The Reporter: Police remain tight-lipped

Summary

The web content discusses a blackout poetry piece from 1999, featured in the Bay Area Reporter, which reflects on police silence surrounding a murder case, and encourages readers to support the publication through membership and contributions.

Abstract

The provided web content presents a unique form of artistic expression known as blackout poetry, which was published in the Bay Area Reporter on July 15, 1999. This piece, created by redacting words from the original newspaper text, touches on themes of violence, societal issues, and the personal impact of a murder case. The poem hints at a controversial situation where the police are withholding information, and it also sheds light on the complexities of human behavior and the legal system's focus on health and human services rather than illegal drug usage. The article ends with a call to action, inviting readers to bypass paywalls by signing up for Medium membership, which supports the platform and its writers, and to contribute to the Dread Mule, a Medium writing and poetry journal, through Ko-Fi.

Opinions

The poet expresses frustration with the police's tight-lipped approach to sharing information about a murder case.
There is a sense of public dissatisfaction with the focus on health and human services funding criteria, which seems to overshadow concerns about illegal drug usage.
The poem conveys a personal connection to the murder case, with references to murdered friends and the emotional toll of such events.
The author suggests that the murder victim's "double life" may have contributed to the lack of understanding about the motive behind the killing.
The piece criticizes the societal response to the murder, implying that the victim's lifestyle choices are unfairly scrutinized rather than the act of killing itself.
The article promotes the idea of supporting independent journalism and creative writing by subscribing to Medium and contributing to the Dread Mule, indicating the value placed on such platforms for fostering artistic expression and journalistic integrity.

Blackout poetry, 1999

$#!+ happens the bad seed

for more than 28 years Senate holds funding in the well-produced, carefully managed select,

Criticizing Health and Humans— Not illegal drug usage.

“I’m upset, and I’ll say it publicly— illegal drugs required for federal funds to be used.”

Keep speaking of murdered friends, Cops driven to suicide when a fit of rage the body blugeoned.

Police say, “dead for days.”

Mostly as a man,

Neighbor,

her son.

Murder exposed a double life: They only wonder why “sent over the edge.” Nothing to do with her killing.

Police remain Tight-lipped.

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POETRY

The Reporter: Police remain tight-lipped

Blackout poetry, 1999