KEEP ON KILLING, BUT JUST KEEP IT QUIET

Listen up, Indianapolis, I've got a question for you. If the murder rate
goes up, but nobody complains, does it really matter? By what I'm hearing
(or not), apparently it doesn't. You see, last year the homicide rate shot
up by 11 percent, and nobody noticed.

Twelve more people died a violent death in 2001 than in 2000, and there was
only a blip in the news media. Last year marked the first increase since
1999 in violent crime, and yet this alarming news was met with
ear-splitting silence.

Although the increase in the homicide rate should be shocking enough, it
appears that some of our political and community leaders have rationalized
away their responsibility. Strangely, it's their silence that ultimately
gives them away.

A few have subscribed to the notion that this represents an acceptable
outcome since they are apparently "only killing themselves." I believe such
a premise represents the worst of human nature and is the equivalent of
moral bankruptcy in a civil society.

Some will whisper that to draw attention to the homicide rate would be a
political embarrassment to the current administration. I submit that any
politician, Democrat or Republican, who would rather save face than address
this problem deserves our glaring scrutiny and loud remonstrance.

Still others will privately agree that such killings offer little in the
way of media exposure and thus fail to warrant the full attention of our
community leaders. I propose that this insidious attitude is far more
dangerous to the city than a legion of rogue police officers, for by this
action they are giving de facto approval and support to the perpetrators of
violence in our streets.

So how do we stop this treacherous slide toward another record year of
homicides? Simple. First, as a community, we must decide not to accept it.

We do this by holding our political leaders accountable for this rise and
any subsequent rise in the homicide rate. We demand results. Not next year,
not next month, not tomorrow, but now. We must command them to return to
what was working as opposed to what was postulated.

Contrary to the current policy pundits, community intervention programs do
work if they are given adequate resources. If there's a lack of will by
some to change strategies, then let it be known that as of today, the blood
of the victims will be on their hands and removal from office will be their
fate.

Second, we must support the efforts of our law enforcement officers as they
go about their duties. Over the last two years, I've had the opportunity to
work with three of the four district chiefs and understand the pressures
they face at ground zero, often without the necessary support from those
who matter most -- we, the community.

Third, we accept no excuses for lawlessness. Being underprivileged doesn't
give anyone a license to kill. Too many before us have proven that poverty
does not and should not equal depravity. We need to come to the realization
that it's drug dealing, not racism or racial profiling, that presents the
greatest threat to our urban neighborhoods. A handful of dealers have done
more harm than any racist cop could hope to do in 10 lifetimes.

Finally, get involved. Right now a few of us are so grateful to be sitting
at the table of power that we thankfully consume bland platefuls of benign
neglect sprinkled with sugar-laced platitudes. What many of us fail to do
is demand a role in creating the menu. Some of us are afraid that if we
request anything, we'll be removed from the table; others have selfishly
negotiated for sole access to the menu.

As for me, I'm bringing my own lunch and my own chair. For you see, I'm a
believer in the three R's of being a community activist: revival, renewal
and, if necessary, revolution.

It requires a revival of community spirit, a renewal of commitment and a
revolution from old ideas.

There comes a time when each of us must stand for something or wither in
the eyes of the Almighty and our fellow man. I've made a personal
commitment to this community to use the opportunity of writing a regular
column for The Star to shine the light where it's dark and bring the heat
where it's needed. Today, I used a little of both because, frankly, we
deserve a lot better than what we've been getting.

Randolph is a firefighter with the Indianapolis Fire Department. His column
appears the third Tuesday of each month.