It's not often I'm surprised by an article in one of our local papers. As a native Floridian, few things surprise me about this state anymore (News of the Weird — that's all I have to say).
But a front page story in today's Times did it:
Celebratory gunfire is a statewide problem
What?!
From the article:
Celebratory gunfire like the kind that precipitated the fatal shooting of Javon Dawson at a crowded graduation party Saturday night is on the rise around Tampa Bay and the state, causing injuries and even deaths, say law enforcement officials.
This is so much of a problem that St. Pete police even created a public service announcement in April warning party people about the dangers of celebrating with guns (as if the laws of physics are lost on these pistol-wielding revelers).
What is this? Pakistan?!
Anyway, the news about this surrounds the recent shooting of a 17-year-old black teen by a white St. Pete police officer. Last weekend, police responded to a graduation party after calls about celebratory gunfire. According to police, Javon Dawson had a gun and pointed it at police. They shot him twice.
Back to celebratory gunfire: the article above quotes a Gulfport police officer who says on New Year's Eve, you can't go 30 seconds without hearing gunfire. In fact, the department even has a special unit to deal with such crimes. I have to admit, I've been out of town for New Year's the past two years. Anybody else hear celebratory gunfire in their neighborhood on New Year's Eve?
Am I just close-minded and blind to the cultural differences in our state? Or is this quite possibly one of the stupidest trends in Tampa Bay, right after bead throwing?
This article appears in Jun 11-17, 2008.