5th and Mulberry Criminal Hot Spot

Fifth and Mulberry Streets mark Millville's newest hot spot of criminal activity. While law abiding citizens are denied the right to carry a concealed weapon for self-defense, and Commissioner David Vanaman states that he opposes the right of citizens to defend themselves, guns carried by felons and criminals are a fact of life in Center City.

The same city intersection is now the scene of three shooting incidents in just over 36 hours after a resident called police Friday morning to report a gunshot, leading to five arrests.

Residents standing outside about an hour afterward were either mum or claimed nothing had happened at all. 

It is no wonder that by-standers are keeping mum. Just ask Arnold Bell of the 3rd Ward.

Days after Arnold Bell complained that police are not doing enough to protect him from neighborhood teenagers who are attacking him and trying to burn down his house, city officials either said his protection was someone else’s responsibility, that enough was already being done, or were simply not available.

It was in regard's to Bell's situation, a man who has been harassed and threatened since speaking to authorities about a recent murder, that Vanaman claimed he had no right to defend himself in public,

Bell suggested that he should be allowed to carry a gun to defend himself, but Vanaman disagreed with this personally and said any changes to the law were out of his hands.

“That’s not even in our control. That would be the state’s responsibility. I don’t think it’s gotten anywhere near that state of things though,” he said.

“My personal feelings are, I don’t think there should be a general open carry law.”

Here are the facts - if the State of New Jersey is going to deny citizens the right to self-defense, then it is incumbent that every citizen receive 100% police protection, so that they are completely protected from the predatory criminal element that the court systems deem worthy of being allowed to roam free our streets. Dave Vanaman lives in a safe neighborhood, as do his followers. Of course he is going to claim that citizens do not have the right to protect their property of their lives, he is safe and secure in his house.