Bump in the Night

As I settled in for a Sunday night sleep around 11:30, I heard a giant crash outside 
my apartment.   As I was in an accident about a month ago, I was fearful that someone had hit the rental car.  I was not prepared
 for what I saw when I peered through the shades.  Across the street, in the neighboring apartment's front yard was a minivan.  I'll repeat.  In the yard. Minivan.  My eyes almost popped out of my head.  I started yelling, "Call the police! Call the police!" as I watched children, all the age of maybe, MAYBE 14, fleeing from the vehicle.  Suddenly, at 11:30 at night, there were 15 to 20 kids between the ages of 10 and at most, 15, out in the middle of the street arguing over who had been involved in the theft.  There were other adults out there as well and they were telling the adults 
that they had not been involved in the accident.  

I was on the horn to the police telling them about the accident, the description
of the only suspect that I saw, while my boyfriend ran outside to see what in the
hell had just happened.  Once done with the 9-1-1 call, I ran back into the bedroom, got dressed, and ran outside.  I gave the police my name and phone number in case there were any questions.  

We sat and waited. waited. waited. AND waited.  It took the St. Louis City police over 15 minutes to get there AFTER I was seated on my front porch.  Enough time to give all of those children plenty of time to saunter, and I do mean, saunter home.  There were even children still lurking around when the police were there after midnight and nothing was said. They were never questioned. They were never asked why there were outside after midnight.

Some punks stole a woman's van, ran it into a yard, somehow missing a tree, two poles, and a car, and the police couldn't make it there in enough time to question a single kid that was standing around out there. They avoided hurting themselves and anyone else, Thank God.

I was appalled at the police and the fact that I saw 10 year old outside wandering the streets with zero adult supervision at midnight.  When I questioned my neighborhood liaison today about the curfew I was told that it is 11 o'clock on the weekdays and midnight on the weekends. MIDNIGHT!  A ten year old can legally roam the streets until midnight.  WHY?  I worry not only that the child has nothing better to do than get into shit, but also that there are more than enough freaks out there just waiting to get their paws on a ten year old child. I don't know which was more embarassing; a jr high school kid stealing a van or the police response.  

The Macaca Bull Fakakta and General Observations on Race Relations

Okay folks.  George Allen. Who hasn't heard about this ass?  
I must admit, I know very little of Virginia.   So, when I heard about Mr. Allen's
use of the term "macaca" to describe an American of Indian descent, who happened to work for Mr. Allens' opponent and he was the only person of color at
the rally, I knew what was up.  I mean, c'mon people. He said he confused the
term "macaca" with "mohawk".  HUH? I mean, he might be an old cornpone, or is
at least pretending to be, but NO ONE and I mean, NO ONE is that stupid.  He
knew exactly what he was saying.  His tone and presentation to Sidarth ("Macaca"), welcoming him to the "real Virginia" was basically and underlying jab, indicating that true Virginians don't like his "kind".

I've already read several posts that say that the man was not making a racial remark because he was saying it right to the guy's face while he was filming it and who would be that dumb? That's the thing:  I think that George Allen thought he was being slick and not saying something totally overt, so he could get away with it and I think that to his crowd of all white constituents, after making a speech about immigration, he was trying to point out how his opponent employees non-whites. Hence, they should vote for good ole George Allen, their white buddy.  While his racist remarks were frowned on nationally, I
doubt that they were locally.  Heck, I would assume those remarks would put Mr. Allen in the lead with people who attend his rallies, including those who
currently support Confederate History Month.

Several times this week I've heard the term Islamo-fascism and actually heard people saying that they believed that the majority of Muslims want Americans dead and are rooting for Hezbollah to annihilate us.  How can they know? People are make entire assumptions about a religion based on the loudest people.  Should we now assume all Christians are like Fred Phelps?

As a city dweller, I have talked to and seen my fair share of people frown upon my city living and say such stupid shit as, "I would live in the city, but I have kids", whatever the fuck that means.  I've talked to people and grown up around people who are literally afraid to cross the bridge into St. Louis. People who believe that all violence happens constantly in the city, that gangs are rampant, and that blacks are to blame for all the problems in the city.  St. Louis for all your greatness, why are your residents so stupid? I can no longer tolerate the intolerance. I can no longer deal with people who lump behaviors according to race. I CANNOT.  I've grown very tired of this place.  Mostly, I guess I've grown tired of idiots, such as those people in St. Charles County who are preventing mass transportation from going where they live because they actually think blacks will ride the train from the city and come rob them. I can't do it anymore.

I DO love living here. I am so grateful for all of the diverse people that I know. However, these pockets of people, even ones that I have known forever, I can no longer deal with.  

Please someone offer me a nugget of hope in this mess.  I am so ready for some fresh, new perspectives on this, as I am feeling most disheartened on this topic as of late......................