Jersey Mike

A good friend of mine got shot in the head this past Saturday night.

The fact that I had to type those words into this post is simply too much for me to wrap my head around.

You see, I used to think that this crime problem we’re having in the city is all Mayor Reed’s fault.

But lately, I’ve been thinking it’s a bit different than that.

No, I’m not giving Reed a pass by ANY stretch- as I do believe that he could be doing more proactive public safety work rather than a limp reactive stance. But this problem is not limited to Harrisburg.

Crime is up across the board in a lot of cities. Especially depressed areas like ours.

The less that people have and the more the people are taxed, the more desperate acts will happen. In greater numbers, no less.

And we can have all the crime watch groups we want- but if national trends don’t change- we’re all pretty much fucked.

Sure, leave the lights on in the living room and front porch. Walk in groups. Don’t walk the streets at night. Lock your car doors. Be aware of your surroundings.

Almost sounds like we’re talking about a third world country, doesn’t it?

I’m not saying that we need to bury our heads in the sand. We DO expect to live in a safe community. We SHOULD be able to walk to the store past dark without fear of being mugged. And singer-songwriters who are walking to a relatively upscale bar which sits in the shadow of our state’s Capitol should not be getting shot in the head en route.

I don’t have the answers. But I’ve got plenty of questions.