Yet another senseless death

If you read The Kansas City Star today, you can predict my column.

Bystander slain as bullets fly in gun battle

"A stray bullet from a rolling gun battle killed an bystander on his porch Tuesday night in Kansas City.

The man was struck about 8:10 p.m. when two groups of young men were shooting at one another while running south on Wayne Avenue between 35th and 36th streets."

Broad daylight murder, one more time.

I ask again: Where is the outrage at and from City Hall? The Mayor? The City Council? The Councilperson who represents this district? What is the Police Department's reaction? What is the Police Department doing to prevent this, if anything, now? Can the Police Department propose any solutions to prevent this kind of insanity?

However, I'm also going to ask, what is this community doing to prevent this kind of nonsense?

"Officer Darin Snapp, a police spokesman, said there were several witnesses to the shooting, but few were willing to give statements to police."

If you can't help yourself, it is much less likely anyone is going to help you.

Taking that further, if you won't help yourself, why should anyone intervene to do so?

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If you know anything about who did this, please contact the Kansas City Crimestoppers TIPS Hotline at (816)474-TIPS. If you would rather not contact this source, contact Alonzo Washington at omega7toys@aol.com) or call him at(913)321-6764.

Link to full story:
http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/story/1378314.html

Addendum:

I'd like to quote someone but unfortunately they left this under "Anonymous" on another blog (Tony's KC):

"When the decent inner city people (and yes, most are) decide it is time to take back the streets from the thugs, it will be ugly but that is the only way to fix it."

Someone explain to me why this isn't true.

And this quote from Tony himself:

"...I'm certain there will be a meaningless press conference on the subject from local politicos as soon as a few more bodies turn up on local streets in rapid succession. August is a horrible month for KC murders and even worse for empty promises from elected officials."

That is absolutely not what we're needing or wanting from downtown, by any means.