As demonstrations continued around the country about Zimmerman's verdict, Juror B 37 spoke on CNN last night. What did you think of the juror's interview? Next, Asiana Airlines is suing the television station for broadcasting fake pilot names. Was KTVU's mistake offensive? Then, is there a lack of diversity in children's books? Also, San Diego's mayor is accused of sexually harassing some of his staff members. Why is this behavior still tolerated in the workplace? Next, should city council candidate Nury Martinez have revealed that she was sexually abused a child? Lastly, Dan Evans, former General Manager of the Dodgers discloses the ins and outs of building a top team.
Zimmerman verdict continues to reverberate
The acquittal of George Zimmerman came on Saturday, but the fallout continues. Last night, we learned more about what influenced the jury's decision. A woman known only as Juror B 37 revealed her thinking: she had "no doubt" George Zimmerman feared for his life; she believed his "heart was in the right place" but he didn't use "good judgement; and she didn't think racial profiling was a factor in the fatal shooting of black teenager Trayvon Martin.
As the interview played on television screens, protests of the acquittal were ratcheting up in and around Leimart Park. It became violent at a turn with injuries to three people and property damage. LAPD made 14 arrests - half are minors. Police Chief Charlie Beck declared any protests tonight would be met with stiffer response from police.
What's your reaction to the juror interview? Does it alter your view of the verdict or the case? Why did the LAPD react as it did last night? What should its approach be tonight?
Guests:
Stanley Goldman, Professor of Law at Loyola Law School
Holly Mitchell, Democratic Assemblymember for California’s 54h district, Member, Assembly Committee on Public Safety; and Chairs the California's Legislative Black Caucus
Connie Rice, Civil rights attorney & co-director The Advancement Project; Board Member Emeritus, KPCC Radio
Update: Asiana drops plans to sue Bay Area television station for fake pilot names
Update July 17: Asiana Airlines has dropped plans to sue KTVU-TV in San Francisco over the use of racially offensive names.
Previously: Asiana Airlines says it's going to sue the Bay Area TV station that broadcasted fake and racially insensitive names for the four pilots involved in the plane crash that took place in San Francisco earlier this month. Asiana is planning to sue KTVU-TV for defamation. On Friday, a news anchor at the station read the bogus names that spelled out phrases like "Something Wrong" and "We Too Low."
KTVU immediately apologized, but it would not say how it originally got the offensive names, but that they were confirmed by the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB also issued an apology, saying that a summer intern had erroneously confirmed the fake names.
Does Asiana have a case? What can journalists do to prevent something like this from happening again?
Guests:
Doris Truong, Vice President of UNITY: Journalists for Diversity
Adrianos Facchetti, defamation lawyer in Los Angeles and he runs the California Defamation Law Blog
Lisa Gritzner, President of Cerrell, a public relations firm in Los Angeles
Children's literature stuck in the past: Why is there still a lack of diversity in books for kids?
A recent report from the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that despite the increasing diversity in the U.S., the number of children’s books written by or about people of color continues to be very low. The CCBC found that of the 3,600 books it received in 2012, 68 were by African Americans and 119 were about African Americans. Just 54 of the 3,600 were about Latinos.
The CCBC started keeping statistics on the number of books in the U.S. by and about minorities in 1994. That year, the numbers were proportionally about the same—of the 4,500 books the library received, 166 were about African Americans and 90 were about Latinos—and they have stayed fairly consistent since the CCBC started keeping track of the numbers. Some argue that there simply isn’t a large enough demand for editors and publishers to create books that feature main characters of color. While others would argue that there can’t be a demand for something that’s not on the market.
Why is it that the majority of characters in books and movies continue to be white despite an increasingly diverse population? Is the demand lacking? How can we get more character diversity in these books? How do children benefit from seeing themselves reflected in books or movies?
Guests:
Kathleen T. Horning, Director, Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Daniel Nayeri, Digital editorial director, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Group
Kadir Nelson, author, 2012 Coretta Scott King Award recipient
Bring the family to KPCC's #KidReads Live! On Saturday, July 20, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, KPCC's early childhood development correspondent Deepa Fernandes moderates a fun and interactive program to encourage children to read. Click here to RSVP.
And kids, what's your favorite book? Click here to learn more about KPCC's #KidReads program.
Allegations against San Diego Mayor Bob Filner raise new questions about sexual harassment
The pressure is on Mayor Bob Filner as even his former supporters are urging him to resign, after allegations of sexual harassment of women have surfaced. Three former supporters released details alleging Filner forced two women to kiss him, and grabbing the breasts of another staff member. Attorney Marco Gonzalez held a press conference saying that Filner’s behavior was so egregious that women called him “dirty old man.”
Filner issued a statement that he would not resign until he has an opportunity to respond and is given his due process. He says his behavior has been misinterpreted, but he has apologized to his staff for his admitted poor treatment of women. If the accusations are true, why did they go on for so long when so many people knew about it? This is certainly not the first time a man in power has been accused of sexually harassment women.
Why is such behavior still allowed in the workplace? What constitutes sexually harassment? What rights do women have in the workplace? What are the risks a woman faces in going public? Are the allegations against Filner more ok because of his age?
Guest:
Nancy Bornn, employment law attorney in private practice in Playa del Rey; author of “Representing California Sexual Harassment Plaintiffs”
6th District City Council candidate reveals past sexual abuse
In the midst of what has become a heated race to replace former 6th District City Councilman Tony Cardenas, one of the candidates has revealed that she was sexually abused as a child. Nury Martinez, one of the two top candidates for the council seat said yesterday that she had been repeatedly sexually abused when she was “3 or 4” years old.
The disclosure came in response to ads circulated by the other top runner Cindy Montanez. The ads claim that Martinez, a former school board member, hadn’t done enough to protect students during a series of teacher abuse scandals. Martinez called the accusation of a cover-up by the school board hurtful.
Was it necessary for Martinez to reveal that she was abused? What does this mean for the two candidates? Will it help or hurt Martinez’ chances?
Guest:
Catherine “Kay” Saillant, reporter, Los Angeles Times
Former Dodger GM Dan Evans on scouting, steroids, and the resurgent men in blue
Baseball’s current greats are all in New York for the MLB All-Star Game, but it’s Los Angeles that has the been the city playing possibly the best ball in the league in the past month. With the help of a Cuban immigrant named Puig, the Dodgers have climbed to within just 2.5 games of the top spot in the National League West, and if the team stays healthy, they’re a good bet to go long into the post season.
If anyone knows the potential of the Dodgers’ second half of the season, Dan Evans does. He’s a former Dodgers General Manager (2001-04) and currently the top scout for the Toronto Blue Jays, and he’s in studio with us today to talk about rebuilding a club, scouting for its future, and dealing with the daily challenges of trying to win a World Series.
Guest:
Dan Evans, scout for the Toronto Blue Jays, Commissioner of the Northern League, former Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers