In late November, many Butler area residents were taken aback by the reality that parishioners could no longer feel confident that their belongings are safe in church. Purse thefts during Masses at St. Paul Catholic Church dashed the feelings of security thousands of church-going people had associated with their particular House of God.

The thefts, still unsolved, were — and remain — an assault on this community's goodness, humanity and friendliness.

With those thefts still fresh in the minds of area people, this week brought the even-more-troubling, grisly news about the torture-killing of a man who was making his home in downtown Butler. Area residents are now left pondering the barbarity of what is believed to have occurred — beatings and burnings that ultimately helped bring about his death. Likewise, people are no doubt reflecting on the detour some people have taken — away from the positive attributes of love, kindness and forgiveness — in their dealings with their fellow human beings.

News like that of the past several weeks is not what area people, busy preparing for Christmas and looking forward to a new year with hope and upbeat anticipation, had been hopeful of encountering. Coupled with the drug problem that continues to challenge this county's spirit, as well as its law enforcement and criminal justice systems, brutal actions like those that eventually took the life of Jason Michael Ritzert in an apartment on West Quarry Street represent a troubling blemish that this community would rather not have associated with it.

In the eyes of some people not closely familiar with Butler and its environs, the Ritzert killing, regardless of Ritzert's failings as perceived by those with whom he resided, projects the message that this city might not be the safe, welcoming community that its leaders attempt to portray. The broad media coverage that such a case inevitably attracts is not the kind of news story with which this community desires to be linked.

But people here must be told what is happening so their day-to-day lives are not built upon false perceptions about the conditions and dangers around them.

What is triggering the erosion of conscience and the erosion of behavior that the church thefts and torture-killing of Ritzert signify? Are the answers amid the tentacles of poverty and desperation, family breakdowns that relegate people to unwholesome friendships and relationships, a lack of positive incentives or opportunities, a lack of personal desire and initiative to succeed on one's own — all of these and more?

That is the kind of question Butler should ponder — not just amid the generous spirit that Christmas normally signifies, but beyond the holiday as well. Troubling happenings like those with which the city currently is dealing test communities' determination and ability to move beyond them and ultimately make themselves better.

Over the past couple of weeks, Butler has been dealt a bad card in its desire to project a positive image. People here are hoping they have seen the last of such terrible episodes, while realizing that, unfortunately, the two current stories will continue to produce headlines well beyond this week and, thus, further chip at the city's reputation.

As individuals and as families, the people of Butler need to ponder what has gone wrong. They need to ask how they and their community as a whole can help to address circumstances that harbor potential dangers, deadly or otherwise.

The Ritzert death and the church incidents cannot be regarded merely as isolated incidents that do not demand the community's considerable attention and alarm. They exemplify infiltration of a criminal mind-set that had heretofore been regarded as "somebody's else's problem."