On the efficacy of a curfew

A letter writer featured on today's T-P idiot page has it right.

Try a broad-daylight curfew?
Wednesday, January 10, 2007

The mayor and police chief are considering a curfew to solve the murder problem we have recently been facing. I assume they are suggesting a curfew from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.

If one takes a moment to chart the times recent murders occurred (see The Times-Picayune Jan. 5 and 6) one will find only two after 11 p.m. The others were at 1:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 7 p.m., 8 p.m., 8:45 p.m., 10:15 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 3:45 p.m., 7 p.m., 5:30 a.m. and 7:24 a.m.

The only way out of this cycle of death is for citizens to come forward and name the killers, the police to arrest them and the district attorney's office to prosecute and convict them in a timely manner.

Until that happens, a curfew is like putting a Band-Aid on a puncture wound.

Fred Cargo

New Orleans

See also, Dangerblond for more on the proposed check points.

How would this have helped any of the people who were murdered this year? None of the murderers were driving cars. Once again, this is cowardly. No one has died in New Orleans because a waiter was driving home late at night in a hoopdy with no insurance. Increase the stops in the Ninth Ward, Marigny, Central City, Carrollton and other areas where people are living in fear of drugged-out criminals. Pull people over when they do something wrong. Pull people over if there is a report of a crime involving a car in the immediate area. For god’s sake, don’t pull New Orleans residents over just for driving while black. Or driving while gorgeous, for that matter.

But isn't this all painfully obvious? Your leaders think your are very very stupid.