The Buzz 06.18.20

FREE SPEECH

As the Black Lives Matter movement puts close scrutiny on police practices, it’s also forcing a look at how media coverage of the criminal justice system can end up perpetuating racist tropes. One way: publishing mugshots, especially without context or deeper news stories, appearing as galleries of faces of people facing a dark hour. Mugshot galleries often feature mostly the faces of brown and black people, who are already disproportionately affected by the criminal justice system. To account for that issue, newspaper giant Gannett on June 9 announced its 500-plus papers would no longer publish mugshot galleries. Existing galleries were replaced with a note that reads in part: “Mugshot galleries presented without context may feed into negative stereotypes and, in our editorial judgment, are of limited news value. Instead, we will focus on the best ways to inform our readers by providing relevant information that will keep our communities safe and continuing to cover crime, as well as the public safety system.”

OVERHEARD

“Does this mask make my ass look big?”
-A woman speaking to her dining companions on Lighthouse Avenue in Pacific Grove during the city’s pilot for outdoor seating and pedestrians only.

GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK

GOOD:

Visitors were flocking to Fisherman’s Wharf even before the state ban on leisure travel was lifted on June 12, many without face coverings as required under a Monterey County health order meant to slow the spread of Covid-19. It put the wharf’s store and restaurant employees at risk and on the spot having to ask people to cover up. A solution was born out of partnership between the city of Monterey, Fisherman’s Wharf Association and nonprofit Gathering for Women. They’ll be passing out free paper masks to weekend visitors this summer, on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 3pm at the head of the wharf. The city and association are providing the masks and volunteers from Gathering for Women are handing them out. The nonprofit is also using the opportunity to share information about its programs for homeless women with visitors, Executive Director Staci Alziebler-Perkins said.

GREAT:

The Fort Ord Regional Trail and Greenway (FORTAG) is a planned 28-mile network of paved bike and pedestrian paths that would connect population centers and workplaces around the former Fort Ord. For a few years, it seemed like a dream, but it’s making big progress toward becoming a reality. On June 16, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors became the seventh agency to sign on in support (joining the cities of Seaside, Del Rey Oaks, Marina and Monterey; Transportation Agency for Monterey County; and Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District; approvals are also expected from CSU Monterey Bay and UC Santa Cruz). That means the TAMC-led project has received the necessary list of endorsements by a June 24 deadline to be eligible for $11 million from the California Transportation Commission toward designing the first 1.5-mile stretch in Del Rey Oaks, crossing over Canyon Del Rey. “It’s a huge milestone,” says Todd Muck of TAMC.

Editor's note: The "Great Week" writeup has been updated to reflect the following correction. The FORTAG path will cross over, not under, Canyon Del Rey.