Was the city out to get Charles Lee “Cookie” Thornton?

Question

Thorton is 100% to blame for killing people, innocent people at that. He is a horrible person and should be seen as a scumbag for the choices he made. My question is, would you believe the government was out to get you if you had received 150 tickets, was only given scraps of promised construction work, and was consistently mocked, and maligned when you went to meetings. Something is wrong with the government, when it refuses to try to resolve situations, its resolution: do what we tell you. Seems kind of sad.. maybe this could have been prevented, if an obviously mentally disturbed man, had found one person who would actually listen to him, and try to work with him. Instead, they made him an outcast, and we have all see where that led.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23081397

Answer 1

cuppa joe ur a ***** you cant be callin my unkle a mettaly ill man he had reasons for what he did and im not sayin that wat he did was rite but the city wasnt listien to him or helping him they were just treating him like c**p and dammit i defened him 100% i dont care if he killed those ppl some of them probaly deserved it and **** the mayor i love my unkle and sont you ever in your life disrespect my grandmother or my other unkle r.i.p unkle cookie

i love u always

Answer 2

Well, let's face it....he isn't to blame. His mama was on the radio saying that the city officials were picking on her boy. I guess some of these deaths could have been prevented if there would have been somebody in that city council meeting with a "carry permit" and a loaded 38. Then he would have killed one instead of 5 people.

Answer 3

I think he was mentally ill. In fact, I think there is something wrong with the mom and the brother. I couldn't believe they were trying to defend what he did.

Answer 4

Not having been a resident of Kirkwood for 10 years, I do not know the answer - but then those in town, with the City, and in the Thorton neighborhood do not have 100% of the facts either.

With the amount of tickets issued, the years of feuding, the restraint orders and injunctions; the City should have long ago called in outside help - as should have Cookie (a high school classmate of mine) and his family. This all could have been avoided. If Mr. Thorton had legal or mental issues, there are professionals who could have helped him - really helped. If the City would have brought in outside counsel or advice, perhaps they may have scheduled a meeting with Mr. Thorton - NOT a council meeting, not a trial; but just sat around the table and explained the law, explained his options; perhaps he would have felt that his hometown - where he grew up, was still the place for his business, his family, and his dreams.

If Cookie had actually received 150 tickets from Kirkwood Police Department, after about the 50th, the officers would be laughing about doing the same thing over and over, that Cookie just keeps making the same mistakes - as probably would the Thorton family as they told him to not argue with the City. Now no one is laughing in Kirkwood.

We all have problems. We all have laws that we have to obey. We all have jobs. We all want change for the better. But we overlook many things as they occur around us, then exclaim that something should have been done, as I am doing now.

Listen to those that you are in contact with in your life. Many times they are trying to tell you something.

Answer 5

You might want to read, "The Gift of Fear."  It has a whole section about how a city government can defuse a guy who's clearly mentally ill, in a way that helps him feel respected and not like he has to go off and kill innocent people.