Well, Last night I stopped another crime in progress

[The Straight Story]

I will be so glad when I move away from here :)

At any rate, I decided to go outside and have a smoke and a beer on the front porch last night. My wife and daughter are out of town so I can smoke inside, but I wanted to go out and enjoy the evening as it was nice.

I go out and there are two guys carrying a large box in the court across from my house. They see me standing there and ditch the box in Mrs. Pool's front yard (she died earlier this year, her husband died a month before mom, so the house is empty. I called the cops last month when I caught someone over there trying to steal their cable lines).

After those guys took off I walked down the court to my friend's house (he was a drug dealer, and I at first thought these might be his friends taking something over to my other friend's house, also a dealer and reformed murderer....long damn story, but the guy in the court converted to christianity and does not deal drugs anymore...like I said, a long story).

He told me it was not his stuff, but that his dog was barking and woke him up. He came down to my house and I called 911.

I told the cops what had occurred and they waited on a paddy wagon to come get the box (turns out it was a Futon). They told me I could have it if no one claimed it, and I told em I would not feel right about taking someone's stolen merchandise. My friend and I are actively looking for the owner and have it narrowed down (but the lady won't be home until tomorrow, we are pretty sure it is hers by process of elimination).

Weird thing is, the cops remembered me and thanked me several times for keeping an eye out on things here. They knew I was an X-cop (deputy) and that I had called them out here more then once on issues. What made it odd to me was that they remarked that even though this hood was in a bad area, most the crime was in the new homes divisions out here, and people out there never paid attention like we did here in an established neighborhood. My family has been here since 1964, one of the first here.

And it gets weirder to me still. The first black kid in the hood was named Arthur, he moved in to my best friend's house when he left. Some people here protested, but it was my mom and her friend that welcomed them with a cake and a card (and some families moved out, the Kitchens' being one such family, but it did them little good as two of their sons died via murder by white folks...). My drug dealer friend (now reformed) was the only Asian in the hood and has kept in touch with Arthur. He does graphic design work for christian rap groups (which I just learned today) - it is all weird to me as my Asian buddy's dad was how I made some extra cash in the day by cutting their grass and such. I grew up with diversity and never really saw it as that, it was just normal to me (thanks in large part to my mom).

But still racism rears it's head here. The guys last night and the ones before were black. This side of town is mostly black, and the crime rate has soared. And the whites here blame that on the blacks moving in. I blame it on poverty and the lack of caring for others (like Larry, a black guy here who does a lot of crack but will clean your gutters and rake your yard for $15 just to get by. I have given him some business to help him out, just sad how he spends it, but not really my business I guess- he was here today begging for work, but I did not have any for him.)

Our main local businesses have either shut down (a whole host of em) or taken extreme measures (like bullet proof glass and weapon detectors like I saw at the bank today. I asked the teller about it, as I work for the bank, and she said they were implementing these things in high risk areas).

So here I am, stopping crimes in my hood - and yet I am left wondering, how bad are the people here compared to bush and the white collar criminals who rob us blind? I am not making excuses for people, but I must say I am sad that I can call 911 and stop someone from stealing a futon, but I cannot do jack about bush killing so many people around the world based on his damned lies.

The SS signing out. Heading off to the porch for a beer and evil smoke, to watch over my hood.

[EST]

1. What a stunning look through your window on the world...

Thank you so much.

[Mythsaje]

2. Awesome...

Great story. Thanks for posting. Makes me want to share something about my neighborhood too.

[cynatnite]

3. Keep up the good work...

We should all be so lucky as to have a caring neighbor like you. And yes, it's aggravating as hell when bush and his cohorts can get away with so much shit. Makes me wanna :puke:

I'll join you :smoke:

[marions ghost]

4. No diff to me

between these people and the looters in the White House.

OK street crime is a constant threat but suite crime is actually a much harder problem to control. If people could understand how much govt and corporations are victimizing us all, we might have a hope of salvaging this country. Since so many voters cited "corruption" as a major problem re. the last election...some are finally making the connection.

[villager]

5. You coming to Cali soon, SS?

Do I have that right from a previous post?

In any case, thanks for sharing this tale here...

[The Straight Story]

6. Bakersfield

I used to live in Ridgecrest and Tehachapi.

I can't wait to get back! Just looking for work :)

[villager]

8. Where a glass can be lifted to Buck Owens' memory at the Crystal Palace!

n/t

[VenusRising]

7. I'm like you in my neighborhood.

I have called the police on many fights and thefts here in my complex. It's terrible that more people don't pay attention to the neighborhood they live in or care for the people in it.

To share an example: My "garden" apartment is right next to the street. Garden refers to the fact that I have two sliding glass doors for walls - one in the living room and one in my bedroom. A girl who lived down a few doors in would get a ride every morning from her mother, who would pull up next to my doors and start honking like a maniac. The girl got angry with me when I asked if her mother would please stop honking because it woke my husband and me up. One day I woke up to screaming, and the girl's boyfriend was beating on her. I started screaming at him and he tried to climb up over my fence, but when he saw that I had a phone in my hand and was talking to police he bailed. I don't know what happened with that, but I do know that he left her alone long enough for her to get away. And that's only one time out of 6 or 7 that I have had to deal with a situation just like that. But I do it, and I don't think twice about protecting someone from violence if I can.

Good on you, SS. Have an extra drink and smoke! :toast:

[The Straight Story]

9. Will do and thanks

We have to look out for our neighbors and friends. Have a beer on me :)

[Porcupine]

10. Enron took Californian for $70 Billion. 19 convictions.

I really think the "War on Drugs" needs to be toned down to a forcible treatment system for those with heavier addictions and strictly monitered, taxed, and controlled sales of recreational drugs to eliminate the narco-criminals. Homeless alcoholics are a hassle but they usaully aren't shooting people for drug money.

Sounds like my neighborhood in tone by we're a little whiter shade of pale.

[Kiouni]

11. you say

you grew up in diversity and that really helped curdle any racial prejudices. I had kind of the opposite growing up, I grew up in a very white community and always thought I wasn't racist (never made any jokes or slurs) and then one day when I was a sophomore I attend a weekend seminar in philly and boy were my eyes opened. I don't think i was racist before but i was definitely ignorant of how important diversity is.

[xchrom]

12. lol -- you and i have kept very similar friends.

great story -- take care of your hood, dude.