SFChron: Robber Killed By Victim, Reported as 'Tragic', Robber a 'Good Person'

NewsBusters.org ^ | 4/21/07 | Warner Todd Huston

[Mobile Vulgus]

One would think the writers of The Onion satirical newspaper snuck into the offices of The San Francisco Chronicle after reading a report about a Pizza shop owner who saved the lives of his family by killing a gun wielding robber that was attempting to rob his store, a store with the owner's whole family inside. The Chronicle calls the meeting of the thief and would be killer and the innocent Pizza shop owner "tragic" and the report is filed as if the whole story was all just some unfortunate accident instead of a crime stopped cold.

The lives of the two men intersected tragically at about 9:30 p.m. Thursday when Hicks, armed with a pistol and joined by two other men, tried to rob Piedra inside the popular pizzeria at 89th Avenue and International Boulevard. Fearful that the assailants might hurt him, his wife and three children -- all of whom were inside the restaurant -- Piedra pulled out his 9mm semiautomatic pistol and opened fire, killing Hicks, police said.

The Chronicle made the story as an excuse at a morality play revealing how friends are remembering the robber as one who "...always had a smile on his face", that the shop owner "took no satisfaction in taking Hicks' life", and the police "...by no stretch of the imagination" were they "agreeing with or justifying what the owner did." We are even treated to a telling of our "tragic" robber's happy little "rap artist" name; "Boonie".

Obviously the San Francisco Chronicle has decided that this story is going to be their platform to show how guns "traumatize" everyone when the real focus of the story should be on how a shop owner protected himself and his family inside the shop from an armed criminal.

This is no "tragic" incident, but a crime stopped by a man protecting his family!

But, the SFChron goes to great pains to show the remorse of the shop owner, Mr. Piedra, as well as reporting how everyone just loved the drug using, girlfriend beating, pseudo "rapper", Hicks, turning a righteous case of self-protection into a giant pity party for the criminal.

The Shop owner is reported as having remorse:

"I wish this never happened," Piedra said. "I don't want anybody, any business to be in this kind of situation, with anybody putting a gun in your face."

Why, exactly, would anyone imagine otherwise?

The police are seen as scolding the shop owner who was just protecting his family and property:

Piedra said his 17-year-old son, 19-month-old son and 13-year-old daughter were inside the restaurant at the time. Piedra said he was afraid that the assailants would shoot him or hurt his family, a contention supported by Oakland police who nevertheless cautioned against citizens taking direct action against criminals.

"There is definitely a balance," said Officer Roland Holmgren, department spokesman. "This thing had potential -- who knows where the suspects were going to take the situation? But by no stretch of the imagination are we agreeing with or justifying what the owner did."

Holmgren said, "We're not saying that we want citizens to go out there and arm themselves and take the law into their own hands. We want citizens to be good witnesses, to be good report-takers and to identify suspects."

And a neighbor of the shop owner is quixotically quoted in the story as being anti-gun:

Mohammed Ali, the manager of a market on the busy thoroughfare that has seen its share of robberies, had mixed feelings about business owners arming themselves. "Of course they have a right to protect themselves, but from what? If we have law enforcement, should (businesses) have guns? I don't think so. They're inviting trouble."

Again, WHY is this man's quote in the story? Ah, because the SFChron is anti-gun, that's why.

Then the SFChron goes into a long account about how everyone just loved the criminal, Hicks... sorry, "Boonie"... and how they are all going to miss him.

They even take time out to quote one of "Boonie's" friends found at a "makeshift memorial" to Hicks who is presented as a philosopher, rapper.

"He always had a smile on his face," said a 22-year-old man who identified himself as a rapper named Little Al. "He was a solid dude, loyal."

He didn't express any anger at the pizzeria owner for shooting his friend. "Life happens," he said. "I'm not upset, you feel me? You wouldn't want it to happen, but it happened. Ain't no telling why that shooting occurred."

Well, isn't that nice?

Even the girlfriend Hicks beat up is quoted as saying "despite the alleged abuse, Hicks was a 'good person.'"

This story was such an absurd warping of the proper message, that a crime was stopped and a family had their lives and property saved in accordance with the Constitution and all that is right. But, the SFChron used the story, instead, to moralize on how bad guns are and mourn the death of a criminal.

[verum ago]

oh, excuse him your honor, he meant to say yooooooooouttthhhhhs...

[Marathoner 244]

We had a perp here in Pittsburgh a couple of years ago who shot a guy waiting for his valet parked car. The perp didn’t even know the guy. One of the perps neighbors said: He was such a good boy, I remember those beautiful dimples when he smiled. There are some real maroons out there!

[rlmorel]

"...He didn't express any anger at the pizzeria owner for shooting his friend. "Life happens," he said. "I'm not upset, you feel me? You wouldn't want it to happen, but it happened. Ain't no telling why that shooting occurred."..."

Good God. Here is a suggestion to this dummy...perhaps because his friend engaged in an unprovoked assault on another person with the intent to rob him of his money and/or life, and the person defended themselves?

Good greif.

