Senseless violence

The shooting death in Prague this week of a young man who tried to defend a woman threatened by a possible drug addict has evoked feelings of helplessness. Michal Velíšek's heroism ended tragically for him and his family. We had a similar encounter, one that fortunately didn't go so far. A young man pulled a switchblade on us after we ignored his demand on Jindřišská St. in Prague for six crowns. A passerby noticed that the predator was a "druggie" and got him to leave by calling the police. An investigation might find that both incidents are a result of the laxity toward drug dealers and addicts in downtown Prague. The dealers operate openly and seem to enjoy police protection. Premier Jiří Paroubek said recently that he expects the police to crack down on the dealers. If he follows through, at least some cases of senseless violence could be prevented.