NPR brings us the story of a Mexican town, fed up with random violence, that took matters into their own hands.This is bad news for gangers; inasmuch as they don't outnumber the populace. Also, a reminder that you don't need guns to kill people - of the 6 kidnappers, 3 were beaten, one to death, and 2 more were executed by heat prostration(!). (The article does not mention the fate of the last kidnapper.)
"Rodriguez says citizens in Ascension are forming a sort of neighborhood watch committee and are still deciding how the committee will operate. "If the authorities can't protect us," he says, "we must protect ourselves."
Bravo for them.
Damn.
ReplyDeletePeople always feel the need to preface responses to this kind of thing with "I can't condone mob justice", but seriously, it's just like a defensive shooting. It's ugly, it's awful, and all else being equal I'd rather let the cops and justice system take care of it. But if the authorities can't or won't fix the problem, I'll take self-help over the alternative.
The difference between mob justice and courtroom justice is the difference between a democracy and a republic.
ReplyDeleteThe only quibble I have with this was that the gangers were beaten or cooked to death, rather that cleanly shot. And, that, only because the town will have to live with what they did.
Kidnapping is a vile crime, just barely one notch lower than premeditated unjustified murder. You don't kidnap someone accidentally or in the heat of the moment, after all.
Like I said: ugly, awful, and sometimes necessary. The same could be said of revolutions and voting Republican.
ReplyDeleteYes to all three
ReplyDelete