RSS
Vigilante justice
Go ahead, admit it. When you first heard the news that the “person of interest” in the rape of an 11-year-old girl in Philadelphia had been collared, you smiled.
When you heard that he was actually roughed up by a crowd that spotted him on a Kensington street and tracked him down, you cheered just a bit, didn’t you?
Join the crowd, or mob, if you will.
For months now we have been hearing pleas from law enforcement and community leaders that they need help in the war on crime. Too often all they got was a wall of silence when seeking information about the crime.
They got more than that in the case of Jose Carrasquillo. A lot more.
What they got can best be described as vigilante justice. I’m just not sure that’s what we want.
Look, I’m glad Carrasquillo is off the street. But in retrospect I’m not all that thrilled about what happened to him before cops arrived on the scene.
Carrasquillo wound up in the hospital in critical condition. I hear all the impassioned pleas about how “he got what he deserved” or how “it should have been worse.” I can understand those feelings. I just don’t agree with them.
Remember this one, minor item. Carrasquillo has not been charged in the rape of that little girl. At least not yet.
What if this just happened to be someone who looked an awful lot like Carrasquillo? Would we feel the same way about that mob descending on him with the intent to do harm?
For the most part, city and police officials are walking a fine line here.
Here’s my take. I’m glad Carrasquillo is in custody. I hope he’s charged and if convicted is put away so he can never do to anyone else what was done to that little girl. It’s easy to forget her in this process. And that would be a mistake.
But I think officials would be wise to step back from the kind of “justice” that was delivered to Jose Carrasquillo.
The crowd could have done any number of things. They could have alerted police to Carrasquillo’s whereabouts. They could have held him until police arrived. They likely did both those things. But they also did a lot more. They beat and kicked him before police arrived, sending him to the hospital.
It’s hard to work up a lot of sympathy for Jose Carrasquillo. He has a long record, some involving previous sexual assaults. That’s not what this is about. This is about who and what we are as a society. And some of the basic tenets of our justice system.
That wasn’t justice delivered on that Kensington street. It was mob rule. And that’s a very dangerous thing.
When you heard that he was actually roughed up by a crowd that spotted him on a Kensington street and tracked him down, you cheered just a bit, didn’t you?
Join the crowd, or mob, if you will.
For months now we have been hearing pleas from law enforcement and community leaders that they need help in the war on crime. Too often all they got was a wall of silence when seeking information about the crime.
They got more than that in the case of Jose Carrasquillo. A lot more.
What they got can best be described as vigilante justice. I’m just not sure that’s what we want.
Look, I’m glad Carrasquillo is off the street. But in retrospect I’m not all that thrilled about what happened to him before cops arrived on the scene.
Carrasquillo wound up in the hospital in critical condition. I hear all the impassioned pleas about how “he got what he deserved” or how “it should have been worse.” I can understand those feelings. I just don’t agree with them.
Remember this one, minor item. Carrasquillo has not been charged in the rape of that little girl. At least not yet.
What if this just happened to be someone who looked an awful lot like Carrasquillo? Would we feel the same way about that mob descending on him with the intent to do harm?
For the most part, city and police officials are walking a fine line here.
Here’s my take. I’m glad Carrasquillo is in custody. I hope he’s charged and if convicted is put away so he can never do to anyone else what was done to that little girl. It’s easy to forget her in this process. And that would be a mistake.
But I think officials would be wise to step back from the kind of “justice” that was delivered to Jose Carrasquillo.
The crowd could have done any number of things. They could have alerted police to Carrasquillo’s whereabouts. They could have held him until police arrived. They likely did both those things. But they also did a lot more. They beat and kicked him before police arrived, sending him to the hospital.
It’s hard to work up a lot of sympathy for Jose Carrasquillo. He has a long record, some involving previous sexual assaults. That’s not what this is about. This is about who and what we are as a society. And some of the basic tenets of our justice system.
That wasn’t justice delivered on that Kensington street. It was mob rule. And that’s a very dangerous thing.
posted by Heron's Nest at
7:48 AM
2 Comments:
Yes, I was thrilled when I heard that Jose Carrasquillo had been arrested and was no longer on the streets. With 17 arrests to his name already, one wonders why he was still on the streets at all. The residents of Kensington must be very proud of themselves for aiding in the apprehension of a wanted man--as well they should be.
That being said, I was appalled by the clips of Carrasquillo's beating. The crime committed is heinous. For the rest of her life, that little girl will be scarred in more ways than one by her attack. However, I cannot be reconciled to the idea of vigilante (read: mob) justice. When mobs rule, law and, often, justice, disappear. The mindless heat and passion often generated by a mob obliterate cool judgment and considered action.
Indeed, what if the man attacked had not actually been responsible for the rape of that little girl? What if it had been a case of mistaken identity? That girl, along with her own injuries and pain, would also be forced to bear part of the guilt for an innocent man's harm and hospitalization.
The people of Kensington are to be applauded for their assistance in the identification and arrest of a known criminal. It is my opinion, however, that the violence of their actions was inappropriate. The ends do not justify the means.
I agree with that. People mistake people all the time espically the police. I don't see nobody going after the mother, she is the reason why the little girl was put in the situation in the first place. charges should be brought aginst them both the legal way. that is why i pay so many taxes right?
Post a Comment
<< Home