"No One Was Hurt"

What to do on a Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee--

Watch football?

Rake leaves?

Go shopping?

Hold a gun to a video store clerk's head and commit robbery?

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

A man wearing a ski mask, hooded sweatshirt and dark clothing entered Rainbow Video at 3408 W. National Avenue around 3:30 p.m. The assailant ordered the lone video store clerk to the ground, held a gun to her head and demanded money. The store clerk directed him to two cigar boxes full of money. Two similarly dressed men entered the store briefly and then all three men fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. No one was hurt.

"No one was hurt."

Of course, that means that the victim, any bystanders, and the thugs were not injured in the course of the robbery.

When I read, "No one was hurt," I think of how an act like this does hurt.

It hurt the neighborhood and its law-abiding residents.

It hurts other Milwaukee residents who may not have crime in their neighborhoods but fear its encroachment.

It hurts Milwaukee's ability to attract new businesses, not to mention its ability to keep current business owners from relocating.

A negative business climate hurts Milwaukee's citizens hoping to find employment. It increases poverty.

A growing dependent population puts a greater tax burden on Milwaukee's taxpayers, giving them incentive to abandon the city and leave the county.

So here's a story about an armed robbery in the middle of a Sunday afternoon, and supposedly no one was hurt.

BS.