[Tuba Guy]

yute = youth

(slime-ball criminals of ethnicity are called youths by the media-maggots)

Just like Rodney King was only called a motorist .....

_________________________________________

[dragnet2]

We had a perp here in Pittsburgh a couple of years ago who shot a guy waiting for his valet parked car. The perp didn’t even know the guy. One of the perps neighbors said: He was such a good boy, I remember those beautiful dimples when he smiled. There are some real maroons out there!

It's not surprising.

At several Virginia Tech memorials, they've added Cho's name.

[TigersEye]

Liberals place no value on life or truth. “Quality of life” is a great excuse when they talk about killing infants or old folks but a drug addicted woman beater has a life worth living. His abused girlfriend is to be pitied because her abuser is now dead due to his armed assault gone wrong. Obviously “quality of life” is a hollow platitude to the left to be used as a convenient tool to promote the kind of killing that they prefer.

[300winmag]

“Holmgren said, “We’re not saying that we want citizens to go out there and arm themselves and take the law into their own hands. We want citizens to be good witnesses, to be good report-takers and to identify suspects.”

The unspoken conclusion is, "if you survive the encounter, and still feel like helping us shuffle papers".

[The KG9 Kid]

As a San Francisco resident, allow me to explain something about the San Francisco Chronicle:

Most people think that hard-boiled reporters for a major metropolitan newspaper look like this:

In reality, the reporters for the San Francisco Chronicle look like this:

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

"There is definitely a balance," said Officer Roland Holmgren, department spokesman. "This thing had potential -- who knows where the suspects were going to take the situation? But by no stretch of the imagination are we agreeing with or justifying what the owner did."

So Officer Roland, when rappers pull out their guns, what do you do? Do you say drop 'em? Do you shoot them out of their hands? Or, do you unload everything you got? Oh, and you say you have permission by the law to shoot them, but we don't. Why doesn't someone ever ask the cops, who say defending yourself is not a good thing to do, some real questions.

[eyespysomething]

Law enforcement isn’t going to protect these people, why don’t they get it?

LEOs will be there with the chalk, the police tape, and the toetags for clean-up.

[Tuba Guy]

More San Fran media types:

[TigersEye]

"There is definitely a balance," said Officer Roland Holmgren, department spokesman. "This thing had potential -- who knows where the suspects were going to take the situation? ..."

ie "You can't know for sure an armed robber will open fire until he opens fire." - Oakland Police

You should take your act on the road, officer. The folks in Blacksburg, VA would love it. You might add for their benefit "Just because someone is shooting people right and left you can't say for certain that he won't decide to stop. Just go about your business like nothing's happening."

[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

I went back and read the original article.

I am very glad the perp is dead. He was a gang-banging drug pusher who was arrested twice for selling marijuana. If San Francisco was not so soft on crime, he would have been behind bars and unable to rob a pizza parlor.

And liberal sheep keep spouting that we have so many innocent people in prison only for harmless drug crimes. Well, here is another person that SHOULD HAVE BEEN in prison for drug crimes, only he escalated to armed robbery.

He’s dead, so all’s well that ends well. I’m sure the woman who he beat so hard that her head went through a wall will miss having her face re-arranged by his loving fists.

All in all, the article should have read...

“A violent drug-dealer with a long rap sheet from beating women to narcotics, tried to add armed robbery to his resume yesterday but was stifled in his attempt when he received fatal wounds from the righteous store owner who had his own gun and shot in defense of self and family including his infant son.

While no charges will be pressed in the righteous self-defense shooting, the elitist police stated they would have prefered the shop owner not had a gun and remained a defenseless victim, ripe for slaughter, as occurred recently at Virginia Tech.”

San Francisco is a festering loony-bin.

[bboop]

hahaha, thanks for clearing that up. Should inform the Chron of that, it looks like they are searching for clarity.

[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

More than just being against the mere use of handguns for defense, San Francisco voted to BAN all handguns from within the city limits, making it illegal to own a handgun in your home just the way D.C. does.

Even the SF Mayor agreed that the ban was unconstitutional and would never become law, but he liked the way it sent a message. However, the idiots voting for the ban honestly believed it would become law.

The vote to ban guns went something like 70% pro ban and 30% against. That is a HUGE outcome in any election, which goes to show how insane the VAST MAJORITY of San Franciscans are.

I live in SF as well and I walk the streets and the people don’t look insane for the most part. Then 70% vote to ban guns in violation of the 2nd Amendment and the only conclusion to be drawn is, MOST people in San Francisco are just plain whacked.

[AliVeritas]

And they wonder why nutcases shoot up kids on college campuses... to get famous throught the dumb ass press.

[BurbankKarl]

I think the writer would prefer the victims line up and wait to be shot.

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

Question: "How about the outrage over this Boonie trying armed robbery????"

Answer ?: "There comes a time in the history of every people when they become so pathologically soft and tender that they actually side with those elements of their society that harms them, i.e. criminals..."- A Great Historian 1888

[Inyo-Mono]

“the gentleman”

Seems to a common term used by police to describe thugs, as in; "The gentleman fired at us and we returned fire killing him instantly."

[Lancey Howard]

LOL, San Fransicko.