I was running late this morning... left home for the farm at about 5:15

[31j20b3]

The predawn light made seeing the nsighborhood possible. Thing is I didn't see what I should have seen
I did see the neighbor's cars one, illegally parked on the street over night, one on the lower apron of the driveway of that residence and one halfway up the driveway.

I didn't really see anything out of the ordinary. That situation is "status quo" for this middle class, almost purely white neighborhood.

After cultivating sweet corn and green beans for 5 hours, for my Veggies for Vets hobby, I came back 55 miles to the edge of the hood, where I sleep at night. It was a police car parking lot.. And one of the city's finest was keen to know what I saw.

I really had seen nothing to help him. I told them what I had seen which was nothing, although it's quite possible the kids the did it were hiding in the cars even as I left. This is a neighborhood of old people, widows, widowers and 80+ folks getting desperate to get out what is now part of the hunting grounds of the "hood". No one has door cams, or car alarms, or guard dogs

Living in "white land" just blocks from the "hood" has never really required that level of concern. After the cop left, the widow from the house next to the car break-in came by asking for help tomorrow and next week to box her household up and drive it 250 miles north so she can get away from "all this". I'll be honest, no one wants to live in a place with a high crime rate. What younger neighbors find acceptable risk is well beyond the tolerance of some old folks who feel they can't protect themselves.

[haele]

1. Having lived in both middle/working class neighborhoods...

...and in the "hood" on a cult de sac just block away from the boundary intersection of three different gangs, the only times I've ever experienced a break in, burglary, or car theft was in several of the middle classed white neighborhoods. And the few burglars or thieves were inevitably teens (or their "friends" ) living on the block or, in one case, a transient gang associated with the various out of state "traveller" groups who just happened to pick that neighborhood to hit before moving on to the next city.

The time I lived in the 'hood, my street was basically working class renters or gang member's grannies or Abuelas. Break-ins didn't happen unless it was something personal. Unfortunately, generally domestic.

[31j20b3]

2. I do think this is related to the end of the school year...

The young kids are sort of let loose and they variously attach themselves to groups/gangs that welcome them.

Of course from the community perspective this is a terrible thing that sucks kids into gang behaviors.

But, yourng teens don't always have a strong sense of ethics/good community behavior. And some fraction of them they can be "played" to get into gang behaviors that stand them in good stead with the thungs

I'm not trying to stereotype. I'm saying SOME as in a fraction of the whole.

I grew up in a VERY working class neighborhood, mostly white, and we were regularly invited/sucked into racist gang behavior.

Thank goodness I really never saw violence as a power I wished to emulate.
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