Here to straighten you out
Back in the days of Snelling Garage, I was in the drivers’ room when two of Metro Transit’s police came in and started using the phone. I listened for a bit and got curious enough to ask questions when they were done. It seems two youths of about fourteen years of age were riding the 54 to the Mall of America and having some fun trashing the bus. They had some foodstuffs that they were flinging about. An adult male told them to knock it off. They asked him who he thought he was and he told them, “I’m the guy who’se here to straighten you out.” When they went back to their food flinging he grabbed them and roughed them up a bit. And from what I heard it was just a little bit. When they got home they called the police to report this outrage. It seems they believed their constitutional right to vandalize other people’s property had been abridged.
Mar 27th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
You know what, society needs more people to stand up to rouge kids like the ones in this story. Furthermore, those who do stand up to them must NOT be made to fear legal retaliation.
Mar 28th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
Very well put, Matt. But we live in a gun totin’ society. Remember that guy 3 weeks back on the 5? He got shot in the chest standing up to some ruffians. Same thing with flicking off cars who cut me off when im walking. Would love to, but you never know who is packing.
Mar 29th, 2007 at 1:48 am
Then ask yourself, what’s the best way to stand up to armed dregs? The answer: arm yourself and be prepared to use it. Sure, it sounds rough and scary, but it’s the only way things like this will be solved. We’ve already seen the worthlessness of “love” and “compassion” to these people. Now it’s time to get really serious.
If you want to whine and cry about being the “wild west”, go right ahead, but it’s a development that’s long overdue.
Apr 3rd, 2007 at 2:46 pm
A “development” that’s long overdue? Sounds more like regression to me. I would rather not see more guns on Minneapolis streets.
Apr 6th, 2007 at 1:50 am
That’s the sort of thinking that has long dominated this discussion in this city and elsewhere. We’ve seen what it has yielded; “the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over in hopes that something different will result.”
Perhaps you prefer to continue living in constant fear and not asserting yourself with the dregs…the Minneapolis city govt. sure as hell won’t do it for you.
Sounds like “regression” to you? Regression is what has happened because you allowed these people to run loose without anything to mitigate them.
Apr 6th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
I”m with Matt…why should we let the gun toting roughians push us around? Concealed weapons all the way!!!!!
Apr 11th, 2007 at 7:42 am
Your attitude frightens me, can you not see that this is the same way these “ruffians” “rouges” think. I do stand up and say something when I see kids behaving as they shouldn’t, I speak to them as a Mother would, respectfully and sternly. If I behave as they do , out of control, then I have taught them nothing. It can be scary and so far no one has pulled a gun, they have used foul language, and responded with disrespect. They have also responded with sheepish grins, knowing they were wrong, maybe next time they will stop and think. Then of course maybe not. The bottom line is if I behave the same way they do then I am only contributing to the problem not helping it.
Mar 17th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
I get people doing that, including spitting out the window at people. and there nothing I can do about it.