From: kckbxr@next05wor.wam.umd.edu (Robin Hood)
Subject: Re: Crime Here
Organization: Workstations at Maryland, University of Maryland, College Park
Distribution: dc
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 18:05:29 GMT

In article <1992Sep28.233742.9574@socrates.umd.edu> ice@socrates.umd.edu  
(Fredrik Nyman) writes:
> olds@helix.nih.gov (James L. Olds) writes:
> 
> >What about the aspect of randomness though. I grew up in LA, used
> >to live on Cap. Hill here. I've never had a problem w. common sense
> >avoidance of trouble.  It seems to me that in the last 5 years there  
has been a *qualitative*
> >change in DC whereby the violence has become so common and at the
> >same time so random, that it gives one the impression of no longer
> >having the slightest control over one's personal safety (I'm not 
> >particularly concerned with property here). Does this make any
> >sense to y'all? 
> Yes, it certainly does.  It seems that every year, there are more and
> more well-published cases of random, unprovoked violence.  There was
> the woman who was killed as she and her husband were driving along
> I295 because the perp "felt like shooting someone".  There was the
> woman who got killed in crossfire during a shootout in downtown DC.
> There was the guy who was shot by someone with a shotgun, the latter
> who afterwards told his friends "I didn't like his music anyway".  
> I suppose carjackings can be considered random too, since they occur
> all over the metropolitan area and all kinds of cars are stolen.
> 
> The more I think about the problems with the cities, the more
> depressed I get.  It seems that no-one is willing or able to *do*
> something about the problems.  Bush hasn't done much during his 12
> years in power and probably wouldn't do anything useful if he's given
> four more years in power.  Clinton *may* be able to work with the
> community leaders, but he may be unwilling to make tough decisions,
> such as imposing requirements on welfare recipients.  Should Perot
> win, I get the impression we'd soon see the army or national guard
> help the local police and various federal agencies impose city-wide
> curfews, cordon off the most crime-plagued parts of the cities and
> then search every single house for fugitives, drugs, cash and whatever
> else they please. :(
Time out.  If you really want to bring politics into this then you better  
sit down.  What do you think about the recent federal/state/local budget  
cuts?  Do you think cuts and reductions in social programs will, in fact,  
increase crime?  My guess is a definite YES.  What with more unemployment  
and less social programs it's a free ticket to go ahead and commit crimes  
to get what one wants.  The educational system never teaches values  
anymore.  Our present society is teaching kids one thing: greed.
Who are our leaders, heros, and idealists?  People who can't even balance  
their own checkbooks, not to mention our national/state/local budgets!   
Today's kids are growing up in an environment where greed and a lack of  
values are giving way to a rise in crime, lack of sensitivity, and concern  
over their own ways of life and environment.  If you think things are  
tough now with crime and all, just wait another 10 years or so and see  
what it'll be like.  It's time for people, young and old, to work together  
and determine their own values and disgust with crime to work to decrease  
the amount of crime.  Talk is cheap.  Actions speak louder than words.   
Get out and vote!!! 

Bill
  
Newsgroups: dc.general