LETTER: Tragic Events

Sarah Goldfine and Theresa Weir, while denouncing the media for crime exaggeration, commit the same error in their column about the shooting at Sam's Place (DP 2/10/92). Sam's Place did not close because of a successful black protest. Instead, two weeks ago, Sam's was held up at gunpoint again by some local black community members. Sam's went out of business because no one felt safe enough to work there anymore (it's hard to get employees when your store is held up once a week by armed assailants!) And it's no wonder Dave Graves feels like he's "on the winning side . . . " When your store is held up that often, it does become a war -- a war to keep your business, that you've invested countless hours and tens of thousands of dollars in, open for your customers. Tell me why some black locals have the right to repeatedly commit armed robbery and not incur some cost for their actions. They claim that Graves had to pay a price for his shooting the black youth robber. I say that if more locals had paid the price from Graves' revolver earlier on, there might be one more business open today in the economically ravaged area known as West Philadelphia. Finally, both writers whine about murders committed by merchants and policemen against blacks. Yes, they are tragic events. What they fail to mention is the leading killer among young black Americans: other young black Americans! Both writers should present the facts as they truly are instead of biasing their editorial to accomodate their beliefs in the National People's Democratic Uhuru Movement. DAVID WILLIAMS Wharton Grad '92