Description: Hope Kelly reports on the incidence of hate crimes in Boston. Kelly explains that hate crimes are defined as incidents of racial violence; she cites statistics that illustrate how hate crimes have affected various racial and ethnic groups. Kelly's report includes footage of Jack McDevitt (Center for Applied Research, Northeastern University) giving a seminar on hate crimes in Boston. The small audience includes uniformed police officers. McDevitt says that most hate crimes are not initially categorized as such by police officers. McDevitt talks about the seriousness of hate crimes. He notes that all racial and ethnic groups are affected. Kelly's report includes shots of Boston residents on the streets and shots from a moving car of downtown Boston in the evening.
1:00:13: Visual: Shots from a moving car of downtown Boston at night. Hope Kelly reports that hate crimes are defined as incidents of racial violence; that Boston has had 452 hate crimes over the past four years. Kelly notes that hate crimes are rarely recognized for what they are. V: Footage of Jack McDevitt (Center for Applied Research, Northeastern University) addressing a small audience. McDevitt says that his research looks at how Boston's 452 hate crimes were initially categorized by the responding officer. McDevitt says that 19 of the 452 incidents were initially categorized as racially motivated. Shots of the audience listening to McDevitt. Shots of police officers in uniform as they listen to McDevitt. Kelly reports that one of the goals of the study is to teach police officers and citizens to recognize these crimes for what they are. V: Footage of McDevitt saying that Boston's hate crimes were more serious than statistics show them to be. Kelly reports that half of Boston's 452 hate crimes involved assaults; that thirty percent of the assaults were serious enough to require hospitalization. Kelly reports that national statistics show only 7% of assaults as serious enough to require hospitalization. V: Shots from a moving car of residents on the streets of Boston at night. Audio of McDevitt saying that many of Boston's hate crimes involve multiple offenders attacking a single victim. Shots of Washington Street in Roxbury during the day. Elevated train tracks are visible. Shots of African American men gathered outside of Joe's sub shop on Washington Street. Kelly reports that McDevitt found turf issues to be the motivation of many hate crimes in Boston. V: Footage of McDevitt saying that members of every racial and ethnic group were victims of hate crimes. Kelly reports that the study found that Africans Americans and whites were equally apt to be victims of hate crimes; that the perpetrators were usually of another race than their victim. V: Shots of residents walking on the streets of Boston in the daylight. On-screen text and visuals detail hate crime statistics. Kelly reports that 118 African Americans were victims of hate crimes; that 92% of those victims were attacked by whites. Kelly reports that 111 whites were victims of hate crimes; that 78% of those victims were attacked by African Americans. Kelly reports that whites and African Americans accounted for 2/3 of all victims. Kelly reports that 6% of victims were Latino; that the rest of the victims were Asian. Kelly notes that Vietnamese residents were victimized at a rate far out of proportion to their population. V: Shot of a white business man walking and an African American business man walking in the financial district. Shots of Latino residents walking on a street; of two Asian men conversing on a sidewalk. Kelly reports that the perpetrators were unknown in 25% of Boston's hate crimes. V: Shots of a police car traveling slowly through a parking lot. On-screen text and visuals detail statistics about perpetrators of hate crimes. Kelly reports that 63% of known offenders are white; that 33 % of known offenders are African American; that 4% of known offenders are Latino and Asian. Kelly notes that victims are often reluctant to report hate crimes. V: Shots of McDevitt talking about his study; of police officers and officials in the audience, including Francis "Mickey" Roache (Commissioner, Boston Police Department). Shot from a car of a street in downtown Boston.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 03/27/1989
Description: Marcus Jones reports that Sadiki Kambon (community activist) and others have accused police of using excessive violence when pursuing African American crime suspects. He notes that Donald Johnson (shooting victim) was shot dead this evening by police while he was driving a stolen bus. Jones' report includes footage of the bus and the aftermath of Johnson's shooting. Jones notes that police have shot and killed five suspects of non-violent crimes this year; he adds that four of those five suspects were African American. Jones interviews Kambon. Kambon blames police for Johnson's death, saying that police officers would not have fired on Johnson if he were white. Kambon says that he fears for his life when interacting with police because he is an African American male. Jones reviews the case of Levi Hart (shooting victim), who was shot by police while fleeing a stolen car. Jones adds that African American communities across the nation are concerned about police behavior toward African Americans. Jones' report features footage from various sources of African Americans interacting with police and footage of race riots in Miami. Following the edited story is b-roll of the aftermath of Johnson's shooting. Police and EMTs on the scene.
1:00:08: Visual: Footage from WNEV-TV of police running after a bus on a crowded street in Jamaica Plain. Footage of police and paramedics in Jamaica Plain transporting an injured Donald Johnson (shooting victim) on a stretcher. The footage is from January 31, 1988. Marcus Jones reports that Donald Johnson was shot dead by police while driving a stolen bus in Jamaica Plain. Jones reports that some members of the African American community say that police used excessive violence against Johnson. V: Footage of Sadiki Kambon (community activist) saying that Johnson would still be alive if police had reacted properly to the situation. Shots of Johnson being put into an ambulance by police and paramedics. Jones reports that police say that they fired at Johnson because he posed a threat to their safety and the safety of others. V: Footage of Kambon saying that every issue revolves around race; that situations are seen in terms of "us and them." Jones asks Kambon if he thinks the police would have fired on Johnson if he had been white. Jones says that Kambon would not have been shot if he were white; that police knew an African American man was driving the bus. Jones reports that Johnson's shooting marks the fifth time that police have shot and killed suspects of non-violent crimes. Jones reports that four of the five shootings involved teenagers; that one of the shootings involved a case of mistaken identity; that only one of the five shooting victims was white. V: Shots of police officers and residents standing near a cordoned-off crime scene. On-screen text details statistics of police shootings. Footage of Kambon saying that he fears for his life when he interacts with police because he is an African male. Kambon describes the behavior of police officers when they stop African American males for speeding violations. Jones reports on the case of Levi Hart (shooting victim). Jones says that Hart was shot by police while fleeing from a stolen car. Jones reports that African American communities across the nation are concerned over police behavior toward African Americans. Jones notes that a police shooting touched of riots in Miami recently. Jones adds that an African American man was searched during a church service in Broward County, Florida; that churchgoers thought his afro pick was a gun. V: Shots of a photo of Hart; of a newspaper article with a headline reading, "Hart case will go to grand jury." Footage from Say Brother of an African American man fleeing from police. Footage from NBC of race riots in Miami. Footage from Fox television of police searching an African American man in the back of a church. Police pull an afro pick from the man's coat. Shot of an ambulance on a Boston street. Jones reports that the Boston Police Department will not comment on the shooting of Johnson or on any other shootings. Jones notes that the matter is under investigation.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 02/06/1989