The article written by Tony Norman for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette about the Jordan Miles case and how it speaks to a harsh reality about our law enforcement officers, was incredibly interesting and well thought out. The case which involved Miles speaks to a larger level of police corruption and racial profiling. Norman's main point throughout the story is not just about the three Pittsburgh police officers who assaulted Miles without reason, but about all of the criminal justice system in the city of Pittsburgh. He states this point extremely early and emphatically when in the second paragraph he asks the readers "Did their conduct that night represent the best practices of the Pittsburgh police in dealing with a perceived threat at the time?"
Norman backs up his point with in-depth facts pulled from both the scene where the incident happened and taken from the court hearing to resolve the matter. Another quote that really resonated with me and also helped to bolster Norman's point is found in about the sixth paragraph. Responding to the fact that the officers believed they were in the right for what they did because they found stray bullets near the crime scene, days later, Norman said if he were on the jury he would ask the officers what the significance of these bullets were if Miles never had a gun on him when they found him. "I wonder why the plaintiff would be walking around Homewood carrying bullets but no gun, unless they're supposed to believe he was some kind of weird urban iteration of Johnny Appleseed." It is obvious that Norman is trying to be humorous with this quote, but it is also obvious that his contempt and overall disgust for this case is oozing out of his sarcastic remarks.
After reading this story written by Norman, I have gotten a real sense of the style of writing and the tone that he uses in his articles. I believe that I will thoroughly enjoy reading more of Norman's stories because of his way of blending humor, in-depth reporting, and an attitude of wanting to change the issues he is writing about. Norman is a very intelligent and accomplished individual who writes from his heart about issues that he is very passionate about. I feel that Norman wrote an incredible story that was able to capture my attention and really get me fired up about the issue.
Norman backs up his point with in-depth facts pulled from both the scene where the incident happened and taken from the court hearing to resolve the matter. Another quote that really resonated with me and also helped to bolster Norman's point is found in about the sixth paragraph. Responding to the fact that the officers believed they were in the right for what they did because they found stray bullets near the crime scene, days later, Norman said if he were on the jury he would ask the officers what the significance of these bullets were if Miles never had a gun on him when they found him. "I wonder why the plaintiff would be walking around Homewood carrying bullets but no gun, unless they're supposed to believe he was some kind of weird urban iteration of Johnny Appleseed." It is obvious that Norman is trying to be humorous with this quote, but it is also obvious that his contempt and overall disgust for this case is oozing out of his sarcastic remarks.
After reading this story written by Norman, I have gotten a real sense of the style of writing and the tone that he uses in his articles. I believe that I will thoroughly enjoy reading more of Norman's stories because of his way of blending humor, in-depth reporting, and an attitude of wanting to change the issues he is writing about. Norman is a very intelligent and accomplished individual who writes from his heart about issues that he is very passionate about. I feel that Norman wrote an incredible story that was able to capture my attention and really get me fired up about the issue.