborhood, it gentrification, and the transformation from one of Chicago’s most brutal neighborhoods into one of its most trendy. So entrenched in Wicker Park neighborhood history is Jaconetti that a stretch of street is named in his honor at the intersection of Milwaukee, Damen, and North Avenues-a symbolic nod to his stature in both the neighborhood and the department.
Rewritten
Jaconetti found in his time at the CPD that if the law ever did one thing for you, it told you who was good and who was bad. There weren’t any shades of grey; there was just a simple line. For the three decades that Jaconetti walked his beat in Chicago’s Wicker Park, he has seen that very line crossed more times and more ways than he may have ever cared to see.
Today, the methods that Jaconetti have used have been recognized and popularized by some of the higher-ups. They call it CAPS (Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy), a way of policing where the police don’t just drive around in cars all day waiting for a radio signal, but actually walk the streets with the people, getting to know them, actually being a part of the community. Whatever it may be though, let it be some media craze or some trend some of the officers adapt, to Jaconetti it’s just what he’s been doing for the past three decades, his job.
From when he first started in the early and what would appear to be a very intimidating 1970s and leaving in the much more peaceful and quant 2004, Jaconetti saw Wicker Park undergo one of the most astounding evolutions. When he first came there, he may as well have had a target on his back be part of the uniform. Leaving it though, the neighborhood is a great place to live and one of the trendiest spots in the city. It is due to his large roll in this history that a stretch of the street is named in his honor at the intersection of Milwaukee, Damen, and North Avenues. It is a powerful sign of his and his department’s truly great success.
The two texts about the 1968 Democratic Convention were very different, but both very informative. Genet’s vision of the event was very personal and much like one would see it for their self. It She made it seem like it was mostly a hippie event and made a lot of emphasis on the racial aspect. I got the opinion that there were hippies everywhere and that it was all about peace and that it was a very meaningful event.
I felt that the impression I got from On the Job was more of a dangerous feel. Smith made the event seem like there were cops everywhere and like they were stopping people from killing each other. It was less of a peaceful vibe. I felt that I was kind of in suspense the whole time because it all seemed dangerous. Genet’s vision drew me in because I felt that I could relate to it more and felt like I was there. Both had different views that were interesting in both aspects.
“When he shares his most gripping of stories, he does it without adding glorifying his actions. They are what they are, he says, before adding, ‘I hated bullies. I was always the underdog. But here’s the thing, when all is said and done,’ he continues, ‘all you have is your good name to protect. And I spent my whole career trying to do that.’
Jaconetti’s career was perhaps most defined by his ability to change roles in any given situation, to meet the immediate needs of those before him. In one moment, he would play the role of protector in walking senior citizens over to the local store to cash their Social Security checks. Minutes later, he would be the arbitrator, the peacemaker in a domestic dispute. His flexibility allowed others, particularly those in Wicker Park neighborhood he long served, to see his concern for their troubles and his desire to make things right.
‘I’ve probably worn a hundred different hats in my career,’ says Jaconetti, ‘All cops have t change their hats every 20 minutes when you go on duty. You go from the copper to the psychologist to the clerk to the mailman to the historian to the doctor. Most times you’re switching from one to the next and not eve realizing it. But it’s all about helping people out.’”
Revised:
“Even though his stories are gripping and very intense, he never adds actions to make him sound glorified. He leaves them just how they are. He adds, ‘I hated bullies. I was always the underdog. But here’s the thing, when all is said and done,’ he continues, ‘all you have is your good name to protect. And I spent my whole career trying to do that.’
Jaconetti’s flexibility was a main quality that defined him as a police officer. He was able to switch roles easily depending on the situation at hand. Protector, father figure, or authoritarian. He knew when to be what role and put the citizens first to keep them safe. He was known for doing anything possible to keep their troubles away.
‘I’ve probably worn a hundred different hats in my career,’ says Jaconetti, ‘All cops have t change their hats every 20 minutes when you go on duty. You go from the copper to the psychologist to the clerk to the mailman to the historian to the doctor. Most times you’re switching from one to the next and not eve realizing it. But it’s all about helping people out.’”
