From the Editor's Desk...
By: Gwynn Bradley
Issue date: 11/15/09 Section: Opinion/Editorial
In the space of a few hours, yesterday went from being a typical news day to a tragic one as we kept learning of new incidents of crime involving students - some were victims, others were perpetrators.
The death of sophomore TK Hancock, a father of a young son, is horrific.
That the actions of students Richard Paige and Ethan Milligan nearly led to the death of another man is terrifying.
If those events weren't enough, The Daily Helmsman found itself to be part of the police beat when we filed charges yesterday after a Jennifer Burton threw away as many copies of the newspaper as she could.
She is the sister of Ross Burton, whom we wrote about in an article in yesterday's paper following his arrest for attempted arson and assault at the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center.
Almost all of these crimes, including a recent incident of road rage ending in the assault, are terribly violent.
I wish I could pound out an editorial that would call for some specific action, but what exactly can I ask for?
Aside from the Burtons, nothing links the crimes together beyond the ties the students have to The U of M.
As nice as it would be to single out one aspect, point it out and assign blame, it's not that easy. Instead, it appears to be a collection of rage, hostility and disregard of others' lives.
Like all editors and journalists, I like to get and provide answers, and today, The Daily Helmsman has given you all that we have.
But what about the future? How do we keep any of these crimes from happening again?
Some might say we should increase police patrol, but they can't be everywhere at once. Thankfully, police were present and able to prevent a fire at the MGLCC and also to charge Paige and Milligan.
Just before press time, we learned that Memphis Police Department arrested Wesley Huggins, whom MPD suspect was also present during the arson attempt
So for now, the "right" plan for preventing such crimes from happening again is just another area where I don't have answers.
The death of sophomore TK Hancock, a father of a young son, is horrific.
That the actions of students Richard Paige and Ethan Milligan nearly led to the death of another man is terrifying.
If those events weren't enough, The Daily Helmsman found itself to be part of the police beat when we filed charges yesterday after a Jennifer Burton threw away as many copies of the newspaper as she could.
She is the sister of Ross Burton, whom we wrote about in an article in yesterday's paper following his arrest for attempted arson and assault at the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center.
Almost all of these crimes, including a recent incident of road rage ending in the assault, are terribly violent.
I wish I could pound out an editorial that would call for some specific action, but what exactly can I ask for?
Aside from the Burtons, nothing links the crimes together beyond the ties the students have to The U of M.
As nice as it would be to single out one aspect, point it out and assign blame, it's not that easy. Instead, it appears to be a collection of rage, hostility and disregard of others' lives.
Like all editors and journalists, I like to get and provide answers, and today, The Daily Helmsman has given you all that we have.
But what about the future? How do we keep any of these crimes from happening again?
Some might say we should increase police patrol, but they can't be everywhere at once. Thankfully, police were present and able to prevent a fire at the MGLCC and also to charge Paige and Milligan.
Just before press time, we learned that Memphis Police Department arrested Wesley Huggins, whom MPD suspect was also present during the arson attempt
So for now, the "right" plan for preventing such crimes from happening again is just another area where I don't have answers.