I've lived in this community since 1966, with a little time off for a few years living in the country. The community has been safe, and well maintained by local laws and law enforcement. But something happened to me last night that has put fear in my mind. that, and the incident with SkaterBoy who was robbed at gunpoint a couple of weeks ago in a local park says we're in for a change in this community.
I was eating dinner with a friend at a local family restaurant. A huge party of teens came in to celebrate someone's birthday. They weren't loud, weren't rowdy, they ate, celebrated and got ready to leave. As they were walking out, a huge fight started. Tables tipped over, lights were broken, dishes flying and all of the kids got into the act. Luckily, I wasn't in the middle of it, but was an onlooker from about 25 feet away. It was so scary! A family next to us picked up their kids and got ready to run out. The only thing that kept me from doing the same is that this fight happened by the door, so we could have gone out the kitchen, but what would have been happening outside? Finally, the police arrived, and got the crowd dispersed and calmed down. An ambulance came to carry away the injured parties.
I found out later that the local news people arrived (after I left, thank heaven). The manager of the restaurant went to each table to apologize to the patrons for the incident. But with all this going on in our community, how can you feel safe? Do we all have to live with "mean streets"? Or do we have to run away from communities which we all know and love to go to where the crime and bad behavior hasn't reached yet? I know many who have fled, and I don't want to be one of them. Yet, what will become of us if society turns into anarchy, where anyone with a slight affront against them starts a fight, or carries a gun, or decides that a human life is less important that settling a grudge?
New media reported that this happened as a carry over from an incident that happened in high school earlier in the day. What those kids who go to high school with going on around them must endure every day, I'm not envying them that situation. And how can anyone learn when the focus is on grudge matches instead of learning? And where are the parents of these kids who were involved in the fight?
Let peace begin on earth, and let it begin with me...... But it's going to be hard to forget these things that have gone on around me lately.
2 comments:
Oh my gosh! I saw that on the news this morning and couldn't believe it! 'm glad you are okay and were fortunate not to be involved.
It's crazy, isn't it? We have to collectively stand up against it -- or move to West County. :-)
I'm still reeling from the 10 people in Philly who recently stood by and watched a man on a metro train get beaten with a hammer by another man. TEN people. And no one intervened ... collectively, the could have cleaned his clock.
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