I couldn’t help but think of that old Lincoln assassination joke when I read a paragraph in the write up about the shootings at the Black Expo in Indianapolis this weekend. Ten children were shot (fortunately with, apparently, minor wounds) on Saturday. (Also see Indiana Barrister).
The episode, marring what was described as an otherwise successful, 11-day Summer Celebration that drew hundreds of thousands to the city, prompted a host of questions[.]
I’m sorry. If 10 kids get shot, you can’t have an “otherwise” successful event; anymore than the performance at Ford’s Theater was otherwise successful the night Lincoln was shot.
The main incident apparently wounded 9 people; there was an unrelated incident, described as a “tussle” where a 15 year old who was in the group but not in the particular altercation got shot in the leg.
This is ridiculous. I don’t know what the problem is, specifically. I guess it’s not a black issue because most black people at the event were not involved in the violence. It’s not a gun ownership issue because most gun owners never shoot anyone illegally. But, that said, this sort of thing doesn’t seem to happen at, say, the gay pride events.
Officials said there was a simple formula for the violence: thousands of children unleashed without parental supervision and too many guns illegally owned and used.
One shooting victim was found with a .32-caliber handgun. Weapons confiscated separately from the shootings included a .22-caliber handgun, a 9 mm handgun and a loaded AK-47 assault rifle.
“I am mad as hell,” said Rev. Harrison.
“I am sick and tired of us making excuses for some of our young people. There was a lot of gang activity taking place. We need to deal with the real issues. Some of our kids are out of control.”
. . .
[V]iolence has found Summer Celebration’s final weekend before. In 2006, five people were wounded in two Downtown shootings. In 2007, two teenage girls were arrested after, police said, one fired a gun into the air.
One of the problems is simply adolescent males (of any race . . . or, looking at the animal kingdom, species, really). If we could somehow take weapons out of the hands of all males, ages 16 – 30, I imagine the damage done by assaults would drop precipitously. And if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.
I guess the take away from this incident is to supervise your kids, teach them guns aren’t toys, and keep them away from events with high concentrations of adolescent males.
As someone who attends Gay Pride every year, I agree that we aren’t out there shooting each other. However, we have been known to attack each other with glitter and our high heels! :)
The write up is similar to reporting on the the Lakers victory celebration in downtown L.A., where young men burned a taxicab, smashed store windows, etc. Reports noted that it’s an annual event, and this year’s destruction wasn’t as bad as a previous year’s; so, not so bad. The Indianapolis report showed how the Expo really was “otherwise successful,” as the shootings didn’t deter crowds from events afterwards. Some Chicagoans objected to a reported count of 50-60 shootings over a weekend period because the shootings were tallied for three days, while a weekend is only two days. See, a two-day total brings the number of shootings down in an “otherwise quite civilized” weekend.
Same old story: Black Expo has the juice, the profit-making potential, and looks good on the city’s resume, so it can schedule over-priced concerts aimed at teenagers for hot summer weekend nights–despite years of trouble–and when trouble does occur the mayor, the director of Public Safety, and the teleprompter readers are falling all over themselves to blame “a few bad apples” and call for “more parental supervision”. If an under-21 club in some strip mall had IBE’s track record it’d be subject to daily health, fire, and safety inspections until the owners gave up and shuttered the place. If there were nine IPS students sent to the hospital in a cafeteria hair-pulling incident the local news’d be screaming bloody murder. Narrowly avoid actual bloody murder, and suddenly they’re in favor of “moving forward” and “beginning the healing process.”
Our standards are entirely dependent on profit potential and who’s making it. And we wonder why we can’t solve any problems.