Bruce Sons kills Officer Maxwell: A Bakersfield court case perpetuating a 'Climate of Fear' - By N.L. Belardes
Once again, Bakersfield is caught in a court case trance, eyes locked on the climate of fear cast over Southern Valley society by the curtain of the Bruce Sons case. Bruce Sons, the man who shot a cop was set free. Officer Maxwell, the policeman with a tendency to bend rules, who got himself involved in an escalating situation outside the Sons’ home is long dead. For his family and Bakersfield, his name will live on in controversy and infamy. Bruce Sons is just living in infamy.
But why the big glossy-eyed Bakersfield trance over the Sons’ case? Cases are tried in Kern County every day by the bushel load. Cops are busted all the time, and forgotten about. So what’s the flavor of Sons that continues to leave a taste in the mouth of the local media? Why did the Bakersfield Californian launch Sons-related material on three different websites yesterday: Bakotopia, Bakersfield.com, and their Talk of the Town blog? Perhaps just because people in Bakersfield have an opinion in the matter. Perhaps there’s more to the story…
Take a look at the local news sites and people have literally poured out of the woodwork to express their opinions whether Sons is more guilty than the recent findings in Santa Barbara, or less guilty as charged. Did Sons get slippery and escape true justice, or was justice finally rightly served? Is Sons some kind of murderous Boogeyman, or is he a vigilante hero for eradicating society of one of its bad cops? Seems everyone I come across has an opinion in the matter.
Yet why do people and the newspapers talk about this court case as if the McMartins are on trial again? The case is such big news, with Vincent Brothers’ case prepped as the next media sensation Bakersfield/Kern case to put fear into the lives of Bakersfield society.
The popularity of the Sons’ case is a maddening circle of retelling a cop killing over and over in small town Bakersfield; it reminds people that not all cops are good, and that society loses control at any given time, and even around both good cops and bad.
There’s a climate of fear surrounding such court cases. There’s violence in the event itself, or like the McMartin cases, supposed violence. The media leads us to want to know: what happened? We soon all want to know. Why? Maybe we all want to know if it will happen to us, or better yet, we wonder if we’ll get caught in the crossfire the next time two grown men with weapons lose control.
When law enforcement is a part of the local Central Valley controversy, the newspaper bites onto such topics with gnashing teeth. Why? Because of the climate of fear. The newspapers and media consistently try to set the tone, set the climate within our social consciousness. No, they don’t just report. Newspapers selectively report, and they report in a way that makes us want more. The spin is in finding stories that get people to fear, and talk the most. Those stories naturally bubble to the surface of newspapers and websites like a boiling pot of stew.
People fear bad cops. That’s the honest truth. Newspapers and other media perpetuate stories that build on our fears. I don’t doubt there are bad cops. I’ve known a few. I’ve known good cops too. And the same for society. Some people are good and some are bad. People fear getting caught in situations with the bad folks.
And here in the Western U.S., where Bakersfield Police are known for a history of violence, and a history of shooting first and asking questions later, I’m not surprised that the Sons case has taken such precedence. Is such talk overkill? Probably, because the news just keeps getting rehashed on site after site, prodding people to be a part of a forum under the climate of fear. Are people now going to close their windows, terrified of both a murderous Bruce Sons, and a vengeful ghost of officer Maxwell? Likely not. But the uneasiness of such court cases, adding to the climate of fear perpetuated by the local newspaper and media is never going to end. It’s a part of how newspapers are sold.
And I’ll keep reading just like the next guy.
But why the big glossy-eyed Bakersfield trance over the Sons’ case? Cases are tried in Kern County every day by the bushel load. Cops are busted all the time, and forgotten about. So what’s the flavor of Sons that continues to leave a taste in the mouth of the local media? Why did the Bakersfield Californian launch Sons-related material on three different websites yesterday: Bakotopia, Bakersfield.com, and their Talk of the Town blog? Perhaps just because people in Bakersfield have an opinion in the matter. Perhaps there’s more to the story…
Take a look at the local news sites and people have literally poured out of the woodwork to express their opinions whether Sons is more guilty than the recent findings in Santa Barbara, or less guilty as charged. Did Sons get slippery and escape true justice, or was justice finally rightly served? Is Sons some kind of murderous Boogeyman, or is he a vigilante hero for eradicating society of one of its bad cops? Seems everyone I come across has an opinion in the matter.
Yet why do people and the newspapers talk about this court case as if the McMartins are on trial again? The case is such big news, with Vincent Brothers’ case prepped as the next media sensation Bakersfield/Kern case to put fear into the lives of Bakersfield society.
The popularity of the Sons’ case is a maddening circle of retelling a cop killing over and over in small town Bakersfield; it reminds people that not all cops are good, and that society loses control at any given time, and even around both good cops and bad.
