A Reflection on Mass Murder

Tiassa

Tiassa

Let us not launch the boat ...
Valued Senior Member
A Reflection on Mass Murder

So ... this happened yesterday in Seattle. And I'm sort of torn; to the one, mass murder is an outrage, while, to the other, yeah, what's new?

Skip the works cited. Let's see how many links I can pull:


​

You would think the world was ending up here.

All of the links above are from The Stranger, and will lead you to whatever other news sources they drew from.

The shooter is identified as one Ian Stawicki, age 40, from Ellensburg, Washington. Andrew Stawicki, 29, said he recognized his older brother in the photograph above. "It's no surprise," said the younger Stawicki. "We could see this coming."

We on the west side of the mountains, of course, say, "Thanks for the warning, friends!"

But that's not fair.

Ellensburg is a small town in not quite the center of Washington state; sometimes, it seems like the center of nowhere. With a population just over 18,000, the town's key industries are a slaughterhouse and a university. Well, okay, there's farming, but, yeah.

Still, it is the seat of Kittitas County, and none of this really matters. When you're driving from Seattle to a concert at the Gorge, you pass through Ellensburg. And if you happen to have a friend who lives in that summertime hellfire, it's a good place to stop for a bong rip and a beer if you have the time.

Those who recall the band Screaming Trees ought to know Ellensburg at least by name. The town is characterized in the 1986 song, "Strange Out There", and seen in the video for the 1992 single, "Nearly Lost You".

In this city built on broken glass and the carcasses of a million dead sheep, where the blood runs thick down Third Street, down the gutter to the railroad station, and takes a train up, over these big mountains, to the sea—that's where you got to be, you got to go to the sea ....

—"Strange Out There"​

In the east-west rivalry that simmers beneath the surface in Washington state, it's hard to be entirely hostile toward Ellensburg. But, to the other, nobody seems particularly surprised to learn that the shooter is from the town.

And just about everybody who knows somebody who lives there is wondering, "Hey, I wonder if _____ knew this dude?"

We're certainly wondering. I'm sure we'll hear more from our friend in the 'Burg soon enough.

Ian Stawicki murdered five people yesterday. A sixth victim, a cook at Cafe Racer, is expected to live. After shooting five people at Cafe Racer, he murdered a woman in a parking lot on First Hill, in order to steal her SUV. This afternoon, police spotted Stawicki on foot; as they closed the circle, the man knelt in the street and shot himself—and then took two hours to die.

The names of the dead are somewhere in all that, I think.

Or maybe not. We will know them later.

Meanwhile, I'm as certain as can be that I should feel something.

But it's like the world ended today, or something. Six dead, one wounded? Yeah, and Sounders FC topped Georgia 5-1, and the M's beat Texas 21-8.

I get it. Today was a terrible day in Seattle. But I first heard about the shooting because it altered my plans for the evening, and all I could think was, "Well, at least that's settled." I mean, it was just a barbecue and watching a couple of teams I don't care about play hockey.

Still, though, I was struck by the wall-to-wall coverage on all the local television stations. Indeed, I might have actually been annoyed. I can't even muster a proper, "Poor bastard, he should have saved some rounds and just done himself first," sort of sentiment.

It was a terrible day in Seattle. But it was just another day in the world.

Maybe I'll just leave the water running in the kitchen sink.
 
What do you guys have in your coffee there in Seattle? I guess Detroit just overtook Seattle on my list of Preferred cities...

"Later that night, about 60 shots were fired in drive-by shootings at four houses. No one was hit."

"The five victims brought the number of homicides in Seattle so far this year to 21, matching the total for all of last year, and left city leaders wondering what could be done to stop the bloodshed."

"In the last month, there had already been two random killings. A man died last week when he was hit by a stray bullet as he drove, and a woman was killed in a drive by shooting in late April."

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/national_world&id=8683043
 
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Not enough cocaine?

Syzygys said:

What do you guys have in your coffee there in Seattle?
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I don't know, not enough cocaine?

Then again, we are dominated by Starbuck's, SBC, and Tully's. Real coffee drinkers (much the same as "real beer drinkers" who prefer craft brewing to industrial non-beer) merely tolerate the big three in this town; the coffee companies might provide jobs, but so did Schlitz, in its heyday—that doesn't make either good.

My moral ambivalence about the situation arises from the fact that local news—and, thus, the population in general to some degree—goes nuts about this sort of thing. But ... why? We didn't weep like this when some dude shot down a bunch of cops in Pennsylvania because he blamed Obama for taking his job, even though he was laid off before the president was sworn in. The infamous Loughner shooting in Arizona last year didn't move us the way this incident is supposed to.

Indeed, the rest of the world can fuck off, apparently. Locals are comparing this to a party that was shot up a few years back on Capitol Hill, and also the infamous Wah Mee Massacre of 1983.

