In July 1981, Ken McElroy, a violent and abusive criminal, was shot dead in front of dozens of witnesses in Skidmore, Missouri. Despite this, no one was ever charged in his death
Not a murder victim anymore than a horse thief hanged on the plains was. It isn’t just the courts that are endowed with administering justice. Their failure left a vacuum the community rightly filled.
The hand wringing throughout this article is a greater indictment on the author than the community.
That’s a fair perspective, and it’s one many people share. My intention was just to present the events and the ethical questions without telling readers what to think.
Actually I think it fits neatly into a simple moral category: when the State fails the People may act. A State which collects taxes and does not uphold the civil order is just committing theft.
I remember this case. The people could not get justice and finally someone did it for them until they learned to do it for themselves. What surprised me the most was nobody, nobody at all, talked. It was the most amazing display of solidarity I ever saw, and I imagine the pressure on all the residents must have been intense.
Karma is guilty, as it often is. I think this case deserves to stay unsolved.
Not a murder victim anymore than a horse thief hanged on the plains was. It isn’t just the courts that are endowed with administering justice. Their failure left a vacuum the community rightly filled.
The hand wringing throughout this article is a greater indictment on the author than the community.
That’s a fair perspective, and it’s one many people share. My intention was just to present the events and the ethical questions without telling readers what to think.
Goes to show that most people are decent and good, but when pushed too far and without peaceful options, they do what they have to do.
Exactly. It’s one of those rare cases where every perspective feels understandable.
"To the people in town, this was not just another ugly scene. It was a warning. "
Fuck we're sick of AI diction, can you fucking cunts at least switch that up. Sit on a fucking bear trap
You almost made a point. Then the rest of the comment happened.
That was an order
I’ll let you know when I start taking orders from the comments section.
You're AI, all you do is take orders
And yet I’m still ignoring yours.
Actually I think it fits neatly into a simple moral category: when the State fails the People may act. A State which collects taxes and does not uphold the civil order is just committing theft.
Well said. That’s what struck me most while researching it.
Some local dude should have done it at night when he stumbled home drunk.
Wow - amazing. I bet they wish they had done it sooner...
I remember this case. The people could not get justice and finally someone did it for them until they learned to do it for themselves. What surprised me the most was nobody, nobody at all, talked. It was the most amazing display of solidarity I ever saw, and I imagine the pressure on all the residents must have been intense.
I agree. The collective silence afterward is what makes this case so extraordinary. It says a lot about what the people in that town had endured.
Good read. Ken McElroy was one of the world's all-time, championship dirtbags.
Thanks for reading! That’s probably the most fitting description of McElroy I’ve heard.