Vigilante killings...Justified or Not?
By cdparazo
@cdparazo (5765)
Philippines
March 13, 2008 1:49am CST
For the past years, my city has experienced vigilante killings wherein the suspected criminals and those who have served some jail terms and were still suspected to be doing some criminal activities were gunned down by masked men known as the vigilantes. It was whispered around that the ones who were doing the killings were really policemen who are under the payroll of local officials and were tasked to eliminate the criminal elements in my city. As of December 2004 the numbers of the killed vigilante style reached 180. Killings experienced some lull last year wherein 4 recorded killings were registered vigilante style. Most of our citizens recoiled and expressed outrage and disgust of the killings. Left and right, the vigilantes received so much criticisms. I for one was the one who criticized and I say though, I don't agree with the method, it did manage to scare the criminals and my city experience a lull in the criminal activities. Then last week, a young woman with promising future as a graduating nursing student was killed by 3 men. She was killed because the men wanted to rob her of her celphone and she tried to evade them. The death of the young woman resurrected the vigilantes and a lot of the citizens seems to accept them already. But I, on the other hand is still against it. We have laws and a justice system. We are supposed to be civilized people. Those people who killed the young women, like other criminals, deserved their day in court for justice to be truly served. No matter the justification, it is not right for me to just execute those men. Do you agree with me? Do you think that vigilante killing is wrong and that we must follow our justice system?
4 people like this
6 responses
@balasri (26537)
• India
13 Mar 08
If you ask this question to a wealthy and successful man who was born with a silver spoon and holding a big position in the society the response will be of one nature.
If you ask the same question to a man whose dear wife was brutally raped and killed for a pittance and his loving young daughter abducted for more his response will be quite different.
Right and wrong are not black and white.How about the gray areas.
1 person likes this
@cdparazo (5765)
• Philippines
13 Mar 08
I agree with you. I may feel safer and happy that my city is rid of those criminal element, but I also feel not comfortable and guilty too that those criminals were not given their day in court. That is the gray area. One thing that I am sure though is that we have a justice system that is supposed to serve. I still believe in it no matter what. Another scenario could be presented too. What if the suspected 'criminal' is your brother or a member of your family? Of course, one would also want that member of the family to be given a fair trial.
@balasri (26537)
• India
13 Mar 08
Your question is, do you think that vigilante killing is wrong and that we must follow our justice system?
I have mentioned the different thinking only.
Can you have a soft corner for a brother turned serial killer. Will it become fair on our part if we ourselves are biased?
And when the guilty is released for the lack of evidence and by the talent of a criminal attorney what will the affected think? Will he be still thinking of a fair trial?
I am not justifying vigilantes. But there were vigilante, there are vigilantes and there will be vigilantes.
1 person likes this
@cdparazo (5765)
• Philippines
13 Mar 08
Yes I understand. But the possible answers that you have presented based on different scenarios are pure conjecture. One cannot really know how each one thinks of such killings unless one expresses them vocally. A good example is what you say about a business man whose response will only be of one nature...and I am supposing that would be in disfavor of the killings. But here in my city, it has been suspected that part of financing for those vigilantes may have come from those successful business men. And since you asked if one could be unbiased if ones family has turned serial killer, I think that one could be. In fact, a lot of cases has been recorded wherein the capture of the criminal was caused by ones sibling or family. Each of us may feel differently and may support or be against vigilantes based on our personal reasons. But at the end of the day, we are all aware how things should be addressed being a society of civilized and lawful men regardless of our personal stand or opinion on the matter.
@secretbear (19448)
• Philippines
13 Mar 08
i would accept vigilante killing as long as i know that the vigilante are not just great punishers but great detectives too because they would need to find solid proof first before punishing the suspected criminals.
i actually often wish that i have some kind of martial arts skill or combat skill so that i can punish myself the notorious criminals especially the rapists, murderers, and those that hurt kids. of course that wish is coupled with a detective abilities and radar abilities. with radar i mean, i can sense when there is a looming danger that is about to happen to an innocent victim. ^__^;;
i just think that our justice system is so slow, lacks the necessary skills to track down, hunt down, and punish the criminals, and is selective. justice should be blind. it should punish any criminals, no matter how influential or rich are they. justice shouldn't be influenced by money.
@secretbear (19448)
• Philippines
26 Apr 08
i guess its really not the right thing to do. then it would be better to wish that i was a superhero who helps in catching criminals, like darna or wonderwoman. 
