Closed books, closed minds

[unixronin]

From rosencrantz23:

Unfortunately, to the kind of people who ban books, shutting out unapproved ideas sounds like a really good ... well, idea.

Comments

(Part 2 again)

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

I've been a crime victim -- my car's been stolen, my apartment burglared, my wallet lifted -- but never when I was there to prevent it even if I had been armed.

Good. That's the safe way for it to happen. Far better a simple property crime than an assault-and-robbery, a carjacking, a burglary that turns into a rape. If you're going to be a victim of a property crime, far better that it happen while you're not there to become a victim of assault — or worse — as well.

There have been a couple of times when I've felt like someone was "approaching with fairly evident nefarious intent". I've managed to avoid trouble without showing a weapon, by retreating to a well-lit place with other people, or by quickly locking my car door and driving off, or by just looking fiercely self-confident.

Absolutely nothing wrong with those (though the third is risky; glad it worked out for you). Avoiding trouble is better than repelling it. The absolute best way not to get hurt in a trouble situation is to never get into it in the first place.

Sometimes, though, trouble comes to you — or to a neighbor.

If I saw a neighbor being dragged across the lawn by her hair, I'd call 911 and start screaming at the "miscreant".

Sorry, but if what her attacker had done was drag her into the alley he was dragging her towards and stab her, slit her throat, or bash her head in with a hammer or a brick, it would probably have been little consolation to her next of kin that someone had dialed 911. The average time for police to respond to a 911 call is over twenty minutes. She could have been dead in two.

The police do not, and cannot, prevent crimes. They don't have the power, and it's not their job. The Supreme Court has ruled they cannot be held responsible for failing to do so. Trust me, you don't want there to be enough police with enough powers to prevent crimes. Their job is to investigate crimes, find and arrest the guilty, provide evidence for a court to convict the guilty, and see that the worst of the mess gets cleaned up when necessary.

They can't protect you. That's your responsibility. Even if you have a specific and tangible threat from someone, they really can't do much of anything until he actually commits a crime.

(Bet you dollars to doughnuts it was a domestic violence incident, wasn't it? A former partner, perhaps?)

Very former, with a restraining order that was the most the police could give her, and which didn't slow him down for a moment. jilara and her shotgun very likely saved her neighbor's life that night.

Re: (Part 2 again)

[beckyzoole.livejournal.com]

I've called the police a few times. They've always responded promptly, much sooner than 20 minutes.

But, sure, the police can't prevent crimes. When my sister-in-law was shot, she was confronted in the parking lot of her apartment complex by her ex-husband. The guy was angry because he'd heard that she was remarrying, and he "just wanted to talk". He showed his gun to persuade her to come talk with him. Pegi screamed for help, neighbors called 911, and a police officer arrived very quickly. (The ex was still trying to drag her into his car at gunpoint to "talk".) The police officer, drawing his own weapon, commanded the ex to drop his. Seeing the police officer's weapon didn't prevent the ex from shooting Pegi. He shot Pegi in the side at close range, and the police officer then emptied his magazine into the ex. The ex was killed, but he had managed to seriously hurt her anyway. (Fortunately no major organs were damaged. The bullet passed through her arm and both breasts. She lost a lot of blood, and ended up not being able to nurse my nephew when he was born.)

jilara's neighbor was very fortunate that her ex was slightly more sane, or perhaps it was that he was not carrying a firearm of his own.

Re: (Part 2 again)

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

I've called the police a few times. They've always responded promptly, much sooner than 20 minutes.

You're fortunate, then. You're ahead of the odds on that score at least.

(Counter-example: The one time I ever had to call the police, in Spokane Washington, it took two calls and 45 minutes for an officer to arrive. Spokane PD, among others, will no longer even investigate property crimes. They say it's because they're too overloaded. Ask most people in Spokane and they'll tell you it's because too many of them are posted on traffic enforcement.)

Re: (Part 2 again)

[beckyzoole.livejournal.com]

Spokane PD, among others, will no longer even investigate property crimes.

St Louis PD has been uneven on that score. When my car was stolen, they didn't bother to investigate at all. But when someone broke into our garage and stole $200 worth of power tools, two officers arrived about ten minutes after we called.

But when an inebriated neighbor punctuated a barbecue party this past summer by shooting into the air, three squad cars showed up literally moments later.

Re: (Part 2 again)

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Yup, "shots fired" is one of the things that usually brings an as-immediate-as-possible response. I was on ride-along once with SJPD when my ride partner got a call for backup ... we were about half way there when the unit already on scene called shots fired. She lit'em up and stepped on it.

Fortunately, that time it turned out to be a backfiring truck.