Get whitey: the monstering of Eric Bellquist
Innocent Eric Bellquist denies being the jogger who allegedly shoved a woman into the path of a London bus. Bellquist “categorically denies” he was involved. Presumption of innocence matters. But the media has been engaging in a voracious feeding frenzy, monstering Mr Bellquist.
The BBC says: “Eric Bellquist, 41, was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm”.
The Standard adds: “Eric Bellquist, 50, was detained by detectives on suspicion of grievous bodily harm. He was questioned at a south London police station and later released without being charged.”
As the papers argue over his Bellquist’s age – he’s 41 – we see footage from CCTV cameras showing a bus on Putney Bridge swerving to avoid a 33-year-old woman’s head. The BBC claims she “was pushed into the path of an oncoming bus by a jogger”. Investigating officer Sergeant Mat Knowles says: “It was only due to the superb quick reactions of the bus driver that she was not hit by the vehicle.” True enough.
Meanwhile, lawyers acting on behalf of Mr Bellquist make the following statement:
“This statement is issued in relation to our client Mr Eric Bellquist, who was arrested yesterday in relation to an assault that took place between a male jogger and a female pedestrian on the 5th May 2017 on Putney Bridge, London.
“Our client has been wrongly implicated in this matter. He categorically denies being the individual concerned and has irrefutable proof that he was in the United States at the time of the incident. Consequently, we expect a swift resolution to this wholly untrue allegation.
But who is he?
CBS says: “U.S. man denies he’s jogger who pushed woman into traffic.” Over in the Sun, Bellquist is not longer just a man, he is a “wealthy American banker“. The Standard bills him as a “partner at Mayfair private equity firm“. To the Guardian he is a “Partner at private equity firm“.
Does the man’s job matter? What’s his bank balance got to do with anything? Would we care more if the alleged victim were a vicar or a vivisectionist? What facts are left in and what facts are left out matters, no?
On Buzzfeed, the Sun, the Guardian and more we learn about Mr Bellquist’s career in finance. We’re told the name of his employer and who their clients are. Buzzfeed tells us he’s a “graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder”. Which means? Dunno. But thanks to such intrepid reporting (ie looking at his Linked In profile), we now all know where to find the man who has stated his innocence. The Times says Mr Bellquist works in “Pall Mall, central London, and lives in a red-brick mansion block in Chelsea”.
And then it gets worse. Craig Jackson, head of psychology at Birmingham City University, went on Good Morning Britain to analyse this rare incident. The Guardian transcribes:
“I think what we’re looking at here is an embodiment of what we often see as ‘cis privilege’, or you might want to call it white male privilege.
“This is clearly an individual who, upon seeing someone in his path, veers towards them and not only does he barrel them over, but he continues to run down the road without even looking back to make sure they’re okay.”
Them? But only one person ends up on the floor.
“That to me is quite horrifying behaviour and I think what we’re looking at here is the pedestrian equivalent of road rage. It’s very, very worrying … it could have been murder or manslaughter.”
Might be better to arrest all white males as suspets now and save time later.
PS – Eric Bellquist is innocent.
Posted: 11th, August 2017 | In: News Comments (3) | TrackBack | Permalink
