By John Jay,
I would like to take this opportunity to point out to everyone out there, who believes the police can protect us, that they are having grand delusions. There truly is no real police protection!! Let me explain. What happens to someone who gets robbed, mugged, raped, or murdered? Are the police there to stop the criminals from hurting the victim??? Hell No! They come along after you are lying there bleeding, or in the hospital, or in the morgue, and then they write their reports and question witnesses, if any live ones can be found. I repeat myself for emphasis: The police will not be there while you are getting robbed, mugged, raped, or killed. They will not, repeat not, show up until after you, the victim, are maimed or dead and the attackers are long gone!
The foregoing is especially true for senior citizens. Any attacker over the age of 14 can easily overwhelm most seniors over the age of 70. The elderly have NO defense, and the police will not, repeat not, be there when they are beaten, or robbed, or killed.
Conclusion: People must, must, must protect themselves by any means necessary. Especially true for the seniors over 70. Since most criminals carry weapons, and we the law abiding victims are not allowed to do so, we must, repeat must, improvise, using clubs, canes, baseball bats or pepper spray. I strongly advise every senior citizen, especially those over 70 (like me), to buy pepper spray (two or three small canisters) or mace and get trained on how to use them.
You can use a gun to protect yourself if you are assaulted in your own house or your own property, and if the attacker is not running away from you. If the police arrest you for defending yourself, just remember what the NRA has said for decades; “It is better to be judged by 12 than carried by six.” No jury in Ventura County would convict someone our age for shooting someone who is attacking us!
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal
John Jay, Vietnam Vet., Voice of Truth, Oxnard
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Yes, P.W., as we all join hands sitting around the campfire roasting marshmallows and singing kumbaya. Oh, wait, campfires are bad for air pollution — sitting on the beach watching the waves come in eating bean sprouts and singing kumbaya. Just watch out for the crazy guy with a knife who will stab anyone for no reason at all.
Mr. Jay is correct. The federal supremes have ruled that the police only owe a general duty to society at large and no duty to provide protection to a single individual. The ruling rose out of a case in Sacramento County where a woman was being attacked. She called 911 multiple times. They never repeat never responded. She was robbed, beaten and raped while the cops were somehow otherwise engaged. She sued. The case eventually made its way to the hallowed (is that kinda like Halloween?) halls of the federal supremes where they came out with the general get out of the lawsuit free card to cops who are busily engaged at Dunkin Donuts while a 70 year old woman is beaten and robbed two blocks away.
P.W. seems to live in some kind of dream world. Walking forward with a message of love which will make the demons so uncomfortable they will leave the county????? I hope that was tongue in cheek. I suggest he go sit in the next murder trial that comes up in the court docket. Or sit in for the testimony in a child abuse case. Sit in on an aggravated rape case. Then come back and post drivel like walking forward with a message of love. Read the transcript of the trial of Stephen Rockwell or Robert Cruz Maclean and come back and post that drivel.
Sorry for the personal attack, but when I read sentiments such as that it disturbs me significantly to think that there are people so naive as to even entertain such out of touch with reality comments.
Mr. Jay, thank you for your service to this great country.
With all due respect to your experience, urging the elderly, or anyone else, to pick up household items and carry them in advance of perceived threats seems destined to cost more innocent lives than it could possibly save.
While carrying pepper spray seems a legit preventative measure, carrying a baseball bat is just the opposite.
Organized community efforts, including installing additional camera angles in high-risk locations, training the vulnerable for situational awareness, assigning protective liaisons within neighborhoods, all coordinated with the police, will create hostile environments for criminals. They will move on to easier marks.
We have to support the efforts of police until they have proven unworthy of it. We have a collection of bent officers here, like most places do, but they are not the majority.
Soon, as we walk forward with a message of love for all, there will be no part of Ventura County where demons will feel comfortable.