Northern California has a problem with machete violence. No, I’m not kidding: machete-wielding psychos have attacked residents repeatedly in the last few years. Last night, the tragedy of machete violence occurred again, on San Francisco’s public transportation system. At least one, possibly two people were allegedly stabbed by a man wielding a machete at the BART Civic Center station on Friday night.
KRON reports that the stabbing took place around 8:36pm inside the Civic Center station. “[A] male suspect, about 25 years old, struck the 29-year-old victim possibly with a machete…. The weapon used was reportedly a “big” knife, possibly with a 2-foot blade.”
A video is circulating on YouTube purporting to show one of the victims on the floor at the station:
California’s firearms law are a bit Byzantine, to put it mildly, and the new ones enacted last year certainly aren’t making things any better. But even though residents in some other parts of the Golden State actually are able to obtain a license to carry a pistol for personal self-defense, San Francisco consistently refuses to approve such applications for all but the wealthy or politically-connected. Indeed, the SFPD states on their website that they issue such licenses at their discretion, and only for people who can demonstrate a “danger of harm…specific to the applicant…and…not generally shared by other similarly situated members of the public….” May issue, indeed.
Given that the story of this attack only broke nationally due to social media, it’s safe to say that those victimized in this story had neither the wealth, privilege or power needed to overcome the legal disability imposed on everyday citizens by the masters who run San Francisco. It is a shame, but hardly a surprise.