Halting the carnage

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/12/2009 (5771 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

We have all read and heard many comments about a Winnipegger who was tragically killed when his car was hit by a stolen Hummer driven by car thieves last week. People have called for better ways to prevent these sorts of accidents including longer periods of incarceration for car thieves etc. It is interesting that there has been no mention of the responsibility we all share to help prevent our vehicles from being stolen. The person who left the car running to warm up and allowed it to be easily stolen should perhaps be charged with criminal negligence and be fined or even be sentenced to a bit of jail time for their part in the accident. This might send an important message to people to do more to prevent their vehicles form being stolen and being involved in such a tragic accident.

DORIS AMES

Winnipeg

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Re: More carjackings ahead (Dec. 15). I’m still unsure how these crimes are committed. On Saturday, the Hummer that was stolen from a driveway was apparently running. Obviously, the keys had to be in the ignition. How irresponsible can you be? Why not just put a take me sign on it?

Why people even buy these gas-guzzling monsters is beyond me. They have to be some kind of power-tripping, wealth-flaunting, Arnold Schwarzenegger wannabes who get more pleasure out of intimidating other drivers than they care about the environment.

SUSAN LEIGH

Winnipeg

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The recent death due to a stolen car last week points out again how we coddle car thieves. The individual was a Level 4 offender, on probation, along with other offences. Now he will plead not guilty, get a high-priced defence lawyer, at our cost, and plead all kinds of unfortunate situations in his upbringing. Tough! I have more compassion and concern for the family who is now without a loved one because of this individual’s lack of concern for anything other than his reckless need to steal cars.

It is about time we, as a society, tell our elected officials and bleeding hearts that we have had enough. Write, phone, or email these people and let them know that the innocent are more important than chronic offenders. If we don’t, then the carnage will continue.

Alex Boyes

Winnipeg

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Re: Crash victim had no chance (Dec. 14). I don’t understand how defence lawyers like Roberta Campbell can sleep soundly at night while defending guilty criminals like the cowardly murderers who killed innocent Zdzislaw Andrzejczak. Telling the guilty and those who deserve to go to jail “under no circumstances turn yourselves in” is an awful message to send!

ALISON PAGSUYUIN

Winnipeg

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Defence lawyer Roberta Campbell says “Under no circumstances would I tell my clients to turn themselves in. If you turn yourself in, you flag yourself as a person involved and we all know there are wrongfully convicted people in prison.” That is one of the most absurd statements I have ever heard. Are we to believe that innocent people turn themselves in for crimes they did not commit on a regular basis? I would suggest that wrongful convictions occur when the real culprits cower behind lawyers like Campbell. Whatever happened to taking responsibility for your own actions? Or better yet, doing the right thing and providing some measure of closure for the victim’s family.

ROBERT RIFFEL

Winnipeg