Politics of Death

Recalling the Schoolfield incident.



In 1994 a shooting occurred that plunged the city of Springfield Massachusetts into controversy and threatened to cause racial unrest. Here are excerpts from a New York Times article on the affair.

A month after Officer Donald Brown's welcome-back party, people here are still talking about it.

Officer Brown, who is white, had been on a paid leave of absence for killing an unarmed black man last winter, a case that had already caused an uproar, not least because of what many saw as the Police Department's unlikely portrayal of it: as an accident growing out of a mistake that stemmed from a hoax.

A grand jury cleared Officer Brown of wrongdoing, and a police commission decided not to hold disciplinary hearings, so his friends and colleagues decided to give him a party at the Ale House, a downtown tavern.

"Congratulate Don on a job well done (Keep up the good work)," read the invitations, which were posted at Police Headquarters.

The party-givers say they were just trying to cheer up a colleague who had been devastated by the shooting. But to many others, the party sounded like a celebration of the death of Benjamin Schoolfield, the 20-year-old man whom the officer had shot to death. Blacks also point to a ham that was given to Officer Brown as a present at the party -- a gift traditionally exchanged, they say, by white vigilantes of the Old South....

"Why would they congratulate someone for a shooting?" said Chelan Jenkins, an 18-year-old friend of the Schoolfield family who has helped organize marches and vigils to protest both the shooting and the party.

Actually, no historical evidence was ever presented that such a ritual has ever existed, in the South, in Springfield or anywhere else. In retrospect, apparently the myth of the ham ritual was created out of thin air simply to inflame the situation. Also from the Times article:

The events that led to the killing began when a woman dialed 911 and reported that her van had been stolen at gunpoint. That call, the police now believe, was a hoax, perpetrated by the woman because she was afraid to tell her boyfriend that she had lent the van to an acquaintance, who in turn lent it to Mr. Schoolfield....

At its recent convention in Chicago, the N.A.A.C.P. passed a resolution condemning both the shooting and the party.

To Chester J. Ardolino, the president of the Patrolmen's Union in Springfield, the N.A.A.C.P. response was an overreaction. "I don't think anybody was intentionally intending to offend anyone," said Mr. Ardolino, who was at the party. "At the worst, it was in poor taste."

Mr. Ardolino confirmed that a ham had been presented as a gift but said that he -- and, to his knowledge, everyone else at the party -- had been unaware of any ritual significance to it.

Of course I had to put my two cents in. 

Originally published in The Baystate Objectivist in 1994




The work ethic, apparently, is in decline even among car thieves. In the old days, if you wanted to take possession of another person's automobile, there was a certain minimal level of skill and hard work involved.

First, you had to stake out your intended vehicle, in order to be sure you wouldn't be surprised by its owner's unexpected arrival. Then you had to get into the car, despite it being locked, and then hot-wire the ignition. These are not skills requiring a degree in engineering, but it's not the sort of thing you could necessarily expect to do successfully on your first try. You have to have a little practice, or a short apprenticeship under the tutelage of a more seasoned thief. At least that's how it used to be. Today - like the chimney sweep and the blacksmith - the skills of the traditional car thief are becoming a thing of the past.

Nowadays, if you want a nice car to drive around in without the inconvenience of having to pay for it, you take a much simpler and direct route. First, you pay a visit to your local unlicensed gun dealer, who sells you an appropriate piece on the spot, no ID required and no questions asked.

Next, position yourself near a major intersection, preferably one with a reputation for having a long running red light. As the cars line up waiting for the light to change, pick out your intended vehicle. Don't be afraid to be choosy, after all there is always a remote chance you'll be apprehended by the police, and why risk weeks or even months in jail for a beat-up Chevy? Hold out for the Mercedes or the Lexus, or if it's your lucky day, the Lambourghini. Even if you're a juvenile or a first offender, you still may as well steal a car worth your while. If caught, it's terrible the number of tiresome hours you have to spend hanging around the courthouse waiting to be assigned your probation officer.

Once you've singled out the appropriate victim, walk up to the car on the driver's side and place the end of the barrel of the gun directly on the glass, preferably so that it makes an ominous, attention getting thud. Once you have the driver's full attention, shout out some variation of the command "GET OUT" perhaps accentuated by an obscenity. You'll be amazed by how quickly and obediently most drivers will exit the car. Then jump inside (remember that the light will change momentarily) and long before the car's former owner can dial 911 you'll be on your merry way.

That's it. No fumbling with stubborn locks. No messy playing with shattered ignitions. So simple that even a graduate of the Springfield School System can succeed on their first try!

Some people who own expensive cars now drive out of their way to avoid neighborhoods like Mason Square or the North End due to the fear, justified or not, of who may come tapping on their window if they're forced to stop at a red light. Something terrible happened in Springfield on the night of February 7, something we still don't understand but which continues to send shockwaves, both social and political, throughout our Valley.

