"The Throwaways"

"The Throwaways" was an incredible article. It would be tough to not enjoy a piece that covered a tragic, interesting topic with such ease. At first the length of the article deterred me from setting time aside to read it in its entirety, but after the first paragraph I became so immersed in Sarah Stillman's words that I finished it in no time.

With recent events focused on law enforcement and people questioning said law enforcement, reading this article could have not come at a better time for me. I find myself going back and forth on a lot of issues, especially issues concerning police officers and the criminal-justice system. I find it incredibly hard to accept that a system set in place to protect us from certain evils can end up to be corrupt and essentially a system with such critical flaws. I always try to find an excuse or silver lining in cases when the system fails or makes horrible and even deadly mistakes, but this article has helped to make me question my willingness to even attempt to defend our system that is really suffering at the moment.

This article was written in a tone that was sympathetic to the victims and their families. I actually found that to be extremely refreshing. Stillman was not laying blame or pointing pitchforks, but was relaying the facts of an issue that has been so terribly overlooked. She was informative, but also narrative. Her voice in this article differs from something you would read in a newspaper by the obvious narrative tone but also the fact that you can clearly see her point of view on the issue. While she does let you know how she feels by the tone in the story, she does not shove her beliefs down your throat. She makes a point, but also stays informative.

Stillman makes a point by using Police Chief Jones quote twice in the story. “I’m calling her a criminal,” Jones told him. She later repeats this quote when Hoffman's father tells her he watches this clip from time to time.

I think she does an incredible job of finding people who have been affected by making a deal to become a confidential informant. She finds families with heart-wrenching stories of their children being ripped away from them due to the increasing lack of responsibility these police officers are taking. She introduces you to these family members and allows you to get know the criminal informants that lost their lives because of it. When she brings Shelly and Mitchell McLean into the article, she allows you to see their son Jeremy through their eyes. She explains the first time she met them and how they brought some of his belongings, like his Hot Wheels and baby teeth.

Stillman's article also differs from something in a newspaper or Buzzfeed because her attention to detail is strong. She was able to explain the death of these victims, their appearances, their families, how they grew up and how they lived in fear. She gave me chills in a way that newspapers and sites like Buzzfeed just aren't able to do.

I thought it was an excellent, entertaining and informative article. I'll definitely be reading more into this issue and more of Sarah Stillman's work.

Below is the link to Sarah Stillman's "The Throwaways"
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/09/03/the-throwaways