Editor's Choice
In "On the Sidewalk Bleeding," why did the cop refer to "A Royal" before writing in his pad?
Quick answer:
The cop refers to "A Royal" because he only sees Andy's gang affiliation, not his humanity. This reflects a dehumanizing attitude, similar to that of the rival gang member who killed Andy. Both the Guardian who attacked him and the cop perceive Andy merely as a gang member, reducing his identity to his association with "The Royals," rather than recognizing him as an individual.
The cop doesn't know anything about Andy except his gang affiliation. He doesn't see a human being lying there in the alleyway, brutally stabbed to death; he only sees a dead gang member, one of many he's probably seen over the years. For the cop, Andy's being a Royal defines him, tells him all he needs to know about this latest victim of gang-related violence and all he cares to know.
The irony here is that the cop adopts the exact same attitude to Andy as the rival gang member who stabbed him. The Guardian who killed Andy saw the purple jacket emblazoned with "THE ROYALS" and that was all he needed to know. He couldn't have cared less about the real, live human being wearing it. For both the Guardian and the cop who finds Andy's body, Andy was just a Royal and nothing more.
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