"Going to work in the morning is hell," [Ventura] Martinez sobbed. "Coming home from work is hell. I'm thinking that somebody is gonna...pop me from behind."
For seven years, Martinez has worked as one of the city's most productive police informants, bringing down more than 200 drug and gun dealers.
But Martinez now says that some of the police jobs were tainted, rooted in lies and motivated by power, greed and money. He says he admitted fabricating evidence to the FBI, the police Internal Affairs Bureau and the Police Advisory Commission. Martinez's admission could reopen and potentially overturn hundreds of cases, legal experts say.
-- "The informer, the cop & the conspiracy"; Philadelphia Daily News, Feb, 2, 2009.
Several times in the last year, I've told you about the remarkable investigative reporting by my two Daily News colleagues, Wendy Ruderman and Barbara Laker. Their series of articles called "Tainted Justice" exposed significant corruption within a unit of the Philadelphia police department; it's a great public service and a great read, and there's something else: It took an enormous amount of guts, because confronting the powers that be is a hard thing in any town but especially here in Philadelphia. They knew going into this that exposing an injustice wasn't going to win them any local popularity contests.
Luckily, there are people who take note of such courage. Today, the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE) awarded one of its top prizes -- the Distinguished Writing Award for Local Accountability Reporting award -- to Laker and Ruderman for "Tainted Justice." I want to leave you with what the ASNE wrote because nothing I could say can top this:
Barbara Laker and Wendy Ruderman, Philadelphia Daily News, for their series about a rogue squad of Philadelphia narcotics cops that systematically looted mom and pop stores under the guise of busting them for selling drug paraphernalia. The series prompted an FBI investigation, new police policies and a number of civil rights lawsuits. Direct, descriptive writing. Journalism that made a difference in the community.
Bad cops? No way - I don't believe it. (sarcasm)— phillyjeffsr
"Several times in the last year, I've told you about the remarkable investigative reporting by my two Daily News colleagues, Wendy Ruderman and Barbara Laker." Bottom line: neither were named Will Bunch. You're still the shaggy, no-name pudgeball toiling in your mommy's basement. Consumed with hatred. lol
Congratulations Barbara Laker and Wendy Ruderman and thank you. This is what journalism is all about and why we need reporters like you all over America. I hope the decline in newspapers is a 2000’s thing, like the iPhone and colored terrorist alert levels, and that because of this kind of work peoples’ declining faith in newspaper reporting – which is, at least from my end, a result of the major newspaper cartel’s parroting government propaganda that they knew were lies – is at least somewhat renewed. You have given me some hope.— Hamlet- Again- Liberals hate the police- are there bad apples in every group? (including NYT "journalists") Yes- but Liberals hate the cops- but they will be the first to cry if a cop does not show up in 5 minutes when they get mugged by wilding youth in Philly.— Manny Trillo
- Furthermore, I want the Iky to know that I have never forgotten thier front page editorial (!!!) about the Downing Street Memo.— Hamlet
- Yes, Manny, when reporters speak truth to power my applause is due to my hatred of the cops, the military, the executive branch or whoever. It’s not about being a member of an informed democracy. We are building a religion, we are building it bigger, we are widening the corridors and adding more lanes…resistance is useless, it is useless to resist…you can dress up like a solder in your onion-head hat.— Hamlet
- Where's the in-depth report on the police reaction/non-reaction to the thugs who stalked and assaulted Asian Americans at South Philly High? Inky and DN are jokes. Great stories in their back yard and nothing in depth. They cover snow removal instead. So PC.— pj katauskas
Congratulations and thank you to Barbara Laker and Wendy Ruderman and thank you to Hamlet for recognizing the value of truth instead of superstition. A distrust of authority is part of both thoughtful liberal and hysterical conservative thought. The difference is that these days most conservatives accept the ideas of folks like Limbaugh, Beck, and Palin when these are the "authorities" (with no real authority) that should be trusted least.- Wow, Hamlet, is it Mexican Red tonight?— pj katauskas
- PJ, chili peppers are good for your health, and sometimes, for your disposition.— Hamlet
- P.J. were you not around for my 4 or 5 posts on the thugs at South Philly High? As for the newspapers, I think they covered it pretty well, although maybe they were a day or so late in gearing up.— will
- Manny, we spend far too much time trying to save this country from the conservatives to worry about hating groups of people. That's more in your team's provenance.— HandNik
You mean this isn't about James O'Keefe and ACORN?
Comment removed.
Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
E-mail Will by clicking here.
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