So, what do you think?

By ken

August 28, 2008 11:54 AM | Link to this

crime; rocky mount; shootings; killings; how about ‘property crimes’??

get tough on crime. all of it. maybe even ‘get tougher’ on crime. and while at it, get tougher on shoplifting rings operating in this area.

answers can come from the communities, but they need the strong arm of the law to enforce and protect.

By Mike

August 28, 2008 4:26 PM | Link to this

Crime is OUT OF CONTROL in Rocky Mount, especially violent crime. I have been here for 26 years and am just waiting for the opportunity to leave, which is sad. Nobody seems to care and those that feign interest are at a loss to do anything about it.

By JimS

August 28, 2008 6:15 PM | Link to this

Dodge City here we are. Are we going back to the days of John Wayne and the cowboys where we all have to strap a gun on our sides to protect ourself.

Damn! this is just out of control. Why don’t the officials of this city get their heads out of downtown and get their minds on crime. Its time to do something. City council cant make up their minds on a curfew. They don’t want to offend anybody.

Citizens of Rocky Mount Call you city council person no matter who it is and tell them to do something and do it now! We can no longer sit by why crimes keep happening. I am tired of the police saying it is up to the citizens to help solve crimes…then what do we pay Manley for?

It has been said on this blog before but we can’t expect our citizens to act any different that our public officials…This city needs to clean up its public officials and that includes those hired by public officials…council people & police chiefs.

By Chris Davis

August 29, 2008 9:48 AM | Link to this

Well, I think people need to arm themselves. The first line of defense for you, your family and property is YOU.

Get trained with firearms and talk to local gun dealers about what best fits you. Train at one of the shooting ranges and work toward preparing yourselves to mentally deal with situations. Use your Second Amendment people!

You cannot always rely on the police department to save everyone. They just physically can’t get there all the time.

To those out there that think that folks arming to protect themselves would result in some Wild West scenario, you need to look at the successes of Kennesaw, GA when the City Council instituted a local ordinance. Every head of household, with certain exemptions, was required to own and maintain (that means “train” with it, too) a firearm.

The town started growing and booming like we’d like to see Rocky Mount do. The article below does tend to approach a citizen with less than admirable traits in order to give bias, but the overall image of the town is positive.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mim1282/isn15v46/ai15729634

So Rocky Mount, you want to get “tough” on crime? It’s going to have to start with you.

By Laura

August 29, 2008 11:02 AM | Link to this

You know Rocky Mount has been bad for a long time. The RMPD just wanted to keep things quite but now things have gotten way out of hand..Things should have been done about these gangs years ago before while it could be managed…

By Curmilus Dancy II

August 29, 2008 5:58 PM | Link to this

What can the police say if the people in the community are not saying anything? The police were not present during the time of the killing so the only thing they can talk about is what has been told to them.

They�re scared to let their kids play outside � scared to go out themselves � scared even to let their kids go to school.

I understand the people are afraid out there however these folks should have reported things earlier on before it has gotten to this point like over the years.

Jeff you say the shooting, they say, was execution-style, gang-related. They worry that the people who killed Hanson will do anything to stop other people from talking to police about the case.

So what can the police do about that? I don’t have the answer and have no clue of what the answer could be.

Jeff you say the police stopped a neighorhood kid last week to question him about the shooting. The kid didn�t know anything about Hanson�s death, but now his mom is afraid that Hanson�s killer or killers will think the kid had something to tell them.

If that is the case then, it would be wise for the police to not question the kids openly. But how can they attempt to solve the case if they have no information to go on?

�Everybody down here�s scared,� she said. �And they�re children. They had nothing to do with it.�

I understand their frustration however I just don’t know what the police can do about that.

The woman didn�t want her name or her son�s name reported. She�s concerned about the safety of her family. She also wants to see more concern from the Rocky Mount Police Department.

I understand where the lady is coming from don’t want her name or her son’s name reported due to the safety of her family. But to say she wants to see more concern from the RMPD, I am puzzled. I hope she is talking bout she is concerned about the police questioning the kids in the open however I feel confident that the police are concerned about finding the killer because if they were not I would think they would not have questioned the kid.

Folks this is what happen when we allow our communities to get out of control.

But my question is I continue to read what the people are saying about crime in Rocky Mount however the crime at the moment is not at random killings and although they are gang related they are going after those who are connected to them in some form or fashion.

So at the moment I feel some folks are taking the past killings be they gang re-lated or not out of context when they blame the Rocky Mount Police Department and the 4 - 3 black city council members.

Oh well misleading folks will not help the situation caus while folks are trying to target folks who have nothing to do with crimes will not help solve the crimes.

It is stated here that Rocky Mount Police Chief John Manley said he understands the concerns of the area and has ordered extra patrols in the neighborhood. But do you think that they are going to commit a crime while they are present? No.

Manley said he has ordered extra patrols in the neighborhood. He also encourages anyone who sees anything out of the norm to contact the police department or Crime Stoppers. So really what more can the police do?

By Captain

August 30, 2008 11:51 PM | Link to this

Chris, I think you hit the “nail on the head” about citizens arming themselves. The Police can’t be everywhere to deter all the shootings going on in this City, so that leaves the men-folk in the neighborhoods to arm themselves to defend their families and loved ones.

And I agree with you…..they need to get the training to go along with the weapons. But unfortunately, if you use that weapon that you trained on to shoot one of these street punks or gangbangers, you had better be prepared to have your lifesavings spent to keep your butt out of jail.

Standing up to punks in this City is risky business……….just ask Joshua Moore, the 65 yr vegtable stand man, who stood up for himself and his wife and shot the punk who was trying to rob the elderly couple trying to make a meager living in the city that he lived.

