Endangering America: The Violent Crime Rampage
Whether it’s a lingering, residual off-shoot of the out-of-control violent riots of Summer 2020, where, you’ll recall, supposedly in-control Democrat leaders allowed the violence to happen; or whether it was the forced and prolonged stay-at-home isolation, masking, and vaccination orders, federal/state/local, brought on by the covid epidemic; or the seeming 24/7 cell phone addiction and its over-dependence on questionable social media sites, especially among young people; or perhaps the overall despair in the nation, due to purported “systemic racism” to be supposedly solved by oppression-reversing CRT training, seemingly having now infiltrated almost every school, industry, business, and government agency across the nation; or whether the cause is the result of inept, ridiculously permissive, Progressive-dominated federal (and city) leadership; and/or perhaps it’s caused by some other anti-social, abuse-encouraging, cult-like influence, yet to be detected. Whatever the reason, or reasons, America’s city streets are, in too many locations, out-of-effective control, and thus experiencing an explosion of violent crime.
Just a few examples of violent civilian actions during this current week alone. Yesterday, in Raleigh, North Carolina, a 15-year-old juvenile was apprehended after, first, killing his own 16-year-old brother in their home, then randomly shooting up a neighborhood, leaving five people dead (including three middle-aged neighbor women, and an off-duty Raleigh police officer), plus two others wounded (one critically). The shooter reportedly is in the hospital in critical condition. Unknown yet whether his wounds were self-inflicted or the result of police fire. Motive for the rampage: Unknown.
Wednesday, two Bristol, Connecticut police officers, responding to a domestic violence call, were shot dead. A third officer was wounded and, following surgery, is expected to recover. The real tragedy, as if that news isn’t bad enough, is that the call was fake! It is believed that the officers were purposely lured into an ambush and then intentionally murdered. One of the two adult shooters, both brothers, was killed at the scene, the other, wounded and hospitalized. Motive unknown, but perhaps hatred for police.
Also, this past Wednesday, in Philadelphia, while attempting to serve a warrant for “homicide and other violent offenses,” three SWAT team members were shot. The 19-year-old assailant was fatally wounded by other SWAT members, while attempting to flee from the rear of his house. The three wounded officers, though hospitalized, are all expected to survive. Motive: To avoid arrest, it would appear.
Then, back in early October, at a hotel in Poughkeepsie, New York, an adult ex-con opened fire in the lobby, randomly killing a 53-year-old man who just happened to be standing there at the time. Even more sadly, that gentleman, the father of a student at Marist College, was in town for “Family Weekend” visiting his son. The shooter and an accomplice, both ex-cons, were arrested, have now pled not guilty, and are being held (thank you) without bail. Motive: Unknown.
And, of course, as bad as those three previously detailed violent incidents were, all taking place during this past week, they were among the few that made it into national on-line coverage. Certainly, and unfortunately, there were other violent assaults and murders receiving only local coverage, if at all.
Overall, one example from the many metropolitan areas still feeling the effects of the Summer of 2020 organizational and mob-let uprisings, is Portland, Oregon, where its increase in violent crime, from 2020 to 2021, “outpaced the rest of the United States, according to the latest FBI data,” when violent crime there went up more than 38%. Interestingly, and thankfully, however, “Portland’s homicide rates remained far below their peak in the late 1980’s.” And the problem of violence is by no means limited to just major cities. Tourist mecca, Ashville, North Carolina, a city of 90,000 residents, has suffered a 34% year-to-date increase in violent crime (2022 vs. 2021). Much of that upward trending “can be attributed to aggravated assaults.” It should be noted that both Portland and Ashville are led by Democrat mayors. Ashville “has been hemorrhaging both city and county police officers in recent years.” One can assume that particular issue traces back to the Summer of 2020 when police were routinely disparaged around the country, particularly, it seemed, within Democrat-led jurisdictions.
In spite of the incredibly negative and increasingly dangerous environment within which police officers must work, two examples of law enforcement efforts have been reported nationally, and, as such, with carefully planned, substantial potential tragedies very likely avoided. In Hillsboro, Ohio, a 22-year-old male ‘incel’ (‘involuntary celibate’) pleaded guilty to planning to kill as many as 3,000 university women!! He had written in his ‘manifesto’ that he would “slaughter women out of hatred, jealously, and revenge,” calling their intended deaths “the great equalizer.” The man was arrested by federal agents in July 2021. He now awaits sentencing. Great investigative work and timely action prevented probable mayhem on an unnamed Ohio campus.
