First off, Darby is located five miles Southwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
When I grew up in Pittsburgh, it was a nice small town but it is a hell-hole now.
From the Wikipedia entry for Darby, Pennsylvania:
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,299 people, 3,405 households, and 2,393 families residing in the borough. The population density was 12,624.5 people per square mile (4,849.3/km). There were 3,999 housing units at an average density of 4,902.0 per square mile (1,883.0/km). The racial makeup of the borough was 36.37% White, 60.00% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 2.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.95% of the population.
More (Census data for households):
30.0% had a female householder with no husband present
The resultant crime rate:
The Pennsylvania State Police reported that the crime rate (per capita) in 2011 compared to the per-capita rate for Delaware County as a whole was six times for violent crimes (homicide, robbery, and assault, not including sex crimes), twenty-four times for property crimes (including arson), but only two times for drug offenses (not including alcohol offenses).
From The Delaware County Times:
Robbers help Darby cops make big marijuana bust
A sophisticated irrigation system, commercial grow lights, fans, humidifiers and timers allowed a 52-year-old pot farmer to grow a bumper crop with a street value of about $200,000 in a tiny row house on Glen Avon Road, police said.
Police confiscated 212 pot plants and numerous mason jars filled with potent marijuana buds - worth between $5 and $1,500 each - from Daniel M. Thomas' home, police said.
If it weren't for three armed invaders who forced their way into Thomas' house Monday night, what appeared to be a lucrative pot growing operation would still be in business.
More -- from Police Chief Robert Smythe:
According to Smythe, Thomas has lived in the neat row home in the 1100 block of Glen Avon Road, once owned by his late parents, for decades. He'd never been in trouble, as far as Smythe knows, and police had never been called to the house.
More:
According to Smythe, Thomas told him he had hurt his back, had applied for disability and was supporting himself in the interim by growing marijuana.
That is until three black males wearing surgical masks burst into his home at about 9:40 p.m. Monday.
According to Smythe, Thomas and a friend were sitting in the dining room when the armed suspects entered the house. The masked men robbed them of their wallets and cellphones and demanded to know "where the money was", according to the affidavit of probable cause. Thomas allegedly told the men to take whatever they wanted and the suspects began filling trash bags with weed. They carried the loot out back and began loading it into a truck, according to court documents.
One of the suspects was overheard saying, "We hit the jackpot," Smythe said.
While the suspects were out back loading the truck, Thomas' friend decided to take off. He ran to his pickup truck, which was parked out front, then drove around toward the alleyway. One of the suspects was sitting on Thomas' motorcycle while another was carrying jars filled with pot, the affidavit states.
The friend told police he drove toward the two men. As he did, the suspect holding the jars began shooting at him. As bullets pierced the truck, Thomas' friend, whose name is not being disclosed, continued toward the suspect on the cycle. He followed him until the suspect lost control of the motorcycle, crashed and fled on foot. The friend drove home, parked his truck then returned to the scene in another vehicle.
I personally don't smoke pot but have zero problems with other people smoking and growing it. There is so much money being made with commercial grow operations that I really wonder who in our government is being bought off and bribed to keep it illegal. The government could raise a lot of revenue by taxing its sale.
I wonder just how much effort is being spent to find the home invaders. Mr. Thomas should have spent more time in the gun shop and on the range...
