From Massad Ayoob: IS PITTSBURGH THE CANARY IN THE MINESHAFT?
Pittsburgh is now getting an extra-strong taste of what’s happening around the country. Anti-police politicians, prosecutors, and media outlets have told young people who would have been good cops that they don’t want to become the Gestapo, and veteran cops are leaving the profession in droves.
There are never enough police to be everywhere at once. "When seconds count, police are only minutes away." But when there are no police, and prosecutors stop prosecuting, when there is no jail for crimes like shoplifting, and all the rest, then society will break down.
Stores can't give away $1000 to everyone who walks through the door and stay in business. If stores (and restaurants and bars) close, people will not live in the city. Crowding and crime were offset in the past by nightlife, convenience, and a cool factor. But if you add to the crime, and subtract everything else why will people with a choice stay in your city?
I know I say it too much, but society is built on security, and the idea that security is required for civilization to endure is not new. Hobbes published Leviathan in 1651. In that book he describes the State of War that ensues when law and order break down. Well, law and order are breaking down in some of the cities, probably with more to come.
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