It would seem that the Strike has been heating up at the Fox Camp for a while now with escalating confrontations between legally striking picketers and the frustrated staff of the studio.
Recently, Rene Balcer (runner of Law & Order and co-creator of Law & Order:Criminal Intent) was forced out of the way of a worker and this resulted in a shoving match.
The white collar worker, who was driving a black SUV, drove into Balcer, pushing him with his fender, which eventually evolved into a shoving match with the writer.
According to a witness’ account: “It’s Mr. SUV’s turn to wait for us to cross. He does not wait. He plows into us, knocking Rene Balcer back several feet. Then the guy leaps out of his car and takes a swing at Rene, and then shoves him out onto Avenue of the Stars. Thankfully, there was no traffic at that moment.”
Now I am going to approach this from both sides.
Mr.SUV has to be continually frustrated arriving for work at a place that just might let him go at any moment because these striking picketers are thinning out just how much work needs to get done around the studio. The fact that Mr.SUV is still going to work implies to me he wasn’t low level (many grunts have already been laid off pending strike negotiations)
I can see how he would be getting upset. It is a very frustrating thing for everyone involved. Especially those who are NOT striking, but forced to take the burden of their cause with them to work. Or not to work for some people.
Personally, I have ZERO respect for picket lines when you make me suffer. Yes, you have the right to protest. You have the right to stand about with your signs chanting your cause. But you have no right to stop me from entering the grounds or even detaining me. Why should I suffer for your cause? Especially while I say goodbye to co-workers who are going into debt for their lost jobs… because of your cause.
Now from the other side, we have Mr Balcer, the victim of this hit and run. Why this escalated into a shoving match is just an example of just how pathetic this situation is becoming. Sure, show your support and hold up a sign, but why do more than that? Mr Balcer will spin this as “I was just performing my legal right to picket” and MrSUV who is just as wrong for fighting will be the sole victim here. Just because Balcer pissed this guy off to the point of going postal doesn’t mean the other guy is right for doing it.
Balcer hasn’t said if he will press charges.
As mentioned before, the public opinion or even inconveniencing the few employees that the studios have left is NOT going to change the outcome of this strike. They (both parties) are already hurting their opposition as badly as they can right now. We just get to go without while they figure it out.
His constitutional right is to PEACEFUL protesting. The second he gets into a yelling match and retaliates for an equally wrong act, he is no better than his attacker.
But I won’t act surprised that you think Balcer acted responsibly in this. It was wrong to hit him with the car just because he was frustrated and impatient, and it was just as wrong to get into a fight over it. He should have walked away from the guy. THEN he would have been innocent.
So one guy commits two felonies (assault with a deadly weapon, simple assault) because he was impatient. The other was exercising his Constitutional right. Because the guy who got hit by a car was in the driver’s way, he’s in some way nearly as at fault?
That’s my problem with this strike. The writers are showing they have no class disrupting shows that were taping pre-strike scripts and other classless things. This is just another reason I hope the writers get screwed. There is little doubt in my mind they were trying to detain people from entering. And of course the “witness” is probably another writer, so we get their spin.
If I was writer, I would put the good of my show ahead of my greed over what little money is being made by broadcasting mostly free content over the internet. Yeah if they are flat out selling it on itunes, a cut needs to be had. But as hard as it is to get a show picked up and have longevity, I would be more concerned with that, especially with all the great first and second year shows that are never going to get a chance because of the strike. Or that shows like Scrubs won’t get a chance to go out on their feet on their own terms because of this strike.
The writers and the producers make me sick with this strike. But the writers have behaved like arrogant, selfish children and they are costing people who don’t make thousands of dollars per script their lives.
So I really don’t care that Balcer ate a little bumper. Ultimately, he wasn’t hurt, but maybe next time he will think twice before he tries to prevent someone else from getting to their job and earning a wage.
well i can give a shit about a “runner” idk wtf that is but personally i would have been one of the guys who allreay lost there jobs so i would have been pass the point of being nice….i mean all those douches make lot any ways…they play soduko and drink there starbucks…shit welcome to the real world….people get piss when they cant buy baby formula!