There’s a climate of fear surrounding such court cases. There’s violence in the event itself, or like the McMartin cases, supposed violence. The media leads us to want to know: what happened? We soon all want to know. Why? Maybe we all want to know if it will happen to us, or better yet, we wonder if we’ll get caught in the crossfire the next time two grown men with weapons lose control.
When law enforcement is a part of the local Central Valley controversy, the newspaper bites onto such topics with gnashing teeth. Why? Because of the climate of fear. The newspapers and media consistently try to set the tone, set the climate within our social consciousness. No, they don’t just report. Newspapers selectively report, and they report in a way that makes us want more. The spin is in finding stories that get people to fear, and talk the most. Those stories naturally bubble to the surface of newspapers and websites like a boiling pot of stew.
People fear bad cops. That’s the honest truth. Newspapers and other media perpetuate stories that build on our fears. I don’t doubt there are bad cops. I’ve known a few. I’ve known good cops too. And the same for society. Some people are good and some are bad. People fear getting caught in situations with the bad folks.
And here in the Western U.S., where Bakersfield Police are known for a history of violence, and a history of shooting first and asking questions later, I’m not surprised that the Sons case has taken such precedence. Is such talk overkill? Probably, because the news just keeps getting rehashed on site after site, prodding people to be a part of a forum under the climate of fear. Are people now going to close their windows, terrified of both a murderous Bruce Sons, and a vengeful ghost of officer Maxwell? Likely not. But the uneasiness of such court cases, adding to the climate of fear perpetuated by the local newspaper and media is never going to end. It’s a part of how newspapers are sold.
And I’ll keep reading just like the next guy.
This entry was posted by N.L. Belardes, on
Wednesday, May 10, 2006.
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I'm with you on everything you're stating. I just keep reading the stories like the next person.
It's Media 101 we learn in school...The media always spins a story so it'll sell their product.
Bruce Sons for Sheriff.
Like the movie, "Tombstone"...
He's the modern day, Wyatt Earp.
After reading your post, the question begs to be asked; is corruption a reason for capital punishment? To say that Sons was only killing a corrupt cop not only creates a major hole in the justice system as we know it, we condone killing for being 'dirty'. To my knowledge, Maxwell was not a corrupt cop; the charges and complaints filed against Maxwell were all about aggressive behavior. That being said, even if Maxwell was just a cop being a jerk to Sons, that still doesn't give him the right to grab a shotgun and shoot Maxwell right on his front porch. I don't see a climate of fear being brewed by this case, I see more a moral dilemma being fought by the population. Cops deserve just as much protection as the people they protect. However, how does the population protect itself from the people in power? Do people have the right to use lethal force against the Law? There really is no question that Sons killed Maxwell, its just a matter of what you'll let either side get away with.
For the sake of my brief article I didn't digress from making a point, but here I can deviate to say, yes, you are right, Greg. There is a nuance you have pointed out that I believe falls within the media's attempt at building a 'climate of fear', a climate the media has been successful with articles in the past of apocalyptic dust storms, child molesters, and conspiratorial Lords of Bakersfield articles.
Robert Price told me himself that no Lords have ever been proved to exist. Then why write about the Lords at all if none of it might be true? Because sometimes building a 'climate of fear' sells papers.
Within that atmospheric pressure of social fear comes moral dilemmas. Society all doesn't agree with itself, but you have to ask yourself if at the very heart of the debate people are fearing bad cops, fearing a failure to protect cops, fearing murderous folks, or fearing the justice system past and present. Read the Talk of the Town blog. Or even listen to the CHP verbage from Captain Brian Smith, clearly a message of fear... using enflamed words that really mean, "Sons, stay out of Bakersfield." That's the police captain running folks out of town in the Old West... I'm not saying I agree or disagree, but yes, there are moral dilemmas, but within a 'climate of fear' perpetuated to help sell a product called newspapers, or advertising for the 11 o clock news...
wow, all i can do is pray that eventually the people of bakersfield will will pull thier heads out and think about something.
you are all getting the spin. be it from the media or word of mouth.
you will never know what happened nor will you have enough facts to have an openion that is worth waisting your breath on.
the comment made that bruce sons grabbed a shotgun and shot maxwell on his front porch was another example of ignorance of the facts. maxwell fired several shots at an unarmed sons before sons became armed and fired in self defense in the driveway, not on his front porch.
officer maxwell was killed doing his job. to call bruce sons anything but a cold blooded killer is insane. this man is proud of the fact that he killed officer maxwell and walks around with his smug smerk on his face. you have all forgot the real victioms officer maxwell family. i pray that some day the will have peace with there great lose.
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