JOHN OSTRANDER: Salt In the Wound
It’s the odd little news story that tends to grab my eye and we got an interesting one this week. Not only the story itself, but how it is being told.
I found the story initially through the Associated Press version on msnbc.com. The story comes to us from Atlanta, Georgia, and tells how a police officer – one Wendell Adams – arrested a cook at McDonalds, one Kendra Bull, who sold him an overly salty hamburger. Bull admitted that she accidentally knocked the saltshaker onto the burgers she was making; on the advice of a co-worker and the manager, she tried “thumbing” the extra salt off but made the burgers anyway. Officer Fife – excuse me, Officer Adams – ate about half of it before it made him sick. Adams came back, took Bull outside and questioned her, and then arrested her. She was in jail overnight and released on a $1000.00 bond.
I’m going to use two quotes from the story itself because I cannot improve on them: 1) “Police sent samples of the burger to the state crime lab for tests” and 2) “City public information officer George Louth said Bull was charged because she served the burger ‘without regards to the well-being of anyone who might consume it.’”
She served a burger – a McDonalds’ burger – without regards to the well-being of anyone who might consume it. Ummmmm – isn’t that one of the things about fast food in general? That we all know it’s not really any good for us but that we eat it anyway? If that’s the standard, why would any fast food joint be open in Atlanta?
And they sent a sample of the burger to the state crime lab for tests? Oh, that’s the case I want to see on CSI!
I was wondering if this case might work as a “torn from the headlines” case for Law and Order but I’m beginning to think it’s better suited for the sense of absurd comedy you find on Boston Legal.
Digging further, I discovered that the hamburger in question was free. A perk for being a cop. Georgia’s not the only place that this happens. Free soda/coffee for cops on beat happens in a lot of places and I guess a Happy Meal comes under that heading.
I also discovered at Kevin Underhill’s Lowering the Bar site – a fine and interesting place – that a healthy adult would need more than a bit of over-salting to cause the sort of vomiting that Officer Krumpke – excuse me, Officer Adams – says he endured. Which might explain sending the hamburger to the Crime Lab for further analysis.
Several questions come to mind about this story. If there was enough salt in the burger to make the cop sick, why didn’t he stop eating it? But the biggest question that struck me was not the story itself but what was left out of the AP story. It’s a question that may have occurred to you as well – was the cook black and the officer white? I’m not saying that just because the location was Georgia; I live in Jersey and the State Police here have been often accused of stopping a car under suspicion that the driver was DWB – Driving While Black. And Chicago is my hometown; I have heard first-hand the terms some Chicago cops use for African-Americans.
Given that the officer was white and that the cook was black, race – and possible racism –would seem to be a relevant fact. So why didn’t the AP report it in their news story? I found it in other reports on the story, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s website.
If the cook had been a twenty-year old white girl, would the cop have arrested her? If the cook was arrested, why not the manager? The manager is ultimately responsible for what is sold. Could the manager have been white?
I know plenty of people who feel that questions of race and racism are “old” and I agree – about 400 years old. What they mean is that they’re tired of hearing about it and, besides, that was all settled years ago with the Civil Rights Movements. People get along just fine now. Take a look around. Of course, those are mostly white people I hear saying that; the only black people I hear saying it are Conservative Republicans.
For a lot of people, racism means white sheets and white hoods, burning crosses on lawns, red-necked Southern sheriffs using nightsticks, dogs, and water cannons on non-violent protestors. It’s all so 60s.
All that was, indeed, racist… but so are small things as well as large. I’ve attended any number of racial dialog meetings and conferences from my church and I’ve heard modern men and women of color talking about what happens on a daily basis. One middle-aged middle-class black woman talked about having to teach her sons how to react when (not if) they were stopped on the highway at night by the state police. How they needed to make sure their hands were visible at all times on the steering wheel. She was teaching what she felt were survival techniques. She wanted them to come home alive.