These texts are very different perspectives of the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Both assume the reader knows the main facts of the even by describing individual incidents from their perspective. Genet, a participant protestor, describes what is like to be subdued by the police. He gives the impression that the police were in the wrong, use too much force in the situation. He talks more abstractly about how the whole event is an allegory of America as a whole. O’Shea, a rookie officer at the time, defends the actions f the police. He explains that there was no protocol for what happened, so the officers reacted as men would normally react to the abuse they received from the protestors. He also claims that the media coverage of the event was skewed in favor of the protestors.
It was really interesting to see both sides of the situation. From reading Genet’s version of the eevnts, it was obvious the protestors were antagonising the police to some degree, but I never would have guessed they were doing something like throwing feces. Genet’s text also makes it seem like the police were trying to prevent a large group of people from gatherimg peacefully.
“Today’s Wicker Park neighborhood on chicago’s Near West Side is a moving advertisment for the urban renewal movement – posh boutiques, trndy bars, and constant foot traffic of twentysomethings. Today’s Wicker Park is young and chick, trendy and innovative. Today’s Wicker park, however, stands a world away from the one Bill Jaconetti inherited in the 1970s.
“Yes, Wicker Park – where properities regularly fetch high six figures these days – defined Chica’s shady underbelly not so long ago. Wicker park was guns and drugs and gangs. Violence and more violence. Dark, dangerous, and criminal. As an outsider, you didn’t walk alone – day or night; you didn’t stop to ask directions; ad you certainly didn’t mess with anybody lest you risk a blade or gun at your throat. At one point in the 1980s, Wicker Park stood among the nation’s most violent neighborhoods, claiming nearly 40 active street gangs battling for lucrative territory, a place on par with Spanish Harlem in New York City.
“A 20-minute drive northwest of Wicker Park on a cool May eventing in 2005, Bill Jaconetti sits in a booth a the Big Top Restaurant, a cozy North Side establishment that pays homage to the circus life with its giant arnival tent sign out front. Jaconetti, a 63-year-old Chicago Police sergeant, pulls out a manila folder and begins drawing a line down the middle of the folder top.”
Pages 77-78
Today’s Wicker Park neighborhood on the near west sdie of chicago is the post place. It’s full of trendy bars, a common place for twentysomething Chicagonians. It has not always been this way however. When officer Bill Jaconetti was assingned as Wicker Park’s beat cop in the 1970s, he arrived in a neighborhood full of crime and violence.
At that time, gangs and criminals controlled the streets. Antagonizing anyone was a bad idea unless you were prepared to defend yourself against knives and guns. Wicker Park was such a bad neighborhood, it was compared to Spanish Harlem in New York City.
Bill Jaconetti sits in a booth at a restaurant on the north side. The 63-year-old Chicago Police sergeant draws a line down the middle of a manila folder.
1. i dont know if Daniel Smith wanted to make it look like an abstract apology or an excuse for why violence erupted at the Democratic convention , but it certaintly wasnt making the chicago police look good. First he starts off by not even describing the event, a hint that if it wasnt an excellent job of chicago cops it wasnt going to be in his book. also his spotty interview with O'shea just seemed like a bunch of excuses, with things like, i put my human rights before being a cop amoung others. Daniel Smith managed to cast the police force in a negative light which i doubt is what he was going for. the article by Jean Genet seemed to lose focus midway through. he goes in and out of talking like he was there to narrative pieces. then he jumps to talking about cops thighs. i was a little confused.
2."Its only 11:30 A.M., but John O'Shea's been talking for a good 90 minutes at a Northwest Side diner. His arms and face maintain a constant animation, his voice rises with each story, and his gregarious nature consumes both space and time. His one-liners emerge quickly and merit-at the absolute minimum-a chuckle.
He's speaking of his 35-year Chicago Police career and weaves humor and insight into his storytelling. He remembers what others call "the good ol' days" and reminds that, given the passage of time, the future will label today the same way. But more than anything, O'Shea demonstrates the mentality that allowed him to survive his career as an officer-a mixture of understanding, flexibility, and a sense of humor.
