Violent crime: What you're not seeing in the Globe and Herald

Ah, but writing about these crimes would require reporting. As staff is cut we see more and more press releases and less and less journalism in the papers. City goverment is good at press releases.

Try taking a red marker and crossing out every story (in either paper) that is verbatim AP, an obviously reguritated press release, national or international in scope and see what you have left.

If, like me, you toss the sports pages before you sit down with the paper, it is very little indeed.

We get less and less local coverage, less useful coverage and of course fewer readers as each month passes. You can learn more about what is really going on in the city by taking your dog for a walk and talking with neighbors.

The various neighborhood papers (The South End News leaps to mind) do a far better and more consistent job than the Globe does on crime coverage.

If the papers were to publish stories of violent crime being committed against ordinary people, that would run contrary to Menino's claim that Boston is a "safe city". Granted, boston is safer than some cities of the same size , but being a "relatively" safe city is of little comfort to the victims of violent crime.

By not having these stories made public, it's easier for the politicians to deny law-abiding citizens the right to defend themselves, by saying it's only gang-on-gang violence and that we regular folks have nothing to worry about. I'm not sure what the impetus is for the papers not to run this, and I'm not saying they're all in cahoots with the local pols (God knows the Herald is no big Menino booster), but it seems odd they'd choose not to follow the "If it bleeds, it leads" rule in these instances.

It is the official policy of the Menino administration that the law-abiding people of Boston have the "right" (read: privilege) to defend themselves IN THEIR HOMES, and only after jumping through the bureacratic and financial hoops that have been set up to actively discourage folks from doing so (mandatory gun club membership, $100 licensing fee, mandatory range test, etc.).

When I applied for my pistol permit (License to Carry), I specifically asked for an unrestricted license, which would have allowed me to defend myself and my family anywhere in the Commmonwealth. I specifically mentioned several incidents of armed robbery and home invasions in Roslindale that had taken place over the previous couple of months.

I was told that's not good enough of a reason. But, if I had actually been a victime of violent crime, then I could ask to be considered for a carry permit. Lot of good that would do me from my hospital bed. So, $900+ later , I got permission from the government to keep a gun in my home.

Of course, if I were to decide that the lives of my children mean more to me than Menino's feel-good, do-nothing gun control policies, and I were to use my legally-owned firearm to defend myself somewhere off my property, I would be subject to arrest and prosecution.

Sure, I'd be alive and my kids would be safe, but that matters little to our Mayor. After all, he's got an agenda to stick to here.

So, to answer your question: Should these things be in the paper?

Yes.

***Joins the chorus**