The National Police Misconduct Statistics and Reporting Project is the rather lengthy name given the efforts of Packratt at Injustice Everywhere.  It’s a labor of love and personal conscience on his part, and it’s a gift that he gives the rest of us.  Yet, even Packratt has to eat, as does his family, as he put in an enormous amount of time and energy toward a project that no one else had done.

This might have been a fine project for one of the Think Tanks to fund, but that would take money away from pundits who were busily trying to cover their own family meals.  One particularly viable source remained, a grant from the Open Society Institute, funded by George Soros.  This source seemed particularly well suited to what Packratt was doing, and they had sought my input and help in locating worthy projects.  None struck me as worthier than Packratt’s.

Packratt applied for funding.  His application was excellent, well prepared and thorough.  He was rejected.

It’s Packratt’s belief that the Soros Criminal Justice Fund wants nothing to do with police misconduct.

Of course, upon further review it was even more of a long shot than I first thought since the OSI seems to have a very heavy pro-police bias. Out of the 337 grant listings for “Law & Justice” projects that they’ve supported, not a single one had to do with police misconduct or brutality.

He may be right.  Perhaps recognition of a police misconduct problem would subject the fund to claims of anti-police bias, a potential controversy that they prefer to avoid.  Perhaps they don’t agree that police misconduct is an issue in America.  There’s no way to tell, since they don’t explain their reasons for rejection of a request for funding.  They send the typical rosy rejection letter.

It’s one thing to be rejected, but it’s another to see what’s been funded.  In the past, the OSI has funded such important efforts as Amy Bach’s book, Ordinary Injustice, a must-read for anyone interested in criminal justice issues.  So, as Packratt rightfully wonders, what was more important, more worthy than his project?

Well, today, the OSI finally released its list of 2010 Justice Fellowship winners and among the projects that were deemed far more important that trying to determine the extent and causes of police misconduct in the United States were:

• A book of poetry about mass incarceration
• A support group for families of juvenile offenders
• And a project defending pleasure clubs in Louisiana

…and, yet again, not a single project that deals with the issue of police misconduct.

Really… a book of poetry beat out the NPMSRP for funding?

Not exactly a book of poetry, though it may well be the case.  More precisely,

Reginald Dwayne Betts, Bowie, MD

An author, poet, and juvenile justice activist, Betts will write a book about the ways that crime and mass incarceration affect the families of both victims and incarcerated, social workers, teachers, and others who will never see the inside of a jail cell.

He will write a book.  Whether or not it’s poetry remains to be seen.  Not to denigrate this, or any of the other recipients of grants, but there seems to be a theme throughout.  They appear to prefer projects that put band-aids on wounds rather than doing anything to stop the wound from happening in the first place.  Many of the projects seem, well, painfully obvious, having been done (and done, and done again).  Others have huge potential for dangerous messages, such as this one:

Jesse Wegman, Brooklyn, NY

Wegman, a lawyer and journalist, will write a series of articles about jailhouse lawyers. Every day, in prisons across the country, these lawyers do the work of their counterparts on the outside: they conduct legal research, draft legal briefs, oppose government motions, and scramble to meet filing deadlines, all in the service of their clients.

In the service of their clients? Apparently no one explained to the board handing out cash what exactly that means in a prison, where “service” is a euphemism. 

On the pleasure side, there’s this interesting project:

Alison McCrary, Safe Streets / Strong Communities, New Orleans, LA

McCrary will challenge law enforcement practices that criminalize New Orleans’ Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs and Mardi Gras Indian tribes. The centuries-old cultural groups, which number almost 150 citywide, are persistent victims of racial profiling, police abuse, harassment, illegal arrests, and intimidation.

This, of course, tends to suggest that Packratt’s view that OSI won’t fund police misconduct projects is mistaken.  At least when it comes to misconduct affecting “social aid and pleasure clubs.” 

Upon reviewing the proposals that received grants, however, another aspect stood out.  There seems to be a tendency to favor the “liberal arts,” proposals that seek to produce a book, articles or social service.  Packratt’s proposal was entirely internet related.

In my prior discussions with the Soros people, I noted their failure to recognize the medium of the internet as a way to broaden the reach of their projects.  Was it better to sell 1000 copies total of a dead tree book or to reach out to 10,000, 100,000 people a day, every day?  They had heard of the internet, but had yet to appreciate how far and wide a message could spread online.  Technology had yet to make it onto their radar as an effective means to an end.

I realize that old school mentality dismisses the internet as a serious medium, worthy of the attention of serious people.  This is exacerbated by the overwhelming use of the media for crass commercialism, deception and self-promotion, not that those of you who believe in your hearts that there can be no higher purpose to life than putting a buck in your pocket care.  But if the OSI folks think that a book of poems about how families are affected by mass incarceration is going to accomplish more good than Packratt’s project, they’re clueless.

There are some hardcore efforts being made to change things that cause pervasive harm, and some of them are happening online. While some books, like Amy’s, have made a difference, most will amount to nothing more than bit of vanity by people who really don’t know their ass from their elbow.  Which explains why they are funded by people who are similarly knowledgeable. 

In the meantime, maybe Open Society Institute funds will eventually find their way to the internet, likely the day after everyone shuts their computers down for good.  But hey, It’s George Soros’ money and he can waste it any way he wants.