*A local story that was played prominently in both dailies over the weekend was the Hyatt Regency Tampa’s hosting of Fetish Con 2012, a gathering of those celebrating, well, all things kinky. In the context of polarizing politics, numbing GOP Convention prep and Tropical Storm Ernesto, it was obviously a welcome respite with tempting visuals.
Also in common: both pieces shared space with an obituary page. The Tampa Tribune version was far more blatant. The entire package, including photos of models and bondage enthusiasts, was juxtaposed next to photographs of the recently deceased. If I’m a family member, I’m outraged and wondering why I still subscribe.
*Another local story featured on the sports pages of both papers was the debut of the area’s newest sports radio station, 98.7-FM The Fan. Not exactly stop the presses stuff, but the treatment was decidedly different.
The Tampa Bay Times gave it page-one status with photos of the three major hosts: Former Lightning forward Chris Dingman, former Bucs tackle “Booger” McFarland and award-winning Times’ columnist Gary Shelton. They’re promoting one of their own. We get that.
The Tribune relegated it to a page-11 brief. We also get that. Not their gig in any way. But in mentioning the hosts, they left out Shelton, who’s one of the best and is still in London covering his 20th Olympic games. That’s just petty.
*But to the Trib’s credit, they prioritized a follow-up piece on Central Court Apartments. That’s where 16-year-old Javon Neal was killed in a confrontation with Tampa Police officers last month. They sent a photographer out with columnist Joe Henderson. Plaudits to the Trib for the approach, which might have been a bit too politically incorrect for the Times.
Henderson experienced Central Court, a neglected, African-American dominated, federally-subsidized, 68-unit complex with chronic crime issues and round-the-clock police calls, through the eyes–and ears–of black TPD Sgt. Kenny Norris.
Sgt. Norris’ job was more than that of emergency respondent or generic law enforcer. He was there to listen, to advise, to defuse mistrust of the police by the residents. He was probably there to counteract the New Black Panther Party too. He certainly wasn’t there to excuse monger. “You have to have a plan to get out of here,” he candidly told some single mothers with kids. “This should be a temporary stop in life.”
It cut to the core of too many Section 8 realities. It’s meant to be stop-gap housing–not a dead-end, generational lifestyle. Residents have a say in the direction of their lives–and an obligation to those they bring into this world as well as into that complex.
More to the point, Sgt. Norris wasn’t there because he was responding to one of the 818 police calls to the complex in the last three years. Or to one of the more than 220 so far this year. He was there to prevent more such calls.
And somebody was there to record it. Well done.