This Is What A Collapsing Civilization Looks Like

"Terrified Seattle neighborhood builds massive barricade across streets amid horrific crime wave," reports the New York Post. From the article:

    Residents in a troubled Seattle neighborhood have begun erecting large homemade barricades across residential streets after a surge of gun violence left many fearing for their safety.

    Neighbors living near Aurora Avenue say repeated shootings, alleged prostitution activity and late-night chaos have pushed the community to a breaking point.

    Following another burst of gunfire over the weekend, frustrated residents took matters into their own hands by physically blocking off nearby roads in an effort to keep traffic and suspected criminal activity out of the area, Fox 13 reported.    

The reason that they had to build the blockades was because the local government didn't care enough to do anything (this is not a neighborhood with rich donors):  

    Locals say they have repeatedly contacted city officials, including the mayor’s office, the Seattle City Council and police, but believe little has changed.

    “What we’ve gotten is a lot of nothing,” one resident said. “It’s terrifying to live here, and it’s even more terrifying that the city is absolutely doing nothing to protect the citizens in this neighborhood.”

    According to neighbors, earlier versions of the barricades were vandalized shortly after being installed. Residents later rebuilt them with stronger materials and added reinforcements. Near one blockade, a hand-drawn chalk message reading “No Gunfire” was scrawled on the pavement.

    “We’re just afraid that a neighbor is going to have to die before the city will do something,” another resident said. 

Now that there is public attention on the matter, the City has met with residents and is promising to "increase" nightly patrols. I put "increase" in quotes because I would be willing to bet that there was no discernible police presence before this. 

    What we see here is the breakdown of the basic social contract: the citizens pay taxes and they get protection from both marauders and the government (i.e., don't get thrown in prison or killed for failure to pay taxes). It is particularly vexing in this case because the citizens have been legally and physically disarmed. Physically, in that it is difficult to own a weapon; and legally because the circumstances under which they can legally use what weapons they have are so limited.