Which means the scum are moving into to another area for someone else to deal with. Or criminal relocation as Joel calls it.

http://www.kstp.com/article/stories/S15092.html?cat=1

Interesting. A group of unarmed people walking with cel phones. Sounds like Michael Zebuhr and his family.

At least they are doing something.

Yeah, every thing will be fine in "sheeple land" until someone gets hurt.

Yep. These are the patrol from Lyndale Neighborhood, right next door to me in CARAG. The "guidelines" for CARAG were pretty much cribbed from Lyndale's, and include a "no weapons" policy.

So, these are the kind of blissninnies I'm dealing with, here.

Sure, but are they doing something effective, or just making people feel good?

Hope it has an impact.

I think there might be a few sheepdogs in sheep clothing in the group. I would find it convenient to miss the no-weapons stipulation and carry a well concealed snubby. Might be someone else so inclined.

Andrew, (it was Andrew that said that,right??) I'm afraid it's probably the latter half of your statement. Bad things can't happen to people in groups, now can they ??

I think, to be honest, that they may be doing something effective. If the criminals are driven out of the neighborhood, that's an improvement. Kinda like the self-defense rule when you're being sized up as a victim. Better nobody than somebody, but better somebody else than me. Kind of a sucky way to look at it, but that's what you're trying for.

In this case, they're trying to move them out of their neighborhood. They'll probably move into someone else's neighborhood, but if they don't like it they can start a patrol and move the criminals also. Just keep them moving along to reduce your own neighborhood's vicitimization. To actually reduce it, you'd need everybody continually doing it, or it just becomes a feel-good measure.

As for them being incapable of defending themselves, the above doesn't speak to that. I think it's stupid to go looking for trouble, and not bringing the antidote. But, again, at least they're doing something, even if their method isn't the safest. Hopefully they won't have to learn the hard way.

I know. While I'd hate for this to happen, I could believe that at some point in time this group walking with cell phones will turn into a group running with cell phones.

Why would you imagine that the patrols would drive out the criminals?

If their cellphones have cameras, at least they'll provide evidence. Criminals don't like being photographed committing crimes.

I've got a few reasons, the main one of which is that, in many cases, visible civilian patrols have done just that, to one extent or another, in the past.

In at least some cases -- the Minuteman operation -- the possible at least partial mechanism has been increased police (Border Patrol, in that case) presence.

It does show those in the area give a damn about whats going on and are working to stand up against the thugs. Patrols, even unarmed ones, make great witnesses, which is what a criminal doesn't want.

I used to live in North Minneapolis. Some of the neighbors started a citizens patrol. It did help limit quite a bit of the drug trade in the blocks they walked. Having extra bodies around scared away some buyers, and did eventually move the dealers over to another area.

It just strikes me that by 9:30 or 10, the patrol goes in to watch the news, and the thugs come out to mug the drunks. I would be happy to be wrong.