Do you know this woman? And if you do, would drop a dime on her?
She was a suspect in an assault, accused of spitting on another customer in the upscale Di Bruno Bros. Center City store. Actually, two assaults on consecutive days in the store. And apparently some people did dime her out, did because cops made an arrest based on tips. Plural.
Suspect Jacqueline McBride, 27, was charged with simple assault, terroristic threats, and harassment. Now she is in the hands of our prosecution-averse District Attorney Larry Krasner, who doesn’t believe in jailing nonviolent suspects. But is this nonviolent?
I think the attack was violent, aggressive, and almost terroristic given the pandemic we are living in. She is charged with serial offenses, should require bail and she should be jailed before posting bond. If she contracts COVID-19 in jail, the punishment fits the crime.
The Inquirer reports a Hanover County grocery had to trash $35,000 worth of food after a woman coughed on it. Another suspect spit at New Jersey police officers.
This happens against a background of New Jersey establishing, basically, a snitch line for citizens to report others who are breaking guidelines that protect us against the COVID-19 virus. New York City had one, but took it down after it was flooded by vandals and wise guys.
Here is where it gets interesting.
A month ago, I wrote about a New Jersey man who was arrested at Wegmans after he said he had the virus and coughed on a clerk.
Here’s part of what I wrote: “Identified as the moron was 50-year-old George Falcone who was charged with terroristic threats. Somehow that seemed funny to WPHT1210-AM host Rich Zeoli, who ridiculed the entirely appropriate charge. Assault would also be appropriate.”
Zeoli then went on an OCD rampage, sputtering out a half dozen comments calling me everything from a fascist to a snowflake, which is an oxymoron, but what the hell.
Thursday morning, I am listening to WPHT, which is conservative to say the least, and I hear Dom Giordano complaining against the government seeking help from citizens to curtail violations of health guidelines.
This is curious. I spent most of my life believing conservatives were the law and order people, while Democrats were soft on crime, the ones currently turning prisoners loose on almost any excuse. (Looking at you, Krasner.)
I ask Zeoli and Giordano if they would call the cops if they saw a drug deal going down, or a burglar on a neighbor’s porch?
I’m pretty sure they would.
Likewise, they’d probably dial 911 if they saw an assault.
And I’ll bet you a nickel they have ranted against the “snitches get stitches” philosophy that rules some urban neighborhoods.
Don’t they see spitting on people as assault, possibly deadly with the virus on the loose?
Maybe they do, but then it gets mixed in with some weird notions of secret police, whether Nazi, Stasi, Chinese Communist, of neighbor informing on neighbor.
Or maybe this is some kind of mis-shapen, deep-rooted, right-wing, anti-government sentiment.
So where do you draw the line between good citizenship and being a stool pigeon?
For me, when one person’s actions place another person in danger, that is the line.
And I will snitch with a clear conscience.
HAPPY SATURDAY !!!
Stu,
Why do we, the people, call reporting a crime, “snitching”? Whistle blowing is another example of turning something right into wrong. I do believe that we were raised to respect people and their property. Anything less is a crime ( or at least a sin ). I don’t know when it became fashionable to look the other way. To me, that is worse than snitching.
I just realized, that when I worked as an construction inspector, I could have been called a snitch. I suppose that I, at times, was called worse ! If that is true, then why, as a contractor, are you supposed to follow contracts and procedure, and I, as an inspector, is suppose to make sure that you are doing the work correctly. Why, then, would I be a snitch ?
Tony
I agree snitch is a bad term, but understandable.
And you understand that today is Friday, not Saturday. 😀
Tony, When we as a company went out on inspections to look for fire code violations, (there is a myriad of them), as I’m sure you know, we would Red check violators, but were very discreet about it. We usually gave them a subtle verbal explanation of the problem. We were not out to threaten anyone. These were people just trying to make a living. We pointed out the dangers! If, the violation was obviously egregious we would then have no recourse but to Red check them, give them a copy, then pass on our copy to the city inspectors. I never thought of it as snitching, ratting, etc. Just my job, hell it could mean a life! No one ever squawked at us.
Sometimes saying as little as possible, a nice word with a smile worked wonders!! Or nothing!! You know what I mean, my friend. Happy Saturday!!
Tom
Tom,
I understand the fire code / saftey inspection. Construction is quite different. I’m not referring to quality control, I’m talking about building per proper procedure and accepted practices. When people don’t follow the rules, others get hurt – or killed. There are many building sites in Philly that should have a plague on the wall, recognizing the loss of life.
In case I don’t see ya, “HAPPY SATURDAY”.
Tony
You would have a nice word for someone who spit in your face? Tell me about that.
Stu,
If you are addressing me, there are several ways to handle it. First. It never happened or anything close to it, when I was an inspector. As a construction worker, it would take a lot less than that to throw punches.
Second. In Jersey, construction officials are held in higher regard than they are here in PA. Gov. Jim Florio passed a law that protected construction officials. It only took a couple of screw ups to wind up in jail, to calm the rest down.
Unlike a one or two here in this blog, I was at my best as a construction official. “Code enforcement” already puts you on the short side of the stick. You diffuse the situation by showing respect, and explaining the situation. Then you get respect in return. The few times that I had issues, I just had the cops back me up.
