Brookline VOL 1, NO 2 BROOKLINE’S VOICE OCTOBER 4-18, 2016
Photo | Rick Ashley This Rick Ashley photograph depicts one of Brookline’s most favored bagel emporiums. Please notice the different moves alive in this photograph. There is newsworthiness, art - the angle, the reflections, and the folks eating their bagels. Thanks, Rick.
Does Brookline need body cameras? The digital streaming future is here By Alexander Culafi
The Voice I don’t know about you, but I’m so over buying music. Three-minute songs cost 99 cents apiece, albums cost upwards of ten bucks for what is sometimes thirty minutes of entertainment, and that’s hoping you actually like the music you’re buying. And the sad reality of the situation is that, unfortunately, it is far too easy for many to illegally download music. I don’t like it, but it’s the truth. And let’s talk about that television cable of yours. Back in April, market research firm Convergence Consulting reported that more than one in five households have cut their cable. How many of those people are reading this article right now? Do you know any of these people? Are you one of them? At this point in 2016, I know far more people who either cut their cable or abstain from it than people who watch cable, because think about it: If you want live television, you need to watch ads, tune in at a scheduled time (unless you invest in a DVR), and pay far too much money in order to watch your favorite programs. Comcast TV plans start at $50 per month, and lock you into a two-year agreement. If you’re like me and play your fair share of video games, it’s no secret that video games are expensive – upwards of $60 if you want to buy a new game the day it comes out.
And even on sale, game systems cost at least a few hundred dollars. Make no mistake: We are in the digital, no-need-to-leave-your-house future. This is a good thing for Brookline residents, who have no significant options in town to buy CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, or video games, let alone consumer electronics. There’s that RadioShack closing down at Coolidge Corner, a GameStop, and very little else. Although if you’re someone who uses Amazon to buy everything, or better yet, buy everything digitally through online storefronts and skip the discs altogether, I couldn’t blame you for not noticing. 20 years ago, there were no alternatives. You either bought music or you didn’t. You have cable, or you don’t get to watch TV. In 2016, finally, you have options. Let’s talk about some of them: INSTEAD OF BUYING MUSIC… STREAM IT!
Imagine this: For about $10 per month, you can listen to almost any song you can dream of from a catalog of millions. As many songs as you want, as often as you want. You can make playlists and share them through your phone or tablet. You can listen to an ad-free radio station custom-designed with songs a program
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By Alexander Culafi
The Voice Police brutality and excessive force charges are rocking the nation. Not in Brookline, where the last citizen complaint of excessive force by a police officer was made last October – and dismissed shortly thereafter based on video evidence which revealed the claims to be unfounded. The rest of the nation is another matter.
of national imperatives. Video cameras worn by police officers often leave little doubt about what has transpired between the police and those involved in confrontations with them. Body cams are not perfect, but they more often than not provide more evidence than they miss. And that dynamic causes many officers to think more carefully about their reactions. Body cams theoretically keep officers in check, and also protect officers in situations of false accusations.
The rest of the nation is not the Town of Brookline.
What about Brookline?
Not a week passes recently without an unarmed black man being shot to death by police officers following routine stops or seemingly harmless interactions. Some of the police shooters have been black themselves, further convoluting and confusing the issues at hand.
As to need, you’re not exactly going to find Detroit–level criminal activity in Brookline.
Blacks aren’t the only Americans being shot to death by police.
Does the Brookline Police Department need body cams, and does the Brookline PD want body cams?
In Brookline so far this year, there have been three counts of rape, six counts of robbery, and 104 counts of assault.
All races have deadly interactions with police. No one is immune. Young children carrying toy guns have been shot to death by police who are ostensibly trying to maintain order, while at the same time fearing for their own lives in volatile situations. One of the greatest debates raging in our country today, aside from hopeless pleas for gun control, is whether police should be held more accountable for their actions, and that their actions should be transparent. Enter the body cam debate into the vortex
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