Office Melvin Santiago, a rookie cop in Jersey City, NJ, was gunned down early Sunday morning responding to a robbery call at a Walgreen’s pharmacy. His alleged killer, Lawrence Campbell, was killed when Santiago’s brother officers returned fire. Disgustingly, a sidewalk memorial appeared to the cop-killer. The AP reports:

A day after a rookie police officer was gunned down in an ambush, mourners came to pay their respects at a makeshift memorial with candles, balloons, empty liquor bottles and messages of love from friends scrawled on T-shirts taped to a brick wall — to his killer.

"Rest easy," ''Thug in peace" and "See u on the other side" were among the things friends wrote to Lawrence Campbell, who police say ambushed Officer Melvin Santiago (snip)

Visitors to the memorial would not give their names to The Associated Press. But Barbara Jones, Campbell's neighbor, told The Jersey Journal that the Campbell she knew was nothing like the man city officials say was lying in wait for officers to arrive before opening fire.

"He was a good man. He looked out for everybody on the block," Jones told the newspaper.

Angelique Campbell, Campbell's widow, told News 12 New Jersey on Sunday that she was sorry for Santiago's family but that her husband should have killed more officers if they were planning to kill him. She later apologized for the comments.

City officials and the AP aver that these sentiments are not typical of Jersey City residents, and they are no doubt correct. But we do have a violent subculture in this country that is full of contempt for those who work hard and make an honest living, obeying the rules. Alas, many cultural leaders (ahem, rap music, “civil rights” and race-mongers) are making good livings encouraging this sort of thing. It is social cancer.

Hat tip: Jim Neolick