Tyler, poor choice of words, "The shooting was the first homicide at Towson Town Center since..." This is not an achievement and I do not believe you think so either. Any suggestion, perceived or otherwise, that this isn't intolerable is irresponsible. This hopefully will serve as a wake-up call to us all that sitting on our hands hoping someone else will "do something" isn't working.

That's not a poor choice of words. It's a perfectly normal way of expressing the fact that this is the second shooting at the mall since 2005.

Matt well said. It has become perfectly normal that our Baltimore community accepts the occurrence of violent crime and murder in our communities. We are numb to the decay and we are apathetic to leadership's passive response and concern.

I don't know what you're talking about, Athan. It's a statement of fact. It's a demonstration of this as an isolated incident and, in fact, NOT decay in our community because violent crime and murder is not common. Considering the murder rate in the greater Baltimore metropolitan region, for there to be one shooting to take place in more than half a decade shows that Towson is a very safe place to be.

This was not a random mugging. This was not a case of a guy with a gun looking to kill someone. There was clearly a deep-seeded dispute here that unfortunately was ended in a very public place where people could have been injured. This does not make me feel any less safe at Towson Mall.

Unfortunately, there have been several murders in and around the Towson area over the last several years. Additionally, there have been armed robberies in the same geography. Are we the safest community in America? Maryland? Baltimore? Towson? By what metric do we measure our safety? To me, one is too many. A society and culture that tolerates violent crime or tolerates the apathetic response of its citizenry and its leaders, is not living to its potential. Avoiding death, is not living.

From Maryland Judiciary Case Search: On 5/4/11 in Baltimore City, Mr. Pridget was brought up on 23 chrages stemming from an incident on 10/27/10. The charges included armed robbery, robbery, 1st,3rd & 4th degree burglary and 2nd degree assault. Results/plea-Nolle prosequi-robbery, 2nd degree assault, robber-con,1st & 3rd DB, 1stDB-con & 3rdDB-con, 4th degree theft-con, con-theft less than $1000.
Jeopardy or other conviction-robbery, robbery-con, 1stDB & 3rd DB, 1stDB-con & 3rdDB-con, 4th degree theft & con-theft less than $1000.
PBJ-2nd Degree Assault & 4th degree theft-con.

Take your pick.

4B02112618

4B02112618 Pridget, Rodney Vest 05/1992 Defendant Baltimore City District Court 5800 Wabash Ave CR Closed 05/04/2011
511173018 Pridget, Rodney Vest AKA Baltimore City Circuit Court Criminal Closed 06/22/2011
511173019 Pridget, Rodney Vest AKA Baltimore City Circuit Court Criminal Closed 06/22/2011
511173020 Pridget, Rodney Vest AKA Baltimore City Circuit Court Criminal Closed 06/22/2011
511173021 Pridget, Rodney Vest AKA Baltimore City Circuit Court Criminal Closed 06/22/2011

Pridget was gutter trash, and this is what happens to gutter trash.

Richie F.

On www.wbaltv.com Jayne Miller reports that Pridget was charged with stealing a Playstation from a home in September 2010. 23 charges stemmed from this one incident. Wow.

One less criminal to worry about. Live by the sword die by the sword. Hopefully he's in a better place and forgiven of his sins.

For a 19 yr old, he has a long "rap" record. Did he ever serve any jail time? I think young criminals think nothing of committing crimes. They know there are no consequences!!! When the judges and jurors wake up and start jailing some of these thugs, we may see a drop in crime. Yes, we will have to pay for more jails, but it is better than living with more crime.

I wonder what the busybodies did before MAryland Judiciary Case Search went online?

I'm guessing they went along thinking that people like Pridget were innocent victims and not criminals.

Its messed up to talk bad about the dead. You don't know his story. Not saying anything he did was ok but how do you know he didn't do that crap because he was starving or whatever? How would you feel if this was your son, nephew, brother, father, uncle, or even one of your best friends? Think before you open your big mouths people and respect the dead. May he rest in peace and his family and loved ones find peace and justice. God bless.

Imagine that, a history of robberies, burglaries and a drug distribution. The perfect recipe for not living to see 25. Towson Town Center is likely the only victim here.

Not really.

Most of the charges were for one incident and they were NOLLE PROSEQUI

Towson is a few miles from one of the most violent city in america. The baltimore thugs get bussed into towson daily where they steal rape murder and ocasionly shop. If you live in towson it is time to consider moving like 75 percent of my towson highschool peers have over the years. Will only get worse

More than likely over money, drugs or a girl.

