Are Vigilantes Good Or Bad

Vigilantes are “a member of a self-appointed group of citizens who undertake law enforcement in their community without legal authority, typically because the legal agencies are thought to be inadequate” (Dictionary). So are vigilantes good or evil? Vigilantes in stories like Batman, the Arrow, or Robin Hood all go against the law to save their city or help the poor and needy. Vigilantism is not as good in real life as the stories make it seem. Sometimes people like Joe Horn will break the law in an extreme way, such as killing someone, but for a reason the person believes is good. Vigilantism is dangerous, hard to deal with, and it can be both beneficial and hurtful. Vigilantes get out of hand very quickly and can make the area very dangerous to live in. “In 2007, 61-year old Joe Horn looked out the window of his Pasadena, Texas home and saw a pair of black men in his neighbor's yard, apparently involved in a burglary. Horn called 911, and, as journalist Liliana Segura would later report, became agitated, deciding he needed to stop the crime himself.” (The New Vigilantes: Trayvon Martin and the "Shoot First" Lobby). …show more content…
Although they break the law they can be helping the community. They can discover and stop child porn, they can keep people from committing crimes within their neighborhoods, and they can keep illegal immigrants from crossing our borders. But sometimes these people take it way too far. They start using lethal force or they accuse innocent people based on race or ethnicity. People can get too serious and take the place of the official law enforcement. People soon fear the “safety” of neighborhood watches and flee from the cities. So vigilantes good and bad are a problem. The cause disputes over what laws are ethical or worthy to follow and sometimes people will follow these vigilantes. These occasionally helpful but unlawful citizens can be harmful, helpful dangerous, and very hard to deal with at the same