COLOR AND CLASS

Why is it that the people who were implicated and arrested in
Operation Sandshaker all received their pictures in the paper as mug
shots, addresses listed, employment listed, vehicles impounded listed,
yet the latest cocaine arrests reported Friday, Jan. 23, in the News
Journal did not provide the public with the same information? Is this
equitable reporting or is this because the News Journal sees Operation
Sandshaker arrests as being more "worthy" of exploitation because of
the color, employment, income, etc., of the implicated persons?

Many people feel that this type of reporting is biased and negative
toward a certain element of our community. The latest cocaine arrests
were persons who had much more of a negative impact upon the community
in respects toward drug distribution and usage. These people were
making crack cocaine, selling it and had much more money and cocaine
involved than the Sandshaker Operation.

So where are all their pictures, addresses, jobs, employers, family
members? Let's be equal here, or is it a matter of color and class?
- -

Rodney T. Burell

Pensacola