A protection racket for the criminal element

Vincent J. Curtis

26 Jan 23

RE: Calls for vigilante patrols as break-ins increase.  The Hamilton Spectator 26 Jan 23

RE: Case stayed against man who toppled Gore Park statue.  The Hamilton Spectator 26 Jan 23.

And you wonder why there’re Peter Khills in this world?  Khill’s neighborhood in Binbrook was terrorized for months with break-ins, attempted break-ins, and auto thefts.  The police could do nothing, and it’s not clear they tried hard to stop it.  One night, Khill’s own house was subject of an attempted nighttime break-in while his wife was home and he was away.  Finally, Khill dealt with the matter decisively, in a manner disapproved of by the courts, but the crime wave stopped.

Now, there’s a similar problem in the Kirkendall neighborhood, and calls for vigilante justice.  The police can’t stop the crime wave, and all they do is warn people against “taking the law into their own hands.”  Well, what about that law?  The man most responsible for vandalizing the Sir John A. Macdonald memorial had his charges stayed.  So, what’s the use of turning over criminals to the police only to have charges stayed? Or the perp gets released with a wrist slap?

The courts today are dogs in the manger of justice.  They aren’t justice; they just make sure justice doesn’t happen.  Together, the courts and the police act as a protection racket for the criminal element: God help the private citizen who “takes the law into his own hands!”  Law is for the law-abiding, don’t you know?

Calls for vigilantism are signs of the uselessness of police and the courts.

-30-