Is vigilantism a good idea?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

Here's another another case below but do we really need vigilantes? Do they keep our neighborhoods safe? How many cases like the one of Trayvon have occurred and not had publicity?

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-03-25/news/bal-trayvon-martin-case-has-parallels-with-local-shomrim-case-20120325_1_shomrim-case-shomrim-group-fallstaff-road

[SheilaT]

1. No.

[Cleita]

2. No. And neighborhood watches can be useful to the police

if they follow the rules, which is to report suspicious incidents, but stay away from the situation and let the police handle it. I once belonged to a neighborhood watch because our police department was being strained by budget issues so the on duty police had to cover an area that was too big for them to handle alone. We had a series of burglaries and home invasions and since the police were stretched thin, the criminals were getting really bold. So we formed the watch to monitor suspicious behavior and the police were better able to position themselves where a crime could go down because of the information we relayed to them. I much would have rather we had more police and wouldn't have had to do it, but it was a second best solution. We did reduce crime in our neighborhood with the watch, but no one took it upon themselves to interact directly with the perps.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

3. 'Took it upon themselves' is the problem

Watches are a good idea if in liaison with the Police but we don't need little neighborhood armies!

[Cleita]

5. That's for sure and I have my doubts as to why they would need

one in a gated community. Isn't the gate there to keep out undesirables?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

7. There can be a security person sitting at the gate but

Gated communities don't need vigilantes especially ones with guns!

[Iris]

4. No.

[BiggJawn]

6. No.

It's not a "good idea".
It's a pretty BAD idea, actually.

[2ndAmForComputers]

8. No. Some people read too much comics.

Well, I read too much comics, but I can separate fantasy from reality.