Neighbors Celebrating Free Speech and Intellectual Diversity While Speaking Over The Digital Fence
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I agree with Patrick, and it appears many others on your FB feed did as well. I saw the original pictures and I am glad at least you reconsidered and removed some of the more graphic images. So what if you had 'worse ones' and at least had the good judgment not to share those? Gold star for you, but what you continue to share is still graphic enough. His wife and kids WILL see these, and to what end? To teach people a lesson? I think we can all imagine the officer's injuries as we know the outcome. I get the whole 'scared straight' mentality that compels people to want to share images like this, but the intended result is lost on those who might need to see it, and just cause pain for his loved ones instead.Patrick Wadden wrote:I'm not comfortable with a few of these photos because his three kids are going to google their fathers name some day. And there is a possibility that these images come up. Maybe a year from now, 3 years, 5 years from now and they are going to see the raw devistation and blood. The are going to have these images in their memory forever. His blood and tissue on the top of the windshield. His blood on the highway. Maybe I'm wrong but those photos could be very damaging to exactly 3 kids.
Just my opinion.
Prayers for his family.
Lori, you are wrong on all accounts above except one- that this thread SHOULD absolutely be honoring him and his sacrifice- instead of being about pics of his last moments on this earth. Jim posts it, he owns it, and I don't think it is out of line to express our issues with it. In fact, I rarely ever post here but felt strongly enough about this to do so. I felt that deeply about it. And if not now, should I bring it up in a few months when these pictures are already cached forever to be searched for on the internet and the damage is done? Sorry, but no.Lori Allen _ wrote:I feel that Jim did not post the pictures easily. Obviously, the posting of them has generated controversy. Were they graphic? Yes, absolutely. They made me uncomfortable at first. However, Jim did say that some of them would be disturbing and I knew that I may not like what I saw. However, I took the risk and saw what I saw. I think Jim posted this with the best intentions. I think raking him over the coals is uncalled for, especially on such a serious subject and serious thread. I think Trooper Velez and his family would rather the public honor his life and his public service rather than bickering and chastising others on the Lakewood Observer Deck, Facebook and elsewhere online.
This is coming from someone that has a very long line of policemen in their family, going back to my Uncle Tom who was Chief of Detectives in Columbus. Uncle Tom was injured on duty to the point that he could only work a desk job. However, others close to him suffered a much worse fate.
Thank you to those that protect and serve, be it our local police, state troopers, federal agents, and our soldiers.
Hopefully this thread can be put back on track and go back to honoring the life of Trooper Velez. Criticism of Jim and the Lakewood Observer should probably be reserved for another thread, and ideally another time, in my opinion.
Valerie Molinski wrote:I agree with Patrick, and it appears many others on your FB feed did as well. I saw the original pictures and I am glad at least you reconsidered and removed some of the more graphic images. So what if you had 'worse ones' and at least had the good judgment not to share those? Gold star for you, but what you continue to share is still graphic enough. His wife and kids WILL see these, and to what end? To teach people a lesson? I think we can all imagine the officer's injuries as we know the outcome. I get the whole 'scared straight' mentality that compels people to want to share images like this, but the intended result is lost on those who might need to see it, and just cause pain for his loved ones instead.Patrick Wadden wrote:I'm not comfortable with a few of these photos because his three kids are going to google their fathers name some day. And there is a possibility that these images come up. Maybe a year from now, 3 years, 5 years from now and they are going to see the raw devistation and blood. The are going to have these images in their memory forever. His blood and tissue on the top of the windshield. His blood on the highway. Maybe I'm wrong but those photos could be very damaging to exactly 3 kids.
Just my opinion.
Prayers for his family.
Additionally, you then implicated the wrong man in the death of a LEO in your FB feed? Even with your black marks through their eyes, you can still make out what these people look like and their license plates are fully visible. And now it comes out that the driver who caused the accident and killed the trooper was high, so yes, he is a 'poor guy' that killed a man, as you refer to him on FB, but he made the selfish decision to drive under the influence and a father of three is dead.
Seriously, this has been brought up before... you use the 'cloak' of being a journalist to gain access to scenes and report on things like this, and yet, you pull the "I'm not a journalist" card when it suits you and you do a poor job of it. I find this completely irresponsible.
