Bernard Goetz, mild-mannered electronics nerd, looked like an easy mark, a slap job. And so he got slapped around, thrown through plate glass windows, mugged and harrassed. He just wanted to be left alone to tinker in his basement. Those were the days before Rudy Giuliani cleaned up New York City. One day Goetz decided not to take it any more and acquired a .38 'equalizer.' And so the four black punks, armed with sharpened screwdrivers, who demanded money of him on the New York subway 30 years ago today, December 22, 1984, paid a serious price to the delight of conservatives and the consternation of liberals. To the former he became a folk hero, to the latter a 'racist.' It was a huge story back then.
Things didn't go well for the black thugs whom Goetz shot. One of the miscreants, James Ramseur, killed himself on the 27th anniversary of the subway shooting. This was 17 months after having been released from prison where he served 25 years for raping a young woman on a Bronx rooftop.
Darrell Caby brought a civil action against Goetz, was awarded millions, but collected nothing. Barry Allen continued his life of petty crime and was in and out of prison. Troy Canty was arrested for domestic abuse.
Meanwhile Goetz, now 67, flourishes and runs a store called "Vigilante Electronics." Wikipedia also informs us that Goetz is involved with squirrel rescue in the city.[84] He installs squirrel houses, feeds squirrels, and performs first aid.
A heart-warming story on this, the eve of the eve of Christmas Eve.
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