editorial
Subway shootings
no answer to crime
A new kind of graffiti lines the subway walls in New
York City: “Support Goetz,” “Stand behind the man who
stood up to crime,” “Don’t let them jail Goetz.” This is the
way many people in New York (and around the country) feel
about Bernhard Goetz, the 37-year-old white man wrho took
“justice” into his own hands last month. On Dec. 22, Goetz
shot four black teenagers in a New York City subway (two of
them in the back) with an unlicensed .38-cal. handgun when
the teenagers approached him asking for money.
There is no question about the motive of these youths.
All had previous criminal records, and all of the witnesses
present claimed that the youths were acting in a rowdy
fashion typical of young street thugs. Anyone who has ever
been mugged or has lived in New York City knows the fear
that grips innocent people when they are approached by
such thugs. But Goetz’s response went too far. He was not
threatened by a weapon when he shot the youths. He did not
pull out his gun and warn them that he would shoot if they
didn’t back off. He did not shoot one and then warn the
others. He shot them all, and when two tried to flee, he shot
them in the back. Goetz admitted afterwards that if he had
had more ammunition, he would have killed each of them.
Almost overnight, Goetz was transformed into a kind of
national hero by sympathetic individuals and newspapers
who called his action a tribute to self-defense in a crime
ridden society. But the Goetz incident raises more questions
than it answers. For example, those who praised Goetz’s ac
tion failed to mention the racial element involved and what
impact it might have in the new wave of citizen justice that
is being promoted. Less than two weeks after the Goetz inci
dent, another kind of graffiti appeared in New York City:
“Goetz Rules Niggers” is one example that can be found at
the 14th Street subway station. In praising Goetz, many in
dividuals have overlooked the racial overtones of the
message they are promoting.
Another problem with those who called the subway
shootings "justice” is that they never bothered to ask what
the other 20 passengers in the subway were doing when the
four youths began to harrass Goetz. Supporters of Goetz
seem to think that the only answer to big-city crime (in the
absence of the police) is to shoot first and ask questions later.
Rather than praising a man for concealing an illegal hand
gun and shooting four punks who pressured him for five
dollars, those who are frustrated with subway crime should
have criticized the 20 fellow passengers who stood by and
did nothing to help Goetz. That New Yorkers would watch
someone get mugged rather than try to help them out is a
crime in itself. It would be far more productive to advocate
that everyone pack an illegal handgun and shot the first
sucker that messes with them, which is what Goetz did.
Finally, the issues of big-city crime, inadequate police
protection, and the existence of massive ghettos in every ma
jor U.S. city must not get lost in the Goetz controversy.
While crime is not restricted to cities alone, high unemploy
ment in cities, coupled with ghetto living conditions, has
contributed to a growing number of street crimes. Bringing
down crime in the big cities will not be easy. But carrying
handguns and promoting Goetz-style actions is like putting
a band-aid on a wound that needs surgery. Until the U.S.
government recognizes its responsibility to help rebuild our
decaying cities and better staff their law enforcement agen
cies, street crime will continue to flourish in the fertile en
vironment of unemployment and poverty. In a very real
sense, Goetz and the four teenagers he shot were all victims.
Oregon doily
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'VIE V»S USTENW' t> AMERICA Sn6, WMW SUDDENLY SECTE VKSLl UP.'
letters
Our
i III
lies
This letter is written to all
male anti-abortionists. First of
all, according to Kenneth
Groom, “If men could get preg
nant, abortion would be a sacra
ment." You men go about
preaching to us about “women
killing their babies.” Well,
men, for your information it
takes a man for a woman to get
pregnant. Therefore, you are
just as responsible and guilty
for abortions as women.
