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[relaxing]

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/15056483.htm
3 shootings in 21 minutes leave 3 dead this morningThen at 2:43, a cab driver was fatally shot in the head while filling his vehicle at a Hess gas station in the 4700 block of Chestnut Street in West Philadelphia

Comments

[gap27]

47th & Chestnut is fairly ghetto, so walking around there would be pretty silly regardless.

Crime is a problem, for sure. But moving to Jersey won't do anything to solve the problem. The majority of shootings are not random, so the likelihood that you and I would be a victim of something like this is extremely unlikely. Thugs generally shoot other thugs.

Sorry, I'm not trying to be rude. It just gets under my skin when people write about crime in the city and then run away without actually offering any solution. :(

[relaxing]

I understand what you mean, and I sympathize. A couple points:

- The "thugs shoot at other thugs" thinking is naive. In this case, thugs shot and robbed someone, and that could easily have been me. Thugs also shoot at other thugs and miss, making the front page of the Daily News when they hit small children.

- It's not my job to find a solution. It's the city government's job, and the city doesn't care, because the current city government will always be in power, because nothing will change the way the Philadelphia political system works.

There's one solution I can effect, and that's moving away from the crime.

I did suggest to Laura that her thesis should be a solution to the Urban Crisis, but she didn't take me up on that :(

[slinx]

HAHA! when i lived at 45th and chestnut, that's where i bought my smokes.

oh what a difference moving 4 blocks can make.

[shoukinkasegi]

(averaging one person shot dead each day so far this year)
Christ. Is anybody doing anything about this?

[relaxing]

The consensus seems to be: not really, no. And the citizens seem to be largely callous to it all. It's really frustrating.

[shoukinkasegi]

Good that you moved on/out then. You're no Superman. It's in the guvmint's hands. That's what they're there for.

[gap27]

John Street is a largely useless Mayor, as is the current Police Commissioner in Philadelphia. They acknowledge the problem but have yet to enact any real solution besides simple band-aid fixes.

Many Philadelphians may be callous, but I think enough of us are angry to vote for someone slightly more competent than Mayor Street.

[relaxing]

I was wanting to ask you that (about Israel, not Philly) -- how ARE things with you?

[pingpongphil]

That's 3 blocks from where I used to live... maybe I should move to Center City. Thanks for linking to that map, btw.