1 person likes this
@cdparazo (5765)
• Philippines
12 Apr 08
I know what you mean when you say that our justice system is just so slow that one can't help feeling frustrated. It is indeed very tempting to put the law into our own hands and tackle those criminals ourselves. I have been thinking like you also that I have those powers or abilities to make me apprehend those criminals. But deep inside, I also know that I should not take the law into my own hands even if I am capable of doing them. I have to give the system a chance. IT is easier said than done though but I think that it is the right thing to do. It may be gratifying to wreck havoc and vengeance to all those criminals, but in the long run, it wont give us a better and more peaceful society.
1 person likes this
@Ohara_1983 (4117)
• Kuwait
13 Mar 08
i totally agree with you my friend,but sometimes the killer can use thier money so they will not execute what they did, specailly to the people ask you said from the policemen or the people in goverment they are the first criminal, but the innocent they will make like animal in the jail serving the mistake that they never do. god will give us only the right justice hope this will be changes in this world.
@cdparazo (5765)
• Philippines
12 Apr 08
What you are saying is indeed very true and are happening all over the world. But I somehow think to give the system a chance. The system doesn't work because there are corrupt people. So we should start by replacing those people to run the system who have integrity. The system itself is okey but its the people who are allowing themselves to be bribed. In short, we are our own downfall.
@Jemina (5770)
•
16 Apr 08
I definitely disagree with them but I
believe it's the anger that drives these
people to take the matter in their own
hands. Anger because of the unfair judicial
system.
We can't deny the fact that the judicial
system in our country is a crap and many
times, money talks.
If the suspected criminal is influenced
by someone rich and powerful then chances
are he may be bailed out.
If only we had an excellent judicial system
that favors only the victims no matter what
their social status is, then I believe
this vigilantes wouldn't be as active as
they are now.
1 person likes this
@kamran12 (5526)
• Pakistan
30 Mar 08
Hello cdparazo!:-)
Like some others have expressed, it is not something one can give a very straightforward answer to, without thinking of the other side.
It used to happen in my country of residence too but in more explicit way. What would happen is that a police squad would transport a criminal from one place to another, and on their way, at some deserted area, they will set the criminal free, to run as far as he can. And, when the criminal would run, they would shoot him. People called it that that person was 'encountered'! It did help to decrease crime rates in no time.
The reason behind it was that police thought that their hands were tied by Justice department, who is corrupt and where criminals get away just by buying a judge or hiring best lawyers and buying some fake witnesses or even threatening the aggrieved party and thus finally getting decision in their favor. The results were that criminals were encouraged, recidivism was common and it was police who got criticized all the time. This was a quick justice system of their own, where they work hard to catch a criminal. And, they did have support of our chief minister.
The problem with this type of activity is that, sometimes an innocent can be charged of a crime, and even circumstantial evidence would point to him, while actually he never did that crime.
In my humble opinion, corruption in justice system should be controlled by giving punishment to any judge found corrupt. Plus, I believe in very strict punishments for people who are proven guilty. Justice and strict punishments help discourage the wannabe criminals and also the problem of recidivism.
1 person likes this
@cdparazo (5765)
• Philippines
12 Apr 08
We have that kind of killings here in my country too wherein the police takes the law into their own hands. WE even have some areas called 'killing fields' wherein the criminals who were killed and tortured are being thrown. We also the 'kangaroo court' by NPA. NPA is a rebel group here in my country who punishes those who are corrupt and hold a hearing on their own and would mete out immediate punishment but killing the alledge criminal. I may understand perfectly why those killings are being done but i still believe that it is not the solution. As a said before, what kind of society are we bequeathing our children who cannot follow the law and allow such killings to happen? We are supposed to be a society of law and order. If the system itself is corrupt or haev lots of loopholes, then we should correct them and not take the law into our hands. In the long run, such actions won't make as a better society but may result on anarchy.
@satkumar077 (180)
• India
13 Mar 08
Criminals per say have no place in civilized society . But it depends on the activities they carry out . Not all deserve the same treatment as you have mentioned above . Those amature criminals can be sent for counselling and transfored into law abiding citizens . They must be given a chance to reform .But there are criminals who have earned their reputation of their criminal activities .They cannot be set free into streets just because they are not convicted because of the loop holes in the legal system .As these criminals have political patronage they get around the system like walking the ramp and still continue to do their anti-social activities . So the only way to eliminate these "rats" is to play a cat .
with regards
www.chocolatesavy.com
1 person likes this
@cdparazo (5765)
• Philippines
13 Mar 08
But supporting or financing the vigilantes makes as criminals too and has no place in a civilized society, doesn't it? Being in a civilized society of men, we have to have a better way of dealing with those and vigilante's, for me, is certainly not the answer. We could have improved on our justice system as part of that solution.
