Life on the Streets

Here in our corner of the world, we've noticed an increase in violent crime, even in the two years we've lived here. I remember an incident, about six months after I'd moved to Virginia. I was awakened by a single gunshot. It's one of those things where, even if you've never heard it before, you are immediately able to identify the sound. Sure enough, the parking lot in front of my apartment was immediately filled with flashing lights and wailing sirens. Being the small-town girl that I am, I called Kevin's apartment across the street. Unfortunately, he had already gone to sleep, so I had to leave a message that went something like this:

Kev! Kev, wake up! I heard gunfire! I need you to come over...Okay, you're not answering. I'm going to call you back now. Pick up, okay? I'm calling you back...

I felt stupid the second I hung up, but the message had done it's job and he called back to tell me it was okay, that he was on his way. So, I watched out the window as my fearless hero, wearing sweats and a white t-shirt, and toting a pillow and a down comforter, dashed down the stairs of his apartment, ducked low between two cars, dashed across the parking lot amidst the red and blue flashing lights, and then came up the stairs to my building, where he spent the night on my bedroom floor.

Turns out that some guy and his wife had gotten into a dispute, and he had fired off a "warning" shot into the wall.

We now live in a safe, well-lit, gated community and gunshots are not something that occurs often. However, there's an invisible dividing line between us and the next town over. Kind of a "right and wrong side of the tracks," if you will. Now, this neighboring community has a lot going for it, but somewhere along the line, crime has become a large problem. Shootings occur on a regular basis. For a girl who grew up in a community where gunfire was extremely rare, unless it was directed at deer, I've now become accustomed to hearing the news of the latest shooting, as I eat my breakfast cereal. I'm not scared for my own sake, but I HAVE learned which neighborhoods to drive through after dark and which to make a large detour around.

Then, today, I found this story while browsing the morning news. The gist of the story is that cities across the nation are seeing an increase in violent crime. This includes smaller cities that haven't seen much crime in the past. One ADA suggests that it's not "gang or drug violence, it's just people getting violent." I tend to agree. It seems like there's more "senseless" violence than I remember there being 15 years ago. Or maybe I was just sheltered.

I shared the article with my oft-opinionated spouse, who asked me what I thought the reasonging behind this new "trend" was. The article suggests one possibility that, with increased military spending, public law enforcement has had to make do on a smaller budget. Maybe. Or maybe it's become to easy to acquire firearms. Or maybe our kids lack strong role models. Or maybe it's boredom. More likely, it's a little of all of those. I do NOT jump on the bandwagon that places the blame entirely on the media and entertainment industry. But that's another soapbox.

Whatever the reason, it's sad to see that we've reached a point where violence becomes a common solution to some very small problems. Mad at your buddy for scratching your car? Fighting with the ex over the kids? A little short on cash? Where did we learn that eliminating the individual eliminates the problem?

Oh, but good news... crime in Miami is down. Unfortunately, the sale of semi-automatic weapons is up.