Originally published July 12, 2008 at 12:00 AM | Page modified July 12, 2008 at 12:29 PM
Editorial
Seattle's mean streets
Seattle's relatively low crime rate underscores the horror of two recent incidents: the brutal death of a good samaritan and the stabbing of a man leaving his bachelor party.
With Seattle's crime rate the lowest it's been in decades, the violent death of James Paroline is a distressing intrusion on relative calm.
Paroline was outside his upper Rainier Beach home sprucing up a traffic circle when young thugs decided to take him on. Paroline's offense? Placing orange construction cones in the street to cordon off the small area where he toiled — weeding, watering and tending purple, yellow and pink flowers.
Paroline was adding beauty to a part of a city we all share. To three teenage girls, this was unforgivable.
According to police, the girls were in a car and argued with Paroline to move the cones. He refused. Things went dangerously downhill from there, providing an unsettling view of what happens when respect and neighborhood congeniality are absent.
The girls moved the cones; Paroline spayed them with his garden hose. The girls threw water on him from a large jug. Witnesses disagree about who threw the first blow but say some scuffling ensued. At some point a young man drove up.
If one could have freeze-framed the situation at that point, it would look like this: A person drives up and has a choice to follow in Paroline's footsteps and do something positive like quelling the dispute, or follow the girls' lead and challenge a blameless act. We know from the news stories the stranger chose the latter.
The man punched Paroline in the head, the 60-year-old fell backward, struck his head on the asphalt and died a day later from his injuries. That none of this should have happened is an understatement.
Orange cones are not calls to battle. They are an infrequent presence when residents want to slow traffic near kids playing or save a parking spot. They can be irritating. Most people respond to these impromptu traffic signals in a reasonable manner.
Rational behavior further requires anyone knowing the identity of Paroline's assailant to contact police. It is a crime to beat another person; it is a very serious crime to cause their death. The three girls bear a different responsibility: finding a moral conscience.
The incident on a balmy summer evening is in stark contrast to the growing peacefulness of Seattle streets. Crime fell in our city to a 39-year low in 2007, mirroring a national trend in which violent crime has fallen in most same-sized cities. That makes Paroline's death all the more unsettling.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
Leonard Pitts Jr. / Syndicated columnist: New York terror trials will restore faith in rule of law
Charles Krauthammer / Syndicated columnist: New York trial a propaganda coup for terrrorists

LA Galaxy's David Beckham
Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham talks about the upcoming MLS Cup final during after a team practice.
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
How to tell your office you're gravely ill
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new sedan? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Craigslist adoption ad: A plea by young mother-to-be? A scam?
- Italian lead prosecutor argues Knox motive was hatred
- Tugboat sinks on Seattle's waterfront
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- Italian prosecutors request life sentence for UW student
- Man shot in chest on E. Union Street in Capitol Hill
- Washington state wines make annual best-of list
- Chase shrugs off loss of CD investors
- Mariners Blog | A Mariners-Tigers swap makes a whole lot of sense for both teams
- Senate vote clears hurdle
239 - Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
120 - Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
119 - Tight Senate vote launches health care over hurdle
119 - Palin excitement builds in Tri-Cities
117 - Cutting through breast-cancer confusion
89 - Prosecutor requests life in prison for Amanda Knox
88 - Game thread
70 - New York terror trials will restore faith in rule of law
53 - Chase shrugs off loss of CD investors
48
- Washington state wines make annual best-of list
- Nonprofits get creative using Twitter and Facebook to make donation easier
- It's possible to recover a life lost to hoarding
- Lynnwood is reinventing itself — again
- Great places to cross-country ski for free (or almost) in the Methow
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- Recipes: Sesame Pork Roast, Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce and more
- Banff: powder, peaks & purity
- 175 foster kids in Washington get 'forever families'








