....© 2000, Kimit A. Muston
I guess you've got to admire Jackie Goldberg, city Councilwoman. Ms. Goldberg is not afraid of controversy. She's not afraid of saying what she thinks. She's not afraid of breaking the rules. She's not afraid of calling a press conference so she can stick her own her foot into her own mouth.
Ms. Goldberg recently decided that she was going to demonstrate her support for striking janitors by taking part in one of their sit-down demonstrations in the middle of a street. Not only was she willing to run the risk of being arrested, she insisted upon it. And that is where the trouble began.
Evidently when Ms.Goldberg said "arrested" what she really meant was "Photo Op". She wanted pictures of her being handcuffed and led away by mean looking police officers. These images would create public support for the janitors and the pictures would look great on her wall come election time, when union leaders were called into her office and asked to cough up some donations.
She thought it was all going to take fifteen minutes. Instead it took eight hours. And she believes the police were being vindictive for putting her in plastic handcuffs, finger printing her over and over and bussing her from jail to jail all afternoon long, causing her to miss many appointments in her busy schedule.
I suspect the police were being vindictive in their treatment of the Councilwoman. But then if I were being forced to play the part of a bad guy cop in the video life story of Jackie Goldberg, I might be a little unhappy, too. Police officers are union members, just like the striking janitors. I'm not sure I would want my children watching me slapping handcuffs on an elected official, who was just demonstrating for a good cause. And after a hot afternoon of dealing with angry people I might object to being ordered to participate in a farce like the Councilwoman's staged arrest. If I were a member of LAPD I might be tempted to keep Ms. Goldberg under arrest for even more than eight hours.
But given that LAPD might have gone a little overboard in their treatment of the Councilwoman, there are established political procedures Ms. Goldberg can use for getting even. And none of them involve calling a press conference. As an example, the next time the police budget comes up for approval by the City Council she could introduce a measure requiring the Chief's limo to be a Hyundai. Then the Chief would have to spend a day of his own before the council begging on bended knee for at least a sedan. And before finally giving in, Ms. Goldberg would have her revenge.
But the Councilwoman was too outraged to choose one of the quieter courses of action. She has gone public. And that hasn't helped her public image very much. In the first place it makes it look like her support for the janitors wasn't all that supportive. Her comments make it seem she wasn't even willing to be inconvenienced for them. And she has created a sense she feels entitled. She is angry because of her eight hours in custody, not the forty-eight hours many of the janitors had to endure. And her angry is getting more publicity than her staged arrest, which brings her to the attention of all those commuters who were tapped in traffic when she and the janitors sat down in the middle of the street. Those motor voters are not happy she was out there.
There is an old rule in politics that the Councilwoman might wish to remember at this point. Al Gore could probably quote it to her after his Elian Gonzalez comments. And the Mayor might also remind her of the rule after his slip about Columbine terrorists at a local high school.
The rule goes like this; every time a politician says anything, they anger somebody. So, unless you have to open your mouth, it's usually a better idea to keep it shut. The Councilwoman really should know the rules before she breaks them.
Kimit A.Muston is a writer living in North Hollywood. His work may also be seen in the Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles Daily News.