Monday, May 5, 2008

All hands on...something that sounds very similar

DC 'leadership,' and the police, may have their hands on something, but it ain't the deck. I'm pretty hardon DC (pun intended), but I don't think it's unwarranted.

DC's Mayor Adrian Fenty is probably the best leader that DC has had in a long time, but listening to him talk about how to reduce violent crime shows that he has little interest or understanding on the issue.

Enter the latest police state garbage that is going on, with "all hands on deck." Everyone was out on patrol, over 3,400 cops in all, including police chief Cathy Lanier.
"Everywhere I go, it's police officers on top of police officers on top of police officers," she said.
So, in the capitol of the greatest nation on earth, in the bastion of freedom, we have an entire police force occupying the city. Would Thomas Jefferson approve? Doubtful, but did the police state tactics stop crime?

Not exactly.
Police have been flooding trouble spots in the city this weekend through the Chief Cathy Lanier's "All Hands on Deck" program, but the downtown area where the stabbings happened is not prone to violent crime.
Criminals went elsewhere and committed violent crimes, like this shooting.

This is what happens when you don't allow the community to help keep crime low. Keeping the general population unarmed encourages them to be victimized, and then pour in the "there's nothing you can do, just call the authorities" rhetoric, and you have a city full of citizens who won't even help a man who is bleeding to death at a gas pump.

DC will never become safe until the citizens are trusted to help make it safe, and I'm not talking about calling in an anonymous tip, or vigilantism - that is what we pay cops to do - I'm talking about giving back to the citizen the ability to match a criminal's force. When the victims can no longer be victimized, you will have peace.

Update: There were two more shootings yesterday, maybe more as the article says "third SE DC shooting in a day." Metro police used the hightech shot spotter system to quickly locate the gunshots, and.....they got there too late. The man was hit multiple times and he died, and while police were responding to that call, they came across another gunshot victim.

Technology will not keep you safe, but an armed community of diligent people will.

Update: Here is the other shooting(s). This would be an all out firefight, with 75 rounds fired and one 23 year old girl dead. An eye witness doesn't want to be seen on camera.

Way to go Chief!! Making the streets safe and all, why don't you just have your assistant chief talk to these gangbangers, and, you know, reason with them. Or are you going to "get them?''

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