i think this is so cool!  if there is a god -- then god bless these men for being willing to stick their necks out for a subset of the population that is more often than not excoriated or, at best, forgotten entirely.

i think i love the description of their mission, on their facebook group page, the best:

"The Long Island Killer is out there. He's a scary bastard, and it's starting to seem like he is focusing on you pretty ladies because some people are slower to report you missing, and also because apparently the law doesn't respect your personal choices and that means cops are slower to follow through when it comes to you. Well, I'm here to say FUCK THAT. We respect you as human beings, we believe in personal freedoms and think that you're doing something that is absolutely your choice to do."

as the article says -- sure, it's a little goofy; sure, a serial killer may NOT be intimidated by these men -- but then again, maybe the simple fact that some sort of safety net is trying to be set in place for these women may frighten him; and they're trying, and they're standing up for something, and i think it's sweet.

you go, guys!

to be frank, i don't like vigilantism in general. but in cases where LE isn't doing it's job.... especially because they prejudge a persons life style choices as making them less than human...  i really don't mind at all.

Can't even get these people to put me to bed and make sure I get up intime for work tomorrow, much less string that fucker up.

And I KNOW some of the guys you've seen! lol!

But I'll tell you what. I know for a fact, and so do they, if the L.I. Killer was in arms length of me? You'd sleep better the next night.

The simple fact is that many populations have little or no access to justice and little or no assurance of protection of their person.

Our "justice" system does not serve them.

In Jefferson's conception, governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed. I cannot give the government consent for something that, absent the government, I would not have the moral power to accomplish on my own.

When the government fails to undertake its duty, people are, imho, entirely justified in wielding that power themselves.

If a foreign invader arrived on our shores and started shooting people at random, and for some reason the government didn't respond, would it be *wrong* for people to take on the invaders themselves in order to protect those who were important to them? Maybe it would be illegal, but it wouldn't be wrong.

This is no different. The government is failing to respond in order to assure safety among a population that has given up its right of self-defense to that government in exchange for safety that is not being delivered. Re-taking that power and exercising it as a citizen is an entirely reasonable thing to do.

There is room for vigilantism in this world.

if it was nearly dozen clients buried in LI.

I applaud the intentions of the LI hobbyists in solving this case.  However, vigilantes and lynch mobs often "apprehend" the wrong person and cause more harm than good.

is that it never ever though anyone anything


You could say that current Middle East issue is can be response to a large group of vigilantes who decided to take back someone's remains and bring them to Europe.

I believe they are also known as "the crusades"


Thousand years later we have Navy Seals making surgical strikes.

However, human nature never changes. Predators respond only to one approach - POWER. And if it takes bunch of private citizens to stop LI killer? I am all for it.

to make that room as small as possible would require an honorable government that regarded its citizens as equally deserving of protection. it would also require a _professional_ LE agency that did not make private _personal_ choices about _when_ to respond to violations and abuses of its citizens.

it's not clear that it would ever be possible to make that "room" shrink to zero.... there will always be cases that fall outside the usual. your thought experiment is an example. but i fear that there is a trend in the functioning of government and LE agancies such that the room for private action is increasing as government and LE become more inept.

in consequence.... mistakes will be a byproduct.

i know of a real life example where there was certainly room for vigilantism but the vigilantes were incompetent. not only did they get the wrong guy but they also injured an innocent.

As a student of history, I have observed too many instances where vigilantees and lynch mobs have erred.

Had to Google that.

I hearya lady. Give me a little time, I'll catch-up. lol!

But your right it is sometimes necessary when those entrusted with the ones safety fail to protect.

My hope is that LE will catch this monster and justice would be had in the courts. Yet, it seems the police and the media are busy blaming the victims for being prostitutes.

I know of to many cases where LE has fail to protect because the victim was a prostitute and even more cases were the victim failed to report do to fear of the police.

I sadly see why vigilantism may be necessary here. Especially if they use the least amount of force necessary to get the job done of ending the threat and only use lethal force if necessary to save a life. They will do more harm then good if they go off with reckless abandon though as an innocent would likely get hurt.

I really hope LE does there job before these vigilantes does it for them.

She is only seeing regular clients that she trusts.  Can't blame her for that...  

It's nice that people are sticking their necks out as you say. Girls in the taboo profession have been very cliche targets for centuries, from Jack the Ripper to the Craigslist killer to this guy.....I'm wondering how this guy gets through screening, cause even if I were a girl who didn't vigilantly screen (I'm not) I'd change my ways if I lived in that area!

only to pursue the perpetrator after he/she has voilated some law.  D@mn little consolation for someone who has been grieviously injured.   I think it would be great to have some protectors at hand but I really don't know how a call in system is going to help.   If a lady (or a man) needs help...  in the face of a violent assault...  someone in the next room may be too far away.  

I do not have an answer...  perhaps those protectors know something I do not...  but anyone who assaults someone weaker deserves to be struck up by his what-nuts!
skb