PhillyKev 0 #1 July 22, 2004 Saw an episode of COPS in Philly this morning. (I'm an insomniac and am usually up at 4am). There were 2 incidents. First was a girl in a pizza shop calling the cops because 2 guys who matched the description of those who robbed another pizza place at gunpoint were in her shop. She got the description of them from the neighborhood watch captain. The police found them a couple blocks away, had the pizza guy who was robbed come by and make a positive id. They go to jail Next a guy knocked a woman down and grabbed her purse. Her chubby, middle aged, female friend and a bystander chased after the guy and grabbed the purse back from him. They gave the police the description and the got the guy a few blocks away. Related to the above, last year some sicko was exposing himself to catholic school girls while they walked home from school. He had done it several times. The last time he did it, a dozen of these junior high girls chased him down and beat the crap out of him then held him for the police. I've been to cities all over the country in every part. Every city I've been to, from mid-west to south-west, to south to west, you couldn't avoid the signs of gangs. You see tags for the crips and bloods all over cities all over the country. In Philly there is no strong gang presence. Sure, there are small groups of criminals, but no large, national organized street gangs. The only reason I can think this is true is because if one ever started to form, the people in the neighborhood would make sure they regretted it. I know this is true because when I was in high school, a friend of mine got jumped by a small gang in a suburban town and beaten pretty badly. A couple weeks later we all (almost 100 of us) met up in his brothers apartment. We jumped in the backs of a dozen pick ups and drive to where they hang out. We walked down parallel streets on either side of the alley where they hang out. The old people who lived in that neighborhood with graffiti covered houses who were being terrorized by these punks were out on their porches. When they saw us they stood and applauded. By the time we got to the alley, though, police cars came swarming in and we ran off. A couple people got arrested, one being the brother of the guy who got beat up who organized this little party. The police released him that day and told him next time to give them warning and they'll make sure they are on the other side of town. They did so (I didn't go that time) and that forming gang stopped forming and was never heard of again. Bottom line. Take back the streets. The police are there to arrest criminals after the crime has been commited. It's up to us to stop them from happening in the first place. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #2 July 22, 2004 So a liberal is advocating vigilantism? I don't want to be a vigilanty, all i want to do is protect myself and my fiance, so that's what I've trained and prepared myself to do.--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peregrinerose 0 #3 July 22, 2004 I don't know where in Phila you live, but woulda been nice having you and your friends around where I lived up there (1 block from Fern Rock train station, N. Philly). Big mess of crime, of course the local drug gang was run by the guy living above me in my duplex. Thank goodness I was on good terms with him, or I probably would have had a lot more trouble than I did, being alone and young and female there. I hated philly. Jen Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhillyKev 0 #4 July 22, 2004 I live in Center City. Hell, I'm not talking about Olney. That's nuts living around there. I'm referring generally to the non-open-air-drug-market neighborhoods. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peregrinerose 0 #5 July 22, 2004 QuoteI live in Center City. Hell, I'm not talking about Olney. That's nuts living around there. I'm referring generally to the non-open-air-drug-market neighborhoods. No Shit it's nuts But I was a starving grad student that couldn't afford much more than the $200/month I was paying to live there. Guess that wouldn't have mattered if I was dead though.... I went to PA College of Optometry, so could walk to school. Jen Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
