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In 1880 it was uncontroversial to present, as a positive defense, that the deceased was killed for stealing from their killer.
Not only was it uncontroversial, that defense could be used at the scene to the police and they'd shrug and tell the killer, "have a good night."
The debate over shooting looters is going to include the idea that property isn't worth a human life.
At present you are not allowed to defend your property by shooting thieves unless you can draw a strong tangent that the thief was going to hurt you.
I agree, property isn't worth a human life. So don't risk yours by stealing.
I'm not sure when the idea took hold that shooting thieves was wrong. Technomad this is up your alley with your extensive true-crime readings.
I am growing certain that it was a bad idea for society to have made that decision.
Governor DeSantis has tapped the pulse of the electorate here.
Lots of people in crime ridden places are forced to be stolen from because the thieves will not be effectively punished by the court system. By the same DAs who will viciously persecute prosecute a clear case of self-defense.
It's a certainty that a corpse has a zero recidivism rate.
This question would actually be more in my father's bailiwick, but as near as I can tell, shooting thieves became more and more of a no-no as police protection improved. Back in the Good Old Days, it was recognized that the police often just were not there, and that shooting thieves was the only way a would-be victim could deal with them. It also helped if the shooter had a (reasonably) clean record, and the corpse was a well-known Bad Hat---"he needed shootin'" was not just a Texas thing.
ReplyDeleteSo as police protection deteriorates, it makes sense to start shooting them again; huh?
DeleteThat's about the size of it. Vigilante movements existed (mainly in the West, but were seen elsewhere, such as upstate New York in response to the Loomis Gang's depredations) when the "official" police were either not up to the job (regular police were a new thing in the world back then) or, wore, were actively in cahoots with the bad guys, as happened twice in San Francisco.
DeleteIf police presence deteriorates enough that they don't bother showing up to shots fired anymore, then at some point dealing with a corpse starts going into "Breaking Bad" kind of territory. Sad thing is that does not seem so crazy as it would have a few years ago.
ReplyDelete