152/365 Not My Fault

The police captain who implied that all black people know each other? He wrote a doozy of a "pity the poor police department" letter to our neighborhood mailing list. There was a shooting a few blocks east, and yes, the victim was a career criminal and folks with that life plan are more likely to die violently than random citizen but, hello, crossfire? Stray bullets? I think we have a right to be worried.

His letter delved into statistics, "proving" that crime is not increasing in our neighborhood. Dawn and I stood outside and agreed this was BS--our neighborhood is huge and there is definitely more RIGHT HERE. Two break ins on our block, a car break in/attempted theft on the next block (Joy's car), and a shooting four blocks away, plus several other brazen break ins? Something has changed and I get so sick of the police department blaming the prosecutors. That's what he did, see, blame the prosecutors for not being tough on defendants. Except I know from my own experience from the assault in 2006 that the prosecuting office had such bad police reports to go from--many of the details we provided were not included--that it was useless. Where's the follow-through?

I hate it, HATE IT, when people pass the buck. Prosecutors, lawmakers, police, even corporations. Nothing is ever anyone else's fault. So, is it not the fault of the police for showing up to an active unsecured crime scene 45 minutes after the fact, while all the witnesses stood around waiting? Or when the whole neighborhood can point to the building full of stoop-sitting drug dealers but "Despite lengthy undercover work" they can't make an arrest? Or is it because our neighborhood is a little on the minority side, and since all blacks know each other, we should just take care of it ourselves?

One thing I have always loved about our block, actually, these two blocks, is that we're not from here. We don't roll over and take it from city officials or from police. We ask uncomfortable questions and send even more uncomfortable letters to people in charge. The street department might not like us, the forestry division might feel like we went over their heads, and the police might grit their teeth when they say the name of our block, but damn it, this is what a society is for. If I wanted to go it alone, I'd live out at the end of a dirt road off the grid somewhere. But I don't. And I have expectations. They shouldn't be lower just because of my zip code.