on the rise?
June 24, 2009 (Wednesday)
A few weeks ago, helicopters with bright searchlights flew over this block in Houston, and there were also a number of policemen on the ground. A search was on for a fugitive of some kind. My neighbor and I discussed it the next day and agreed that the noise, etc. made it nearly impossible to carry out activities in the house. We never knew what all the commotion was about; we never saw anyone fleeing the policemen. Evidently someone had fled to the church grounds, because that’s where the law enforcement efforts seemed to be directed.
A few blocks from here, an elderly man was stalked by an attacker as he shopped in a drug store a couple of days ago. The security cameras show the criminal and his victim as they walked the aisles of the store. When the older gentleman went out the front door, the crook followed him and pushed him to the pavement where another goon suddenly appeared and took the man’s wallet.
Not long ago a man pulled into the drive-through lane at a fast food place in a nearby neighborhood and was accosted by someone who jerked open the door and stabbed the man in the neck. He threw him to the ground and took the car. The guy was willing to kill a stranger for a car that caught his fancy.
Home invasions are becoming more prevalent these days. Burglars still look for a house to rob where the residents are away, but a trend toward entering the home while the people are still there is growing in frequency. Sometimes the situation results in death.
They say crime is down, but the victims of crime are unconvinced. These types of crimes make us aware that “it can happen to me.” We should remain alert and cautious, and “pray without ceasing.”