Kids Shooting Kids, Traffic Stop Shoot Outs; What Do We Do Great Falls?
What do we do about this rash of violence and unsolved property crimes the last few years? We are earning our reputation as one of the least safe towns in Montana.
Montana Cities With A High Crime Rate
Do we just surrender and say, "We live in a town where a traffic stop turns into a shootout, now". You can blame it on Republicans loving guns or Democrats wanting to defund the police, and you know what? IT WON'T CHANGE A DAMN THING!
Police Involved Shooting
This is serious. I'm not bashing the police, Sheriff's office or the city council. Everything they've tried is failing. That tells me it's time, as a city and as a citizen, to take a stand and figure this out. All of the aforementioned work for us, you know.
I do NOT want to live in a city where not only is violence the NORM, but it is halfway expected at any time. That's one of the reasons I left Billings. This was a while back, but there were drive by shootings, murders and robberies all the time. All the time. The radio station I was working at was right in the thick of the worst neighborhood in town, and it was easier just to come home, where it's safe. But is it?
I also don't want to be a person that just surrenders to "What it is". I just really don't know what we do. We had a KID shoot at another KID the other day, and a traffic stop turned shoot out now. What's next?
Bitching about it, blaming a certain political party or class of people aren't going to solve anything. In fact, it stokes a more aggressive mind-set. And the time we take pointing fingers instead of fixing, gives criminals MORE time and cushion to do criminal things, like SHOOTING AT THE POLICE DURING A TRAFFIC STOP.
If the penalty isn't certain and severe, why would they stop? Crime seems to pay pretty well in Great Falls.
If safety doesn't motivate you, how about this angle? What business, in their right mind, would put down stakes in a town where they can be robbed or shot at and little to nothing is done? We won't be economically stable, either.
Ignoring Our Crime Rate Is Making It Worse
I'm VERY interested in what you have to say about this. Email me HERE. If you're down to make Great Falls better, pass along your ideas.