Protestantism

» paper_turtle - Locking the Barn Door ...

In response to Locking the Barn Door ... posted by Migisi:
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The only church shooting in Vermont did not fit the pattern of the others. On 2 December 2001, man brandishing a knife walked into the Brattleboro Unitarian Universalist Church. No congregants were killed; the man was killed by local police -- and there was huge public outcry over the police's actions. The man was NOT a member of that church, and as far as anyone knows, had never entered the building before. The states' attorney general ruled the shooting justified; this was not a popular ruling.
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Here's one story on the events:
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http://www.justiceforwoody.net/media/art...
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The family of the man killed sued the town on the grounds that the police used excessive force, and won:
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http://www.boston.com/news/local/vermont...
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This story gives more background on the incident, and an indication of public sentiment. It also gives further links for more information, if you're interested:
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http://www.flybynews.com/cgi-local/newsp...
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Although I can't say for sure what's happening in the southern part of the state (where Brattleboro is), I know that in my part of Vermont this incident did not lead to any calls to lock the churches, or hire armed guards, during the services. As you will note in the stories given in the links, most of the sympathy was with the perpetrator. I'm not drawing any major inferences from this, but I think it * might* point to different responses than those you mentioned (e.g., suing the church).
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peace and love,
Paper Turtle

-- posted by paper_turtle