Thursday, 1/21/10
4:16 PM: Two men were reportedly entering a business at 3rd and Quesada when a black male adult wearing all dark clothing with a black hoodie started shooting, hitting both of them. The were hospitalized, but their injuries aren’t life threatening. No one’s been arrested. More at the Examiner.
11:30 PM: A woman walking on the 700 block of O’Farrell when she was reportedly confronted by a man who hit her and took her purse, before fleeing on foot. Her injuries weren’t life threatening, and no one’s been arrested.
Friday, 1/22/10
12:38 AM: A man was mugged at gunpoint by another man at Gough and Market. No one’s been arrested.
1:04 AM:A group of five guys got in a fight with three other guys on the 400 block of Columbus. No one’s injuries were life threatening, and no one was arrested.
3:20 AM: A man tried (unsuccessfully) to rob and (successfully) assaulted a woman at 16th and Dolores. Her injuries weren’t life threatening, and her assailant hasn’t been arrested.
Per the discussion of the last three days, today we’re experimenting with the old media “rules” on how and when to specify race in crime stories.
What do you think, does it improve our coverage to not include some of the information we receive from SFPD — that is, the race stuff? Or does it seem conspicuous in its absence, and, as one reader suggested in an email to us, “seems liberal white racist to be elaborately PC and omit that specific data point”?
We suspect everything anyone has to say on the subject has already been (impressively respectfully, thank you!) said, and don’t want to beat this to death. But we wanted to give you one piece written in old media style to see if it had any bearing on your opinion.