Photo: Security Guard At Walgreen's On Sangamon - Final Day 2006 Illinois State Fair
In my prior two post I recount several eye witness accounts of how a Springfield teen was mugged outside Walgreen's Drugstore directly across the street from the Illinois State Fair last Friday evening.
Friends of the victim tell of how a Springfield (Illinois) Police Officer watched the assault, and robbery, and yet failed to offer assistance to the victim either during the assault, or after.
Another witness tells of how she tried to recover the victim's stolen cellphone. Her plea fell on deaf ears.
The following is a paraphrasing of a conversation which took place yesterday afternoon. I have named this witness "Girl Two" so as to distinguish her from "Girl One" which I quoted in the post just prior to this entry.
JP: You were in the Walgreen's parking lot that night?
Girl Two: Yes.
JP: Did anyone ask the police officer there for help?
Girl Two: Right after **** was mugged I tried to find his cellphone by calling it.
JP: That's a great idea, so what happened?
Girl Two: Well every time I'd call ****'s number a phone would ring.
JP: You could tell who had the stolen phone?
Girl Two: Yes, it was one of the boys who beat **** up.
JP: What did the boy do?
Girl Two: He kept taking the phone out of his pocket, and hanging it up. Finally after the fourth time he turned the phone off.
JP: So you felt that you had a good idea which kid had ****'s cellphone?
Girl Two: Yes.
JP: So what did you do next, did you confront the kid?
Girl Two: I went up to the cop that was there, and I told him what I did.
JP: You told him you'd been calling the phone?
Girl Two: Yes.
JP: He must have been pleased!
Girl Two: No, he told me to leave.
JP: Didn't he go, and talk to the boy?
Girl Two: No.
JP: That's simply incredible.
Girl Two: Cops suck!
JP: I can see why you believe that.
Implications Of The Police Officer's Failure To Protect & Serve
This police officer needs to be identified, and reported. This one bad cop has destroyed the image of the Springfield Police Force in the eyes of several local teens.
Several of the witnesses, and the victim himself attends a fundamentalist Christian high school here in Springfield. I'm not saying these kids are angels, but they were raised to believe that "good" exist, and that "evil" exist. They were raised to believe in "Right versus Wrong" - heck that there is a "right", and that there is a "wrong".
Tens of millions of kids today have never heard their parents profess a belief in anything. These parents essentially "sick" their children upon the world, but these kids, who were victimized that night, were not raised like that. They have parents who cared enough about them to sacrifice, and send them to schools where they received a faith based - a morality based education. They were dragged to church every Sunday - come rain, or come shine in the hope that it would make a difference.
These kids have been taught that there is a consequence for stealing. That "Thall Shall not Steal" was a command from God. TThese kids were raised to be respectful of the police as they are guardians of society, and enforce laws which were based upon the Bible.
The lesson which these kids learned last Friday night will not be one they'll likely forget. Thanks to the cowardice of a local police officer several local teens will most likely never trust the police ever again. A lesson many of us learned long ago - and sadly it appears one that each generation learns anew.
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