O'Shea's laughter subsides....
Revised:
Its 11:30 A.M. and John O'Shea is deep in tellings one of his many stories. His animation's are so lively they mimic that of a cartoon. His gregarious nature consumes the diner and everyone in it. even people in adjacent booths cant help but turn there heads and listen. Hes speaking of 35-year Chicago Police career, "the good ol' days" as others call it.
-jesus joke-
O'Shea's laughter dies out a little quicker than usual getting lost in a thought. He often uses that joke as a starter to explain to people that everyone is human and everyone makes mistakes, even cops. this isnt the movies mistakes will be made things will go wrong. the wrong people might get hurt, even killed. but when order is lost and action needs to be taken O'Shea knows the difference between right and wrong and when it comes to protecting his life, he has to think about him surviving not if hes doing the right thing.
Alyssa Pesavento
Writing and Rhetoric 2
September 29, 2008
Journal #5
1. Both texts describe the 1968 Democratic National Convention in completely different way. While they have common settings and common characters in both their stories, the voice behind them is different. That makes the two stories total opposites while still having some sort of acknowledgement of the relationship between them. Jean Genet is a very interesting writer, and a very deep and idealistic thinker. His discussion of the protests at the DNC detailed their beauty, the dedication and peacefulness of the protesters, and the uncalled for brutality and unfairness of the Chicago Police Department. Upon reading "The Members of the Assembly" it is easy to jump to the conclusion that the police acted totally and completely irrationally, only because Genet in no way mentioned the behavior of the protestors. O'Shea did talk about their actions, and also reminded the audience of the humanity of the police officers. Because of identifying both sides of the story, I was able to take a neutral stance on the events that occurred at the DNC in 1968.
2. Page 80
"These days, the Chicago Police Department has a name for what Jaconetti did throughout his three decades walking the beat in Wicker Park. These days, they've branded it and marketed it with a logo and dressy PR lingo. They call it CAPS (Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy" and say it's community policing at its finest - an attempt to create a working relationship between police and citizens, making the lives of each party easier. But Bill Jaconetti neither needed the PR blitz nor requested a mission statement to define his work in Wicker Park. He just went out and did it. Each day. For over three decades."
Jaconetti's work in Wicker Park has earned a label by the Chicago Police Department, "CAPS" (Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy" is its name. He always maintained a close relationship with the residents of Wicker Park, and gained a mutual trust that stands as an example to the rest of the department. Community policing is his style, and always has been. Since his entrance into the police force until 3 decades later, he performed his best work every day and made the lives of the residents of Wicker Park more pleasant.
Page 84
"Though Jaconetti was lying on the ground outside, his work continued. Still inside the store were 13 hostages, an additional two armed robbers, and one Chicago cop. Jaconetti crawled into a gangway to reload his gun. Moving forward, he got within clear sight of one robber inside and, with his gun drawn, told the man to give it up."
Jaconetti, ever the hard worker, continued fighting even as he was lying on the ground outside the store. The 13 hostages still remained inside along with the two armed robbers and a fellow cop. He made his way crawling into a gangway to reload his gun and finish the work that needed to be done, just as he always had. Still crawling, he moved towards the store and demanded the robbers to give up."
Page 85
"The gritty side of Bill Jaconetti, however - the side that returned four shots - achieves balance with an equally intelligent, empathetic, and savvy character. He speaks eloquently of the city he loves, the only place he's ever known. He often mentions his parents, immigrants from southern Italy, and throws praise their way every chance he gets. He talks about the respect he has for his Chicago Police colleagues and the work they do, admitting to personal frustration whenever a member of the department falls out of line."
"The gritty side of Bill Jaconetti has shown through, but is perhaps less apparent than his intelligent, empathetic, and savvy character. He speaks of his love for Chicago, his home and the only place he's ever known. His parents, who were immigrants from southern Italy also have an obvious effect on him, he mentions them often and with pride. However, there are darker parts to the Chicago Police Department that he acknowledges. With every story of a fellow policeman's misconduct he is affected personally.
Post a Comment