I'm sorry people who own that red car that was just broken into. I tried.
Don't know if you're eating at the bar, restaurant, or asleep down the street right this second but I did my best when I took the sum of the situation and decided to do something: Called 911 and as I spoke to the operator I reported that two guys had exited with your stereo and were presently walking up towards Sunset with it in hand like a purse oh so nonchalantly.
With my headphones on I didn't thing much of the popping sound the window at first. It was the crackling of your dash that brought me to the window and instantly knew something was not right just under those trees.
Living here only since November has been almost problem free so maybe it's the ending summer months that has brought out the crap to my corner lately. A few weeks ago around 3 AM I turned up my street after parking to see a lady near that alleyway and knew immediately this was a somewhat rare (as in obvious) hooker encounter in these parts. She spots me, turns around and bends over to pick something up giving me a clear view of, well her. "Great," I thought, "What the fuck am I going to do now?" I'm might be a little tipsy maybe. I just want to sleep. I continue up my hill and seeing that I'm not biting, throws out a call asking if I had a light. I don't even turn and say "No, sorry." Opening my door I see her walk away. I note this and do nothing.
Last week an older car with a bunch of non white guys are yelling "White Power!" to the hipsters going into a local restaurant. They are cracking themselves up looking in the other direction. I walk twice as fast to make the corner out their view. They see me and start to say something but I'm gone and hear them drive away. Local kids cruising around the neighborhood I determine as I see them from my kitchen a few more times. Annoying, but I only note it and do nothing.
Last night walking away from my car again, a nice silver BMW slows down and I hear a bunch of guys laughing. I hear them but continue to walk and looked forward. Not this again.
A passenger calls out some name (of the driver?) that started with an A., that was ethnic but definitely not a Latin name I was familiar with. The car stops mid lane next to a restaurant where a group of people had just walked in from the parking lot.
"Hey!" the driver calls out to me.
I stop, anticipating a request for directions. The driver pulls out something black just over the window frame and three pops come at me. I jump back startled from the puff, puff puff of a paint ball gun or tube connected to a hidden, pressurized air source. Their near instant laughter now has me standing in the same stance before the pops. You fuckers. My hand is going into my pocket for the cell phone and they are still sitting there (oh too funny I guess) and my first thought is I'm going to throw it at them, that I'm going to hit the four guys in the BMW with my little shiny flip phone. Calling the cops was second on my list but in those bizarre stand still seconds I just want to hit them. Surely someone saw what just went down and would run out to cover my back, right? Thinking straight again I turned and walked away with my phone in my hand. I noted it and again, did nothing.
So dude, I'm sorry about your car, but I did something (pats self on back). I tried and I think the cops did too as there were sirens down the street not even two minutes later. Yeah this stuff happens all the time but I'm so sick and tired of stupid people doing stupid things (late at night - usually coming back from a show) outside my place that I will make these calls again and maybe, just maybe someone would do the same for me.
I have still have faith in the good in people.
[Mon 11am - from my window I can see the owner, a mom with two young kids, cleaning out the remaining glass from the passenger door, talking on her mobile. Sigh.]
How do those roadside diners survive?
Mental tour guide notes:
