BooksBarbecue
Back The House Party
Chapters (57)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. April 2008
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. Author’s Note
  55. Acknowledgments
  56. About the Author
  57. About the Publisher

Alisha’s article appeared in the Inquirer two days later, under the headline the power to destroy. It was the first installment in a series that promised to examine how wealth and privilege affected arrest and incarceration rates, as well as educational outcomes, for the greater Philadelphia area’s youth. The article featured before and after pictures of the Jensens’ destroyed house, and a list of the charges in the case, including the charge against Hunter Finch. Within hours, the DA’s office was inundated with calls from reporters at papers and news programs all over the tri-state area. The next morning, two network news trucks had set up shop in front of the courthouse, and the reporters were getting the local take from people in nearby coffee shops and parks.

Everyone in town had an opinion, and they were only too happy to share their thoughts in TV-ready soundbites: This town is full of kids with too much time and too much money; That’s what you get when you allow private development along the riverfront; The cure for affluenza isn’t fines, it’s prison; This is a really nice town—have you seen the farmers market?

When Hal Buckley arrived at the office, still in his polo shirt from his morning round, one of the reporters ran up to him with a microphone. “Were you just playing golf with the parents of the accused?” the reporter asked. “Do you live in a Finch Property house? Do you still believe that these are good kids? Do they deserve a second chance?”

By the end of the day, Chief Whitman had hauled Detective Murray into his office. “It’s a shitshow down at the courthouse. Reporters everywhere,” he said with contempt. “They want headlines? Let’s give them headlines—but on our terms. I want an arrest in the assault case, Murray, and soon. And talk to Jake Tillman. See if he can beef up any of those charges in the house party case, and make sure that the evidence is airtight. If you don’t have it already, find it. We need to look like we’re taking this seriously. There might be plenty of people in this town who were happy to have these cases neatly disposed of. But I’m sure as hell not having the newspapers say that the police department was one of them.

36

“You have to come out to lunch with us,” Aneeta said. “You’re famous now!”

Maja gave her a look. “More like infamous,” she said. “I can’t believe the newspaper printed my picture. Now everyone in town will know who to blame for their kids heading to the county jail instead of to college.”

“Do you really think they’ll do jail time?” Aneeta asked.

“I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t care,” Maja replied. “As far as I’m concerned, they can lock them up and throw away the key.”