<p>I was surprised at the Johns Hopkins student newspaper article today - in the comments section, there were a number of students describing living off campus as a harrowing experience, including muggings at gunpoint in front of ATM machine.</p>
<p>Note to self: Never lunge at a guy holding a sword.</p>
<p>For the local residents and students, discouraging potential future incidents by rallying around the victim is worth a lot more than any concept of social justice that might be gained by questioning if the student went too far. Very understandable.</p>
<p>The calculation is a lot different for those of us on this board who don’t reside in the area.</p>
<p>Trying to blend the events of the last week:</p>
<p>The burglar who got killed got out of jail THE DAY BEFORE. How pathetic is that? He didn’t even have the gumption to stop by the local ACORN office, where they could have set him up with a good job, like being a pimp for teenage Central American prostitutes.</p>
<p>But seriously, the Kanye West microphone grab was sort of a metaphor for how a lot of people on this thread want us to react in the face of an intruder…Kanye walks right into Taylor Swift’s “space,” grabs her stuff (microphone), and she’s supposed to just stand there and take it?? The problem is that the police aren’t as quick to respond as Beyonce was.</p>
<p>By the way, if Johns Hopkins has a fencing team, this guy might want to think about joining it.</p>
<p>I’m sure this student appreciates the support, but as a parent, I wouldn’t want my kid to be encouraged by this incident to confront a burglar. If it takes the threat of charges to cause any of them to think twice before doing the same, then so be it. I hope he tells his friends that, as cool as they speculate it is to kill someone with a sword, it is horrible to watch someone, anyone, bleed out in your backyard. I have lived in the area for over 20 years and know exactly where this happened. I do not want to see any student emboldened by this and getting hurt or killed.</p>
<p>“ut seriously, the Kanye West microphone grab was sort of a metaphor for how a lot of people on this thread want us to react in the face of an intruder…Kanye walks right into Taylor Swift’s “space,” grabs her stuff (microphone), and she’s supposed to just stand there and take it?? The problem is that the police aren’t as quick to respond as Beyonce was.”</p>
<p>No comparison. The student was in his house and heard an intruder in his garage, which was a detached building behind his house. People like me are saying the student should have called police, not gone after the intruder himself. The student is lucky that he wasn’t killed. If the intruder had had a gun, the student probably would be dead now. He did something incredibly stupid.</p>
<p>It’s not like the intruder broke down the front door while the student was sitting in his living room. </p>
<p>You can see pictures on-line that clearly show how the garage is a detached building behind the house. </p>
<p>And, actually what Swift did was smart. Kanye looked like a jackass. She looked like a lady, got good press and lots of other support. If she had cussed him out or hit him, both of them would have looked bad.</p>
<p>Northstarmom - I have read conflicting reports about why the student came upon the man. Earlier, it was reported that the student heard someone in his garage so he went to investigate. The latest reports say that, after the police left the home, the students decided to investigate themselves so one grabbed the sword and headed to the back of the home, where he found the man crouched between the back of the house and the garage. The area between the house and the garage is quite small, like a small courtyard. The police were still close enough by to have heard the commotion and return to the scene. The police obviously didn’t look around very well, perhaps because there was no sign of forced entry at the house and the room from where the items had been stolen was unlocked. The boys likely got a lecture about securing the home better.</p>
<p>"The latest reports say that, after the police left the home, the students decided to investigate themselves so one grabbed the sword and headed to the back of the home, where he found the man crouched between the back of the house and the garage. "</p>
<p>If this is what happened, then it does sound like it’s likely the student was defending himself, and didn’t initially grab his sword and go outside with the intent of inflicting harm on the burglar.</p>
<p>That seems to be the case, but details keep changing. I still would not be happy if my kid went out in the wee hours looking for bad guys. I also would not be happy that the police left my kid feeling as though not enough had been done. They clearly didn’t have much faith in the police and that needs to be remedied - by the police.</p>
<p>That is unlikely to happen, because the state’s monopoly on violence means the police don’t face market forces, and thus don’t have any competitive incentive to do better.</p>
<p>Hence, the need for the 2nd amendment.</p>
<p>" If she had cussed him out or hit him, both of them would have looked bad."</p>
<p>Not to me or millions of others I’m sure.</p>
<p>I just wish he had tried that with Eminem or somebody else his own sex and size.</p>
<p>Mickey Rourke is on record challenging Kanye to try to take a microphone from him.</p>
<p>Al Sharpton is on his knees praying that some day Hank Williams Jr. jumps on stage and grabs a mic from Rhianna.</p>
<p>Update - The State’s Attorney announced yesterday that the Hopkins student won’t be charged. It was self-defense. [Hopkins</a> student who killed intruder with samurai sword won’t be prosecuted - baltimoresun.com](<a href=“http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bal-md.homicide29jan29,0,5084571.story]Hopkins”>http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bal-md.homicide29jan29,0,5084571.story)</p>