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Surely you know about the historic shootout at the OK Corral.
But do you remember the punch up at the Golden Corral?
Almost 20 years ago, a brawl erupt- ed at the Toledo buffet chain. What started as a joyous birthday celebra- tion amid smorgasbord gluttony took a dark turn, ending with a fist-flying dust-up.
The result was a jail sentence for one perpetrator and lasting physical and mental health trauma for the victims.
Just a one off, right? Surely a birthday shindig at a local eatery ending in an all out melee was a once in a lifetime event.
Rat trap
Welp, we guess that depends on how long you’ve been alive.
Fast forward to a week or so ago.
Picture a festive children’s birthday party at a local Chuck E Cheese. Pizza! Games! Music! A creepy costumed rat mascot! What’s not to love? And what could go wrong?
Apparently everything. An argument in the bathroom leads to fisticuffs in the children’s play area. The brawl spills into the parking lot. A car crashes into a parked truck.
Another dark turn. An arrest for fe- lonious assault. A victim in an induced coma. What the flying flippity flip?
These are interesting times, to be sure. Rewind to last year, when Wade crowed about declining crime rates here in ol’ Froggy Bottom. Homicides down twenny one per cent. Shootings down nearly thirty. What about folks getting the crap beaten out of them in a kids’ restaurant, though?
More recently a viral video circu- lated on social media showing a fight outside local bar O’Shea’s. This came hot on the heels of multiple violent incidents at the establishment, including a hit and run. The joint is now threatened with a one-year forced closure if it doesn’t get its stuff together.
Then there was the recent car jacking that dragged an elderly man for blocks, ending with the perp crashing the car, wandering into traffic on the expressway, and getting smooshed.
None of these incidents were shootings, homicides, or other crimes Wadesez are trending copacetic.
But they point to a troubling rise in weird unbridled violence.
Give peace a chance
What gives?
Prices continue to rise. Folks struggle to make ends meet. Home ownership is out of financial reach for many. Young adults face dwindling job prospects. The culture at large glorifies violence as a solution to frustration, amplified by the endless search for clicks on social media.
Does any of this, or all of it, help explain the unpredictable violence that seems to explode regularly in our swampy environs?
Wade touted investment in affordable housing and youth programs as contributing to the crime reduction that he described last year.
But he cautioned there is no single, or fast or simple solution.
We need more. City Director of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement Malcolm Cunningham said at the time what is needed is opportunity, healing and connection.
Here, here. But how does that translate into meaningful policy initiatives and budgetary priorities?
The pot is starting to boil. We need to lower the temperature.
What say you, Wade?
