Life in the Hood

Christmas has come to the hood already. Below is a picture of Christmas lights on a house around the corner. This pix was taken through the screen in my window in the bedroom.


I hope I can remember the order of the pictures here.... Do you see the plywood board on the mom-and-pop store across the street? Its where the door goes. There was a burglary there. Or should it be robbery? I'm not sure. I think burglary is the breaking in of a place with intent to commit a felony. A robbery is when you take something by force or fear. Robbery would therefore mean someone would have to be present is my guess. Anyway... here's my exciting story. (under the picture.)

Rainy dusky darkness. I stepped outside to have a smoke and noticed a guy across the street standing in the doorway of the closed mom-and-pop store. The store had been closed for a while. I checked out his appearance because I was thinking 'waiting for a drug drop.' Tallish, white, brown hair, sleeveless vest jacket, dark long sleeved shirt, and blue jeans. He was smoking.

I finished and went back inside, Within 5 minutes we heard a loud crashing sound of glass breaking. I jumped to the window and looked across at the store. The guy wasn't there. I couldn't tell if the door was okay or not. It was a glass door. (How inviting is that, I ask you... put in a full glass door so one just has to break the glass to get in. Its like an invitation>) I kept looking to see if I could spy anyone walking around inside the store. (I never focused on anything else, like looking at the parked cars to see if there was damage.) Within a minute or so I saw a dark figure move across the front of the store. I grapped the phone and called the police. While I was on the phone with them, the guy left the store clutching something to his chest area like he was holding something. I gave the police the direction he was walking and the description. Within an hour the police contacted me to come with them to id someone they had apprehended. We drove around a couple of blocks where there was another police car. Lights on him with me in the darkened car. I identified him, but could only say I was 80% sure. He had a white tee shirt on and that threw me. I didn't see one before. It was only after I had identified him that the police said they had caught him with stuff from the store on him (food items) and he had confessed.

Citizens have to become involved in order to help deter crime that is on the rise... on the other hand, I was wondering if he stole food items to feed his family. He didn't look like someone on the edge of drug addiction. (addicts steal anything, including food, and sell it to others for money.) Bottom line, he shouldn't have damaged the store. The owner didn't deserve the damage. He struggles to keep the store going as it is.

The police couldn't find out how to contact the owner... no phone number around or anything. They kept an officer there until someone came to board the place up for safe keeping. The owners/workers arrived a little bit ago and their body language looked surprised. They are sweeping up the glass now... but they are still open for business.

The next picture (below) is showing yet another police car blocking off the street (which is a busy major street.) I think there was shooting going on several blocks over, or there had been one. The street was blocked for almost five hours... that makes me think someone got shot. I'll be listening to the news next time it comes on.


My final picture is of the two boys playing a game on the pc.... so there are a lot of calls going on about someone wanting to get on the pc. The boys seem to like the game a lot and that might give them priority. Anything to keep them entertained.