You men seem to misunder
stand the reasons for resorting
to an abortion. Abortion is not
used as a means of birth control ,
but usually as a last resort. How
would you men feel if you got
pregnant and your partner left
you (for that reason), and there
you were, very unprepared and
unable to handle a child at the
time? What would you do? And
what if someone raped you and
got you pregnant? What would
you do then? And what if your
life was threatened by carrying
a child? It seems to me all you
males think about is what you
think is right, and you do not
even consider what women
have to say about it. After all, it
is our bodies you are talking
about.
How would you men feel if a
law was passed preventing you
from having total control over
your body? How can you men
even talk about abortion, when
you cannot even get pregnant,
never mind have an abortion?!
And how would you like it if
the government passed a law
forcing you to do something
against your will and true inten
tions? Do you know how scary
it is knowing there is a
possibility that you may not be
able to control your own body
or life? Think about it.
Tammy Auvil
Psychology
Pro-choice
Fairness?
It was good to read in the
Register-Guard and in Bud
Withers’ column regarding the
increase in salary for Coach
Rich Brooks and his assistants,
plus his five year contract! He is
most deserving of this, and so
also is Don Monson, coach of
basketball.
At the same time, however,
shouldn’t all of the coaches'
salaries be made public? Do you
know that Bill Dellinger, head
coach of the Oregon track team
for the past 12 years, is on a one
year contract and that his an
nual salary is $31,000?
During his coaching career at
Oregon, his teams have won
five NCAA Championships,
four in Cross-Country and one
in Track and Field, plus several
Pac-10 cross-country titles.
They are consistently among
the top ten in the country! The
Oregon track program under
Dellinger has produced nearly
50 All-American performances,
and a number of world
class athletes have developed
under his direction.
This has been the most suc
cessful athletic program at the
University for years. It has
enhanced the reputation of the
University throughout the
country, and has brought
prestige and revenue to the
community and to the state. In
all fairness, it seems that Coach
Dellinger deserves better!
Ed Sullivan
Eugene
Peaceful
This letter is in response to the
comment made by Chris Gon
zalez (ODE, Jan. 22), where she
states that ‘‘...'rlght-to-lifers‘
are contradicting themselves
because they are using violent
tactics to put across a pro-life
theme.”
The vast majority of ‘right-to
lifers,’ including myself, are not
bomb-carrying activists whose
only way of getting their
message across is through
violence. Most of us are
peaceful, intelligent people
who feel that human life begins
at conception, and is to be
cherished.
I abhor the violence being
committed by the people that
Ms. Gonzalez refers to. I. and
many others, choose to protest
the aborting of children in oiiher
ways: thru letters, prayers, and
marches. Although our
methods do not receive the
media attention they deserve,
they reflect our perseverance,
and our determination to end
what has been for 12 long years
an American tragedy.
Susan Wilson
Pre-journalism
Horror
1 would like to address my
comments to the actions of one
anarchist hypocrite who has
brought me to a state of outrage.
While walking through the
EMU recently, I saw a large
group of people congregating.
A brief glance revealed that it
was a group of students and
others exchanging views and
opinions. An impromtu, open
debate. As 1 began to think to
myself how exciting it is to live
in a culture where such an ex
change can take place. I saw to
my horror that one of those peo
ple, while exercising the right
to free speech as guaranteed by
the U.S. Constitution, was
walking on a ripped, soiled
United States flag.
1 still cannot believe the gall
of that woman, abusing and
degrading the symbol of the
very laws and rights that were
protecting her at that very mo
ment from censorship, physical
abuse from those of opposing
views, and punishment for
speaking out against the
government. I shudder to think
of what would happen to
anyone speaking and acting in
that manner in hundreds of
other nations in the world today
where the flag is not flown.
I'm not saying that America is
perfect. I freely admit that
demonstration and constructive
reform of the government is,
and has always been, a vital part
of the United States. I simply
ask that before you spit on the
flag, you simply stop to con
sider what shape we’d be in if
that flag, and what it represents,
weren’t here to protect and
represent each of us as free and
uncensored citizens.
Sara Anne Schmidt
A patriotic liberal
Tuesday, January 29, 1985