[Peace-discuss] Kelly Wilson death

[David Green]

 http://www.wandtv.com/story/31919828/developing-isp-releases-more-details-on-oakland-ave-deadly-crash
Hi Dan,
It seems to me that the N-G has been lacking in its coverage of the death of Kelly Wilson in Decatur, an aspect of the Pendleton case. This 26 year old mother of 2 seems to have died a needless death due to unnecessary risks taken by an Illinois State Trooper. The question should at least be asked, and explored and investigated, as to why a police car had to race to the interstate in this reckless fashion.
There has been no follow-up whatsoever regarding Kelly Wilson; who she was, how she lived, and how she died. She is being treated as a non-person and a footnote.
According to the police report, it appears that she simply turned right onto the road, going south. It appears that the police car going north would have had to be on the wrong side (west side) of the street in order for this collision to have occurred. I'm not sure why a police car, even if going at high speeds, would have had to occupy the wrong lane.
Beyond that are questions regarding the appropriateness of the police going into panic mode in response what happened in Mahomet. Yes, Pendleton committed a crime. But I don't understand why this officer felt he needed to take such a risk; in the end, he undermined his own effort anyway.
There is no doubt that in our high-tech surveillance era, those fleeing can't get very far for very long.
I would like to see more judicious, and less biased and sensationalistic coverage of the Pendleton story altogether, along with an exploration of the one innocent person who was killed--not a cop, but a bystander who did nothing to deserve her fate.
It poorly serves your readership to assume that police are always innocent heroes. The public certainly understands better by now, for any number of reasons. Yet, the tone of your coverage is consistently moralistic and dramatic, rather than cautious and objective. This would include a full accounting of the history and behavior of Officer Scharlow regarding his style of policing.
Regards,
David Green

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