Dorothy Bland

[Gator]

I saw that this was touched upon in the S.C. thread, but I found it interesting and felt it needed its own thread. Obviously there is a meme going around about Dorothy Bland, the dean of journalism at North Texas.

She's a black woman living in an affluent neighborhood, and she was stopped by two white police officers for walking on the street with headphones in. She was impeding traffic, which is the reason why she was stopped. She perceived the incident in a certain way, and the Dallas Morning News allowed her to write an op-ed piece on her take. The police (and subsequently, the dashcam video from the cruiser) shows a far different take.

Now people are calling for her firing, while the school, Bland and the DMN are still defending the piece, which is linked below. Read both accounts (from Bland and the response from the PD), then watch the video. I'll admit, what she wrote isn't what I saw. Things seemed pretty cordial.

Of course there are incidents where police profile people based on race, but instances like this hurt the cause.

Dorothy Bland: I was caught ‘walking while black.’ Police chief: No, officers were doing their jobs.

 

[User 11148]

Now people are calling for her firing, while the school, Bland and the DMN are still defending the piece ...

You're touching on (possibly) two pools of idiots here. The first consists of anyone other than Bland who's "defending" the piece. She's absolutely entitled to interpret what happened to her in any way she sees fit, but the rest of the "has-a-clue" world shouldn't. To the degree that UNT and the DMN are defending her take, rather than her freedom to share that take ... they're being idiots.

The second pool of idiots consists of the people calling for her firing as a result of this column ... how the hell does this column speak to her performance on the job?

 

[Gator]

You're touching on (possibly) two pools of idiots here. The first consists of anyone other than Bland who's "defending" the piece. She's absolutely entitled to interpret what happened to her in any way she sees fit, but the rest of the "has-a-clue" world shouldn't. To the degree that UNT and the DMN are defending her take, rather than her freedom to share that take ... they're being idiots.

The second pool of idiots consists of the people calling for her firing as a result of this column ... how the hell does this column speak to her performance on the job?

From what I've read, the people calling for her firing are questioning her credibility as dean of journalism at a major university. Such a position should come with a certain level of credibility, which is probably why the DMN allowed her to write such an accusatory piece without vetting it properly.

 

[Dick Whitman]

You're touching on (possibly) two pools of idiots here. The first consists of anyone other than Bland who's "defending" the piece. She's absolutely entitled to interpret what happened to her in any way she sees fit, but the rest of the "has-a-clue" world shouldn't. To the degree that UNT and the DMN are defending her take, rather than her freedom to share that take ... they're being idiots.

The second pool of idiots consists of the people calling for her firing as a result of this column ... how the hell does this column speak to her performance on the job?

Well, you would think that the dean of journalism would be a little better at representing the facts of a situation.

 

[Ace]

It's stupid to walk in the street with a hood on and earphones in in the dark or dusk. You are limiting your vision and hearing.

Her letter had a tone that was a tad off-putting.

 

[User 11148]

From what I've read, the people calling for her firing are questioning her credibility as dean of journalism at a major university. Such a position should come with a certain level of credibility, which is probably why the DMN allowed her to write such an accusatory piece without vetting it properly.

Well, you would think that the dean of journalism would be a little better at representing the facts of a situation.

I thought her column was terribly flawed, but it was an "affect" piece ... this happened to me and I felt this way and I can see how others would feel this way yada yada yada. It was all emotion, and one is allowed one's emotions.

 

[The Big Ragu]

She objectively mischaracterized the interaction.

But you are correct,. ... that ran on the op-ed page. If the paper gives her the space to write an opinion piece, she is entitled to say whatever she wants.

Similarly, the police chief was entitled to respond, when given the chance. And the actual video of the interaction makes it clear that she mischaracterized what happened. So it was pretty easy to do.

 

[bigpern23]

I'd be curious if she's since watched the video and if she maybe sees it any differently than she remembered.

 

[Gator]

Of course she is entitled to her opinion, but don't you think that this particular incident hurts the overall cause of shedding a brighter light on racial profiling? The next time there is an incident without video, how many people will say, 'Oh, it's probably just another Dorothy Bland situation.'?

 

[Gator]

The funniest part of the video, to me, was when she asked to take the photo of the cops. Here are these two okie-dokie white guys posing for the photo, not having a clue that she was about to accuse them on her Facebook page of racial profiling.

 

[The Big Ragu]

Of course she is entitled to her opinion, but don't you think that this particular incident hurts the overall cause of shedding a brighter light on racial profiling? The next time there is an incident without video, how many people will say, 'Oh, it's probably just another Dorothy Bland situation.'?

I'd think most people who aren't already prejudiced understand that racial profiling actually happens. ... and also understand that every time white cops stop a black person it isn't necessarily an instance of racial profiling.

 

[User 11148]

You guys ever see the movie "Once Around," with Holly Hunter and Richard Dreyfuss? There's a scene in there where her parents, very staid types, are getting irritated by the Hunter and Dreyfuss characters' late-night shenanigans. The father, played by Danny Aiello, starts off with a "It's one in the morning" kind of thing, and by the end of the scene (which lasts about 30 seconds) he's taken it to "It's four in the morning!" As he gets angrier and angrier, his distortion of the facts becomes more pronounced.

