We're On The Same Page...

This oft used idiom is indicative of the fact that this summer may not be quite like past summers, and the reason being given is a disturbing upward trend in violent crime. Increased gang activities, coupled with these "cliques" (which in my opinion are nothing more than "proving grounds" for future initiates) add fuel to an already smoldering pile of urban embers. This summer looks to become a tipping point for society if things continue as they have.

Ken Gividen wrote a good piece on his blog the other day regarding Gary, Indiana (the former murder capital of the nation, trying hard as hell to regain the title), and Fort Wayne's most recent homicide (# 9 for those still keeping score in the pool at work) seem to bear this out.

Even Bill O'Reilly chimed in last evening with his discussion with former D.C. detective Rod Wheeler, who cited a weekend shooting "spree" in our nation's capital that claimed 7 people, gunned down with an AK-47. I detest using the word "spree"...I just can't get comfortable equating shopping with killing.

Now it's not that I couldn't see this coming. Those (unfortunately all too few) of you who regularly peruse these electronic pages can see that I've been not so much following these developments, but have been at the forefront of decrying such happenings. I mentioned the local PSA from the Urban League, asking WHY they didn't do something such as this over a DECADE ago. WANE just yesterday got around to having a spot about this, while for me, this has become "old news", albeit just as pertinent. I can see the evidence of the upsurge in violent crime. Hell, I live among those that are the "standard-bearers" for such criminal behavior. I have noticed this for YEARS...not just over the past few months. And every year, despite what the city "says" it's doing to assuage my concerns, it gets just a litle bit worse than the previous year.

I scan the local police blotter DAILY, follow "problem city" newspapers (and they KNOW who they are), and scan the blogosphere for others whose task has been to keep us all abreast of the crime scenes around our city, state and nation. And I have not been disappointed in my search for the real stories.

I won't belabor the whole "gun" issue (again) when it keeps boiling down to PEOPLE being the root cause. A gun, like an auto, or a knife, or even a baseball bat is but a mere TOOL in the commission of ANY crime, violent or not. Nuff said about that.

Getting PEOPLE active in a cause such as this seems much the pipe dream these days. When someone can shoot SEVEN people in the mid-afternoon broad daylight (in an open area), and have absolutely NO witnesses (who will come forward anyway) around...well, that tells me a LOT about the state of our society. We're too busy trying to get a video capture of this heinous act on our cellphone camera to upload onto "YouTube" later to get involved (or even call the damn police). But by the same token, we CAN seemingly condone (and even promote) children smacking the crap out of each other, or girl "catfights" staged for our entertainment online. And we won't even get into the way the mainstream media pushes aside any "black on white" hate crimes, while shoving the "white on ANYONE else" hate crimes into our face for DAYS, if not weeks. That's another post for another day.

When we watch a man beating an older man (caught on a surveillance camera's video), while others well within reach of the perp just mill about...that says just one word: APATHY.

As O'Reilly stated, we've become desensitized to violence for the most part, UNTIL it hits close to home. Then we're all over it, wanting justice to be doled out in no small portions. I have used the word APATHY numerous times to describe the masses today. In short, we've become a nation of "wusses", for lack of a more appropriate term.

That spark of what used to be right is sorely missing from too many of us today.
That needs to change...and pronto!

This isn't a video game folks...it's called LIFE. and as the saying goes:

LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT.

I prefer to say that: "Life is what you're ALLOWED to make OF it".

(but that's just my cynicism showing through...lol)

In any event, by the current state of affairs, it's not looking all that pretty.
Problem is...it will get worse before it gets better.

It always does.