Freedom of the press and another mess

I’ve been thinking about the Times photographer arrested for obstruction. The story seems pretty simple. The photographer had every right to do his reporting job and keep the public informed. The police had every right to investigate the scene, protect the evidence, and preserve the dignity of the decreased. Things went wrong when these rights seemingly conflicted. Here’s how to resolve the current situation. Drop the charges against the photographer. Don’t make a press release or createa media event. Just let him go. He demanded to be arrested. He got his wish. He’s enjoyed the existential experience. Let’s get him out of the justice system before he asks a judge to throw the book at him. We can call this the One Wish per Citizen Policy. The two police officers went above and beyond the call of duty with this wish fulfillment effort. They need to be an example to the rest of the force. I’d say they qualify for additional sensitivity training. That will look good on their service records and resume’s. Plus, they can share their new diplomatic skills with management and supervisors. That ought to improve communication. We can call that the Free Speech for Police Policy. But, I’ve only addressed the people mentioned in the paper. There could be people standing in the shadows of these events. Let’s share a few words for them. Stupidity might be hereditary but it isn’t contagious. If you’re stupid enough to have pushed this event into conflict forcing an arrest, smarter people will figure that out. And, there are lots of smart people in this town. So get the man out of the justice system. Make our officers better communicators. And, let’s find the stupid people who always seem to be circling around the gray shadows of community conflicts.