I feel so sorry for the lady who was broken into at LV’s Vinyl Cafe and had her till stolen. These are devastating acts which harm productive, responsible people.
But, in saying that, the responsibility goes much further when it comes to protecting one’s property. It takes thoughtfulness and ingenuity on the part of owners to insure the safety of their property. You cannot expect the state to protect what is yours. In other words, hiring more police officers to protect, is not going to work. You can place a police officer on every corner of the downtown and you will still have break ins.
A few years ago, a group of us tried to get The Guardian Angels of Red Deer going. We were a group of people who first and foremost had to have martial arts training. Why? To protect ourselves because we carried no weapons. Our mission was to walk the streets of the downtown area, and connect with the people. Business owners and those who lived on the street. There is a huge disconnect between these two groups. Business owners want to do business with the public, and they don’t like freeloaders hanging around.
Yet, people in need see the business people as their next meal ticket and they will do whatever it takes
To get it. Here is where the Guardian Angels stepped in. To work with both groups and keep everyone safe. This was our goal. But, to many potential Guardian Angels members, they didn’t want to
Be bothered, or put out the effort. Their mind set was/is; “Oh, let the police handle it, that is what they are trained to do!” Now you are living with the result of that mind set. “Compassion,” is what’s needed. Compassion for the less fortunate.
Carmen Wallace, Red Deer