Another day in the neighborhood

Why I support the law and order District Attorney candidate

This past Sunday I went to a meet and greet with Judge Pat Dugan, who is running for District Attorney. Years ago, I supported our current DA, Larry Krasner. I even co-hosted a fundraiser for him. I knew Larry from his days as a defense attorney when he defended the protesters involved in protests at the Republican National Convention in 2000. I still appreciate the work Larry did on behalf of innocent people at that time.

I went to the meet and greet because I wanted to hear what Judge Dugan, former president of the Philadelphia Municipal Court, had to say. As anyone who has read this for long knows, I am very dissatisfied with the state of my city in terms of safety and order of any kind. The looting, vandalism, shoplifting, crimes on transit, screaming, trash, and let’s not forget running of stop signs make it irksome to frightening to live here.

Businesses have left the city because nothing happens to shoplifters. Fare evaders do not get prosecuted, causing SEPTA (our public transit system) to lose 20% of the revenue it is due while people who are obviously not sane are hanging out in stations and on trains, smoking weed and God knows what else and screaming or blasting their boom boxes. Young people are murdered and gun violence is a constant threat.

Tonight I was walking home from the drug store when a large white van slowed down and pulled up next to me. Not right at the curb, but in the street. A man leaned out and yelled, “Yo! Want to fight?”

“No, thank you,” I replied. I mean, what in the world?

As a woman living alone, I do not feel safe. Who the hell are these people who think it’s fine to harass women walking down our sidewalks? I’m sure someone would say it’s my fault for walking without a husband or boyfriend, but surely we are past that in this day and age. Besides, if I had a boyfriend he would probably live in the suburbs or somewhere nice like New Jersey.

For now, it’s just me, my cat and a ficus tree who is taller even than the kids I taught in high school today.

I worry about the kids even more than I worry about myself. They are so emotionally volatile, and they do not have much practice in diffusing situations before they escalate to violence. Boys fight all the time, sometimes play fighting, sometimes for real for real, as they say. They don’t understand why they shouldn’t do this in school, or really at all. It’s all just fun and games for them. But it won’t be when someone says the wrong thing to the wrong person or throws a punch at the wrong guy’s little brother.

Judge Dugan supports all kinds of diversionary programs for first time offenders, but wants to get violent offenders off the street. I support that too. I suspect that there are quite a few would-be Decarlos Browns in the transit system of Philly (that’s the guy who had committed multiple violent crimes but was let out onto the streets when he murdered a young woman from the Ukraine who came here seeking a better life and met a knife wielded by a crazy person who should have been in jail.) If low level crimes like shoplifting and fare evasion receive no consequences whatsoever, it is no surprise that people move on to committing more serious crimes. No one wins when violent crime becomes the norm.

It’s funny how people can become conditioned to remain silent in the face of declining social norms. I’m sure many of us are angry about the screaming in public, loud vulgar music being played everywhere, people urinating in public transit stations and against the random wall on city streets, and men yelling out of vans. But we maintain a carefully constructed silence. We know we would risk becoming the victims of violence if we said or did anything, and even to talk about it openly risks being labeled a racist.

I’ve seen young kids who have a lot going for them in sixth grade start to devolve in seventh, then by eighth they are joining gangs and dealing drugs for $100 a day. The sweet young man who knew about economics and had a dad who pushed him hard went downhill after the class gang member stole the little girl he liked. They both had October birthdays, the nice young man and the girl he liked. In October, they were both doing well. By spring break things had gone downhill and so had both of their prospects. This was years ago, and all I can do is pray for them.

But I can do more than pray for the rest. I can work to elect candidates who want to restore law, order and justice and aren’t afraid to prosecute violent crime. And I can refuse to buy into the ideology that has let all of this happen.

Childless cat ladies for law and order, unite. You have nothing to lose but your fear.

A large tree dressed for Halloween.