Patt Morrison for Friday, August 26, 2011

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Friday, August 26, 2011

1-3 p.m.

 

 

 

1:06 – 1:39 OPEN

 

 

1:41:30 – 1:58:30

Life in 9/12 America: does the quest for “absolutely safety” from terrorism undermine long-term security?

In our first part of a week-long series examining the decade since the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 we look at the quest for “absolute safety” in the wake of the biggest attacks on American soil in the history of the country.  Understandably in the years since 9/11 the public and political leadership have demanded action and urgency in building up a robust defense against future terror attacks.  Government agencies were reorganized, huge amounts of money and resources were put into action, large security projects were moved quickly from conception to implementation in an effort to protect the country as quickly as possible.  As our guest, RAND scientist Brian Jackson writes, “Fear drove action, and political rhetoric frequently stoked rather than cooled the flames of urgency.”  But short term concerns and fears are usually not the best circumstances under which long-term, complicated decisions should be made—from the formation of the Department of Homeland Security, that brought together various disparate security arms of the government, to the screening strategies of the Transportation Security Administration (also a brand new agency formed after 9/11), there’s been a lot of waste and questionable policy decisions made in the name of absolute safety in the decade since 9/11.  We examine the responses to 9/11 and ask if another 10 years of distance might cool emotions enough to craft more thoughtful anti-terrorism policies in the future.

 

Guest:

Brian Jackson, senior physical scientist at RAND focusing on homeland security & terrorism preparedness

 

2:06 – 2:39

Ask the Chief as LAPD’s top cop Charlie Beck takes the microphone

Yesterday’s shooting of an officer while on duty in South L.A. is the latest in an increasing incidence of attacks on police, attacks which increased by more than 40% in the first six months of 2011. In contrast, serious crime in the city decreased by 10% for the same time period. And the surging price of gold has triggered robberies around the city, prompting warnings for jewelry owners and wearers to be careful and not flash their bling. And now social media becomes a concern as Twitter and Facebook increasingly function as platforms for organizing flash mobs that take over public events and threaten to go out of control. We check in with LAPD Chief Charlie Beck on these and other issues, including an update on the Giants fan beating case, President Obama’s push for law enforcement to participate in his Secure Communities initiative to catch and hold criminal illegal immigrants, the poor state of the California criminal data base and more.

Chief Beck – in studio – takes your questions and ours.

 

Guest:

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck

 

 

2:41:30 – 2:58:30

Modern day superheroes: The Interrupters

The Interrupters is a feature documentary directed by Steve James (“Hoop Dreams” 1994) about a group of former gang members in Chicago who saw the errors of their ways, turned a new leaf and are working to stop the cycle of violence in their city.  The “Violence Interrupters,” as they are called, are part of an innovative organization appropriately named CeaseFire.  The groups’ philosophy about violence is to equate it with infectious disease: target and treat the most infected and stop the spread.  The Interrupters monitor gang activity and try to anticipate and prevent violent gang warfare. Former gang members, who now have “street cred,” literally put themselves in the line of fire in order to make a difference. One of the Interrupters, Eddie Bocanegra, committed murder when he was just seventeen years old and joined CeaseFire to repent.  Now, he teaches children how to use art to express their sorrow and pain.  Patt talks with the producer—whose story in the New York Times Magazine inspired the film and a Violent Interrupter. The film is critically acclaimed and opens in Los Angeles today [Friday].

 

Guest:

Alex Kotlowitz, producer, The Interrupters

• The Interrupters is inspired by a story in the New York Times Magazine written by Alex Kotlowitz, who spent time in Chicago and saw first hand the horrors of gang violence.

 

Eddie Bocanegra, a Violence Interrupter, who committed a murder when he was seventeen