Free Republic

Philadelphia's police force remains understaffed. According to the Philadelphia Police Department, there have been 478 murders so far this year. The odds of becoming a victim of a property crime in the city are 1 in 34. One North Philadelphia proprietor has had enough. No longer willing to leave his life, his livelihood, and his customers' well-being to chance, Neil Patel, who runs Karco gas station at Broad and Clearfield streets, has raised his own defense force. It is unclear, however, if elements of that force's past offenses will come back to jeopardize the initiative. Patel owns 22 gas stations...