Paintballs Not Bullets

Londonderry/Derry, Northern Ireland, 2004

This is the observation window of a British guard tower on the Derry Walls.

It was attacked by the Irish Republican Army - but with paintballs, not bullets.

At the height of "The Troubles" in 1972, Derry saw 479 murders or deaths in battles with security forces. While Derry continues to have a reputation for sectarian violence, in 2004 when I visited, the city boasted a single murder. Tyler, Texas, where I serve as editor of the newspaper, recorded 13 homicides that same year.