Neighborhood Watch

Last night a little justice got served up in the 'hood.

One of our neighbors had just left, ironically, a strategy meeting with a police captain only to see someone who didn't belong in the neighborhood. Let me be clear: this is an old, established neighborhood. We have folks who grew up here and now are living next door to their parents raising their own families. After 12 years here, we're still the new kids. So if someone looks like he or she doesn't belong, we know. Plus, with all the nonesense lately, most of us are in a "call 911 first and ask questions later" sort of mood. So V sees this dude and calls 911 (turns out a similar call had just come in). She goes to the corner to meet up with K & B to walk their dogs. But the dogs all start barking like mad because they've spotted the guy.

The women watched as dude started walking around, kinda like he knew what he was doing but clearly aware he was being observed. He started calling out "Ma! Ma!"...which was obviously a signal to someone else (and certainly not his mother because if the poor baby had misplaced her he could have asked the nice ladies on the corner if they'd seen a wandering parent). Dude decides to make his way out of the neighborhood and the women decided to keep an eye on him. He ditched them at one point, only to be spotted again, at about which time the cops rolled up. Turns out, he had several outstanding warrants. He got some nice shiny bracelets and was given a ride by the nice police officers.

We all slept a little better last night; not only had this clown been busted but they got another kid earlier, down in the Columbia City neighborhood (which borders right on ours and has been having similar troubles). We don't know yet if either of these guys were involved in the break-ns on our street but it almost doesn't matter. Point is, 2 bad guys have been nailed.

It makes me very happy to live in a neighborhood where people know each other and where, in the absence of any serious police presence, neighborhood vigilance can keep us all a little safer. You want to steal stuff? Perhaps it would be best to find another area to do so. We're watching and we don't want you here. Move along now. Thanks.