Press Play with Madeleine Brand
A Police Shooting on Video, Online Shaming, and the Palm Springs Food Scene
Video has surfaced of a South Carolina police officer shooting an unarmed African American man eight times in the back as the man tries to run away. But with similar cases across the country, the details of police shootings are usually kept much less public. Also, Jon Ronson talks about what happens to people at the center of social media shaming scandals.
By Madeleine Brand • • 51m ListenVideo has surfaced of a South Carolina police officer shooting an unarmed African American man eight times in the back as the man tried to run away. But with similar cases across the country, the details of police shootings are usually kept much less public. Next, how can pricing changes impact our water use during a drought? And how much of a solution could desalination be? Jon Ronson talks about his new book, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed. In it, he looks at what happens to people at the center of social media scandals, long after the news cycle and the public rage have dissipated. And finally, the happening food scene in Palm Springs.
Banner Image: North Charleston police officer Michael Slager (R) is seen allegedly shooting 50-year-old Walter Scott in the back as he runs away, in this still image from video in North Charleston, South Carolina taken April 4, 2015. Slager was charged with murder on April 7 after a video showed him shooting eight times at the back of Scott who was running away. North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey said state investigators decided to charge officer Slager, 33, with the murder of Scott after they viewed the video of the incident, which followed a traffic stop on Saturday morning. The FBI and U.S. Justice Department have begun a separate investigation. REUTERS/HANDOUT via Reuters
In this episode
5 storiesSecrecy and Police Shootings
In South Carolina, a police officer in the city of North Charleston shot an unarmed African American man eight times in the back on Saturday . This occurred after a routine traffic stop. Video of the shooting surfaced yesterday and now the police officer has been charged with murder.
Read the story9 minWater Pricing and Innovation
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti unveiled a long-term sustainability plan today that includes an ambitious goal: LA will get half of its water from local sources by 2035. Right now, most of the city’s water comes from other sources, often outside the state. This comes in the midst of dire drought news.
Read the story10 minOvercoming the Drought with Desal
As the drought continues, desalination is making a comeback in our state. At least 16 areas on the California coast are either building or considering desalination plants. A big new plant in Carlsbad, just north of San Diego, will be coming online this fall.
Read the story8 minPublic Shaming Online
Have you ever thoughtlessly tweeted or Facebooked something … and then thought later, ugh, I shouldn’t have done that? Most of us have. And usually it’s no big deal. But sometimes, one misguided tweet or status update can be a very big deal. It can cost jobs, relationships, and reputations.
Read the story14 minPalm Springs Food Scene
Tens of thousands of people will creep down the 10 this weekend toward Indio. It’s the first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Annual Festival. And beyond the culturally-appropriated bindis, the flowing skirts and freshly coiffed man buns, there’s something else that’s become Coachella fashionable: Palm Springs.
Read the story6 min
