2 Shot Hours After Anti-Violence Rally

[onehandle]

CHESTER, Pa. - A man was shot to death and another man was injured in a violence-plagued southeastern Pennsylvania city just two hours after officials held the last of 10 anti-violence rallies.

The double shooting Thursday night in Chester happened six blocks away from Mayor Wendell N. Butler Jr.'s final Anti-Violence Night Out.

Butler spent the summer traveling to 10 areas the city deemed hotspots for crime, pleading with residents to come forward with information that could help police solve the homicides that have jolted the city.

The mayor declared a state of emergency on June 19 and imposed a 9 p.m. curfew in problem areas after a rash of shootings left four people dead in eight days.

http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/local_news/Slaying_After_Chester_Anti-Violence_Rally_082010

[blue sky at night]

1. the only way we are different from the Wild West....

is we are better armed now. Better get used to this, it will only get worse...oh,ya and more people will be dying on the highways now too because driving the car is about third down the list now for many people behind the wheel.

[X_Digger]

2. The 'wild west' is a hollywood myth.

The crime rate now in big cities is higher than it was in 'the wild west'. Not to mention that at the time, the crime rate was higher in big cities on the east coast than it was in the west.

Additionally, crime is at a 25 year low now.

[SteveM]

19. Gun-controllers eschew history -- in favor of pulp fiction and Hollywood oaters. nt

[PavePusher]

3. Don't deal with fact much, do you? n/t

[friendly_iconoclast]

5. To be fair, there seems to be a lot of violence at these "anti-violence" events.

A couple of people got stabbed at the latest one in Fall River

[DonP]

6. Don't forget Chicago - where the Police superintendent ran away when he heard gunfire

The police will protect you - but not this "cop".

Jody Weiss, our heroic police super, was holding a press conference in Englewood, with the usual "take back the streets" coalition including Father Flaky Pfleger, talking about steps they were taking to reduce street violence, when shots rang out from several blocks away.

The police super quickly jumped into his chauffeur driven car and drove away from the sound of gunfire.

Thank heavens guns are still banned here, or you can just imagine the carnage that would occur on the streets <sarcasm tag, not required>.

[friendly_iconoclast]

7. For once, I agree with the OP- anti-violence events are a menace and need to be banned

Evidence? Of course:

http://www.app.com/article/20100804/NEWS03/100804045/NJ-man-gunned-down-at-anti-violence-event

NJ man gunned down at anti-violence event


http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100804/NEWS/8040321

Stabbing mars anti-crime event in New Bedford

NEW BEDFORD — A Tuesday night stabbing that hospitalized one city teen marred the city's National Night Out Against Crime, a block party promoting community activism in an attempt to prevent crime

[Caliman73]

10. I know you are saying that tongue in cheek, but..

Violence is a human condition affected by many factors including poverty, lack of opportunity, lack of connectedness to others both socially through community, and emotionally as in empathy, lack of structure and discipline as children and adolescents, the glorification of violence culturally, and many others. Instead of holding rallies full of rhetoric we need to do an honest assessment of what core problems are in our society and work on them.

[friendly_iconoclast]

4. "Better get used to, this it will only get worse" What makes you say that?

How and why will the violent crime rate go up?

I'll be reading the Oxford English Dictionary cover to cover while you prepare your answer...

[Bold Lib]

8. Not really sure what the point of this post is or how it fits into the Guns forum.

Could you please explain how this relates to firearms rights issues. Thank you.

[Caliman73]

11. The OP as per usual wants to draw a causal relationship from guns to violence using anecdote

It is a well known tactic from both sides of the debate, but the OP seems especially committed to proving that guns cause violence without using any kind of logical framework. :hi:

[Remmah2]

9. See

Told ya gun buy back programs would solve social decay problems.

[proteus_lives]

12. Ban rallies. It's the only way we'll be safe.

[Euromutt]

13. Well, that tells you how effective those rallies are

To echo Calliman73's sentiments in post #10, no amount of platitudinous rhetoric is going to have the actual effect of trying to identify why the violence exists and addressing that.

[east texas lib]

14. Well, if Faux news says so...

;)

[oneshooter]

16. I thought He didn't trust Fox News!! n/t

[east texas lib]

17. I believe the sky has fallen...

Oh the horror.:D

[shadowrider]

22. He doesn't. This isn't Fox News, it's a Fox Network affiliate

That's his story and he's sticking to it.

[jazzhound]

23. And of course the irony of the Faux News aspect here is

that our OP has mimicked the "reporting" style of Faux with his theory that a lie repeated over and over again will morph into the truth in the minds of the information-challenged and factose-intolerants.

[spin]

15. Chester Pa is in a state of emergency ...

Chester under State of Emergency due to shootings

Chester, Pa. - June 19, 2010 (WPVI) -- In response to the ongoing deadly violence, the city of Chester is declaring a State of Emergency.

At a press conference Saturday afternoon, Mayor Wendell Butler declared he had enough and it is time to take action.

"We need law enforcement to step up, to vigorously go after any violator; our number one priority is to get guns off the street then drugs and try to make our neighborhoods as safe as we possibly can," Butler said.

The State of Emergency took effect 9:00 p.m. Saturday.

From 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. each day in the five areas of the city, no person without a legitimate reason is allowed in any public street or place, no assembling of three or more people is allowed without a permit, and all vacation and personal days by members of the Chester Police Department have been cancelled immediately.

The Chester Police Department will be assisted by State Police, the District Attorney's Office, and the Delaware County Sherriff. emphasis added

Patrol units will be covering the five sections of the city.
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=7507954

Obviously there is a large crime problem in the city. Guns and criminals are a bad mix.

The easy solution for most politicians is to blame firearms and attempt to ban them or to make it difficult for the honest person to obtain one. Such "feel good" laws often impress voters and the fact that the politician is "fighting crime" gets him reelected. He can blame the big bad NRA for his failure to control crime in his city.

The more expensive and effective way of combating crime is through better policing. It looks like this is the current approach that Chester plans to implement.

Note that while I favor RKBA and believe that honest citizens with training should be allowed to carry firearms in public, I also realize that armed citizens have little effect on crime that involves gangs fighting over turf and respect.

[krispos42]

18. Obviously they need another rally n/t

[SteveM]

20. Does this post have any relationship to cats in crypts? nt

[PavePusher]

21. Indubitably. n/t

[SteveM]

24. Peace rallies and the HyperPunk...

There is some data to suggest that among a minority of home-invaders are individuals who relish direct confrontation and the prospect of bloodshed; I term these individuals HyperPunks. Just speculation, but in areas like the one cited in Chester, PA, the thugs and gangs could feel confident enough to challenge authority publicly, or at least carry on business-as-usual. This condition, combined with a "peace rally," might really stoke the fires of the HyperPunk who sees a whole raft of unarmed and contemptible "suckas" from whom he can extract more juice.

I am in favor of peace rallies. I am in favor of being well armed. The two are not mutually exclusive.