Food delivery people justifiably feel threatened with bodily harm (including death) from human predators lurking in downtown Wilmington. The stakes are high for these potential victims; some understandably don’t want to be exposed to this danger. Solutions to the urban social problem have been offered.
Some pizza deliverers pack “heat” for their protection, as they would be well advised to do. Nothing will scare the cowardly thugs more than knowing they might face the business end of a Smith & Wesson .38 magnum revolver or a 9mm semi-automatic—whatever does the job. Maybe pizza shop owners should issue these weapons to staff that put themselves in harm’s way. It’s a war-zone out there. (link)
Someone suggested that city police accompany each delivery. An armed officer could ride with the pizza guy—“riding shotgun” as in old stagecoach days. Or an officer in a patrol car could follow the pizza vehicle until after a safe delivery. Police wouldn’t have to go to every delivery site, only the most dangerous addresses—the cops know where these predators live.
My favorite idea is to have the city police deliver pizzas to the most dangerous places. Officers would better get to know these neighborhoods; their presence would help residents feel more secure and they could gather intelligence on what goes on there. Police could be paid extra for the pizza duty or collect the tips.
Some of these ideas may not fully protect food delivery people, but the threat to them calls for some innovative thinking–and action. In the final analysis, if the police can’t prevent violent predators from prowling city streets and preying on innocent citizens, folks will have to protect themselves—or stay clear of downtown Wilmington.
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