Beaman Park: Gateway to Danger

Betsy Phillips does what neither the mainstream press nor CM Sam Coleman seems willing to do: look at the crime statistics at a park where Mr. Coleman says guns need to be permitted as deterrents to hypothetical crimes. Not only does she find little to substantiate CM Coleman's incitement to violence, but she finds that the crime stats in the community surrounding the park are so low as to make his knee-jerk fear mongering over rural areas a rude joke.

A girl can spend her lunch hour looking at the police crime statistic map and discover that apparently not one violent crime was committed against anyone in these parks last month. Not one. (Though woe to the person trying to get to the park at the end of Neely's Bend! Bring a gun to the park, for sure, but don't worry about needing it once you get there.)

But you know, maybe all of the residents in these areas (who are just poised to pounce on park visitors at any moment) were busy in October. So I looked at the crime stats--again, available from the police department, and again, available to anyone with a lunch hour. And while they're not broken down to park level, I discovered that, in all of 2008, there were a grand total of three violent crimes committed in Beaman Park's zip code.

The whole zip code. Three violent crimes.

Well, I can see why we need to carry guns in Beaman Park. You're lucky to get out of there with your life.