A woman called the police claiming that her van was taken from her in Mason Square at gunpoint. Later, she would admit that this was a lie. The woman was actually a drug addict who lent the van to her drug dealer in return for a fix. The drug dealer then lent the van to Benjamin Schoolfield, for reasons that are not yet clear. In any case the police spotted the vehicle cruising the city's streets, and naturally believing that it was the armed carjacker who was behind the wheel, prepared for a possibly violent confrontation. What happened next is a question of fierce debate, but this much is known for certain: When it was over, behind the wheel of the van was the 20 year old Schoolfield, who was wanted on default warrants but was not a violent carjacker, and he was dying from a bullet wound inflicted by a policeman's gun.

At this writing, an inquiry into the tragedy is underway. If the past is any guide, it will produce findings that will be considered unsatisfactory by all concerned. However detailed the inquiry may prove to be in a factual sense, it is impossible to recreate the emotional and high tension atmosphere in which it occurred, thereby leaving any conclusions open to any second guessing anyone chooses to make.

The shame is a lot of that second guessing is likely to be politically motivated by people with an axe to grind. There are powerful forces in Springfield who are trying at all costs to discredit the local police in the eyes of the public. They are doing so in order to advance an agenda of "reform" whose real purpose is to bring the police department under tighter political control. While most city departments are completely political extensions of those in power, the police department has remained a mostly independent entity immune to political pressure.

In recent years, the political independence of the police has proven to be an embarrassment to the Democrats who dominate Springfield's city government. In 1988, when local Democrats were falling all over each other trying to promote the presidential campaign of the then Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, the Springfield police gave their endorsement to George Bush. That a police department in Dukakis' home state endorsed Bush deeply humiliated our local Democrats, especially when Bush himself flew into town to accept the endorsement in person, causing the event to receive national attention.

Another embarrassment for the local Democrats occurred when contractless Springfield police picketed the Civic Center during the Democrat State Convention of 1990. A fracas broke out when some delegates tried to cross the picket line, causing an incident which made the Democrats look anti-union and anti-cop. In local politics the police union has repeatedly endorsed candidates for local office outside the city's political establishment, most recently opposing Mayor Robert Markel's re-election bid in favor of challenger Kateri Walsh.

The result has been repeated political retaliation designed to bring the police to heel. First came the article "House of Hate" in the Springfield Newspapers. That article portrayed the police department as a haven of bigotry, sexism and discrimination, with unproven allegations printed in tones implying they were facts, even though most of the allegations came from one disgruntled female officer, Paula Meara.

Around the same time, a group described by the Springfield Newspapers as "concerned citizens" called for a study into possible "reforms" in the police department. Not everyone recognized that the leader of those "concerned citizens" was Brian Long, an executive with the Springfield Newspapers.

The ultimate result of the demands of these "concerned citizens" was the infamous Wasserman Report. Ridiculed from the moment it was released, the report was dismissed as a collection of rehashed ideas and vague goals. But buried among the bromides and flotsam were a few very specific recommendations, which if implemented would bring the police department under strict political control.

For example the report called for the Police Chief (who now comes up through the ranks) to be appointed by the mayor, including granting the mayor the right to appoint someone from outside the police department. This would mean that the mayor could appoint a political crony, or an ideological soul-mate from another state, to head the police. In short, the Police Chief would be beholden not to the public, or to the police officers, but to the politicians with the power of the chief's appointment. Would such an appointee oppose the mayor's re-election or step on any politician's toes?

The politicization of the police department is the hidden agenda behind these relentless attacks on the Springfield police, chiefly being made through the political establishment's primary mouthpiece, The Springfield Newspapers. Mindful that the the public is not likely to be inclined to support such a naked political power grab, every attempt is being made to create the impression that the police department is out of control and in need of "reform."

It is this ongoing political agenda that explains the bizarre coverage of the carjacking tragedy. Virtually no mention has been made of Schoolfield's prior criminal record. Instead there has been lengthy accounts of his hobbies, family ties and other irrelevancies, to the point that if you knew nothing of the circumstances that brought Schoolfield to his unhappy end, you might think he was on his way home from a prayer meeting! Distraught family members (the least objective commentators imaginable) were given lengthy quotes in which, with nothing to back up their accusations, they were allowed to accuse the police in print of committing murder.

Political battles in Springfield are typically mean, manipulative and unprincipled. But this exploitation of a tragic death, inflaming racial tensions for political ends, is a new low. It's the politics of death, and don't fall for it.

2008 Update: They did fall for it. The leaders of the Schoolfield protests, Benjamin Swan and Chelan Jenkins, rode the controversy into political office and taxpayer financed positions. The Schoolfield family itself sued the city and received hundreds of thousands of dollars. Mayor Michael Albano implemented the recommendations of the Wasserman report, appointing to the Chief's job department critic Paula Meara and to the Police Commission his personal friend Gerald Phillips. Meara was later forced from office by Mayor Charles V. Ryan amidst widespread charges of Meara's incompetence, while Phillips was sent to prison amidst an array of allegations of misconduct both financial and sexual.

It was so cold this morning even my neighbor's dog had a coat on!