Val,Valerie Molinski wrote:Beyond the graphic-ness of the photos, he posted on FB under the Observer banner MIS-IDENTIFYING the suspect accused of causing the accident. For me, it isn't completely the issue of journalism... it is the personal safety of the man who was wrongly identified as the person who killed Trooper Velez. There are a lot of crazies out there. What if someone tracks down his info and harasses him? So many things could come from this.
This thread was begun as Jim reporting on the accident, which, in my opinion as well as others, he did poorly and irresponsibly, which in turn can have real long lasting effects to this LEO's loved ones as well as the people in the pictures posted. If the LO is going to tackle serious incidents like this, I dont think it is too much to ask to come correct and consider these things, real journalism or not.
I am not one of those people who need my world scrubbed of pain and suffering before I view it. This is not the photo of the syrian boy, there is no comparison, but I understand what you are getting at. But beyond the graphic-ness of the photos, I have issues with someone posting under the LO banner, which is seen by many as a 'news source,' and before Jim says anything, I am not bashing it in this regards, but it really is a collection of community based OPINIONS. There is that mis-nomer out there, and when stories like this are posted under the LO banner on FB as keeping people informed, sensitivity and correctness should both be considered in this matter. I realize the lines are blurred daily here in this regards.Bridget Conant wrote:.
That said, some people prefer their news "sanitized." That's why we didn't see the pictures of the coffins of dead soldiers as they came home from Iraq.
On the other hand, a graphic picture of a dead Syrian toddler on a beach was instrumental in raising the consciousness of many around the world of the tragedy in the Middle East.
I found that particular photo gut wrenching. I'm a mother; it hurt me terribly. But I think it was an important photo. And although this boy's family will be able to view that photo on the Internet for years to come, it was published widely.
So if the LO is posting info on this that is seen and understood as fact, they should consider slowing down and making sure what they are disseminating IS fact and especially that it is not damaging to the parties involved.The news media in Cleveland are deplorable. The poor man is injured in some reports, dead in others.
Jim, I honestly dont know why you posted what you did. And I said above that you own what you post. I don't claim to understand your motivations on many things, this included. On the contrary, I am not hardened, which is why I took the time to speak up in this thread.Jim O'Bryan wrote:Val,Valerie Molinski wrote:Beyond the graphic-ness of the photos, he posted on FB under the Observer banner MIS-IDENTIFYING the suspect accused of causing the accident. For me, it isn't completely the issue of journalism... it is the personal safety of the man who was wrongly identified as the person who killed Trooper Velez. There are a lot of crazies out there. What if someone tracks down his info and harasses him? So many things could come from this.
This thread was begun as Jim reporting on the accident, which, in my opinion as well as others, he did poorly and irresponsibly, which in turn can have real long lasting effects to this LEO's loved ones as well as the people in the pictures posted. If the LO is going to tackle serious incidents like this, I dont think it is too much to ask to come correct and consider these things, real journalism or not.
What don't I own? These reports were done on the spot, or within minutes. All of these stories change rapidly. As I have posted, the first post was before his family was notified. Another news services were eager to put out about a "killed" State Trooper, but we held back, until family and news had gone out through State Troopers' network. So I hope to see you blasting them for their insensitivity. I chose the pictures carefully, should I have used some of the ambulance arriving? OT what followed? According to you, and the FB crowd, I did this for hits? Popularity? To hurt the family, I'm insensitive. None of it is true. I wanted people to realize, we just lost a good person, through terrible means.
Now I am not hardened like you I suppose, where death is just cleaned up and moved away. I was there, and in the blacked out photos, you could see the drain on everyone's face, everyone. Each officer, each witness and the people in the cars. This day seemed like it needed more, like people needed to understand what was lost. Now I thought it was just a series of bad moments. Again, unlike you I did not have a toxicology kit with me. I had to go by what officers who were busy, and other people at the scene knew, or heard. Your heroin assessment yesterday, would have changed the story, but not a lot.
I count 30 people that left way to much behind on a stretch of I-90, I didn't want anyone to make it nice, it wasn't.
Thanks for the report of the procession, was in a meeting I heard it was moving, the entire thing has drained me.
haters got to hate. no matter what.
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