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The image of a dead man frozen in ice in an abandoned building caused a stir through Detroit.
The photo appeared on the frontpage of the Detroit News today. There was a lot of talk on local radio about whether it was appropriate to have such a photo published in a family newspaper.
I say it was a good photo and if I were the editor at The News, I would have done the same thing.
However, this post is not about the ethics of the Detroit News, it's about the story behind the body and the city that ignored it. The story, which was a great piece of reporting by Charlie LeDuff, stated several people ignore the body because they didn't want to get involved or thought someone else would call the police.
The most disgraceful part of the story is the response LeDuff received from a police officer about the body. LeDuff wrote:
Convinced that it was indeed a body, this reporter made a discreet call to a police officer.
"Aw, just give 911 a call," the cop said. "We'll be called eventually."
A call was placed to 911. A woman answered. She was told it was a reporter calling. The operator tried to follow, but seemed confused. "Where is this building?"
She promised to contact the appropriate authorities.
It would be nice if that police officer would have shown some compassion for a person. Even a dead person deserves some respect.
The story showed us one side of Detroiters - the side that is uncaring and selfish. The side that will ignore a dead person because no one wants to get involved.
However, I think LeDuff's story will unleash the other side of Detroit. He does a great job of linking the homeless problem in the story and I think that will light a fire under some people and there will be a push to help others even if it is in small ways that don't garner much attention.
Detroiters are a tough, resilient group that can fight through anything. Detroiters are also capable of great warmth and compassion, though we sometimes forget that.
Thankfully, we have reporters like LeDuff and newspapers like The News to keep reminding us.
Until next time, enjoy Michigan and take care of each other.
August 6th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
interesting stuff!