Jersey Conservative

An ongoing discussion about conservatism in New Jersey.

Peter C. Hansen (March 3, 2010, 9:11 pm)

As of now, the Larkin Incident is in abeyance until the next shoe drops. (See here, here, here, here and here for sequential coverage of the story as it has unfolded. Alternatively, check out our home page or have your browser send you updates automatically.)

Where do we stand? Well, Sheriff Larkin remains unrepentant about forcing an apology from Prof. Glass in front of his students. Meanwhile, on March 1, Prof. Glass officially broke his silence in a letter to the Trenton Times, "An Object Lesson in Civil Rights":

[T]he most important aspect of that night ... was the sheriff's rush to judgment and his improper use of his position to infringe on my civil rights, namely my freedom of speech in a classroom setting and my academic freedom. He was intimidating, threatening and, quite frankly, belligerent in his tone and manner. He barged into my class based on the text messages and/or phone call of one student, who works for Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami-Covello. The sending of text messages or using one's cell phone during class is not permitted at Mercer County Community College. The sheriff was accompanied by a woman who verbally berated and insulted me in front of the class. ... Everything I discussed was in the public domain.

One would normally think that a longtime law-enforcement officer would investigate unsubstantiated comments or hearsay before taking action. That night, I used Joe Santiago, Trenton's former police director, the sheriff, and other examples in response to a student's question about whether there are public servants in the local area who make large salaries and/or pensions. It was a two- to three-minute mention of the sheriff in a long, two-and-half-hour class. The class discussion concerned what state programs the students would keep and what practices they would eliminate if they became the governor tomorrow and faced the same billion-dollar revenue shortfalls that Gov. Christie finds himself facing today.

Those rights enumerated in our Bill of Rights are the very principles we expect our government officials, citizens and media to uphold and treasure in our society. Howard Zinn, the Boston University historian who passed away recently, always spoke out against what he considered the injustices that exist, whether they be wars or the trampling of civil rights. He had said, "[M]y teaching is infused with my own history. I always try to be fair and objective; I want students to leave my classes not just better informed, but more prepared to relinquish the safety of silence, more prepared to speak up, to act against injustice wherever they see it. This, of course, is sometimes a recipe for trouble."

So, we have a professor who feels brutalized, a cop who says he would confront Prof. Glass again, and the apparent use of county resources (at least a car and an aide) to effect the shake-down. In the midst of this open and obvious scandal, what have we heard from Mercer County Inspector General Robert A. Farkas (609.278.8084, Fax 609.989.7529)? So far, zilch. Supposedly, Mr. Farkas was looking into the matter as of February 24 (see here). He has, however, given no public indication since that he intends even to issue an investigation report.

This situation gives every sign that a lawsuit is warranted. It would be great, however, if Governor Christie's Attorney General Paula T. Dow (609.292.4925) stepped in first to ensure that due process is respected and Prof. Glass's state constitutional rights are vindicated. Beyond upholding the law, state intervention is justified by the need to uphold the state's image. After all, this story is being covered even in New Zealand, and it is making NJ look downright awful. If Gov. Christie ever wanted a poster child for the public abusers he wants to protect his constituents from, he need look no further than Sheriff Larkin.

Finally, the quiescence of the NJ press on this issue is cause for concern. Since the main (if ridiculously skimpy) coverage in the NJ papers has been printed, the Cherry Hill Courier Post has given "jeers" to Sheriff Larkin. Paul Mulshine has cogently opined on the "double-dipping" problem behind the Larkin Incident. Otherwise, the mighty NJ print press corps has been silent. If you have ever wondered why old-line papers are dying out, look no further than this scandal lying barely touched by Jersey journalism (other than the ever-useful PolitickerNJ). It is not as if state journalists lack targets or topics. A horde of Columbia journalism students could turn this state on its ear as a midterm project. It is certainly past high time that they did so.


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