Velez: Dread

Thursday, February 23, 2012

THE killing of 23-year-old nurse and Filipina-Chinese Marjorie Kwan by motorcycle-riding robbers is just the tipping point of the Davawenyos rage over the crimes that are running rampant of late.

The past years have seen a rise in incidences of robberies, snatching, and theft. But each time the crime has become more brazen. And now this city, which boasts the tagline, “Life is here,” is no longer safe. Dread is here.

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The outrage stems on the seeming inability of authorities to stop these crimes. One of the leaders of the Filipino-Chinese community in Davao told this writer that he is dismayed over this recent incident. He resides near the place where Marjorie was felled, and he pointed out that barangay officials know there are bad elements in their place but why was there no action to alert authorities beforehand? Why wait until something like this happened?

Because of this weakness, criminals become bolder, without fear of getting caught. As our past editorial points out, this is impunity. As today February 23 is another commemoration of the Ampatuan massacre, families of the victims still find justice far from their grasp. This, and other cases of impunity, shows that no one gets caught

But how do we want to stop the impunity? People now are calling for blood, for iron-fist methods, and the revival of vigilantism to clean up the city.

We easily fall in love with iron-fist action, just like in the past, and just like how we applauded the Mayor getting her hands on a sheriff. But this is another dread of calling back this kind of retribution.

There is this movie about a self-styled crusader, which showed such action of taking the law to one's hand will only lead to escalation. Vigilantes wear helmets and drive motorcycles, criminals now copy them. The methods that we thought would make us safe, is now the method that brings us fear.

Which brings us to the point of how do we want to clean up our city. We still live in a society of norms and conduct. Even with the outrage, we have to see that justice is not simply a method of asking an eye for an eye.

We pride ourselves as a city where people come to action in times of good and bad. Local officials and the police are now calling for citizens to help as they cannot do it by themselves.

Let us see this kind of vigilance, not vigilantism, not only to restore peace, but to restore our confidence in justice.

tyvelez@gmail.com