I spent yesterday in Manhattan with a film crew attempting to narrate an upcoming documentary about the death of George Floyd. It was a true learning experience that convinced me that I have zero talent as a narrator.

The film makers have assembled a riveting compilation of videos from the body cameras worn by the police who arrested Floyd, the cell phones of the civilian witnesses and a surveillance camera on a nearby building. The footage is chaotic, compelling, and fast-moving. Breaking it down and providing a comprehensible analytical narrative was a real challenge.

The producer/director and the crew were very patient as I blew one take after another. By the end of a very long day, they professed to be satisfied with the end product. I, on the other hand, was left exhausted and frustrated. But, if they’re happy, I guess that’s a successful wrap on my brief career in film land.

We had lunch outdoors at an Italian restaurant on the Upper West Side. Thanks to Mayor DeBlasio, no indoor dining will be permitted until September 30.

The experience was disconcerting. Manhattan appears to be extremely underpopulated. Traffic, to put it mildly, was very, very light, and the city was strangely quiet.

One of the filmmakers has a house in the Hamptons and a condo/studio in Manhattan (where we worked on the documentary). He said that his neighbors in the Hamptons are staying out of the city because of COVID-19, the lack of police protection and DeBlasio’s decision to house derelicts and drug addicts in formerly upscale neighborhoods. The consensus at our lunch table was that DeBlasio is destroying New York and that many may never re-establish residence in the city.

The filming of my narration was halted while I taped a radio interview for the Dan Proft Show on AM 560 WIND in Chicago. The host was John Hinderaker from Powerline. The subject was the death of George Floyd.

I did the interview from inside the studio’s bathroom. That accounts for the hollow-sounding audio from my end. The interview was aired last night. You can hear it by clicking on this link.

This morning Powerline featured a post by John Hinderaker about the interview. You can access it by clicking on this link. As always, the comments by Powerline‘s readers are lively and interesting.

One Note: John’s post says that my former unit was part of the Philadelphia Police Department. It was, in fact, part of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office.