[Peace-discuss] for more clarity on this issue

[LAURIE]

I agree that the murders associated with street gangs are different from
crimes of passion and come closer to what Daley alludes to with his
reference to justice in the days of the "Wild. Wild West."  However, I think
that one needs to realize that "drive-by shootings" are not as preventable
as they appear to be by such measures as increased police presence (although
very strongly enforced and strict national gun control laws would go a long
way toward reducing such crimes) for several reasons.  First they, unlike
organized crime murders, are not proposed and planned far in advance and
carried out by known professional "hit men;" second, they are frequently
spontaneous actions whose monitoring and intervention would take a law
enforcement presence at a community level larger than most "police states"
have for a whole country to even serve as obstacle - much less a deterrent
or preventative.  Thirdly, many of the murders that are defined as "street
crimes" by gangs are in fact crimes of passion by members of a street gang
who are acting as individuals and not as enforcers carrying out a gang
sanctioned action.

 

Today, we live in a culture that smacks of the Wild West in that it
glorifies violence to the point that death is not a meaningful event and
life is not a valued value.  Our youngsters think it is ok to settle even
the mildest argument with a gun as opposed to even a fist fight; and many of
our adults are not much better.  The increase in "road rage" where an adult
settles a traffic dispute or affront by using their vehicle as a weapon,
resulting in the killing of the other party is an example of murder by
passion which is labeled as a traffic accident, manslaughter, or something
else but not as a homicide or a street crime.  Under today's culture, I
think that the notion of "crimes of passion" needs to be broadened to
include  not just those committed without any rational thought on impulse as
it were to those committed with premeditation using patterns of thought
which employ forms of logic which deviate from what we term rational or
reasonable logic.  For instance, the gang member who gets in an argument
with another member of their gang and leaves to go home to get a gun so as
to come back to kill the other gang member because that gang member injured
the pride or reputation of the gang member who went to get his gun.  In the
eyes of that gang member, he is defending his reputation and good name,
which to him is the only possession he really owns (much like a traditional
white working and middle class person's view of personal private property
like their house); and any means is justified to achieve the ends where life
and death are no big thing but reputation is everything.

 

From: peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net
[mailto:peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net] On Behalf Of Barbara
kessel
Sent: Monday, July 07, 2008 1:57 PM
To: Peace-discuss; CUCPJ
Subject: [Peace-discuss] for more clarity on this issue

 

Mayor Daley calls Supreme Court gun Ban Reversal a 'very frightening
decision'

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-supreme-court-gun-ban,0,3522044
.story

This issue relates to the issue raised about police sitting on their hands
while murder (read "street crime" ) goes up. This kind of murder is more
preventable than "crimes of passion," and gun laws are one piece of the
puzzle. Police policy is another piece. 
B Kessel 

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