To confront racism in society, you have to start with yourself. I’m a white male in my late fifties. Some conditioning as a racist was inevitable, although that’s not what we were taught in the home where I was raised. I was a boy in the 50s and the early 60s and, outside of the housekeeper that my paternal grandmother employed, I met no-one of color until I was in my teens. The only images that I had of colored people was that which was given to me by the media and popular culture.
I’m very aware of race and not always in good ways. There are reactions that I have deep down and they are often the opposite of what I believe. If I see an inter-racial couple and one of them is black and especially a black male, I register that more quickly than any other combination. On the street, especially at night, if the person approaching me is black and male I have, in the past, crossed the street – based solely on the fact that the person approaching me is black and male. And so on. These are not reactions of which I am proud and I fight against them but the fact that I do have to fight against them means they’re still in me. And they are racist. Where do they come from if they weren’t drilled into me by my upbringing since blacks weren’t part of my daily life?
I’ve heard from some African-Americans that, while the South was blatantly racist, the North was not less so – just more circumspect. In the South, whites would encounter blacks day in and day out; in the North, it was arranged so we never had to meet one another. Mayor Daley help choose the route of the I-90/94 highway on the south side specifically to form a concrete moat to prevent black neighborhoods from spilling into white neighborhoods in Chicago – including his own.
In absence of actual contact with black Americans, white Americans would have only what they saw in advertising, read in books or newspapers, heard on the radio, saw in the movies, or later on television – and those largely fed racism. If we insist on the power that words and images have to influence people – and they do – then we must also admit the power they have to do so negatively, to feed and re-enforce lies. In this case, to demean, slander, and disenfranchise an entire race of people.
There are always exceptions. I remember, as a boy, watching the Nat King Cole show on television. I loved that show and thought the world of him. He had the most beautiful male voice I’d heard. When he died, I grieved. Exceptions, however, are exceptions. Then again, nobody advertised on Cole’s show – the network carried it on a sustaining basis.
When Mike did his article on the Tom and Jerry DVD collection earlier this week, some people replying noted that there had been attempts to go back and “fix” the offending, racist cartoons. I disagree with that concept and think they should stand as they are – as witness and evidence of a condition – a crime – that we, as a nation, let stand for too long and that continues today. Witness the McDonalds in the suburbs of Atlanta. Race had to be a factor and yet, the AP evidently felt it was not a relevant fact in the story and left it out.
The cook, Kendra Bull, has a one year old daughter and, the last I read, was still suspended from work. The judge refused to dismiss the case. Maybe, in this era of “terrorist threats” and “heightened awareness,” there is fear of something like anthrax being added to the meat. I’m trying to give those concerned the benefit of some kind of doubt. But if that lab report comes back and says the only thing wrong with that burger was too much salt – as I suspect it will – and the DA’s office goes ahead with the case anyway then I think we can dismiss that.
It’ll mean that too much salt in the meat becomes just a little more salt in the wound.
Writer / actor / playwright John Ostrander is man behind the typewriter at such vaunted comics as GrimJack, Suicide Squad, Star Wars: Legacy, Munden’s Bar and Batman. His own personal blog is at http://www.comicscommunity.com/boards/ostrander/.
"Race had to be a factor"Nope.I'm sure it will become a factor NOW (because it's gotten national attention, and TV time attracts activists like sugar attracts ants), but I'm sorry, not every single interaction between black and white people HAS to have a racial side. It's as unfair as assuming that every single cop on the Earth is on the take and out to screw "The little man". If one goes through one's life assuming that racism or police brutality or some other endemic problem with society is the cause of everything…well, you're not gonna get much done."If you look only the evil,in man, you will surely find it" –Pollyanna's locketHeck, didn't Michael Davis just do a piece about how not every bad thing in the world happens because someone is black?I agree, however, that arresting the cook was an over-reaction.You're supposed to SUE the bastards. After all, in the future, Bart Simpson is still waiting for the settlement over that "Over-salted fries incident"
I'll stand by the comments, Vinnie. If the cook had been white and female or white and MALE, I don't think for one second that they would have been arrested. Why wasn't the manager arrested? Bet they're white. Bet you an Big'N'Tasy that they're white.Race is still a BIG factor in this country. Which means that racism is as well. Big enough that AP didn't report the races of either the cop or the cook in their story. They omitted a FACT and, by doing so, said it wasn't a FACTOR in the story."Not every bad thing in the world happens because someone is black" doesn't mean that that bad things don't happen because someone IS black. Or are you saying that racism in America is not real?I don't look only for evil in man but I don't feel like ignoring what I see.
