SFChron: Robber Killed By Victim, Reported as 'Tragic', Robber a 'Good Person'

NewsBusters.org ^ | 4/21/07 | Warner Todd Huston

[Mobile Vulgus]

One would think the writers of The Onion satirical newspaper snuck into the offices of The San Francisco Chronicle after reading a report about a Pizza shop owner who saved the lives of his family by killing a gun wielding robber that was attempting to rob his store, a store with the owner's whole family inside. The Chronicle calls the meeting of the thief and would be killer and the innocent Pizza shop owner "tragic" and the report is filed as if the whole story was all just some unfortunate accident instead of a crime stopped cold.

The lives of the two men intersected tragically at about 9:30 p.m. Thursday when Hicks, armed with a pistol and joined by two other men, tried to rob Piedra inside the popular pizzeria at 89th Avenue and International Boulevard. Fearful that the assailants might hurt him, his wife and three children -- all of whom were inside the restaurant -- Piedra pulled out his 9mm semiautomatic pistol and opened fire, killing Hicks, police said.

The Chronicle made the story as an excuse at a morality play revealing how friends are remembering the robber as one who "...always had a smile on his face", that the shop owner "took no satisfaction in taking Hicks' life", and the police "...by no stretch of the imagination" were they "agreeing with or justifying what the owner did." We are even treated to a telling of our "tragic" robber's happy little "rap artist" name; "Boonie".

Obviously the San Francisco Chronicle has decided that this story is going to be their platform to show how guns "traumatize" everyone when the real focus of the story should be on how a shop owner protected himself and his family inside the shop from an armed criminal.

This is no "tragic" incident, but a crime stopped by a man protecting his family!

But, the SFChron goes to great pains to show the remorse of the shop owner, Mr. Piedra, as well as reporting how everyone just loved the drug using, girlfriend beating, pseudo "rapper", Hicks, turning a righteous case of self-protection into a giant pity party for the criminal.

The Shop owner is reported as having remorse:

"I wish this never happened," Piedra said. "I don't want anybody, any business to be in this kind of situation, with anybody putting a gun in your face."

Why, exactly, would anyone imagine otherwise?

The police are seen as scolding the shop owner who was just protecting his family and property:

Piedra said his 17-year-old son, 19-month-old son and 13-year-old daughter were inside the restaurant at the time. Piedra said he was afraid that the assailants would shoot him or hurt his family, a contention supported by Oakland police who nevertheless cautioned against citizens taking direct action against criminals.

"There is definitely a balance," said Officer Roland Holmgren, department spokesman. "This thing had potential -- who knows where the suspects were going to take the situation? But by no stretch of the imagination are we agreeing with or justifying what the owner did."

Holmgren said, "We're not saying that we want citizens to go out there and arm themselves and take the law into their own hands. We want citizens to be good witnesses, to be good report-takers and to identify suspects."

And a neighbor of the shop owner is quixotically quoted in the story as being anti-gun:

Mohammed Ali, the manager of a market on the busy thoroughfare that has seen its share of robberies, had mixed feelings about business owners arming themselves. "Of course they have a right to protect themselves, but from what? If we have law enforcement, should (businesses) have guns? I don't think so. They're inviting trouble."

Again, WHY is this man's quote in the story? Ah, because the SFChron is anti-gun, that's why.

Then the SFChron goes into a long account about how everyone just loved the criminal, Hicks... sorry, "Boonie"... and how they are all going to miss him.

They even take time out to quote one of "Boonie's" friends found at a "makeshift memorial" to Hicks who is presented as a philosopher, rapper.

"He always had a smile on his face," said a 22-year-old man who identified himself as a rapper named Little Al. "He was a solid dude, loyal."

He didn't express any anger at the pizzeria owner for shooting his friend. "Life happens," he said. "I'm not upset, you feel me? You wouldn't want it to happen, but it happened. Ain't no telling why that shooting occurred."

Well, isn't that nice?

Even the girlfriend Hicks beat up is quoted as saying "despite the alleged abuse, Hicks was a 'good person.'"

