The turf wars have always been there, but the violence is greater this year, reports Lewak, for reasons no one know. Maybe because no one wants to get the cops involved and instead "the two competing bosses resolve matters privately." There's also what she terms "bad blood" between Mister Softee and Yogo trucks; the Yogos are former Mister Softees who quit and founded their new frozen yogurt company in 2010. But it's also, plain and simple, about the money: If two trucks are on the same block, the profits—$1,500 cash on a good, hot, summer day—can be cut in half.

In the words of one of the now-terrified ice cream men: "If you see a Mister Softee truck, you know bad things are coming!” So, that ice cream song has finally been acknowledged as the portent of evil we always knew it was.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.

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