A Beating in Suburbia - Part Two: A Hoax Unquestioned

By Dick Radley | Freelance Editor and Journalist

In the weeks since Katrina Dubin Ardely's story of police brutality in Cajoling Tone magazine exploded onto the internet, as most readers know by now, evidence has emerged proving the article entirely false. Here's a brief summary of what we've all learned:

• Jack was never beaten by police
• Jack gave friends mixed accounts of being beaten, sometimes blaming the police and other times blaming a group of random men
• Jack, in fact, was not beaten at the hands of another, but rather beat himself up and subsequently invented a crime

Whatever happened or didn't happen to Jack, and whatever motive he had to create a false narrative, all of that is, of course, a big part of the story. But what I'd like to know is how Ms. Dubin Ardely managed to hear Jack's description of events without questioning it, and what, if any, fact checking and due diligence she conducted prior to reporting it all as if it were truth?

I spoke with the man in her article called Joe, who said, "She quoted me directly in her story, but I never talked to her once. I have no idea where that quote came from. I don't know anything about any kind of ritualized police brutality in this town."

I also spoke with Suburbia chief of police Ben Modano, who Ms. Dubin Ardely claims "declined to comment" for her story. "She never reached out to me or to anyone at the department," said Chief Modano. "Had she contacted me, I would've been able to clear this up for her quite easily." Regarding the song Ms. Dubin Ardely quotes throughout the article, "Fraternally Yours," Chief Modano specifically asked me to mention that neither he nor any of Suburbia's other police officers have ever heard it or heard of it, let alone ever sung it.

Finally, I spoke with Earl White, the only person whose real name appears in Ms. Dubin Ardely's article. "She bought a story about Jack getting beaten by cops because that's what she wanted to hear. She wanted to do a story on police brutality in an upscale, quiet town, and Jack gave her what she wanted." Mr. White went on to note, "Look how she quoted me! I told her my real name and told her Jack wasn't beaten by cops, so she put my quote in, but twisted the way she did it to make it seem like I was denying the truth. But she was the one in denial. She was the one who couldn't see the truth even though it was right there in front of her, because she either didn't want to see the truth or didn't care about the truth. Maybe she cared about victims like Jack and helping to prevent future crimes, but mostly she cared about advancing her career. From what I've read lately, now that her article turned out to be a hoax, all she did for her career was ruin it."

(Click here to read the inspiration for this two part series. Thank you, Richard Bradley.)

A Beating in Suburbia - Part One: Jack's Story

Jack had just moved to Suburbia when he was severely beaten by local police for no reason at all, paralyzing him from the waist down. 

By Katrina Dubin Ardely | Contributing Editor for Cajoling Tone Magazine

We, the fraternal order of police
Sometimes must go to war to keep the peace.
–"Fraternally Yours," traditional Suburbia, USA police force theme song

Sipping from a plastic cup, standing on the sidewalk minding his own business, Jack was surprised to see the police officer walking toward him. Like so many others, he had moved to Suburbia to settle into a quieter life, to be surrounded by its idyllic mountains and preserved forests, to live as one small cog in a safe and essentially self-governed community. His surprise turned to anguish when the officer, whom we’ll call Sergeant Drewer, proceeded to beat him within an inch of his life. Jack will never walk again.

Better think twice before you break a law
‘Cause we’re not nice and we like to guffaw.
"Fraternally Yours"

Most of Jack’s friends were devastated when they learned of the tragic beating he suffered at the hands of Officer Drewer. "I don’t know exactly what happened that night, but it could have been avoided," said one friend whom we’ll call Joe. He went on to say, "Police brutality in this town is ritualized. New cops have to bludgeon a random person as part of their initiation to the force." Another friend, previously unaware that Jack can no longer walk or that the police had anything to do with it, spoke under the condition of anonymity, citing fear of retaliation. He said, "Are you sure Jack is paralyzed? Because I saw him last night at our weekly pick up basketball game. I think he had like fifteen points and eight to ten rebounds."

We don’t care what you think you might’ve done
Because each one of us always carries a gun.
"Fraternally Yours"

In a seemingly peaceful, bucolic town like Suburbia, it’s sad to discover that people secretly live in fear of those sworn to protect and serve. Speaking with another of Jack’s friends, longtime resident Earl White, this fear was evident. "I don’t think the police beat up Jack at all. I heard a couple of random guys jumped him that night – they broke his nose and he had a few bumps and bruises, but he survived and is doing fine." When pressed, Earl stuck with his story, his certainty perhaps scariest of all. The omnipresent, silent pressure exerted by Suburbia police pushes people to deny truths, twist reality to quell their fears, reinforce a false feeling of safety.

At Jack's request, because of his own understandable fears, we have not attempted to contact Sergeant Drewer. When we spoke with the chief of police, he declined to comment.

"I’ll never stop having nightmares and never feel safe," said Jack. "All because of that one night when I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."