LOL "They get bussed in daily." That's funny.

Bart I have to laugh when any mall management states that a mall is safe. Malls are crime scenes waiting to happen and people need to be aware in the parking lots. If people think that mall security or the police can protect you they are sqdly mistaken and the police have no legal obligation to protect you. I say arm yourself legally and be prepared, Since I came to Baltimore I have been a witness to a murder. No PD, no court, no law can stop these people when they are hellbent on committing a crime. The BCPD, the courts and the country prosecutors office are all a joke and let repeat offenders out time after time. I cannot wait to conclude my work and get out of this area and a thousand miles away.

Some of you people are just as ignorant as the people you classify as "thugs!" They "bus" thugs in? I would sure like to learn your definition of a "thug." I'll take a wild guess and say that it isn't a young white boy. FYI the young men and women who live in the city don't have the same recreation options as the kids who grow up in Towson, Cockeysville, Dulaney Valley, and so forth and so on. So if a black kid (let's just call a spade a spade) catches the "bus" to Towson Mall to escape from the, often times, deplorable conditions they live in he/she must surely be a thug. We all know that every black kid who catches the bus to Towson is a "thug."

My point is simple. Are there "thugs" who catch the bus to Towson? Absolutely! But guess what. Not every black kid who catches the bus to Towson is a thug. I assure you that even if the bus line to Towson were to be discontinued "thugs" would still find their way to the mall because there are "thugs" who drive. Hell, I'm sure there are "thugs" who live in Towson and walk to the mall. No community is entirely safe from crime, especially when it's less than 20 miles from a city that has an annual rate of 200 plus murders. So, get over yourself, and rethink (if that's possible) your bigoted assertions, or you could always move away to your little utopian safe haven (if you can find it). Do yourself a favor and try not to make such ignorant comments. Leave that to the "thugs!"

I agree kim. Bus and rail lines always bring more crime to the area. Especially when the the riders are coming from a hopeless violent trash pit like Baltimore City. Problem is if you point that out we are called racist.

So yes I do not fear the local towson kids who at worst skate board and make noise. I fear the thugs from Baltimore City who wear the baggy clothing and have no respect for human life. I have seen white black Hispanic who fit that profile. My advice is to get legally armed and protect yourself. Look into moving to another community. Does anyone remember how nice the Towson commons area once was? Now the theater and stores have closed and it looks like a scene out of robocop. That cancer will spread in time to the rest of Towson.

The subject of mass transportation and crime has been studied a gazillion times and each study has reached the same conclusion, there is no correlation between the two (no matter what the racists think).

There are literally hundreds of studies which all reach the same conclusion. There is no correlation between mass transportation and crime. Let Google be your friend.

@Ribbity- Discussing crime is absolutely not racist, and as a matter of fact I never even mentioned the word racist. I classified a remark as being bigoted. Just in case you didn't know (which it seems several of you don't) the two words have different meanings. I'll explain it again for you. To classify someone as a "thug" just because he/she utilizes public transportation shows that you are clearly lacking any form of cultural sensitivity. I guess that's what happens when you are "intolerantly devoted to your own opinions and prejudices (-bigot)."

Kim is on target about the crime problem. Far left loons continue to cling to failed welfare programs from years past, unlimited school budgets, and foolish ideas about midnight basketball as the road to a better future. Focus on the parents if you want better children ---- and stop passing the blame onto others.

@Kim- You are the worst kind of person. The sad part is that i really think you believe most of the loony stuff you regurgitate (probably from some Tea Party manual). I've read several of your comments over the past few weeks and you clearly have strong, negative opinions of minorities. However, I will even go as far as to say that in some cases you accurately describe certain individuals. Your problem is that you seem, in my opinion, to generalize an entire group of people. My question to you is, who's the ignorant one?

ROTFLMAO "Liberalism truly is a mental disease." Now you are all the way down to quoting Annie "The Trannie" Coulter.

TeaPartyism truly is insanity beyond belief. Let me guess...the main stream liberal media is doing you wrong. Hahaha! I stand corrected it was over the past few days and not weeks. Say what you will but my comments reveal my intolerance for callous people who use the pain and suffering of others to advance their own petty personal agendas. True again, you never commented on the race of anyone. You have commented over the past "days" that two young black men basically deserved to die. In reality (i know that's not a TP tenet, but humor me) you have no more information than any of us, and don't know the intimate details of either situation, so your efforts to pontificate has allowed some vitriol (perhaps you thought it was suppressed) to seep out. Did I mention that "TeaPartyism truly is insanity beyond belief."

