Virginia Currents; No. 508; Public Drunks

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Series
Virginia Currents
Episode Number
No. 508
Episode
Public Drunks
Producing Organization
WCVE-TV (Television station : Richmond, Va.)
Central Virginia Public Television
Contributing Organization
The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia (Athens, Georgia)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip-526-n58cf9kd43
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Description
Episode Description
"'Public Drunks' follows a city police officer through the streets of Roanoke, VA. Everywhere, he finds men and women drunk and homeless. The streets of Roanoke are filled with them. "Few people realize how desperate the problem is in Roanoke, for it is a relatively small city isolated in the western part of Virginia. "The enclosed entry reveals the desperation. It illustrates real life by capturing natural moments. There is limited reporter intrusion; the events are not staged. The conversations are candid, the people human. "'Public Drunks' merits Peabody consideration, because it helps raise public awareness. The system of arresting and jailing 'public drunks' seems obviously flawed. But as the program makes painfully clear, there is no easy answer, no one solution. "The results of this public service program are equally vague. Roanoke Police are now assessing their policy, determining whether arresting 'public Drunks' is the best course of action. But the department admits it is, for now, the easiest, least costly solution. Likewise, there was no great public outcry following the program. Sadly, this is perhaps because the public has become blind to the problem - their compassion may tend to decrease as the numbers of 'public drunks' increase. The program does give a face to the public drunk; it does point out the failings of the system. But it also recognizes the problem will not soon go away; the cycle seems endless."--1995 Peabody Awards entry form.
Broadcast Date
1995-11-17
Asset type
Episode
Media type
Moving Image
Duration
00:27:50.369
Credits
Producing Organization: WCVE-TV (Television station : Richmond, Va.)
Producing Organization: Central Virginia Public Television
AAPB Contributor Holdings
The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia
Identifier: cpb-aacip-4f3197210e4 (Filename)
Format: U-matic
Duration: 0:26:10
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Citations
Chicago: “Virginia Currents; No. 508; Public Drunks,” 1995-11-17, The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed May 21, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-526-n58cf9kd43.
MLA: “Virginia Currents; No. 508; Public Drunks.” 1995-11-17. The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. May 21, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-526-n58cf9kd43>.
APA: Virginia Currents; No. 508; Public Drunks. Boston, MA: The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-526-n58cf9kd43