Life Goes On in Our "Safe City"

How's this for fourth grade math? Violent thug + illegal firearm + city full of defenseless victims = a handful of people in Charlestown who are damn lucky to be alive today.

After visiting with friends on Charlestown's waterfront Monday night, Joseph Doretti and Kevin Griffin stopped by the Ironside Grill on Park Street to grab a beer and watch the end of "Monday Night Football." But despite all appearances to the contrary, the place was deserted.

"It was completely empty," Doretti said last night. "There were TVs on, there was beer on the bar, jackets on the backs of chairs. We didn't know anyone was in the freezer."

And not just "anyone."

Just minutes before Doretti and Griffin arrived and - finding no one around to serve them - helped themselves to the Harpoon ale and kicked back to watch the Green Bay Packers kick the St. Louis Rams' butts, a Heineken drinker with light-blue eyes and dark-blue torn nylon running pants had bellied up to the bar with a double-barreled sawed-off shotgun and ordered up all the cash.

[snip]

Cantin, bartender Whitney Hancock and two male customers were herded into the restaurant's walk-in freezer. Their escape was blocked by a table and a meat cutter barricading the door.

Now who can we thank for effectively disarming 80% of the people involved with this altercation? Good batting average, Mr. Mayor. I wonder how the powers that be will respond after this guy's next heist, should he decide to murder someone for kicks while pursuing his hobbies of armed robbery and hostage-taking.

But wait, there's more.

Live from Dorchester - it's Saturday night!

A woman beaten savagely in a Dorchester apartment by three acquaintances played dead so convincingly the trio wrapped her up in a blue tarp and stashed her under a porch, police said.

The 34-year-old woman survived the ordeal on Nightingale Street and yesterday police arrested two men and one woman alleged to have beaten and robbed her just before 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Isn't that lovely?

All three were to be arraigned in Dorchester District Court today on charges of assault with intent to murder, armed robbery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm.

No gun permit? But isn't that illegal? Go figure.