Ugly: Salon Had To Turn This Into A Race Story
Salon's Joan Walsh should be ashamed of herself -- turning the story of a courageous school bookkeeper, Antoinette Tuff, who stopped a mentally ill school shooter, into a race-based story.
It's even titled "The story bigots hate: Antoinette Tuff's courage."
Is Salon that desperate for traffic? Apparently so.
Walsh writes:
The fascination at the heart of Tuff's tale, the reason it's riveting, is the way she used compassion and empathy to disarm a mentally ill man intent on killing. "Was the potential there to have another Sandy Hook? Absolutely," the local police chief told reporters as he praised Tuff....It's worth noting that Tuff is a black woman who helped save a young white man from harm at the hands of police.
Why? Did she save him because he is white or because he is a person?
The story:
As the 911 tape begins, we hear Hill shooting outside, as the dispatcher tells a terrified Tuff to try to get somewhere safe. But when Hill comes back into the school, Tuff begins telling police outside, and the 911 dispatcher, that the cops should "back off" and not enter the building. At first she calls Hill "sir," until she switches to calling him "baby," which is when the momentum shifts and she seems to have a chance to save him from himself. Tuff tells the dispatcher that Hill told her "he should have just gone to the hospital instead of doing this, because he's not on his medication."Gradually we hear her convince Hill to let her help him surrender safely to police.
"I can help you, you want me to talk to them? Let me talk to them and let's see if we can work it out so you don't have to go away with them for a long time ... I can let them know you have not tried to harm me or do anything with me." When he interrupts her to say he's already shot at police, she reassures him, "That doesn't make any difference, you didn't hit anybody."
Then she turns to the dispatcher and begins to negotiate with police. "He didn't hit anybody, he just shot outside the door," Tuff tells the woman. "If I walk outside with him, they won't shoot him? ... He just wants to go to the hospital ... Can you talk to the police and let them know he wants to go outside with me?"
In the midst of all this she soothes Hill by telling him parts of her own story. "Don't feel bad, baby, my husband just left me after 33 years ... I tried to commit suicide last year after my husband left me. But look at me now, I'm still working and everything is OK."
On the 911 tape we listen as Tuff calmly negotiates taking away Hill's guns - "Put it all up there," she tells him -- and supervises him lying on the floor to surrender. "Tell me when you're ready, then I'll tell them to come on in," she says. She directs the dispatcher, "Let him drink his bottle of water. Don't come in shooting at anything, they can come on in, and I'ma buzz them in." Then she's back to soothing Hill.
"I'm gonna sit right here so they'll see that you didn't try to harm me ... It's gonna be alright sweetie, I want you to know that I love you, it's a good thing that you did giving up. Don't worry about it, we all go through something in life. You're gonna be OK."
Only after the police come in and arrest Hill without incident does she tell the dispatcher, "Let me tell you something, baby. I've never been so scared in all the days of my life. Oh, Jesus."
Salon took an enormous turn for the worse when Joan Walsh took over. That's when it went from an webzine that could handle contradictory views intelligently to a website with John Walsh's massive ego and agenda to play out.
I used to really like that place too.
jerry at August 27, 2013 1:42 AM
The thing that disturbs me is the implication that this is the way to go - that this works all the time.
Nope.
This guy wasn't determined to shoot - and, because of failed public policies, there was absolutely no way to stop him had he simply decided to start.
If you had told me that schools would be locked, and every student required to carry photo ID, and a full-time police officer was necessary to complete the school day forty years ago, I'd have looked at you as if you were the crazy one.
Instead, here we are. How, again, did we get here?
There is a reason.
Radwaste at August 27, 2013 2:45 AM
Salon? What's this "Salon" that you mention?
The name reminds me of some online thing I used to read many years ago, but for some reason it no longer seems relevant or meaningful to me.
Can't imagine why...
mark n. at August 27, 2013 6:11 AM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2013/08/ugly-salon-had.html#comment-3875891">comment from mark n.You're right, Mark. When David Talbott was in charge, it was a far different Salon. Now it mainly seems to exist to shrilly trumpet Joan Walsh's politics with story slants like this one.
Amy Alkon
at August 27, 2013 6:21 AM
OMG. What a load of BS!
I'm glad that it worked out in this case; but, how many other cases (where we really don't know what happened) were the exact same thing, except the shooter did NOT give up despite the "love" someone showed him?
Do we know for a fact that no one at Sandy Hook or Columbine or VA tech or any of the other shootings didn't try to show "love" to the shooter?
I cannot remember which shooting; but, it seems to me that I remember one of the victims at one place did try to approach the shooter according to eye witnesses only to be shot. So much for "show the love" to stop the madness.
Words vs. bullets. Gee, I wonder which is "stronger"? Not to downplay what this woman did; but, she was quite lucky. VERY lucky.
And, as you call it "ugly," what nonsense to make this about race!?
Charles at August 27, 2013 6:34 AM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2013/08/ugly-salon-had.html#comment-3875913">comment from CharlesAlso, in the case that was made out to be racist, from what I've read, George Zimmerman didn't seem to have bad feelings toward blacks -- took a black girl to prom, tutored black kids, voted for Obama, launched a campaign to help a black man beaten up by a white kid, opened a business with a black friend, etc.
It is despicable that his character has been maligned, and I say that as somebody who thinks he was unwise to get out of his truck and confront Martin.
Amy Alkon
at August 27, 2013 6:39 AM
every student required to carry photo ID
Isn't that raaaaaaaccccccccissssst?
I R A Darth Aggie at August 27, 2013 6:43 AM
I listened to the 911 call, and read a lot of comments, frequently beginning with "Yeah, she did a great thing, BUT...."
I'll stick with she did a great thing. There was no way to know if or when that guy would snap.
The call is worth listening to. She's not trying to be a hero. First she's just telling the operator what the man wants. At one point she is reassuring him that he won't be put away for a long time, that he hasn't hurt her or anyone yet.
Even knowing how it turned out, I felt the tension at the end, when he's on the floor with his hands behind his back, and it takes the cops for-freaking-ever to come in and get him.
Pricklypear at August 27, 2013 7:27 AM
"Salon? What's this "Salon" that you mention?"
It's a link brothel. Or so I've heard. Wouldn't be caught dead setting foot in there myself.
Cousin Dave at August 27, 2013 10:40 AM
I live in GA so this story has been in the news constantly, on TV, radio and the papers.
But the Salon piece is the first to bring up race, that I've heard or seen.
I think it tells us more about Salon than anything.
lsomber at August 27, 2013 11:44 AM
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