Racism in America is, of course, real. But the WashPost frequently leaves race out of stories unless race played a part in the story.The Klan left literature in mailboxes in part of my city last week. The HQ says they were asked for it. And not against blacks, against Hispanics.I once made our evening meal of popcorn inedible by opening the wrong part of the salt cylinder and pouring salt instead of sprinkling. It was right before I got paid and our last popcorn. We didn't have dinner that night. My brother still reminds me of it.
I don't who's race was or is what… I'm siding with the officer on this one. Regardless of it being a fast food burger or not, there is no excuse for messing with someone else's food. That should be classified as poisoning. I see ironic elements to the story here, and it is funny. But there is no real reason why fast food should have to be bad for you, or in this case even worse than normal.
Obviously racism is real and still extant, but not universal. IMHO, the first thing one should do in a situation is not assume that it's race based. One tends to gloss over other evidence and possibilities when one decides on the result before the investigation starts.And since when is the media not happy to play up race in every story it publishes? I have no doubt that if they thought it would make a more sensationalist story they'da been happy to mention it. But they (most likely) saw it as a "dumb thing at McDonalds", or perhaps a "cop overreacts to dumb thing" story and not a "(racism and) violence inherent in the system" story, and reported it as such.As I already said, I don't think arresting a person for a salty burger is warranted, though an investigation as to how it happened is. Tempers were obviously flared at some point. I think there's a bit missing between the cop vomiting and the lady getting tossed in the cruiser. THAT's the part I'd like to hear more about. This is a dumb little puff-piece story that has been made Important by the suggestion that race is involved. It was a funny article right up until the phrase "was the cook black and the officer white". Then it became, well, it stopped being funny, anyway, and that's about all it deserved being.Check out the comments at the bottom of the story you linked to. First off, WAY too many people are posting things like "Good job, she deserves a medal". Thankfully, many more are saying that the cop way mad overreacted. But it's not until page five of the comments that the question of race was even brought up (by someone who related the oft-repeated story that "Jesse Jackson said he used to mess with white folks food when he worked in restaurants"). No one else (as of page 13 when I stopped reading) mentioned race as a factor in the incident. Of course, judging from many of the comments made, it is quite reasonable to believe that many people had less then kind thoughts for their black and brown bretheren.BTW, the police report is up at the smoking gun – http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0… Both the officer and the food preparer are black.Great first issue of Suicide Squad, BTW.
Vinnie — thanks for the Smoking Gun connection. The police report was real useful to see. I have to remember Smoking Gun for my future reseraches; thanks for reminding me about them. My info came from the Atlanta newspaper which stated that the officer was white. Assuming that he's black then — yeah, that makes it different. Obviously. I'll accept the police report as the better source unless I can find something better still.I'll stand by my overall comments on racism in general, however. If it's not a factor in this case, fine, but it's still a factor in American life. I've talked to too many people of color about it to think otherwise.Glad you likied the first issue of the Squad. We're just getting started and we have some twists coming.– John
I didn't see any mention of race on the page you linked – most likely it was fixed after the time you read it.I agree with your comments about racism, but I stand by MY comments that race doesn't apply in every single situation.Ironically, I wrote my wife an email at 2:22 today, telling her about this thread. The last line of my note was, and I quote…"I really look forward to John's response, where he will undoubtedly fall back on "Well, this doesn't change the fact that there is lots of racism in America, and even if THIS case wasn't racial, there are many other that ARE…"" :-)
Never said that race doesn't apply to every situation and, evidentally, doesn't in this one — despite what i initially read. Race, however, ihas been and remains a big factor in American life. Has there been progress in the past fifty years? I'd say so But I'm not black. However, is it likely that fifty years is going to overcome what has been entrenched for a few hundred years?Perhaps my reactions seem "knee-jerk" to some; to me, they're conclusions based on what I've seen and heard.