This story was such an absurd warping of the proper message, that a crime was stopped and a family had their lives and property saved in accordance with the Constitution and all that is right. But, the SFChron used the story, instead, to moralize on how bad guns are and mourn the death of a criminal.

[narses]

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[Duke Nukum]

That is probably a good policy. It’s just mind boggling how a whole city can be mourning the loss of a bad guy instead of raising hero of the story on their shoulders and giving him the key to the city and whatnot.

The world is turned upside down there, it seems.

[Lancey Howard]

[robertpaulsen]

Lest we forget, he was an aspiriring rap artist.

And I'm an aspiring billionaire real estate mogul.

[okie01]

How about the outrage over this Boonie trying armed robbery????

To the SF Chronicle and its readers, Boonie was merely practicing "a lifestyle choice".

Piedra, on the other hand, was "a brute with a gun".

[ozzymandus]

The Chronic is sad. One less RAT vote.

[JimRed]

What's a yute?

A youthful offender!

[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

So leftists are true to form? No susprise. Leftists WANT the “poor”, “have nots” to rise up and take money from the “rich”, the “haves”.
Also leftists don’t want honest people to have guns.

[goldstategop]

Liberals don't see evil. All they see are guns. And being selective moral relativists, they won't judge criminals more harshly than their victims. That kind of mindset will get us all killed.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Kozak]

Too bad the store owner didn't ’t mount Boonie’s head on spike outside his shop as a warning. But that would be insensitive.

[GlennD]

I have a theory about how to define a liberal. Point 4 is that liberals are always in favor of killing innocent people. If one always keeps that in mind one can always understand why this story and other similar stories are reported as this one is. Liberals love mass killers, and are always opposed to the death penalty, because usually, murderers will kill innocent people again. That also explains why they love communism and abortion. Liberals are always in favor of “gun control,” because that make killing innocent people much more difficult.

As far as truth, I think some liberals know what it is, but they always deny truth. Truth is very much too inconvenient, and leads to too much self-control.

[livius]

Yeah, I wish the latter happened more often...

Normally, they’re so afraid of “the gentleman’s” lawyers that every precaution is taken to save his worthless hide.

[Grizzled Bear]

“He always had a smile on his face,” said a 22-year-old man who identified himself as a rapper named Little Al. “He was a solid dude, loyal.”

---

Especially when he was rippin off punk pizza dudes!

[TigersEye]

I think you have a good system going. Call it “The Constants of Liberalism.” No matter what the subject if it is liberal in origin those contants will be represented in some way or another. We can take your Point 4 and see it here in gun-control, in abortion, in euthanasia or in the liberal position on the WOT. It fits in welfare, taxation, centralized control and “separation of church and state.” Some dimension of Point 4 can be seen in all of those positions. Even the fear and disdain for the truth is rooted in protecting the personality not life.

[Kozak]

“Holmgren said, “We’re not saying that we want citizens to go out there and arm themselves and take the law into their own hands. We want citizens to be good witnesses, to be good report-takers and to identify suspects.”

They don't want us to be "citizens" at all. Just good peasants.

[MDspinboyredux]

"We want citizens to be good witnesses victims...

Fixed it for ya SFPD!

[GlennD]

The subjects you mention are covered in other points of my definition. I only have 5 points, and I think they cover all liberal/socialist/communist/Democrap positions, though I’ve been tempted to add another point. I just think that once one realizes what they stand for, and define it well, you don't need any further definitions.
Point 4 is the second most important to liberals. They do find other things more important.

[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

No doubt in my mind. Utopian idealism at its ignorant worst.

[William Tell]

Freedom_Is_Not_Free said: "The vote to ban guns went something like 70% pro ban and 30% against."

I recall 57% for and 43% against.

But that just means that there is an even greater percentage that knows better. I would be happier if 100% of San Franciscans supported the ban. Worthy people should live somewhere else.

[TigersEye]

I figured your other points would round out the picture of liberalism. You ought to put your points up on your profile page. The more ways we, as conservatives, describe the two dimensionality of the left the easier it gets for all of us to cut through their disguises and deflate their false agendas.