Reason First: Can Morality Save the City of Wilmington, Delaware?

Rounds flew once again in the streets of Wilmington, Delaware. A 25-year-old man received medical attention based on his bullet wounds. It is no secret that Wilmington is a tiny hotbed compared to Philadelphia and New York City for these types of cases. It barely registers on the map as a blip. But the just over 70,000 residents have either grown weary or apathetic to the news of yet another shooting in the 21 incidents which have occurred already in 2020.

While some people scurry about grocery stores looking for food and supplies and other sundries in response to COVID-19, other people are literally dying in the streets. Over what? The drugs and gangs and minor scuffles lead to homicides. The politicians seem to not have a clue and law enforcement has their hands tied behind their backs. Every measure to curb, curtail, and possibly eliminate the scourge of shooting deaths, especially, have been like seeds cast upon stone. The reason why these policies don’t work is because they fail to address the morality of the situation.

Ethics injected into this problem would solve it faster than “turn in your gun for cash” drives, curfews, and of course, measures to restrict individual rights. It is imperative that policy makers create a moral case for saving lives.

Funeral homes make money from the bodies that continue to drop. The business of death keeps these establishments active among their other clientele. In all hopes, may the 25-year-old not need memorial services in the wake of such a start of the act of physical force. A long, bloody line exists signifying the young people who have met their fate in Wilmington. Individuals associated with places like Baltimore have dedicated an entire television series like The Wire (2002-2008) to the perils of the drug game. There’s no telling what the man busied himself with before he took in rounds but what would happen if all drugs did see legalization? Would we see such an influx of people shooting in the Corporate Capital of the World if drugs flooded the block without any response by the police except to keep them out of the hands of children? Would the moniker “Killmington, Hellaware” still be applicable to this region?

What is clear is that there doesn’t have to be any more shootings. Though people afflicted with downward thinking would say that it’s “just another day” and “who are we to make changes to the city?” the power to alter the direction of Delaware’s largest city lies in the hands of the bureaucrats who swore an oath to keep this town safe.

For all of the cries about gun control and the Second Amendment, there is little discussion of the root of the problem: irrationalism. The unthinking mobs rove the streets like packs of rabid wolves. They bear their fangs and before you know it, there’s another homicide or an attempt at one. Wilmington’s time in the spotlight becomes ever brighter as its most famous resident, former Vice President Joe Biden, runs for the highest office in the land. But with his cognitive inconsistencies, will he be able to address the dire goings-on of his current place of residency? If Mayor Mike Purzycki can link up with other cities who have witnessed significant declines in shootings and other serious crimes, there may be a chance for Wilmington. The mayor ought to experiment with repealing the drug Prohibition that is in effect right now. The evils of the minimum wage and licensing laws exacerbate the issue. So long as there is a centrally planned price on labor that cuts people out of the market and a license in order to properly form a low-cut fade, then the citizens of Wilmington will continue to go through the motions. If given the opportunity, each individual would be able to flourish in the First State.