Talk to any Police Officer about the “what if’s” situations the average citizen can get into defending his home and family…… it is scary……..you will probably loose everything you and your family’s got. And unfortunately you will probably be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law while the courts make you look like a racist, a loose cannon waiting to go off, or a vigilante or like Mr. Moore….you used excessive force….unbelievable.

It’s a real shame that the decent men folk in our neighborhoods can’t just “arm up” and persuade the gangbangers and drug pushers to get out of our “hoods” like the old days. The courts around here just don’t favor decent folks trying to help our local police.

So the options are few, folks can “Stand and fight” and take your chances in the courts or …………Its a shame that our Police Officers can’t take these punks out “for a free tour of our city” and give them the proper motivation to straighten up, but the courts frown on that too. Hey……pay ain’t the only reason our Police Officers and Firefighters are leaving this City.

By Curmilus Dancy II

August 31, 2008 2:40 PM | Link to this

Captain you hit the nail on the head also when you said that, “Hey??pay ain?t the only reason our Police Officers and Firefighters are leaving this City.

The Police can?t be everywhere to deter all the shootings going on in this City, so that leaves the men-folk in the neighborhoods to arm themselves to defend their families and loved ones.

The courts around here just don?t favor decent folks trying to help our local police.”

These are some very, very good points. However while some others are blaming the wrong folks nothing changes.

We need to learn our rights and to carry them out to the point where we stay legal however sometimes that can be questionable when trying to protect oneself.

The real issue should be focusing on what we can do as citizens to overcome the mess that is going on in some neighborhoods. I can’t say in our because my neighborhood is a good one at the moment. But I am concerned and involved in trying to make a difference in other neighhborhoods. But the sad part is some folks who are experiencing the mess in their own neighborhood ignore that it is happening. This is why we can then say there goes the neigbhborhood.

Thank you Captain for this post. It was really enlightening.

By Chris Davis

September 3, 2008 4:48 PM | Link to this

I agree, Captain, that the Justice System has deviated from protecting the innocent to protecting the criminal, which that ultimately has to change. The sooner the better.

But in the meantime, if people took steps to lessen the chance of becoming a victim, all the better.

Psychologically, a criminal will only victimize areas that he/she will have a high chance of success. If a criminal knows that a neighborhood is watchful, armed and willing to take action in some manner, he/she will be less likely to remain in that area.

My hope is that people do what they can to deter crime, therefore making Rocky Mount a non-target.

The unfortunate thing is that criminals will move somewhere else to victimize people, rather than become productive citizens.

By Curmilus Dancy II

September 3, 2008 10:23 PM | Link to this

I can not say crime is out of control because all of the crime I believe it is safe to say that it appears that the murders and the victims were connected somehow so it is not like these murders have been at random. God knows I hope it does not get to that point but right now I feel strongly that we ain’t there yet.

The Political Agitator

By Captain

September 3, 2008 10:52 PM | Link to this

Mr Dancy, in regards to your statement - “But the sad part is some folks who are experiencing the mess in their own neighborhood ignore that it is happening.” - may be true to some extent but from what I understand, FEAR is the primary reason some many folks don’t get involved.

A lot of these gangbangers and punks move into neighborhoods, like those with senior citizens and with children because they are the easiest to prey on and victimize and retaliation is a good possiblility for “rattin the dogs out”.

For example, one senior widow lady I delivered kerosene too called for another delivery within two weeks from her last fill-up. During our conversation about her high usage, she told me she heard the rascals at her drum, peeped out the blinds and saw three males getting her kerosene.

When I asked her did she call the Police, she stood and said, “Are you crazy….them fools find out I called, they’ed kicked the door in and ain’t no tellin’ what they would do to me!”

You could see the fear in her eyes. As far as I know, she is still supplying kerosene for the “hood”. On the other hand, the folks in Northgreen had a drug house on the block, Police been there many times for fighting and two shootings, if I remember right, and it took close to a year to legally get them folks out of the hood.

It seems like it is a no-win situation sometimes. I wonder if we could hold the realtors and homeowners responsible who rent to these thugs and gangbangers. They know the type of people they are renting too and they know what they are doing to our neighborhoods.

Let the owners be charged with “aiding and abetting” to homes they own that harbor liquor houses, drug houses, and he likes. If the Police know of these places, and neighborhoods know of these places, then you can be sure the owner or realtor knows it too……..but that almighty dollar rules the roost.

Yep, its a shame it ain’t like in the movies where a bunch of the men-folk get together, arm themselves, confront this “trash” and “encourage them to move out of our neighboods”……..but if’n a group did and some of the punks or gangbangers got hurt…..God help the decent folk who tried to move them on. They know the how the courts work.

Again, Mr Moore tried and look what this senior citizen got…….Mr. Colbert, the tow-truck tried to stand up the this trash, and look what his family got!

Mr Dancy, I agree also when you said, “We need to learn our rights and to carry them out to the point where we stay legal however sometimes that can be questionable when trying to protect oneself.”

There was a time with decent folks had some rights in these situations, but it sure don’t look like it anymore. Like the Preacher man said, we all need to get on our knees and pray for our City every night! Nuff said.

By Curmilus Dancy II

September 5, 2008 12:30 AM | Link to this

Captain you are right on target and some others and myself have said it time and time again, the realtors rent houses to thugs knowingly and don’t care about other folks.

The Political Agitator

By unit1229

September 7, 2008 7:37 PM | Link to this

Well, I have been reading the blog and find it wonderful to see some of my views in the blog.

Captain, your ensight is great and it is an honor to know that you can have understanding and reasoning for things. Reminding people of their rights and possible legal issues for protecting their family from the overgrown thugs of the city.

Well enough said for now before i get caught up in a rage. The key to remember is ” I would rather be tried by 12 than to be carried by 6.” 2nd admendment rights :)