I don't think Bland purposefully mischaracterized the interaction. I think her memories and her emotions swirled around there for awhile and led her to remember differently from how it occurred. And stuff like this is why more and more I share DW's skepticism re: eyewitness testimony.

Now, if Bland had a shred of intellectual honesty, she'd own up to the fact that she mis-remembered the interaction while crafting her column. But her second-best play might be to just STFU and focus on being a dean.

 

[Blitz]

Anyone support the idea that she planned this whole thing to get attention.
If she is a Dean of Journalism, she might have wondered what sort of media reaction she might get by dressing that way, acting however she acted, and going through the motions of a "plan" … maybe this disturbance/event was not spontaneous at all.
And don't play the card that I am saying it DEFINITELY was staged.
I'm not. But I wonder if it was.

 

[heyabbott]

Well, you would think that the dean of journalism would be a little better at representing the facts of a situation.

Not when you are an Affirmative Action Dean

 

[Gator]

I do not think it was staged.

A few months ago, I got pulled over. I was coming home from work, wasn't drunk and I don't do drugs. I wasn't speeding, so I was like, 'Huh?' I think we all get a little agitated at being pulled over, because we think we're doing everything right. Turns out I had a headlight out and didn't know it. The cop wasn't a ****, just told me it was out and asked how long it's been out. I told him I didn't know it was out. Per protocol, he took my information, ran it, made sure the insurance was up to date, made sure there were no warrants, came back, told me to get it fixed and let me know.

During the time he was running my information, and I'm sure we've all felt this way, you get a sense of uneasiness from people driving by. In your mind, the people who see you pulled over already have convicted you, or feel you're some sort of hard criminal, when in all actuality, it's just a headline.

I think this is where Bland is coming from. She's done everything right in her life. She went to Harvard and worked her way up to be a dean at a university. She's built quite a life for herself through hard work. So when two officers approach her, she gets that sense of uneasiness. Turns out, they were trying to protect her from becoming part of the pavement. I think interaction with police, especially when your black, but also when you're anybody, can put you on edge.

If given the chance, and time to cool down, I think Ms. Bland would have done things differently.

 

[User 11148]

Anyone support the idea that she planned this whole thing to get attention.
If she is a Dean of Journalism, she might have wondered what sort of media reaction she might get by dressing that way, acting however she acted, and going through the motions of a "plan" … maybe this disturbance/event was not spontaneous at all.
And don't play the card that I am saying it DEFINITELY was staged.
I'm not. But I wonder if it was.

I very, very, very, very seriously doubt it.

First of all, she wasn't dressed "that way," she was dressed exactly as upper-middle class women do when they're out walking.

Second, if you're going to try to play racial profiling gotcha! with the police, you're not going to dangle a mid-50s black woman in front of them.

Third, if you check out her background -- her c.v. is available on the university's website -- it's been pretty much a steady march upward along the margins of middle- and upper-management. That kind of a track record does not speak to a willingness to join in any crusades.

Finally, someone of her age and station is highly unlikely to risk everything she's built just to get some attention. She's got a good, good gig*, one that she's not going to be inclined to jeopardize just to be a player in a conversation.




*Her base salary's in the $175K range, and I suspect she also holds a tenured faculty line (so that if she gets canned as dean she's still locked in). If she doesn't hold a tenured line, I'm even more skeptical that she staged the whole thing.

 

[User 11148]

She went to Harvard ...

She's not a Harvard alum. Her degrees are from Arkansas State (BS) and George Washington University (MBA).

 

[Songbird]

Anyone support the idea that she planned this whole thing to get attention.

It was my first thought.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I actually had a pretty great interaction a couple weeks ago. I was in Florida, the panhandle, and got pulled over doing 68 in a 45. The cop was almost sheepish about pulling me over. I told him I didn't realize the speed limit was 45, and he said, "Yeah, well, it switches from 65 to 45 right around here." I didn't have my insurance card in my wallet - I actually later found it in my computer bag, which was with me, but he didn't make a big issue out of that. He went back, ran my license (I was in a rental car), then came back with a warning.

About a year ago, I had three light beers before 6 p.m., then got pulled over at 1:30 a.m. The police grilled me about drinking, I told them the truth. They had me blow. The cop says, "You blew a .14, twice the legal limit."

I said, "That's not possible. I think your equipment is malfunctioning."

He said, "How many did you have again?"

I said, "Three. All Miller Lites. All more than six hours ago."

He had me do the field sobriety tests, and immediately said, "OK, you're free to go."

I don't know, to this day, if they were ****ing with me, or had a malfunctioning breathalyzer. I was pulled over for having a tail light out.

 

[Gator]

She's not a Harvard alum. Her degrees are from Arkansas State (BS) and George Washington University (MBA).

My bad.

From the DMN story: "Do you realize I bought the hoodie I was wearing after completing the Harvard University Institute for Management and Leadership in Education in 2014?"