So scary!
Yesterday afternoon, there was a fatal stabbing (gang-related) right new Nathan's work.
http://www.independent.com/online_onlys/2007/03/stabbing_on_state_street.html
One kid (15 yo) died and a 14 yo allegedly killed him. Another kid went to the hospital after getting hit with a bat, but was released.
When I went to drop off the car and drop in to say hi before I took the bus up to school, but I couldn't go in to Kinko's because his store was on "lock-down" since they were looking for weapons (there was an officer blocking the back entrance).
The street was blocked off from the intersection above Nathan's work and below for two blocks. The stabbing (gang war really cause there were a lot of kids involved) happened just down the block from where Nathan works.
I was SO freaked out that I couldn't go in to see my husband (he waved from the window, though I couldn't go near it) and I felt really emotionally upset that he was stuck there with all that going on and I couldn't do anything...and that I had class to get to. I didn't know much of what had happened at the time, and I was so worried! I knew that he would be fine...but the fact that happened so close to him. And it's so rare for stuff like that to happen in my town!! I nearly started crying on the bus.
Thankfully, he was let out of work early (people could leave, but not come back in, and he was working on jobs, etc), so he was on his way home before I got off the bus.
1 comment:
That is scary!
Whenever I hear about something like this happening, I think about that song by The Dead Presidents, "Movin' to the country - Gonna eat a lotta peaches," ;o)
I'm very sorry to hear that you and your husband had to go through what you did yesterday.
You hear about it happening in Oxnard more than you do here, but, I worked at the DA's office, and have talked to hundreds of local high school students, many of which were also local gang members, when I worked for a local drug addiction and prevention program, and having grown up here and attended public schools here, I'd say it's a problem that's way too common for my own comfort.... and rumor has it, it's on the rise.
The only things that surprised me about what happened yesterday were 1) the fact that it happened on State Street 2) in the middle of the day and 3) two entire blocks and businesses were shut down as a result - 4) and the media attention it received.
I had a friend in high school who died at age 16 from the result of gang related stabbings and beatings, and another friend from high school who was in intensive care for two gang related stabbings. I don't remember reading about or watching either on of their stories covered on the evening news.
One of the major gang prevention/intervention programs recently lost their funding, (I think it was last year?) and the Santa Barbara News Press published an article about it, (or maybe it was the Daily Sound, come to think of it) and the fact that, according to them, gang activity is on the rise -- so I think we'll be hearing about this issue more now.
We live closer to downtown than what I used to consider "Westside Turf" but, we hear gunshots at night, and there's a gunshot hole in our front door. I like to think they are fire crackers or cars backfiring -- but like I said, there's a gunshot hole in our front door (from before we moved in).
Every time I've had to go to the hospital in the middle of the night for all the weird things that have come up during this pregnancy, there has been a gang related shooting or stabbing, victim and/or perp in the ER with me. But, to add insult to injury, the evening news will cover some cute fluffy animal story instead, interrupted three times with weather "updates" of barometer changes of less than 3 degrees.
Drives me bonkers.
You hardly ever hear about it on the news, but I think that will change - I think that is changing - but I don't know if it really is a bigger problem now than it was when I was in high school or if it's just something that's receiving more news coverage as of late.
Either way, it's a problem that I am very concerned about --- especially now that I'm expecting a boy.
It's true that gang violence isn't as bad here as it is in LA, but it's way worse than I'd like it to be. It's not LA, or New York but we don't live in the country either...
So yeah... makes me want to sing:
"Movin' to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches..."
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