Later at the bus stop I saw this guy with some cool Grateful Dead stuff embroidered on his bag. 

And whether mankind is to be
A complete success or utter failure
Is in such critical balance
That every smallest
Human test of integrity
Every smallest moment to moment decision
Tips the scales affirmatively or negatively
Wherefore we recognize that
It is both fear and ignorance
That delays popular comprehension
Of our historically unprecedented option
Of total human success

-R. Buckminster Fuller
Epic Poem on the History of Industrialization

Springfield Woman of the Year Leaves Town

In January when I chose my "Man and Woman of 2006" I picked two easy choices: Springfield Mayor Charles V. Ryan and Springfield blogger Heather Brandon. While the choice of Mayor Ryan was obvious, I explained my choice of Brandon as follows:

Lovers of Springfield have been repeatedly delighted over the past year by the musings of Heather Brandon in her blog Urban Compass. Her writing ranges from the wonkish to the deeply personal, but all of it is united by a common theme: a passionate desire to spark a new renaissance in our Valley's largest city. If Springfield ever makes a comeback, it will be because of people like Heather.

Of course that assumed that Heather had a future in Springfield, but apparently not. As of the first of this month, Heather and her family relocated to the Connecticut capitol of Hartford. I won't get into what I heard were some of the reasons for her departure, the personal details don't matter. What is unfortunate is that whatever the circumstances, someone like Heather should have been able to make it in Springfield, and if she and her family couldn't do it, that is a very depressing statement not just about Springfield's present, but about its future.

Middle-class young people with families are exactly the sort of residents Springfield needs to attract and keep. Few could be expected to make the degree of commitment that Heather did, taking time out of her busy day almost every day to write about the city and the things going on both good and bad. No one could have tried harder.

Happily, Heather has committed to trying to keep writing about Springfield from her new location out of state. The best hope is that her blog becomes an enlightening compare and contrast exercise between Springfield and her new environment. With Heather's talent, she will continue to shine as a model resident wherever she lives. But it is still hard to spin her exit in a positive light. What can be said about Springfield when even its Woman of the Year has to leave town?

A glimpse into what is behind at least some of the For Sale signs in Springfield was offered at the recent Control Board speak-out through this tale of woe told by Springfield property owner Ann Schielke:

(Transcript by St. Sheila McElwaine) - Good afternoon. It’s an opportunity I wish to address to the Eastern half of our state, because when you’re elected, you represent all the people. I’ve called members of the city council. I have called numerous police departments, etc. I have been violated in the worst possible way. A piece of property I own in Springfield was entered three different times. They took all the plumbing, all the electrical wires, attachments to the boilers, the hot water heaters. They ripped down ceilings to get to steam piping. They took every bit of furniture that my son, who came from the Midwest to be with his father because he had a horrible stroke, and we thought it was too dangerous for him to stay there, but he left his belongings there, and nothing is left of any value. They then attempted to go into the little annex. They got into the barn the following week-end. They are now attempting to get into the annex. They put a hole through the walls, and the only thing that’s stopped them was the radiator—temporarily.

I spoke to the police department and they have been most cooperative, at least Deputy Chief Fitchet and one of the lieutenants and some of the patrolmen who helped me secure the property as best as we could. I have spent dollars now, and it’s going to be thousands of dollars. [Shouting] Where is the police protection in this city? Where is the monies to pay them? We talk about schools—we need safety on the street!

There’s a property across the way where young people congregate smoking and just eyeing anybody who comes to my property. I hired a gutter man to hang some gutters, and two boys from across the street came over and they said, “What are you white guys doing in our neighborhood?” They didn’t do the work; they got in their truck, and they said, “Lady, we don’t want the job.”

What are we going to do in Springfield? They knock down fences. I had as many as three locks on every door and four doors to get into the property and they demolished everything. Did anybody see it? No. The property across the street is supposed to be closed up at 9:00. I go by each day—10:00 they’re still open, 10:30, 11:30. After 11:30, they finally close. [Shouting] Their permit is for 9:00 in the evening. Where are the rules and laws of our city? And why isn’t the Eastern Massachusetts government protecting the people here who voluntarily stay behind when there was a giant exodus to leave Springfield? I was patriotic with my family; I stayed behind, and now I’m being “whooped.” I’m going to leave the rest up to you, because you are intelligent gentlemen and I’m sure you can find a solution, perhaps a fund to fund people like me who, in their retirement years, are faced with thousands of dollars worth of repairs. Not only that, people don’t want to rent in the neighborhood anymore because its gone down so far. It’s a pity. Thank you.

The Control Board members just sat there in stone faced silence. I mean, what could they say?

Fortunately all is not gloom in Springfield. When I was in Pine Point last week I was happy to see that a new store has opened in the location of the old Jeanette's.

 



Hopefully this new venture will be blessed with the same five decades of success as its predecessor. On the other hand, I still notice signs like this every time I go to Springfield. 

The new Control Board members need to understand that fast, decisive action is needed if this exodus is to be reversed.