It makes me sad that we can't talk about ideas in this country without one or both sides resorting to the politics of hate. Fear and loathing appeal to the basest instincts and narrow one's mind. Why are we so afraid to challenge our fears - challenge our own thoughts? To grow? I fear repeating hurtful and ignorant thinking and that becoming my words and actions. Being a Fox Zombie. Or anyone's. This great country thrives on diverse ideas and hard working people. And it's best enjoyed when we all respect.

Here's your quote: "Typical liberal, lies, distortions and exaggerations. "

I'll bet a $ to a doughnut you are a Faux Noise watcher.

But correct. I bet you read World Nut Daily too.

Just go to Towson Town on Friday or Saturday night and you will see the problem. If these people would act civilized I would still go. But the run around the mall, pants down with no consideration for people who are their to shop. Til you go and see for yourself. I haven't shopped at Towson for a few years because of this. They have only theirselves to blame how they are perceived.

I have to agree with Sharon. I went to White Marsh Mall last Saturday around 8PM. Never again. The large groups of teen were screaming at one another, using the "F" word loudly in front of families, and standing in the walkway, refusing to move over for shoppers. The girls were the worst. If their behavior would be civil, most people would be accepting of these groups of young adults. When they act like uncivilized, uneducated people, most shoppers would rather stop going to the places they go to. The only one that suffer are the businesses. I think mall security should remove these groups since they are only a hinderance to buying shoppers that hope to have a safe and positive shopping experience.

"What a piece of garbage this guy was."

Classy. Nice to speak of the dead that way.

I am sorry for his family's loss and I do not wish death on anyone but I would classify him as a thug too. As much as it burns me up to agree with Kim, shes right about this guy.

@Kim- Not only are you a callous, ignorant, fool, but now you've proven to be a liar. On 12/19/11 you said "Was bound to happen sooner or later," regarding a 15 year old black kid who was hit by a car and killed. Regarding the young black man who was gunned down and murdered at Towson Mall you said, "What a piece of garbage this guy was......... a violent thug, nothing more, nothing less." Now you can play the semantics game if you want but as I stated in an earlier post, "You have commented over the past "days" that two young black men basically deserved to die." It seems to me that you, Ms., are the piece of trash.

M Sullivan, these people are out there on the fringes. These are the same types of people who are in OWS. In their mind it's always someone else's fault when they make poor choices in life must suffer the consequences. Then suddenly it becomes everyones civic duty to feel sorry for them. The public school system is failing us. We are creating a nation of whining sissies. Heck, we've almost turned into the French. Isn't Obamanation a wonderful place? NOT

The Towson shooting victim was garbage. Pure and simple.

Liberals such as Dino the troll always resort to falsehoods when absent of the facts. They cannot defend their beliefs any other way. It's a brian defect.

For your perusal . http://www.newdonkey.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/American-Liberal-Mind.jpg and

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-04-08/entertainment/29415110_1_brain-structure-political-orientation-liberals-and-conservatives

Kim,

I agree with your take on this individual and this situation; however, your post are starting to read like you are auditioning for an opening as a political television anchor.

I am bigoted towards television anchors.

Mayor? I wouldn't want to be Mayor of Crackmore but make me governor and I'll throw that loony Martin O'Moron out and 99% of our state legislature and clean up this state.

Thanks for your support hmj, but you know very well the indoctrinated liberals, dumbocrats and Occupy Wall Streeters of Baltimore don't want to hear the truth. They want to be mollycoddled and be taken care of by the nanny state.

Now , for hmj and any other supporters who are tired of liberal wackos and out of control crime please feel free to send your campaign donations to PO Box .......... lol

.

"Crackmore"??? Oooooooh Your witty!

I've been around Bart just not here although one poster who plays loose with the facts claims that I have been posting here for weeks. Liberals hate the truth it's like someone threw holy water on them and they begin to meltdown.

Within 3 posts here I acquired two nut ball stalkers. ;)

The Patch must me making some duckettes from all the responses I a m generating. Those little ad counters must be whirring like a gas pump.

Stay in the crosswalks and out of the malls Bartman. LOL

It's Dead Freddies time! YAY!

Have a good Christmas Bartman, I'm on the way home to Houston for a Texas Christmas.

Merry Christmas hmj, on the way home to Houston for Christmas. Keep those campaign donations rolling in!