The latter comparison is wholly inappropriate; fourteen victims shot execution-style—thirteen died.

But the party comparison? Well, it works in a way; Kyle Huff killed six, wounded two, then killed himself on the Republican Street porch where police cornered him.

But as Paul Constant noted yesterday, the big comparison is the fact that The Seattle Times is willing to stir an underlying fear of intoxicants:

First of all, I'd like to congratulate The Seattle Times for finding the one guy in Seattle who has bad things to say about Cafe Racer. That's some fine, Fox-style "fair-and-balanced" journalism. Henderson shouldn't be chastised for this—The Seattle Times has a long history of putting the blame on the wrong individuals after a terrible tragedy. Six years ago, just after the Kyle Huff shootings, they published a paranoid editorial asking idiotic questions:

Beyond the raw, ugly mass murder, this event forces every parent of a teen or young adult to sit down and ask: Where exactly do you go at night? Do you really know the people with whom you are attending a party?

Obviously, not every teenager who goes to a dance or party is looking for trouble. Police found marijuana, beer and wine at the home.

The dance, called by some attendees a rave, seemed to be a peaceful event where perhaps drug and alcohol laws were violated but no violence or arguing was reported. Still, teen dance rules in our city must be thoroughly reviewed to see if they go far enough to protect young people.​

(My rebuttal to that dumb editorial was published in my Party Crasher column at the time.) This Cafe Racer-blaming is more fearmongering bullshit from the paper that basically did everything but call for a house party ban after another senseless tragedy. Fomenting fear and distrust toward an establishment that's become a second home to cartoonists and writers and artists and music-lovers is irresponsible and stupid.​

You know, when the common aspect of certain killings is the influential presence of the gun-culture, such intimations are off-limits.

I mean, sure, I avoid Ecstasy, but that's because it's a methamphetamine. By and large, the X culture I see is much like the glamorous cocaine culture depicted in the 1980s; you dress up, go out to a club, drop a tab, show yourself off, dance your ass off, and maybe get the lay of a lifetime. Of course it's not glamorous, but that brings us back to the idea of regular taverns and bars. I mean, sure, you go out to a bar, get drunk, show yourself off, and maybe get a sloppy lay from a stranger. It's hardly life-threatening, unless, of course, we wish to invoke the complexities of HIV.

But Wah-Mee, Cap Hill, or Racer Cafe, the common thread is people with guns. This idea is off-limits in the public discourse.

Thus, it's a terrible day for Seattle, another day in the world, and it's not going to change a thing.

And it should be noted that, in general, dubious references to Detroit aren't going to raise the blood pressure in the Emerald City. Buy me a ticket; I'll drink in Detroit any day—especially if I have the excuse of making a point against two-bit idiocy. But for those who tremble at the thought that crime might happen, who demand an elaborate state-sponsored homicide machine, well, let's see what you've got.

Give me a date. I'll personally come to the airport to pick you up. I'll take you to any show in town you want. And we'll get loaded.

And you'll survive, unless you drink, snort, and/or inject yourself into the eternal hole.

Just like you would in Detroit. Or Saint Louis. Or Memphis. Or Oakland. Or Baltimore, Stocton, Buffalo, Cleveland, Washington (DC), Philly, KC, Nashville, Miami, Tulsa, &c.

All the way down to Lexington, Kentucky, if you're following the statistics.

You have to remember that this is Seattle. When we have a senseless shooting like this, we flock to the site, not away from it.
____________________

Notes:

Wikipedia. "Wah Mee massacre". May 19, 2012. En.Wikipedia.org. May 31,2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wah_Mee_massacre

—————. "Capitol Hill massacre". May 13, 2012. En.Wikipedia.org. May 31, 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitol_Hill_massacre

Constant, Paul. "The Culture of Fear Is Alive and Well at the Seattle Times". Slog. May 30, 2012. Slog.TheStranger.com. May 31, 2012. http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/ar...f-fear-is-alive-and-well-at-the-seattle-times
 
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Hey be nice to me, I felt sorry that nobody responded, so I did.

Anyway, about school shootings, the point was made that it almost never happen in inner city schools, but somehwere out in the country. It is like they are better to cope with average, non gun violence (like bullying) thus they don't have the lone crazy/victim who one day picks up the gun and shots up the school.

So maybe it is same with adult shooting sprees, and Detroit is actually safer than Seattle suburbia....

But if you feel better it could have been a turned over SUV killing 5 people. The end result would have been the same. Or if you are a Republican, this is the cost of living with easy access guns....
 
I tried to find some kind of statistics, this is the best I came up with:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rampage_killers:_Americas

This list is only rampage killings, does not include school massacres, workplace killings, hate crimes, or mass murders that took place primarily in a domestic environment. After subtracting other countries and real old ones, I think it is about 60 in the last 40 years, so about 1-2 per year.
The geographical spread looks quite even (small places, big cities), although the locations should be put on a map to see it better. Looks like the Rockies area, Utah and Colorado are underrepresented....

