 |  |  |
Share your comments
The fence : a police cover-up along Boston's racial divide
Lehr, Dick.
Adult Nonfiction 363.232 L
From Publishers' Weekly:
Mired in the racial conflicts of a divided city, Lehr, coauthor of the bestselling Black Mass, details one of the most controversial cases in the annals of the Boston Police Department, involving a brutal assault on a black plainclothes officer by his fellow cops and the resulting 1998 civil rights trial against the police force. Not only does Lehr paint the racial and political turbulence of Boston at the time, but he explores the cultural backgrounds of the black officer, Michael Cox; his attacker and fellow officer, Kenny Conley; and Robert "Smut" Brown, a drug dealer involved in the killing that started it all. Cox, who responded to the murder and chased after the car carrying the suspects, was beaten very severely by his overzealous colleagues, waited for an administrative apology and got only a coverup by the department. What followed was a sensational trial with all of the key ingredients of police brutality and a "solid blue code of silence," with no winners. Jolting, nightmarish and potent, this true cop yarn bests any bogus reality show or overblown tabloid tale with its hard-boiled spin. 8 pages of b&w photos; 1 map. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
From Library Journal:
Far too often we hear about racial bias and undue violence on the part of a city's police department against the very citizens they are legally bound to protect. Here the Boston Police Department is taken to task. Lehr argues that the city of Boston itself has a well-established racial divide and that the police department reflects this partition. He tells the true story of an African American plainclothes police officer, Michael Cox, who was brutally beaten by his fellow officers in a case of mistaken identity. Subsequently, the beating was covered up by the police department, an example of the "Blue Law of Silence" wherein police officers remain silent about police matters that make the department look bad. Lehr provides an excellent review of the incident, the background of Officer Cox, the cover-up, and the ultimate trial. The result is an intriguing read that provides an admirable, in-depth description of police corruption.-Tim Delaney, SUNY at Oswego (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Lehr, Dick.
Adult Nonfiction 363.232 L
| |||||||||
 |
From Publishers' Weekly:
Mired in the racial conflicts of a divided city, Lehr, coauthor of the bestselling Black Mass, details one of the most controversial cases in the annals of the Boston Police Department, involving a brutal assault on a black plainclothes officer by his fellow cops and the resulting 1998 civil rights trial against the police force. Not only does Lehr paint the racial and political turbulence of Boston at the time, but he explores the cultural backgrounds of the black officer, Michael Cox; his attacker and fellow officer, Kenny Conley; and Robert "Smut" Brown, a drug dealer involved in the killing that started it all. Cox, who responded to the murder and chased after the car carrying the suspects, was beaten very severely by his overzealous colleagues, waited for an administrative apology and got only a coverup by the department. What followed was a sensational trial with all of the key ingredients of police brutality and a "solid blue code of silence," with no winners. Jolting, nightmarish and potent, this true cop yarn bests any bogus reality show or overblown tabloid tale with its hard-boiled spin. 8 pages of b&w photos; 1 map. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
From Library Journal:
Far too often we hear about racial bias and undue violence on the part of a city's police department against the very citizens they are legally bound to protect. Here the Boston Police Department is taken to task. Lehr argues that the city of Boston itself has a well-established racial divide and that the police department reflects this partition. He tells the true story of an African American plainclothes police officer, Michael Cox, who was brutally beaten by his fellow officers in a case of mistaken identity. Subsequently, the beating was covered up by the police department, an example of the "Blue Law of Silence" wherein police officers remain silent about police matters that make the department look bad. Lehr provides an excellent review of the incident, the background of Officer Cox, the cover-up, and the ultimate trial. The result is an intriguing read that provides an admirable, in-depth description of police corruption.-Tim Delaney, SUNY at Oswego (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Be the first to add a comment! Share your thoughts about this title. Would you recommend it? Why or why not?
Question about returns, requests or other account details?
 Add a Comment |
Submission Guidelines |
