Asshole of the Week

This week, I am sick of death—of good men dying of cancer, of the dimming of the stars. I don't care that I didn't personally know any of these people. I watched Charlie's Angels when I was home sick from school, and I tried over and over again to learn the Moonwalk without ever succeeding. I am deflated by these deaths.

So, all the unnecessary violence in my home city pisses me off. There's already enough tragedy in the world without heaping more bodies onto the count. Why do we have men answering their doors with guns in hand? Why are the police shooting them? Philadelphia, I love you, but you are sick.

On Wednesday this week, West Philadelphia resident Tony Anderson was fatally shot nine times by the police when he answered his door with a revolver in his hand. The officers were called to the scene by neighbors who heard an argument, and saw Anderson fire his weapon into an empty lot across the street.

So, the officers were responding to a call of a shot fired, but when they came to the door and called for Anderson to drop his weapon—he did. Then they shot him. Nine times. His wife was standing with him on the porch, and the bullets hissed past her as they killed her husband. What is this?

Angry neighbors say the 55-year-old Anderson was a good man who went to work every day, took care of his family, and liked to garden. Now he's dead.

The whole incident is being investigated by the city and the officers in question will be on desk duty for the duration. In the meantime, maybe we could stop killing each other?

Image credit: Flickr user Cyb3rb@ck