The Scene's Latest Journalistic Abomination Devastates It's Last Shred Of News Credibility...

I read the inane fiction passed off as some sort of "analysis" of Tent City by The Scene's apparent first semester creative writing student, Brantley Hargrove.

I'm not sure what he'd been smoking or snorting prior to visiting and penning that piece, but I strongly encourage him to switch to something a little less....psychedelic for future recreation as it clearly destroyed his ability to reason while causing him some seriously disturbed visual hallucinations.  It's a good thing he wasn't driving a train with a cellphone nearby....

At first I figured he'd simply confused the site with another location close to the scrapyard near Shelby, as this is where the homeless gentleman known as "Caveman" spends his days and nights, not at Tent City. 

Then Hargrove launched into this bizarre, sensationalist hyperbole, exaggeration and gross embellishment so over the top that I once again questioned whether he had ever even been to the location I have been working at for the past month.

I realized as I continued reading his fictional account that folks down at the camp had quickly and shrewdly judged his scandalous and underhanded  intentions moments after he entered.  Had Hargrove had any idea who he was attempting to swindle, he would have soon realized that he was being played harder than a pawn shop guitar at a punk rock fest by those he was attempting to manufacture a story out of.

I'm frankly surprised he didn't write about the snipe hunt residents sent him on.

Of particular hilarity was his swallowing hook line and sinker of Wild Ed's description of the astounding - and completely false - change that takes place when darkness settles in on the camp and everyone becomes wild-eyed crack smokers.  Either Hargrove was utterly naive ( I shudder to think that he is too lazy to factcheck; The Scene should fire him on the spot for that alone) or so damned stupid that he couldn't tell that the vast majority of folks in the camp can't afford a loaf of bread, let alone enough crack to get the population of a small neighborhood high each night.


It's said a sucker's born every minute. Based on what Hargrove wrote about Sosa - himself a short-time visitor to the camp and who has a serious propensity to f*ck with those who shouldn't be wandering around the area without invite -  Hargrove's gullibility and infatuation with Sosa is so breathtaking that he surely must have saved 59 others that misery by hogging it all in the hour prior to his own birth.  

From that point the piece degenerated further - is that is even possible - into a grammar-school attempt at fictionalizing the area into a plague infested, horrific third world garbage dump overflowing with sewage at every turn.

Clearly Hargrove needs a geography lesson, since he can't tell where Tent City begins or ends.  It's also glaringly apparent that someone needs to school the boy in who to actually believe when one wanders into homeless camps uninvited and without prior knowledge of the proclivities for exaggerations some of the residents themselves enjoy at the expense of noobs in the camp - especially ignorant and gullible noobs who are clearly looking to cause them harm.

I really wish I could've assisted Hargrove in presenting an accurate picture of the camp.  The few Scene readers left deserve at least that.   But the fact is, Hargrove brought the wearing of the dunce hat directly upon himself.  He certainly had an opportunity to get the real story, as the Scene had our phone numbers, along with those members at the camp who have been there for years, were fully in charge of their mental faculties and could've provided an accurate picture of the camp's conditions, residents and current situation.   

Instead Hargrove, who couldn't even come up with an original title for his fabrication and instead ripped off my title of The Contributor's October 08 cover story, then chose to attempt a cheapshot sensationalist fable that fails miserably in both providing an accurate description of the camp and its residents.

More insulting is the fact that Hargrove not only failed in providing readers the relevant facts and issues surrounding the circumstances and conditions at the camp, he took advantage of those readers and intentionally misled them.

As just one example, over three years ago city officials promised that porta potties would be set up at the site.  Unfortunately, Public Works arbitrarily decided they weren't going to honor the Mayor's request and left residents without any toilets.  Hargrove fails to mention this small - but critically important - fact, which of course then forces readers to draw erroneous conclusions about the camp's cleanliness and attention to waste disposal. 

Worse - and for this Hargrove ought to be ashamed of himself and The Scene ought to fire this hatemonger - his piece perpetuates, promotes and reinforces old racist stereotypes while generating scorn, ostracism, marginalization, hostility and the potential for outright violence towards those experiencing homelessness.  He rounds out his lame effort by heaping jet fuel on the bonfire of tension fomenting around the very issue of homelessness.  Way to look out for your fellow community members, Hargrove. With "reporters" like this, who needs Al-Qaeda?  He's doing a fine job of creating hatred and instigating violence right in his own back yard. 

What's particularly telling about this piece of garbage published by the Scene is the fact that it is clear Mr. Hargrove felt it completely unimportant to actually spend time investigating the conditions.    One need only compare his crap with the completely contradicting picture that the Tennessean, The Contributor and Channel 5's investigations - let me repeat for the Mr. Hargrove's future efforts - INVESTIGATIONS - discovered.

It's not only unfortunate but downright disgusting that Mr. Hargrove jettisoned any investigative journalistic integrity in favor of maligning, offending and blatantly lying about conditions and residents at the camp. The Scene has increasingly resorted to these tactics as competition from real and more credible news sources have resulted in rapid "round-filing" or fish-wrapping of the rag for most.

Perhaps I missed the disclaimer on the story that stated it was a fictitious account because it's just so incongruous that the same paper that provided spectacular stories on Clemmie Greenlee and Father Charlie Strobel.-individuals who have championed the ending of homelessness and the assistance of the less fortunate in our community - also allowed such a lousy, error-filled hit piece to be run on the very people these two respected and vaunted community heroes have devoted their lives to helping.  Folks in the know tell me this paper went to shit shortly after the new editor came on board.  Regardless, one thing is clear; any editor that allowed Hargrove's piece entry into mainstream is either smoking or snorting alongside Hargrove or is asleep at the desk.  In either case, a competent replacement ought to be considered, and soon. 

It could be that The Scene was, as has become its usual protocol, late to the scene and needed something substantial and sensational to sell a rag that has increasingly become nothing more than boring claptrap and fluff.

More likely however is that Mr. Hargrove is just an ignorant, self-aggrandizing fool who delights in attacking and maligning those who cannot defend themselves and are at the mercy of idiots and fecal smears masquarading as human beings.

It is no wonder those experiencing homelessness have lost their ability to trust members of the larger community.  Mr. Hargrove better hope his writing talent improves considerably soon; he may just find himself among the ranks of those he so viciously and malevolently smeared.

If The Scene has any integrity at all, Hargrove should be pink-slipped yesterday. 

With any luck, he ought to be arriving as a resident himself in Tent City just about.....

Now.

Trust me, folks will be waiting for him.....