Editorial for October 11, 2007 edition:


It’s a mad, mad world

Last Thursday’s cold-blooded executions of a pair of armored-car guards servicing an ATM at a Wachovia bank branch next to the Roosevelt Mall shocked not only the Rhawnhurst community but all of what used to be The City of Brotherly Love. And, thanks to surveillance tape of the slayings, the assassinations gripped the entire nation, albeit temporarily.
Unlike drug dealers, car thieves, robbers and other members of the Scum of the Earth Society who sometimes get what they deserve in the form of police bullets, the guards — retired Philly cops who worked for the Loomis security company — were just doing their jobs when they were killed for no reason whatsoever. If the man charged with their murders is convicted, he should be shot between the eyes, repeatedly.
Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the murders, everyday people need to get on the ball. Look around when you’re out and about. Report suspicious activity. Join Town Watch. That’s right, readers, join Town Watch groups. The eyes and ears of the police make a difference. The more the merrier. And Town Watch patrols should be expanded to include daylight hours.
No man is an island, and neither are any of the enclaves in The City of Neighborhoods. The "see no evil" way of life can cost precious, innocent lives.
And, because vicious criminals sometimes start their sins early in life, so many parents need to do something they haven’t done in a long time — be parents.
Watch what your kids are doing, know who their friends are, know who they’re hanging out with, know where they go at night. Guide them. Nurture them. And most important, discipline them.
When all is said and done, you might even prevent more innocent people from being slaughtered down the road. ••

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