Stream it or skip it?

3 thoughts on “Stream it or skip it?”

1. Thanks for the recommendation, Cathy. I’m pleased that this is a Sociology class that took on these cases. I’ve always thought the discipline has a lot to offer with cold case investigation. Its focus on the “sociological imagination” (the connections between personal experiences and broader social, historical, cultural and structural forces) makes it ideal for recapturing the moment in historic cases. And its emphasis on thorough data collection and deep analysis makes it ideal for analyzing them. I’d be more confident in a Sociology class taking on the OCCK than another task force of cops and career politicians!

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   1. Me, too, Mary. Two-plus months ago one of my brothers and I had a Zoom call, facilitated by the prosecutor’s office, with the group of students at Western Michigan University working with their professor and the MSP to digitize the case files in the OCCK case. Thus far the class has only been given permission to scan the tens of thousands of documents, but after meeting with this group, we know they could offer so much more and their involvement should be expanded. It’s estimated that it will take another full year just to digitize the case files. Yes, it can be run through various AI programs. The state police should have done it a decade ago. Now they are the beneficiaries of the work of students and at zero cost to them. The professor and the students were earnest, bright and committed. They have found a few surprising things mixed in the boxes of files they were able to go through last semester.

      At the end of the day, there is literally no honorable or legitimate excuse for how the case files and evidence were handled in a case of this magnitude. And, bonus–these people don’t call me a “real bitch” or “crazy” like a detective in this case has texted/emailed me over the years.

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2. I just finished watching and what I appreciate about this series is that the victims are not treated as “evidence” but dimensional people whom the students learn to empathize with while the media judges them. The instructor is a truly phenomenal human being. All students should be so lucky to experience a teacher like him.

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