Gorman's Grab Bag

Mayhem in Mercer

Reports say two suspects in the killing were arrested in Trumbull County early Wednesday morning.

I once lived in Greenville and was a sports writer and sports editor at the local paper and coming from the ``mean streets' of Youngstown, it was one of the safest places I've ever been. I would walk home from work after midnight, even, in the height of summer, and the town square was filled with people at that hour of the night simply enjoying themselves.

Greenville's homicide is the third in the mostly rural county this year and came on the same evening that two people were shot in Farrell, which is referred to as a ``junior Youngstown' in some circles because of their chronic drug problem.

Two of the county's three homicides this year were in small towns, as well as a homicide in Sharon just after the first of the year.

It seems to be part of a pattern in the last two years. Mostly placid communities such as Newton Falls and Lake Milton and Greenville are seeing some of the violence that is often associated with their larger neighbors. And while that violence is largely drug related, the smaller towns are now dealing with a different culture where violence is more accepted and seen as a way to solve problems.

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Tonelli

05-28-08 9:06 AM »Report Abuse

While drugs may play a major role in the escalating murder rate we're not looking at the root of the problem. Most of us fault the black youth selling $20 rocks on corners but the real problem is the investors in large quantities of drugs. It is the wealthy suburbanite who can afford to partner with major drug traffickers and distributors in order to flood the poor communities with drugs. Police are often reluctant to harass the wealthy because many of those financing the drug trade are pillars of the community. So they target the effect rather than the cause. It's easier to target black youth who they despise already, rather than go after someone who might be a neighbor.

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