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Old 03-27-2009, 10:39 AM
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dfletcher dfletcher is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Untamed1972 View Post
WE SHOULD ALL BE MAD!!!! Why? We as law-abiding citizens should be angry beyond belief that our city/county/state/country has been allowed to deteriorate to this point. But I had to honestly ask myself a question last night: "Who is to blame for allowing this deterioration?"

I think we as law-abiding citizens share some of the blame. We have turned our eyes away, hidden in our houses, and allowed criminal elements to infiltrate every aspect of life in our country, and then hoped "someone else", "them", "the government" would do something about it. Why are these criminals able to move about and engage in their criminal activities nearly unopposed? How are they able to take control of whole neighborhoods? BECAUSE WE LET THEM!!! We let them out of fear, fear of endangering ourselves, fear or reprisal/retaliation, and just plain unsubstantiated fear. And believe me....I'm not excluding myself from that group who has allowed myself to be controlled by fear.

If you think about it....what really is the only thing a criminal fears? Other criminals! Why? Because they know that other criminals are the only ones who will stand up to them and fight whether offensively or defensively without regard for the law. Right now the only "natural predator" for a criminal is other criminals.

The COPs can't do it on their own. I know they don't like to admit it, but it's not said to deminish theirs skills and efforts. It is simply an acknowledgement of the impossibility of the task we have placed upon them and they have taken on themselves. I applaud them for the efforts but I cannot bear to see another report of a LEO or anyone else being wiped from this earth by a dirtbag that has no regard for anyone but himself!

So again I ask "WHAT ARE WE, MY GOOD MEN & WOMEN, GOING TO DO?"
I did a little condensing on your thread, just a little space saving.

Who's to blame? Directly - the folks who run Oakland. Indirectly - the folks who voted for the folks who run Oakland.

When the people who run Oakland are more concerned with controlling the police than allowing them to do their job, or pay great heed to community activists who prefer to rein in the police, they foster an environment which weakens the police and embolden the criminals.

Make no mistake - most of the people who live in Oakland are decent and hardworking. The police make mistakes and must be accountable. But there is a difference between accountability and handicapping them. I think the police CAN do the job if they are allowed.

I believe there were +160 murders in Oakland last year, about 90% involved a parolee as a victim or offender. In Alameda Cty last year there were fewer than 5 Officer involved shootings - where is the community outrage at the friends, brothers, uncles & dads killing & being killed by one another? Where are the community meetings addressing these folks killing one another? Where's the effort to address this by the elected officials?

It's much easier to critique the police as an entity than the challenge of looking inward, at one's own community.

Let the police enforce the law. Watch over them, but show more concern about catching and punishing offenders.

And so far as criminal fearing only other criminals - why is that? Will the other criminal call the cops, call a local news station & rat them out? Nope, of corse not - there's a good chance they'll shoot them and that's why one criminal fears another. So loosen up on the CCW laws (again, elected officials and the people who elect them) and maybe the average person will become involved.

Last edited by dfletcher; 03-27-2009 at 10:43 AM..
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