In a matter of seconds last Saturday our community lost itsinnocence – muggings are events that happen in big cities. Armedrobberies happen on dark lonely streets where victims are helplessand vulnerable. Victims are shot when they put up a fight. It isbig city newspapers where you read about tragic events where thugsprey on the innocent and vulnerable – not in Brookhaven!

Eva Pullen is a special person. She is the sweetest, mostgenerous lady you will ever meet. She smiles and talks to everybodyand can count friends all across the state. Over the years she hasvolunteered thousands of hours to her church, civic groups andclubs preparing for functions by doing flower arrangements andhelping here and there.

Forty-five years ago, Mrs. Pullen watched over all of usneighborhood kids. There were about six of us and we played hard!Football, baseball, basketball, kick-the-can, you name it, and weplayed it, if it had wheels we rode it, from early in the morninguntil the sun went down. During a hot day of playing, we couldalways find comfort in the kitchen of Bill Pullen’s mom. There wasalways something good to drink and eat, a Band-Aid available and acomforting hug with that big smile.

Following last Saturday morning’s incident, she remains in aJackson hospital recuperating from multiple gunshot wounds thatwere fired at her by thugs. Thugs who had nothing better to do on aspring morning but prey on an elderly woman parked in a handicappedzone, who was carrying out some morning errands, probably pickingup something for somebody else.

The quick action of witnesses and law enforcement officialsresulted in arrests of two young men later in the afternoon. Bothof them have had their names in the police reports in recent years.One has a pending-armed robbery charge; now he has another. Thelegal system will hopefully take care of them now.

There is a lot of frustration in the country, tensions arealready high with people out of work, headlines about budget cutsin our schools, uncertainty over events in Washington, naturaldisasters that seem to be happening all too often and too close tohome. Saturday’s shooting and Yazoo City’s tornado just add to thatuneasy feeling.

Comments we have heard and read from postings to The DAILYLEADER website express those frustrations – some a bit extreme, butlaxness in our legal system that seems to slap wrists rather thanpunish creates the perception that adds to the frustration. It maytake the heavy handedness of justice to send a message that enoughis enough.

Like Mrs. Pullen’s kitchen many years ago that was a comfortzone for us kids, so are communities like Brookhaven. Comfort zonesare where parents can know their children are safe, where adultchildren can know their parents are safe.

Our community’s innocence was shaken but not shattered; time andjustice will heal that. For Eva Pullen and her family it will beharder, but she has a loving community wishing her all the best andone that is looking forward to seeing that gracious smile againsoon.

Write to Bill Jacobs at P.O. Box 551, Brookhaven MS 39602, orsend e-mail to bjacobs@dailyleader.com.