But get this headline about a white guy whom police ventilated in Richmond, Va. He didn’t get the benefit of the doubt or the “gentle giant” treatment.
Rather, the Richmond Times-Dispatch told us,
'He was a troubled young man': Chester man, 23, killed by Richmond police is recalled by those who knew him, had criminal recordAdmittedly, the story mined the customary rich vein of laments from those who knew the “victim:” — “He was a really nice guy. I really couldn’t see that crazy side of him where he could hurt people.”A 23-year-old Chesterfield County man who described himself on social media as a “Sorcerer, Odinist, lover of nature, Viking at heart” has been identified as the man fatally shot by Richmond police Tuesday after authorities say he attacked an officer with a small ax.
And we get this bilgewater, too:
Alexander Schoessel’s mother, Richelle Tucker, said her son previously dealt with “mental issues” but was not the kind of person who would harm anyone, saying he was known by friends as a “sweet, gentle young man.”Yeah, right up until he attacked the cop with an ax.
Anyway, why the double standard in headline writing? Not in this particular instance, but just generally, across the board? Why not a headline like this: Chester man, 23, killed by Richmond police recalled as “sweet gentle young man.”