• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • 1
    CommentGo Back
Download
 
George Pollock State KidIssue 49
Hijacking the Headlines
Before sitting down to breakfast, Richard Goode, Executive editor of the Sentinel, wentout to the mailbox at the end of his long driveway to get the Sentinel. He had it deliveredso he could keep track of delivery times. He took the paper out of the mailbox, looked atthe front page -- and did a double-take. What had happened to the front page?In big, bold letters across the top of the front page, was the headline: BILLY STONESAID TO BE INNOCENT; OFFICERS CHARGED WITH PLANTING EVIDENCE.The front page was dominated by a big photo of Congressman Waters beaming between a professionally-suited Billy Stone and a smiling Joy Stojak, his arms around them both.Goode began reading the story under Debra Florsheim's byline:
 In an extraordinary quasi-judicial proceeding Sunday at Granite City School for Boys,the city's secure facility for juvenile offenders, celebrity inmate Billy Stone put the policedepartment, the juvenile justice system, the Department of Youth Services, and the District Attorney's office on trial -- and found himself and eight other inmates innocent.With the cooperation of Director Carson and a panel of community leaders, whichincluded Police Captain Wally O'Toole, Stone presented lawyerly evidence that policeofficers had planted drugs and/or weapons on him and eight other inmates. Joy Stojak,whom Stone was accused of assaulting, testified that Stone was innocent of the charges.“Billy Stone is innocent,” she said. “Anything else you have read or heard is a lie.”Ms. Stojak, who sat with Mr. Stone, has filed formal charges of physical and emotional abuse against her father. Mr. Stojak has been taken into custody, Captain O'Toole said.Two officers were arrested on the spot and charged with obstruction of justice. They wereOfficers Richard Collins and Mark B. Lee known as Jag.Congressman Bruce Waters announced that District Attorney John Conroy and Judge Joyce Salera had agreed to grant Stone and eight other inmates a new hearing, which iswidely expected to lead to their release. Subheads throughout the long story were: BILLY STONE PRESENTS EVIDENCE; JOY STOJAK SAYS CHARGES “ALL LIES;” DIRECTOR PERMITS INQUIRY; COMMUNITY LEADERS HEAR EVIDENCE;WATERS ANNOUNCES NEW HEARING FOR STONE.
Every picture of Billy Stone showed him in a suit.***Goode ran into the house to grab a phone and find out what was going on. He was told toget into the office fast. And when he got there, he was fired. While cleaning out his desk,he learned that things had gone on while he slept.Debra Florsheim had been tipped off by the night editor that her story had been rewritten.She had asked, “The headline is what?”
 
“Inmates Seize Granite City School.”“That _______.”“Pictures?”“The Stone kid coming out of court in cuffs.”“He's not going to get away with this.”She had rushed into the office. Cashing in chips from her twelve years at the Sentinel,and enlisting the help of the night editor who hated Goode and who was quitting anywayto go to law school, she restored her original story and put her own headlines on it.After she and the night editor had put the restored pages to bed, they broke open a bottleto celebrate the end of their careers at the Sentinel -- and got soaking drunk.But instead of getting fired, both received commendations and raises. “You should befired, too,” the publisher told her, “but your story is the one the paper is standing by. Sowe have to go with you, too.”Unhesitatingly biting the hand that feeds her, she said, “Backing a winner. Gutsy.”***When District Attorney John Conroy was agitated, he tended to tug at his crotch. Uponseeing Congressman's Water's announcement on TV -- the event was carried live byChannel 9 after a big build-up by the anchor, Jim McGarvey-- he jumped to his feet andstood in front of the TV shaking his fist at it while furiously yanking at the front of his pants.“What the hell was that?” he said.“That's not what we agreed.”“Ahem, dear,” Mrs. Conroy said. “Look at you. What if we had guests?”“Do you realize that Waters just announced that Stone and a slew of other Granite Cityinmates are going to be released. He was supposed to make a plea-bargain offer, period.”“Well, if they're innocent, what's wrong with letting them out?”“That's NOT the point.”Mrs. Conroy backed off. But there was worse to come for her husband. Immediately after Waters' big announcement on TV, Conroy called Congressman Waters to find out whatwas going on. Waters said two things. The first was, “I'm out of here.” The second was,“He wants to know how Ann is and if she spells her name with an 'e,'”“I don't know an Ann,” Conroy said.But he did. It was his girlfriend. Her shadowy existence had become known to Billythrough Vera via her mother, who knew everybody's business in town. (She did not usethe 'e.')The next morning, John Conroy sat at breakfast and picked up the Sentinel. He looked atthe headline and his head fell, freely, like that of a condemned man at the stake who had just taken a full volley from the firing squad.
 
“Now what?” said Mrs. Conroy.Conroy opened his eyes and looked at the front page again, just to make sure. He did aslow-motion shake of the head. “The little _______ did it. The little_________ did it.That_________ Sentinel. That goddamn _________ Goode. Doesn't he have any controlover what goes in the __________ paper? That muckraking________ _________, DebraFlorsheim. If she's not a ___________ pinko, I don't know who is.”“Dear, you promised you wouldn't use that kind of language around me. You know I don'tlike it. It's so gutterish. What if we had guests and you were scratching yourself andtalking like that? I would be humiliated, humiliated.”“Dear, I'm sorry. I never got my ass kicked by a kid before.”***Mayor Harper and Chief Bronson started their days off with people rushing into their offices waving copies of the Sentinel. Seeing police scandal, they swung into damagecontrol mode. In a conference call with District Attorney Conroy, the Mayor and PoliceChief decided that Officers Collins and Lee, already in custody, could be sacrificed. Theyhad already been finished off on TV, anyway. Not so easy was another problem that had developed. Having refused a direct order fromChief Bronson to take the school by force, Captain O'Toole had informed officers willingto do so that he would defend the school, by himself if necessary. But standing aloneturned out to be not necessary.In an unheard of breaking of police ranks, more than half of the officers present pledgedtheir loyalty to Captain O'Toole. The other half stood with Captain Morrill. For a short,tense time, the two police groups faced each other. Never had any officer present ever imagined that he would be squared off against fellow officers, fellow brothers in the long blue line. Yet there they were in the dining hall of Granite City School, officers onopposing sides staring at each other, armed, angry, confused, afraid of what might happennext.With the two sides sliding fast toward civil war, Vera O'toole stepped into no-man's-land between them. In her white shirt and phantom black tie and smiling, she went up to her father and gave him a big hug and kiss on the cheek.“I love you Daddy,” she said.“I love you, too, sweetie. But please go home. You shouldn't be here.”“No.”She turned around and faced the officers arrayed against her father and his men. “MyDaddy is a good, brave police officer. He's not afraid of you and neither am I. Now, all of you, get out of here before something terrible happens!”She went to her father and hugged him and nuzzled into his neck. The resolve of theofficers standing against Captain O'Toole melted. One by one, the men broke away untilthe group was no more.Fairfield students returned to classes. East Side Mothers and relatives went home. Granite
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
12 / 01 / 2010<span class="translation_missing">en_US, this_document_made_it_onto_the</span>Rising List!
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...