I've been served over-salted food from a fast food joint and not been poisoned. The amount of salt that you would have to ingest would be considerable — like drinking a bottle of soy sauce. Check the RAISING THE BAR link I cited. Further, given where her station was in the restaurant, it's unlikely she knew the burger was for a cop. The cook claims she herself ate a burger from the same salted batch during her break and wasn't affected. Unless the crime lab reports there was something ELSE in the burger other than a bit too much salt, its unlikely the burger is at fault. As for fast food not being bad for you– c'mon. I mean, i eat it, too, but I'm not kidding myself. Heavy of grease and fried foods. Heavy of sugar, even in the buns. Usually high in fat. I guy I know who worked for McDonalds (this was a while ago) told me that someone who was allergic to milk could safely ingest one of their "Shakes". Yeah, the article if full or irony and its pretty funny — but mainly because the cop with the burger was acting like a weenie.
Most fast food places don't have milk in their "shakes" which is why they call them that. It would be illegal to have "milk" if there isn't any there. Look at Wendy's Frosty — do they call it ice cream? That's because it's not. Reading labels is an art.Here in Manassas, we have a fabulous ice cream place with full fat. I go a few times a year for the wonderful taste and mouth-feel.
Then again, there's no ham in hamburger – and it would be illegal to call a hamburger made from ground ham a hamburger. Now, as for the "comics" in comic books…
Several months ago, a local convenience mart was sold to a family which appears to be Middle Eastern. A co-worker who lives in our small town said she was really upset the "those people" were coming here. The co-worker is a Latino who may herself have been an immigrant.
I have an exboyfriend who is half italian half puertorican. he considers himself white and is quite the racist. I have older family members who would not consider him white (the italian half alone would, in their eye.s be too swarthy a heritage). My ex doesn't see the irony in his refusing to shop in middle eastern owned shops given he has no sense of history (or irony… or decencey…)My point is we fancy northerners find cross burning outrageous but like john points out are just as trained to rascism.
To arrest somebody who makes a stupid mistake is a waste of taxpayer’s money and time. That said, is this not the same state where they lock up teenage honor students for fooling around? I mean BLACK teenage honor students? This is as much a RACE thing as it is a stupid thing. Even in L.A. they have to SAY you did something bad before they shoot you in the back. It has to be a race thing because you have to have like-minded people to pull off something like this. Do you think the booking sergeant and D.A would be dealing with this crap if in fact it were a young white girl? HELL NO! One of The Best Conventions I have ever been to is Dragon Con in Atlanta Georgia. I have only been there once and that was over 10 years ago and here’s why- while in Atlanta I wanted to go to the Civil War museum, I had some free time so me and my then girlfriend at the time (my WHITE girlfriend at the time) went. When we entered the parking lot it was filled with a bunch of people. The looks we got were nothing short of hatred. One guy who was standing by a pick up truck fully equipped with a gun rack AND A GUN simply nodded 'no' and we left. I really believe that guy was looking out for us. I will never forget that, never.It seems to me that there is a growing return to Jim Crow in the south. For something like this, the honor student I wrote of earlier and the Jena 6 (I can’t go into that my head would explode. If you don’t know the story Google it. YOUR head will explode.) for all these things to happen in 2007 is simply amazing. The current raging debate in this country is rather or not we get out of Iraq-I’m wondering if we should get out of Georgia.
Glad you mentioned the Jena 6 Michael. When I first read that story I couldn't believe it was happening today. The only difference between this happening now and if it had happened in the '50's or '60's is that those boys would never have made it to the police station in those days. We have moved forward but not nearly as much as people like to think and certainly not as much as I had hoped.