Columbia, S.C. considered and rejected a curfew back in March

In a long piece at Stuff Black People Don’t Like, Paul Kersey brings out that the black youth violence in Columbia, South Carolina, particularly in the Five Points area, was so bad a few months ago that the city council considered inaugurating a curfew. The measure was defeated, partly because of concerns that the ACLU might sue the city over it. But, as Kersey points out, if that curfew had been in place, the near fatal beating of Carter Strange in Five Points, which took place around midnight, would not have happened.

Now, of course, because of the Strange beating, Columbia has installed a curfew.

So it always goes with liberals. They don’t take necessary measures to protect society on the basis of reason and in advance of a danger, but only after something so terrible has happened that they are instinctively and emotionally compelled to do it.

In other words, liberalism prohibits non-liberal acts (such as a curfew) from being carried out on the basis of reason, because that would imply a rational rejection of some aspect of liberalism. Liberalism only allows non-liberal acts to be done on the basis of pure emotion (such as the emotion following the beating of Carter Strange), because emotion, not being based on any rational principle, cannot threaten the principles of liberalism. (See Unprincipled Exception.)

Here is the article Kersey links from March 8, 2011, on the rejection of the curfew, from a local Fox affiliate. And notice the underclass name of one of the city councilmembers.

COLUMBIA (WACH)—Columbia City Council decided to hold off on a curfew for teens 17-years old and younger.

City Attorney Ken Gaines and Police Chief Randy Scott say there isn’t enough data to prove that juveniles are committing a significant amount of crime in the Capital City.

Councilwoman Tameika Isaac Devine says the city could face a lawsuit if it passes this ordinance in a hurry.

“When we first started talking about it we had the ACLU represented and said they were looking at what we were doing very closely, so I think we have to very cognizant of what we’re doing and do it the right way,” she explains.

There is timetable for future discussion on this issue. Councilwoman Belinda Gergel initially floated the idea of a city-wide curfew to deal with rising crime in Five Points.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at June 30, 2011 08:34 AM | Send