Raging Bull

10/25/2011 by J. Nelson

Mother unapologetic after shooting toddler-chomping pit bull, but no one gets sued and devil dog lives

Original Story: Yuba City Appeal Democrat

A neighbor’s dog wandering into your backyard and biting your child means Drag Race Day. The green light hits and you go: no hesitation and no time for tact. Your foot nails the gas pedal and you point the horsepower at the end of the asphalt. Whatever gets in your way sounds like a melon hitting a barrel, then like a dinner salad falling to the floor. Or so went my reaction upon reading this story. ‘Course, I don’t have kids or guns or drag race cars because any one of those things would get me into trouble. Read more

To Live and Drive in L.A.

10/17/2011 by J. Nelson

Source: The Guardian

At first I relished debating the merits and missteps of the indie film Drive far more than I enjoyed the film itself. But thanks to Sarah Deming, the Michigan woman who filed a lawsuit alleging that Drive’s trailer is misleading and the movie’s content anti-Semitic, I now welcome the flick to the crime/car chase genre. Read more

From Beat-downs to Bear Hugs

10/08/2011 by J. Nelson

My Journey from L.A. County Custody to Sheriff Lee Baca’s Wild World of Wheelin’ and Dealin’

In 2003 I was hired to write a teleplay for the 2^nd Annual California Gold Star Awards: Dedicated to Homeland Security – a Donald Sterling, black-tie, $25,000 per-table fundraiser for the Orange County Reserve Deputy Sheriff’s Association held at the Disneyland Hotel. L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca was representing, and security for the luminary-laden event was, according to the official press release, listed as “war mode.”

Now for those of you somehow unfamiliar with the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, the event’s principal underwriter, Donald Sterling, is one of Southern California’s largest real estate moguls. He’s also routinely accused of flagrant racism, not least of all by the U.S. Department of Justice for his attempts to exclude blacks, Latinos and prospective tenants with children from renting apartments in properties he owns. Even when it appears as though others are honoring him, words like “fake,” “ugly,” and “mirage” have been used to describe Sterling’s garish “philanthropy,” while he himself enjoys a widespread reputation for being miserly, sexist, and self-aggrandizing. (UPDATE: 8/6/14 Well, I guess there’s no question now what the world thinks of the man now, eh?) Read more