And then, just this past Thursday, a 25-year-old Catholic elementary school teacher, was arrested by East Chicago police after she told a young student that she, the student, was on her ’kill list,’ which was said to include both that particular student, other students, and staff members on her ‘list.’ The plan included the teacher killing herself, as well. After a conference with the principal, the teacher was actually simply told to leave the school (!) and not to return. Someone, perhaps the principal, or the child’s parents later that day, did call police. Officers responded rapidly, then found and arrested that teacher. According to available reports, no charges have yet been filed, as the local police investigation continues. That situation, too, could well have resulted in multiple murders, without rapid and effective law enforcement involvement.
The principal solutions to America’s out-of-control violent crime problem would seem to include: Serious, non-Progressive-influenced, impartial rule-of-law prosecutors; elimination of the negative and dangerous societal impact of “no cash bail”; and effective political, financial, and public support for substantially increasing law enforcement officers, particularly at the local level, with comprehensive public awareness that the days of looking the other way at crime and criminals are over, starting now.
So, then, looking at that critically important last solution: A fully supported, in all ways, adequate number of police officers. The principal reasons given for the early retirement and/or just plain leaving the force, among law enforcement officers, in some locations around the nation, are most often: (1) Local political and organizationally-voiced hatred for the police, and (2) The ‘defunding of police’ movement, again traced back to the purposely, in some cases, unstopped violence during the 2020 Summer riots.
Going back to last week’s Connecticut police officer murders, the National Fraternal Order of Police issued a statement saying: “Since Monday, at least 12 police officers have been shot. The spewing of anti-police rhetoric by some political and media figures, as well as the failed policies of rogue prosecutors and judges, are placing our offices in greater danger. This culture of lawlessness must stop!” Fresh from this tragic incident, retired Connecticut Police Sergeant John Krupinsky spoke about the causes with “Fox & Friends” yesterday. Said Sergeant Krupinsky, in part: “This is the state of America at this point.” That is a crushing statement, and dire implication, for those who truly care about both public safety and our America. Referring to state legislation, he continued: “These politicians have stripped us of the most important tool that a police officer has, and it’s not on his (or her) belt. It’s respect. When respect is taken away, the public, they do whatever they want to do. And now we’re seeing the result of this.”
Echoing those thoughts, Joe Imperatice, Blue Lives Matter (NYC) founder, said: “This ‘Defund the Police’ movement is the worst thing ever created.” He went on to suggest (paraphrasing) that the solution to all of this is “to elect leaders who support law enforcement, rather than implementing soft-on-crime policies and pushing for bail reform.”
No question, we currently have, and have had for way too many months, an out-of-control violent (and other) crime problem in our nation, and an out-of-control attitude about it, and, worse yet, solving it, on the part of politicians on all levels. We need new leadership to bring this violent crime rampage and travesty under control. Along with more effective law enforcement, made more feasible with increased numbers of fully-supported investigative and patrol officers, targeting those committing crimes. Followed, then, by effective prosecution, courts, and appropriate punishment for the guilty, a solution that can only happen with full and continuous commitment from crime-fighter supporting political leaders.
On this issue alone, America desperately needs, make that, requires, new political leadership, at all levels. Leadership with actual, permanent, non-swayable back-bones, fully-committed to do whatever it takes to ensure the return and permanent stabilization of comprehensive public safety. As was said above, referring to the Connecticut police officer tragedy, but applicable generally, this crime-ridden “state of America” must end. The “culture of lawlessness must stop!”
(North Carolina murders via foxnews.com, Sarah Rumpf & Brie Stimson, 10-13-22; Connecticut officers slain via dailywire.com, Greg Wilson, 10-13-22; Philadelphia SWAT team via breitbart.com, Awr Hawkins, 10-12-22; Marist College Dad shot via foxnews.com, Stephanie Pagones, Michael Ruiz, & Henry Naccari, 10-14-22; Ashville, NC crime status via foxnews.com, Jon Brown, 9-22-22; National Fraternal Order of Police statement via newsmax.com, Theodore Bunker, 10-13-22; Additional thoughts on the Connecticut tragedy via foxnews.com, Amy Nelson, 10-14-22; Ohio ‘incel’ mass slaughter plotter via foxnews.com, Audrey Conklin, 10-12-22; East Chicago teacher’s ‘kill list’ via foxnews.com, Andrea Vacchiano, 10-14-22).