When a Crime Provokes Outrage : Reaction to shooting of graffiti protester is an object lesson

Police say the shooting of a public-spirited woman trying to stop graffiti vandals in Orange last week has brought an outpouring of calls in support for their efforts to find the criminals.

The attack provoked outrage across the region, as it should have. It was heartening to see so many people identify with a victim they did not know personally but who had put her own safety at risk for the common good, even though police urge utmost caution in such circumstances.

Some callers offered information. A few claimed to be members of gangs which they said were not involved in the attack, apparently worried about what in fact happened: heightened surveillance of all gangs in the neighborhood.

Police have made an arrest and are searching for others involved. The woman who was shot is reported to be recovering in a hospital.

Police said that when she saw the vandalism and braked and honked her horn, the taggers sprayed paint on her van and one of them shot and wounded her.

The arrest came after three days of around-the-clock investigation by nearly a dozen police officers, reflecting the fact that this crime outraged the public consciousness sufficiently to bring extraordinary measures to bear. The community reaction clearly showed that police need community support.

Public concern and effective law enforcement can go far toward creating a climate of intolerance for lawlessness. That’s true whether it’s the ugly blight of graffiti or assaults by thugs with too easy access to guns.