The Mad (and Madly Accurate) Rantings of James R. Hoskins

Let me preface this by saying I don't condone this man's actions.  He murdered his girlfriend which makes him a violent POS deserving of death.  If he had lived, he would've likely spent his life in prison & become just another number in the penal system, and rightfully so.  Holding news anchors hostage is also psychotic, as is using disability money to buy drugs and hoard weapons which he admits to in the clip.  

In the early morning hours of October 15, 1980, James R. Hoskins stopped reporter Elaine Green in a parking lot & pointed his 9mm J&R semi-automatic rifle at her, saying he didn't want to hurt her but he had an important message he wanted the public to hear & he needed her recording equipment to do it.  Armed with a total of 6 guns, he took over WCPO in Cincinnati's newsroom, holding Green, her cameraman & 7 more people hostage at gunpoint while broadcasting his "message".

I first learned of this incident while watching The Killing of America, a 1981 shockumentary that you should definitely watch if you haven't already.  But that clip left me searching for the full interview which was hard to find online.  Until now.  

The Killing of America (1981 Documentary)

If you knew nothing else about James R. Hoskins, you might think he was a spokesperson for the poor & downtrodden sent to call out the evils of capitalism.  Listen as he speaks in 1980 about topics like police brutality, phony do-nothing politicians and other topics that are more relevant now than ever.  In fact, forget the speaker altogether.  It's the message that deserves a platform.  That message is one of accountability for a sensationalist media that only covers shallow, pointless stories while poor people suffer.  He calls on those in power to help the winos, the poor & to remember that "prisoners are people too" stating that "you can't rehabilitate someone who's never been habilitated [sic]"  His calling out of so-called revolutionaries like Black Panther Eldridge Cleaver who went on to become a Republican, Jerry Rubin & Panther-turned-mayoral candidate Bobby Seale also hit home as we watch politicians like The Squad try to change the Democrats from the inside & fail miserably.  

His words are also a reminder that "mental illness" is often a product of sociological problems like poverty & inequality rather than individual shortcomings like "chemical imbalances" or "childhood trauma".  When these structural issues aren't dealt with, we get desperate people who attempt to self-medicate & grope their way through a life that's hopelessly unfair until they give up or go out in a blaze of rage, taking others with them in worst case scenarios like this.  It's a pay now or pay later scheme--either we prevent violence by addressing systemic inequality or we pay later when these folks go over the edge after a lifetime of being cast aside & falling through the cracks.  

R.I.P. Melanie Finlay, former nun & 8th grade Catholic school teacher who was gunned down by Hoskins in their apartment.   

FULL CLIP:  

www.yahoo.com/news/news-under-siege-full-james-125100108.html