Seattle had another one in 1932, 6 were killed and 13 hurt. And another one in 2006, again 6 killed. So beside NYC, Seattle is the only city with 3 of these, I am sorry to report....Actually, there are no big cities with even 2, at least according to this list. Garfiled, NJ did have 2.

Edit: You know what else I have found? Alger, WA. In 2008, again, 6 killed, 4 wounded, and it is only 76 miles from Seattle. I swear I didn't start out to prove anything, just wanted to see statistics, but it looks like rampage killing is pretty common (statistically speaking) in the Seattle area.

The coffee was a joke, but lots of rain, and luck of sunshine sure doesn't help depressed people dealing with their problems...
 
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(Insert Title Here)

Syzygys said:

Hey be nice to me, I felt sorry that nobody responded, so I did.
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Mmm-hmm. Sympathy for the clueless.

Yeah, I know. We owe our insensate neighbors the greatest of sympathy. And no, the preceding sentence is not sarcastic; I am, after all, a liberal..

Look, dude, sometimes we don't know what responses we expect. Then again, sometimes the obvious brings us comfort, because it offers up a sacrificial lamb to be the object of our contempt.

In other words, Syz, despite what you might believe—at least, according to your posts—I don't loathe you. But I'm uncertain what progress you expect to accomplish by tempting fate, or, in this case, Seattlites.

Anyway, about school shootings, the point was made that it almost never happen in inner city schools, but somehwere out in the country. It is like they are better to cope with average, non gun violence (like bullying) thus they don't have the lone crazy/victim who one day picks up the gun and shots up the school.
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A truly interesting point; and I say that without sarcasm, whatever you might believe about the above disclaimer.

To the other, though, I have nothing to offer at this time, save for the above note.

So maybe it is same with adult shooting sprees, and Detroit is safer than Seattle suburbia....
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You might actually have a point. The two unsolicited cents, of course, is that such points come through more clearly when you don't obfuscate them among other issues. However. Er ... um ... right.

The bottom line is that in Seattle, as in any city, you are safer than conventional wisdom suggests when just going about your business, but God help you if you find yourself caught up in one of our deviations. Right now, things are crazy. And you can't rely on the police to protect you, except for the fact that the state will bend over backwards for its uniformed agents. As one cop I know explained to his son, "I don't know any cop who hasn't lied under oath. When you have a choice between convicting someone who is obviously guilty and letting him walk on a technicality, it isn't a hard choice."

We loathe our cops because they rely on such a principle for an everyday excuse, but, in truth, we tend to appreciate the point because, otherwise, guilty perps would, under the supreme law of the land, walk.

But the fact that cops are actually crooks—except that they're generally "our kind" of crooks—is irrelevant to the moment.

But, hey, if you're scared of Seattle, I'm not going to knock you. Grunge was too much for a good portion of the population; reality certainly isn't going to do any better.
 
We should ask this in the Math subforum, but what is the probability that all Seattle shootings (4 altogether, including Alger) end up with 6 dead??? Should be pretty damn small...

By the way I live about 5 miles from the LA Fitness where 3 years ago a woman hater killed 3 and wounded 9 others in the gym. What are the chances another similar one happens near by??? Apparently, 12 years, since I was living in another part of the city, and that one was also pretty close, I think about 2-3 miles:

http://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/02/u...ng-2-in-restaurants-in-pittsburgh-suburb.html

5 were shot (McDonalds, Burger King), 2 died, racial motivation.

"Fun" facts: on Sept 10, I was playing tennis 3 miles away where Flight 93 went down the next day....
 
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The obvious

Syzygys said:

... but what is the probability that all Seattle shootings (4 altogether, including Alger) end up with 6 dead???
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About the same chance that all Seattle shootings equals four.

Which is exactly zero.

(By the way, the "Alger" shooting was in Skagit County, two counties to the north of Seattle; note King and Skagit counties.)
____________________

Notes:

Washington County Map. (n.d.) Geology.com. May 31, 2012. http://geology.com/county-map/washington.shtml
 
Tiassa said:
About the same chance that all Seattle shootings equals four.
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Are we debating that Seattle is showing up on that list more often than any other city except NYC? Because that is a (sad) fact.
 
The obvious

Syzygys said:

Are we debating that Seattle is showing up on that list more often than any other city except NYC?
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If we were, the number four wouldn't be involved.

Because that is a (sad) fact.
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Aye.
 
So I was walking the dog today and listening to NPR. There was an interview with the son of a detective, who questioned the Green River Killer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_river_killer

I don't want to be a Debbie Downer on Seattle, but they get this mass murderer too, who was actually one of the most prolific one. So beside the dubious "Random Mass Murderer Capital of the USA", they get Gary Ridgeway too. Must be the rain...
 
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