Sue Hartigan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: Savage Denver ------------- Mostapha Maarouf was going to be married this summer. The 27 year-old taxi driver was working in Colorado, saving his tips, and collecting gifts to bring back to his tiny village in Morocco, where the wedding was to take place. Two blocks from the University of Denver Maarouf was savagely attacked by four men, beaten to death, dragged by his feet, and thrown into the trunk of his cab. People watched from their high-rise apartments as these events took place. They did nothing. They didn't even bother to call the police, who could have saved Maarouf's life. One of Maarouf's friends, who had also been beaten, had called the police. Officers were actively searching the area but couldn't find Maarouf and his assailants. "We've received loud music complaints from that area" said Detective Virginia Lopez "but no one called 911. It's disgusting." When police went through the high-rises to ask residents if they saw the beating the residents said yes - and by that time Maarouf was dead. The killing was reminiscent of the Kitty Genovese murder in 1964 in Queens, New York. 38 of her neighbors heard her screams and did nothing to help as she was stabbed to death in the street. The area in which Maarouf was killed is surrounded by middle to high income housing, as well as some student apartments. Universities make a great show of their concern for the helpless and the hopeless. We wonder how many students and professors from the University of Denver watched Mostapha Maarouf being beaten to death and did nothing. Savage China ------------ While people talk of the changes taking place in China some things remain the same - such as brutal punishment without trial. Deng Qilu, a farmer in southern China, has been imprisoned for 10 years without trial. His prison is a small cage, slightly larger than a coffin and too small to stand up in. Deng is kept naked, with iron shackles on his legs. He is given food once every several days. Neither the Maarouf nor the Deng case require brilliant new technology. They can be solved without great social plans, or "higher" education. In both cases all that was needed was one individual to step forward to stop the insanity. Maarouf is dead because no one stepped forward. Deng is in a subhuman prison cell for the same reason. It's still a savage world. Read more about the Maarouf killing at: http://www.trib.com/NEWS/HEAD/denverdeath30.html Read more about Deng Qilu's imprisonment at: http://www.trib.com/NEWS/HEAD/chinapolice30.html -- Two rules in life: 1. Don't tell people everything you know. 2. Subscribe/Unsubscribe, email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the body of the message enter: subscribe/unsubscribe law-issues
