Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 24 July 1996 — Page 11

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Media Watch

‘Homicide’ avoids stereotypes

By RABBI ELLIOT B. GERTEL In our last column we began to look at the energetic and charming young Jewish detective, Mike Kellerman (played by Reed Diamond) on

NBC's Homicide: Life on the Street. Kellerman, as portrayed on this brilliantly written and acted series, is a complex character, with a bit of cockiness covering some selfdoubt, and a lot of likeability. I remarked in the previous column that Kellerman did not really make any declarations of Jewishness until the particular episode, several into the season, that 1 wish to discuss here. In that teleplay by Tom Fontana, Henry Bromell, producer David Levinson, Anya Epstein and David Simon (and a very corporate script at that), Kellerman and his AfricanAmerican partner, Lewis (Clark Johnson) investigate vigilante policing by security guards hired from a National of Islam-like group by the city for "projects." A white police officer is being censured for refusing to enter one of the project buildings while two young black men, suspected of drug-dealing, are shooting at one another. The Muslims claim their strong-arm tactics have been effective at preventing drug-dealing and intimidating the youth from brazen violations of public safety. Kellerman is annoyed and dismayed that Lewis seems to admire the methods of the Muslim group, and to respect one of its local leaders. He asks Lewis if he plans to go out for a few beers with the Muslim. "I'm looking for my partner," Kellerman protests, "and I don't know where he is. Where were you when he took a swing at me?" Lewis reassures Kellerman that he is not buying into the Muslim line, but is simply humoring everyone until he can get at the truth. But Kellerman won't let things go: "So you don't buy this racist crap.

right? This guy, he hates whites, he hates Jews, he hates me." That's about as close as Kellerman has gotten, at least so far, at the end of his first season, to declaring himself a Jew (and it took five writers in concert to do it!). Lewis bares some of his gut responses when he replies, "I don't buy race baiting from anybody. Even you got to admit that these guys have done right by the... (project they guard). It's fine for a white neighborhood to have its own private security force, but God forbid the black community have their own guards. It's seen as a threat. Say what you will, the Muslims come to

tured, the Muslim leader says that he will tell the black detectives but that the "unbeliever," Kellerman, must leave the room. (Obviously, he never heard that Islam regards Jews and Christians as "people of the Book.") Yet Lewis insists that Kellerman remain in the room. What is remarkable about this episode in the annals of recent TV dramas about Black Muslims and/or Farrakhanlike leaders, is that it does not allow itself to become distracted by emphasis on blackJewish tensions and the general issue of interracial conflict. Instead it focuses wisely, appropriately, on the tensions

Indeed, Homicide: Life on the Street is at its best when it explores such issues as black on black violence and black treatment of other blacks, including police officers. The most brilliant episode on this series and perhaps in all of TV drama was presented a couple of years back by James Yoshimura and Tom Fontana, and dealt with the attitudes of a black community and the feelings of a young black man, when the latter's friend was gunned down by a (white) policeman. It explored the different perspectives of different generations in the black community.

town and the crime rate goes down in the projects." When Kellerman replies that the "crime rate was pretty low under Hitler; what are you talking about?" Lewis retorts, "I don't see you up there walking foot up in the towers. I didn't see you volunteering to go there." Lewis notes that while Kellerman and other whites are upset by the Muslims' doctrines of blacks as the "original man" and "chosen race of Allah," it is precisely those doctrines that seem to prevent them from taking black lives even during their most rowdy policing. During the questioning session about what the Muslims have done with a murderer they cap-

artd conflicts and mixed emotions within the black community itself. It is even so bold as to have Captain Giardello (Yaphet Kptto), an AfricanAmerican with an Italian grandfather (a good stereo-type-breaker), out-maneuver black politicians who would play up to the Muslim guards even to the detriment of the police department. This is all very honest and thought-pro-voking stuff, and for the first time, a Muslim group on a TV police or courtroom series did not require the trotting out of a Jewish Defense League type group for its "conflict." The more interesting and important conflicts are, of course, in the black community and its

struggle for leadership. Indeed, Homicide: Life on the Street is at its best when it explores such issues as black on black violence and black treatment of other blacks, including police officers. The most brilliant episode on this series and perhaps in all of TV drama was presented a couple of years back by James Yoshimura and Tom Fontana, and dealt with the attitudes of a black community and the feelings of a young black man, when the latter's friend was gunned down by a (white) policeman. It explored the different perspectives of different generations in the black community. The scenes involving the questioning of the young black man by African American detective Frank Pembleton and his white partner, Bayliss (Andre Braughter and Kyle Secor, respectively) were unforgettable for the pointed issues raised by Braughter as Pembleton, who, in many ways, has become the soul and conscience of the program. This season, the Pembleton character continued in its significant role in the series, but also found a comedic foil in the new character, Kellerman, much to the enhancement of both persona. All of this worthy and fascinating discussion on the series of black on black relations does raise a question: Will Homicide ever get around to some equally compelling and

relevant discussion of Jewish on Jewish relations? Here we have Kellerman, a policeman and son of a blue-collar as-sembly-line working Jew. In an early Kellerman episode (penned by Yoshimura and Michael Whaley), Kellerman's colleagues are discussing whether he is "from dough." (Is it the occasional luxury item or an assumption about Jewishness?) Will Homicide ever depict Kellerman trying to find his place, or his respect, in an increasingly professionalized Jewish community, whether in the course of an investigation or in pursuit of a social milieu? Surely, the same writers who are so sensitive to divisions within the black community could depict with feeling and understanding some of the struggles within the Jewish community, especially where such a popular and likeable character as Kellerman is concerned. And let's not forget Detective Munch (Richard Belzer), who remains an affecting character even when put into shlemiellike circumstances. Will anything be made of his Jewishness? Will that lead to some kind of bond, or to further tensions, with Kellerman? After all, in that episode on the Muslim guards, the writers, if I heard them correctly, had Munch refer to "union tzuris." Where do we go from here?

Poll Continued from page NAT 1 taining a clear separation between government activity (the state) and religious activity (the church). This is especially true of practices in the public schools. There was overwhelming opposition to prayer in public schools. By very large margins, respondents view Christian fundamentalism and breaches in church-state separation as threats to Jewish security. Furthermore these last two issues were listed by respondents as arousing the most concern, along with intermarriage, anti-Semitism and the decline of morality." On the other hand, Mr. Rose contended that "abortion was about the only issue that found Indianapolis' Jews as liberal as ever: Support for unrestricted access hit 90 percent. Yet, this was drafted to ensure the most favorable response by focusing on a woman's right to choose." Rose had advice for (he NJCRAC. "NJCRAC's leadership is right about one thing: its relationship with the communities its CRCs represent must change. Where NJCRAC tfeems mistaken is in the direction that change should take. At be st. Expanding the advocacy of political and social policies that fewer and fewer Jews share will only accelerate NJCRAC's diminished relevance to American Jews. At worst, it will exacerbate the political polarization that threatens the very unity of the American Jewish community."