Last month when I was called to serve on a jury, once I was called to a courtroom I was asked to fill out a questionnaire. It consisted, as you might expect, of questions that might help uncover any pre-established biases or predilections. About halfway through, I had to stop. I was trying to make a good faith effort to be as honest and forthcoming as possible until I came to this question: "Have you ever witnessed a crime?" I had to stifle my initial impulse, which was to laugh out loud. Then I looked around the room to see if anyone else was as incredulous as I was. Maybe they hadn't made it to that particular question yet. After a moment, I began to write my answer with the phrase, "I live in Oakland, of course I have witnessed a crime."
Please understand, I have great affection for the city in which I live. I take great pride in the efforts that have been made over the past few years to make life here just a little less dangerous. That does not mean that we are out of the proverbial woods as yet. It's a big city, and we've got big city problems. I envy any of those people who simply checked the "no" box and moved on to the next question. Maybe these folks don't hear the stray gunshot every now and then, or the squealing tires up the street.
Just over the hill from us in Richmond, it doesn't seem to be getting better at all. Up there, it's just the opposite. This past Sunday, as the choir sang "Leaning On Jesus," three hooded men entered the New Gethsemane Church of God and opened fire. Two brothers, aged fourteen and nineteen were wounded. This was just a few days after a pregnant woman was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting while picking up her son at school. Either one of these incidents would leave a town shaken, but this is the town that experienced a gang rape at a high school dance witnessed by twenty, and forty-seven homocides in 2009. In Richmond, the shock value is somewhat diminished.
I'm guessing they don't ask that particular question on surveys for prospective jurors in Richmond.
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I read in the paper about some folks who took billions of dollars, gambled it away, and then used their influence to steal it back from people who actually work for a living. They'd done it before of course, savings and loans or something, I dunno, but they did it again 'cause it worked so well in the past. People who promised us it would be different acted the same as those who promised it would be the same...new boss, old boss, who cares, change, leading to spare change I suppose.
I saw this crime (it was on TV and they didn't even use the little cameras in the quickee mart to find the suspects!) and I had to admit it would take a lot of strongarming the local quickee mart to get as rich as these crooks and cause as much physical harm.
Funny thing was that the crime was organized in neighborhoods like Piedmont and perpetarated on anyone who was foolish enough to believe that they live in a place that advertises itself as a "democracy" and a fair place to live. To make the joke even funnier the rich people not only blew the cash, stole it back, but they decided to throw a lot of people out of work and evict them from their houses to ice the cake. Show me a East Oakland thug who ever did all that!
I learned about democracy in school and I'm pretty sure it goes together with crime pretty well. At least it appears to, I dunno. My wife says I'm too negative, but I say that it is the US treasury she is talking about, not me.
Sorry Dave, started reading your blog, only one of a couple I read. You're good although consistant. You were always smarter than me but I knew how to get better grades from Cal State Hayward!
With firm handshake,
Raleigh
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