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Meet Rob.
(Okay the picture is not really Rob. He is a little bit heavier.)
Rob is an artist from NYC. The girl half of Philly Confidential met Rob at a Passover Seder in her parents Downtown Brooklyn 'hood earlier this week. Rob told PC he was robbed, possibly at gunpoint, during a trip to Philadelphia a few years ago. Some guy walked up to him on Market Street, around the Gallery Mall, stuck his hand under his jacket and demanded money.
Alright, PC's chronicle of Rob's tale is far from compelling.
Still PC decided to share Rob's Seder story for a reason.
No matter where PC has been hanging lately, she always manages to meet a Philly crime victim, and the trend has started to eat away at her nerves.
PC can handle the anxieties of the police beat when her press pass is dangling around her neck, but when she is off the clock that last thing she wants to do is talk about crime.
So when the rabbi started to spew off his Passover lesson on Tuesday night, PC could only ponder how horrible Philadelphia's crime situation was, is, and will be for the foreseeable future.
Thanks Rob.
The rabbi's message was simple: All of us have the ability, however slight, to change the world. First you have to start with yourself; reinvent the way you think, act, empathize, etc. Once that is accomplished, move on to focus on your block, then neighborhood, and so and so forth.
Yea, the thesis of this post—Philadelphians need to change within before the city will ever clean itself up—may seem hopelessly cheesy. Still, just think about PC's point for a minute.
Homicide no. 106 this year was a West Philly man standing in his house getting dressed for work. He was doing nothing wrong other standing in the unexpected path of a flyaway bullet which slammed into his head.
Don't you get Philadelphia?
Anyone of us can join the '07 murder roster. Not all of this year's future homicide victims will be drug dealers, ex-cons, and police suspects. Some innocent folks will die too. The concept of justice has waived bye-bye to a majority of this city's 'hoods.
Still, don't think staying away from the poorer areas will keep you safe from our never-ending crime epidemic. PC has a hunch that we are not too far from the day when some punk decides to pull out his Glock on a crowded Center City street.
There is an old poem PC studied back in her Hebrew school days that she would like to share with you, Philadelphia. It is from the days of the Holocaust, written by a pastor who the Nazis had imprisoned.
Here it goes:
First They Came for the Jews
First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.
POEM BY Pastor Martin Niemöller
(note: The poster features the controversial version where "homosexuals" were mentioned. Some dispute which version is accurate.)
In this modern era, we no longer fear the wrath of a Nazi, but just the same, a runaway bullet has no sense of logic, or compassion. The only thing that matters to a bullet is the direction that the barrel is pointed when an explosion propels it to its new resting place. As you shower, shave and go about your daily routine, remember: You're in a city where every breath is a roll of the dice. One second, one centimeter, one unnecessary trip to the ATM could be all that stands between a casual night with the family and a closed casket funeral.
Until we all feel the same fear and desperation that fuels the violence that has taken over this city, needless death will continue unchecked.
Comments (7)
You know... that really sucks for the guy that died in his bedroom. Sure, things like that happen, but it's always a shame. Senseless, pathetic, and totally random.
So, haven't we discussed the causes, attitudes, and history of this problem? It seems like the people who care are the people who read these blogs and the news. We're the ones voicing our opinions and speaking out, but it really seems that no one listens, and no one cares. The suburbanites don't care.. they used to live in the city and moved because of these issues, and certainly the rural areas don't care because they'd never want to move to the city because of the violence. The only people that care are the thin line of professionals that remain in the city to eek out a living, and bleed our hearts dry with the utter human chaos that calls itself a community.
Posted by Gtown_teach | April 9, 2007 10:38 AM
Posted on April 9, 2007 10:38
Let's move to the suburbs. Jk.
Posted by Suz | April 9, 2007 6:16 PM
Posted on April 9, 2007 18:16
Charles Baldwin's murder is as telling as it is tragic. Go home and lock your doors after dark isn't the answer either.
There is only a small percentage of the population that is holding the rest of the city hostage. As long as they are not held accountable for their criminal behavior the blood will continue to flow.
Every day a thug spends behind bars is one less day he has a chance to take an innocent life.
Don't get me wrong, the social ills must be dealt with. Things like family, education and jobs. But ignoring the impact of the revolving door that our criminal justice system has become is a fatal error.
Posted by Joe Fox | April 9, 2007 7:36 PM
Posted on April 9, 2007 19:36
Unfortunately, none of this senseless violence will change until we deliberately and consciously cut of this cycle at the pass. Throwing desperate men in jail will only add his baby-mom and kids to the list of the desperate. What type of households do our infamous "baby-faced killers" typically come from?
The only solution is to remove the motivation to commit the crimes. The steep profits from drugs outweigh the risks. No question about it for 90% of kids from broken homes who didnt take our joke of a school system seriously. Our friend who died getting ready for work sure didn't benefit from his comparatively conservative lifestyle...Why make your life a steady grind when all it takes is a bullet to undo all those years of careful planning.
Take away the desperation, add some role models to the communities and you will see a new generation blossom.
Posted by ibbarderf | April 9, 2007 10:37 PM
Posted on April 9, 2007 22:37
"Yea, the thesis of this post—Philadelphians need to change within before the city will ever clean itself up—may seem hopelessly cheesy. Still, just think about PC's point for a minute."
There is nothing cheesy about thinking like that Simone.
Jesus taught that one must first clean the inside of the cup.
It is a fundemental part of the Sufi tradition that one starts down the path by first taming and then discarding our own internal dysfunction.
I am not sure of what the relevant Jewish teaching is, as I have not yet progressed that far.
Whatever the brand of religion, one must always start the journey focused inward.
Your Rabbi is a wise man, Simone.
Yes.......we all certainly do have the ability, however slight, to change the world.
There are many ways to accomplish that. The path you, as well as David, have chosen is a pretty good one.
You guys have the opportunity, and the platform, and the skillful voices to get the message out in a way that reaches out to people, breaks through the general apathy and the disinterest that is so much of a part of the "way things are".
That is all you can do, and then people have to open their ears (and minds), listen, and make the effort.
I encourage you both to keep on working this issue, to win some "hearts and minds", and to make that difference.
One thing though David...........always at least try to understand also that sometimes making that difference can also be accomplished, in a different but still necessary way, within the "Death Star".
Posted by Mike Bucceroni | April 10, 2007 5:53 PM
Posted on April 10, 2007 17:53
Philadelphia has sucked since time in memorial,I heard them on the news saying its cops fault.Would someone in the philly press tell these political idiots that cops arent drug dealers bodyguards and stop pandering to the poor communities and tell them its probably THEIR FAULT.
Posted by franki | April 19, 2007 12:53 AM
Posted on April 19, 2007 00:53
If you had any talent whatsoever,you wouldnt work in philthadelphia
Posted by nappy headed hoes | April 20, 2007 3:06 PM
Posted on April 20, 2007 15:06