Here in Philly, I was only offered bribes, not spit. My answer to that was, “I want the original 30 pieces of silver”. If I had to explain the value to the offender, it was amusing. But in case some people don’t get it. I don’t ever have to worry about working again when I sell the “30 pieces of silver”.
Tony
Stu,
Forget about the first paragragh above in my reply to Tony…please? The second paragraph is code which apparently no one understood, except me and it will remain that way.
Anyone who spit in my face I would do my best, which isn’t much to talk about, to knock that person on his or her or in between’s ass.
If you wish the first part decoded, email me and I will explain.
Tom
I’m really getting bad at guessing what day it is…………………..but I’m not going to “unretire” to find out !
A great non-answer Tony. You seem to respond to things by talking about the past rather than dealing with what is happening now if you feel the answer would show you to be a fool. Why don’t you give a direct answer to the question? Are you too afraid? I believe you, like your lying ass faux president, tRUMP, are cowards.
I do not expect an answer, Tony, and that in itself speaks volumes.
Wow mr.Bogart cool like Humphrey you are not.Mean and ugly more like it.I live in west philly where virtue signaling signs in the window are required for home ownership and I always notice how tolerant everybody is except for those with an opposing point of view- they break the windows of those they suspect might be sympathetic to Trump.I believe Tony and Tom clearly state that they would have “snitched” on the spitter.
Well stated Steve.
Speaking of Trump and his haters….
What kind of American would proudly place an “Impeach Trump” sign in their front window of their home and adorn their property with Old Glory? (I’ve seen one). And why? The same type of person that would knock a MAGA hat off a person at a Trump rally or rip a Trump for President sign off someone’s lawn.
More scary, what would drive them to that point of rage?
How about a spiteful hate filled thin skinned MSM pundrity that see themselves not in the looking glass for fear of ‘guilt’, but rather as haughty purveyors of values and self anointed saviors for the uneducated, “We the people.”
Steve and Tom,
There is no reasoning with the far left, as you know. They are blinded sheep being led to the slaughter. As proven in this blog, an attempt to have a debate is met with sarcasm, cursing and words that a mother would cringe at.
My Letter to the masses dated 17 April, in the blog; Virus: The plan to save the economy looks good is my last response to Mr.(?) H. Bogert.
Tony
If I knew her I would have turned her in.
I find it interesting, and telling, that neither of the two other posters, Anthony and Vincent, are wiling to answer the question that Stu posed. Forget about the pandemic, spitting on someone is considered assault. Would it be alright if someone spits on you, a family member, or a friend?
Why won’t you answer the question Stu asked?
See my response below, Mr. bogart.
Yes, Vincent, you answered it after my post.
It’s not a contest, sir.
Great to see the outrage about an offensive action that should be handled as an act of battery. Snitches are covered by layers of protection so, it just comes down to either fear, indifference, or cowardice. Having been on the receiving end of both they are folder for discussion because it involved a young woman spitting on another woman and phone calls set up by a Mayor who has no conception of what appropriate law and order response should be utilized. We have been civilly incarcerated and we are yelling at the jailer for release.
I hope there is outrage, Tom. There should be.
During this pandemic, if I witnessed someone spitting, sneezing, coughing on someone on purpose, hell to the yeah, I’d photo them and call the police. When asymptomatic people can pass the virus on unknowingly, then what more jerks who would endanger people on purpose?
Welcome aboard, Suze.
Because, Suzette, many of these “jerks” are uncaring, unsympathetic idiots who only care about themselves.
I am a proud conservative…not so far right as Frank Rizzo (who famously said, “I make Atilla the Hun look like a faggot”). I would have turned that woman in in a heartbeat. Let’s see what happens to her in the Philadelphia justice system. Anyone want to make a bet she walks?
Vince,
Another quote, when Mike Wallace was interviewing Rizzo concerning the “move incident”. Wallace was coming down on Rizzo pretty hard. You could see the collar was a little to tight on Uncle Frank. Wallace lit the fuse, Rizzo leaned across the, got in Mike’s face and said, ” we have enough arms to invade Cuba…and WIN”. The look on Mike Wallace’s face….PRICELESS !
Tony
Love him or hate him, Frank Rizzo WAS Philadelphia. Do you remember the photo of him in a tuxedo, with a billy club stuck in his cummerbund? And a bunch of street punks up against a wall? Priceless.
You have made a common mistake. The cummerbund picture was NOT taken at the strip down. It was on the way to a different riot. This is per the photographer who took the strip down pic. Daily News. Rizzo was NOT there.
Hey fellows,
I really felt sorry for him when he fell and broke his leg at the Gulf refinery fire. Remember? He was the right top cop for the right time.
I stand corrected on the site. Thank you for elucidating.
There is nothing wrong with being a Conservative, or a Liberal Vincent. The problems arise when people are so blind they not only cannot see the problems their side is causing they cannot see or accept the other side at all. I see this much more on the right than the left.
Vince,
I’ll bet that Ms McBride, doesn’t even have to go to court. Spitting on someone is a misdemeanor of the second class per Title 18, Section 2701 (1) of the Philadelphia Criminal Code. I use to know the code a lot better when I lived in the city.
Tony