04/23/24
January 15, 2010
The Dirtiest Player: Say this for Marvin Harrison: He tried to be his own person. He succeeded on a level that most of us can only dream of reaching. But he either never realized or flat-out denied the destabilizing effect of his presence in a poor and desperate part of the city. Much as he insisted that he was a normal working person like any other, he was never going to be seen that way. He was always going to be a target for the hopes, resentments, and ambitions of other people, a reality that rippled and swirled around him in unpredictable ways. And the proof is still there, scattered across the city, for anyone who cares enough to look.
I came away liking Harrison more not less.
Really? Was it the part about where a kid was injured in his shootout, or...?
posted by dusted at 07:40 PM on January 15, 2010
I'm with you, bperk. Easy to judge a guy like this from the comfort of a suburban sofa, but within the life he was born into (didn't choose), he sounds like a man of honor.
posted by outonleave at 07:47 PM on January 15, 2010
And let the arrows fly.
posted by outonleave at 07:48 PM on January 15, 2010
I came away liking Harrison more not less.
Really? It seems pretty clear, even without the witnesses, that he was the one who wounded not only his intended target but other people on the street. Marvin has some likable attributes but shootings in broad daylight tend to darken my opinion of the man.
posted by tron7 at 05:20 PM on January 17, 2010
I didn't think that was clear at all. There were bullets on the street from three different guns. I found the eyewitness testimony of the guy suing Harrison for money less than convincing.
posted by bperk at 08:38 PM on January 17, 2010
Yeah, I can see why the DA passed up that prosecution. A bunch of no good eyewitnesses against Marvin Harrison and whatever expensive lawyer he hires. The bullet evidence seems compelling, but the eyewitness testimony is useless. Further, the Pop guy sounds like such a hot mess any number of people would want him gone.
I came away liking Harrison more not less. He clearly has had a lot working against him, yet he sticks close to him and tries to make the neighborhood better.