Murders? Up. Burglaries? Up. So, whaddya do when there ain't no tax money left to protect the citizens? Never fear--predatory capitalism will find a way. Where there's a crisis, there's opportunity. Sometimes the same guys behind the crisis are also behind the opportunity. Those them fund the private security firms.
In the near future the myth of privatization will cover the country like a wet blanket, offering the illusion of safety. The residents of Stockton have formed over 100 neighborhood watch groups. According to the New York Times, homeowners associations, landlords and businesses are hiring "officers" for $18 to $25 an hour to do the work the city police used to do. Opportunity is not just for the financial boys--it's a gold rush out there:
Delta Hawkeye Security Services, the largest private security company in the city, has seen an 80% increase in business since 2009, according to Ron Cancio, the company's manager.
I called Delta Hawkeye, (209) 957-3333, to inquire about employment and especially, training. Spoke to Ron. He asked me if I had a guard card. (You gotta be kiddin'. That's a 10-hour class, no questions asked.) Did Delta offer any other training? "None. Not taser or pepper spray."
That surprised me, being as 19-year-old Darien Wilson, Delta officer, working the graveyard (no pun intended) shift in Stockton, is armed with a gun, pepper spray and a Taser. He's happy as Jamie Dimon naked in his private bank vault:
"Not very many 19-year-olds can say they're armed and working security on the streets of one of the most dangerous cities in America," Mr. Wilson said.
Right next to the Stockton story is George Zimmerman and his interview on Sean Hannity last night. Sean, bless his heart, walked George and his lawyer through their talking points with gentle kindness like he was Jerry Sandusky sweet-talkin' an orphan.
George was a member of a neighborhood watch who, you may recollect, shot an unarmed 17-year-old, Trayvon Martin, for the crime of bein' black in America. After all, Trayvon was a-stayin' in the neighborhood that George was a-watchin.
George, being a proactive kind of guy, decided against the advice of the "real" police dispatcher to cease following Trayvon and wait for the police. He told Sean he had no remorse about the murder:
"It was all God's plan, and for me to second guess it or judge it."
God is speaking through the vigilantes. Listen up!!!!
[Sorry about the fake dialect. Too much FACE IN THE CROWD--Andy Griffith, you died for our sins.]
