Wednesday, June 01, 2005

Stick-related Violence On The Rise

May 14:
A 23-year-old Colony Crescent woman told police her boyfriend closed a door on her face, hit her with a stick and pushed her to the ground May 14.

May 26:
The woman told him to go away, but he refused and kept knocking, police said. Eventually Mason turned as if to leave but got a large stick and used it to break the glass around the door, said 1st Sgt. Kim Chinn, Prince William police spokeswoman.

May 26:
When the officer arrived, the 22-year-old Wakefield victim told McCaul he was attacked by five white males who then stole his car, a white 1997 Cadillac DeVille. The five males allegedly chased the victim with a stick, a wooden board and a knife.

May 27:
Tetreault said the victim, a drug-dependent woman, went to a Tyler Street location Aug. 3, 2002, looking for crack cocaine. She approached Gordon, whom she knew, and he said he would have some crack in a half-hour. She said she couldn't wait. He knocked her down, they fought, he struck her with a stick, threw a bottle at her and then threw a brick at her, with the latter hitting her, Tetreault said.

May 31:
Scamahorn told investigators that Spurgeon, who is 5 feet 8 and weighs 150 pounds, began hitting Roberts' head, arms and back with a stick. Scamahorn, who is 5 feet 11 and weighs 210 pounds, said he kicked Roberts, and then began hitting him with a stick.

May 31:
Police received a report of an assault Sunday around 10 p.m. from a 34-year-old York Street resident. The man said the accused, Spann, broke into his home and beat him with a stick and his fists, according to a police report.


When will society wake up to the dangers of sticks, and the irresistable temptation to acts of violence that they present? One of the scariest things about sticks is their easy availability. If loaded guns and sharpened knives were just scattered around in parks for anyone to pick up and use, there would be public outrage. But walk into any wooded area and you'll see that sticks are just lying around everywhere, and nobody even seems to mind!

"Oh Lord, that's a stick!" I said to my friend, pointing in the direction of the deadly weapon as we strolled in the park.

"So? They're everywhere. What's your point?"

"Doesn't it bother you that I could go pick that up and hit you over the head with it?"

"It didn't even occur to me," he said.

"Obviously you're in denial. You don't want to accept how dangerous this area is, with weapons everywhere."

"What? You wouldn't hit me with a stick anyway."

"No, of course I wouldn't, my point is that someone could."

"But why would they do that?"

"Because they could. Just seeing the stick would probably be enough to put the idea into their heads."

"But by that reasoning, I could just as easily hit them with a stick too . . ."

"Now you're getting it! Violence is practically guaranteed, as long as sticks are around," I explained.

". . . but I wouldn't!"

"Today you wouldn't, tomorrow, who knows? Something must be done."

"Like what? Ban sticks?"

"Exactly," I said, "get the community involved, and get rid of sticks. A War on Sticks, if you will."

My friend paused. "Doesn't the idea of removing all sticks from all wooded areas seem a little . . . impractical?"

I sighed. "I prefer the term 'ambitious,' but yes. All great ideas seem impractical at first. So did going to the moon. We're talking about saving lives here, eliminating violence. Nobody said it would be easy."

My friend looked down meaningfully at a rock, then very slowly kicked it into the grass. I groaned.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

> The stick sweps away all injustice!

Heh. Quote of the week.

Anonymous said...

Sticks don't hurt people.

People hurt people, Tom.

skits.

Anonymous said...

(Of course, "The pole sweeps away all injustice! Use it correctly!" is a quote from Wong Fei-hong in Iron Monkey.")