The madness came close to us last night.

Our apartment complex was originally two entirely different facilities. We live in the nicer part; the other part is inside a fence line and is more dump-ish. The office is in there. I went there yesterday around 4PM to put more money on our laundry card (it's the cheapest deal in this area). I passed a group of young men I didn't know, along with an older one I did know. Yes, they were all black. I had a bad vibe that was unusual for me. I tried to tell myself it was nothing for them to congregate like that, but it was actually unusual. Their manner registered in my military police experience as people who were slightly tense and watchful, not just good ol' boys out having a chat. They were unemployed, and not retired like me and that other old guy.

Last night around 11:30, there was a shooting while we slept. My wife heard something her sleepy mind thought was tapping on our bedroom window, but it was gunfire across the way in that other part of the complex. Four were transported to the hospital, and I believe one died there. Crime scene tape decorated the area of the shooting and streets were blocked for a few hours. Early this morning at least two local news channel were out there (KWTV 9 and Fox 25), and I can still see some kind of official vehicles. The crime scene tape is mostly gone now, but the news crews are still out there, including one remote broadcast rig.

None of this ever threatened us. My initial guess is this was a drug deal gone bad, because the older fellow I knew hanging out with the younger guys is an alcoholic and drug user. When he walked over to that group, it was one of those rare moments when he moved with a purpose; he typically shambles along without a care in the world. Yet he stood an uncomfortable distance from them as they stood and talked quite a while.

I'm sure I will hear more about this from our rumor mill later today. As far as I know, everyone around here knows I'm ex-military police, and that my son is a sheriff's deputy. A few have told me that I am intimidating, though I have made no conscious effort to project that kind of image. So what I see here is just another symptom of the madness the Lord told me was coming.

Eh!  I hear gunshots in the distance almost every night.  And after what happened with B, it really makes me uncomfortable.  Thankfully, Father protects us as long as we are of use to Him.  

And we all understand what I just said!

I must have missed this. The notification came in my inbox but I don't think I actually read the entire post.

Any further news on this?

One victim is confirmed dead. Multiple shooters fired from one car into another, both of them within a parking area inside the fence of the apartment complex. It was a drive-by shooting and the nature of the provocation has not been published. This is typical when it involves blacks, but not with whites or other minorities. The rumor mill around here has also been unusually quiet.

(10-27-2019, 07:21 AM)Ed Hurst Wrote: One victim is confirmed dead. Multiple shooters fired from one car into another, both of them within a parking area inside the fence of the apartment complex. It was a drive-by shooting and the nature of the provocation has not been published. This is typical when it involves blacks, but not with whites or other minorities. The rumor mill around here has also been unusually quiet.

That's RACIST!  It don't matter if it's true, the fact that you are white automatically means that you is racist. Here be a true true; in 1989 I met, in rehab, a Jamaico-African-American man.  We quickly developed a close friendship and "D'Bob"* is the smartest man I've ever known. We shared the same room for four months and maintained our friendship after our time in rehab. He became involved with a "Christian" group of the Afrocentric persuasion. I would go, on Thursday evenings, to visit him at his apartment and we would grill out and talk about our challenges with sobriety. The last time I was there, he had company consisting of members of his church  who were, I thought rather rude by the accepted standards of NC society. They left shortly thereafter. D'Bob and I sat down and ate and during our mealtime discussion, out of the blue, I was informed that I was a racist based solely on the color of my skin.   
  I have more to say on this but, right now I gotta scoot!

*identity changed to protect the innoguilty

Ha! I have zero concern with being called "racist." It means whatever the speaker wants it to mean, and is the single most common excuse for refusing to deal with me as a person. My black neighbors are cool with me, as far as I can tell, so I'm not too worried about it. But I can agree that the local news stations follow the same corporate racist policies as the national news networks that back them. I'm curious to see what follows, Bro.

(10-29-2019, 08:40 AM)IainH Wrote: D'Bob and I sat down and ate and during our mealtime discussion, out of the blue, I was informed that I was a racist based solely on the color of my skin.   

Geez. What does one say in response to that? I wouldn't argue against, personally, but come back with "well, that settles it then, right?"

(10-29-2019, 09:01 PM)jaybreak Wrote:

(10-29-2019, 08:40 AM)IainH Wrote: D'Bob and I sat down and ate and during our mealtime discussion, out of the blue, I was informed that I was a racist based solely on the color of my skin.   

Geez. What does one say in response to that? I wouldn't argue against, personally, but come back with "well, that settles it then, right?"

I reacted with silence while I considered the ramifications of the R bomb that had just landed in my lap. Shortly thereafter, I thanked him for the meal and took my leave. I neither saw or spoke with him after that; mainly because, he moved back to New Jersey shortly thereafter. If I were to meet him today, I would greet him as a long lost brother. Young people get all sorts of silly ideas only to grow out them as they get older and wiser.

(10-29-2019, 08:08 PM)Ed Hurst Wrote: Ha! I have zero concern with being called "racist." It means whatever the speaker wants it to mean, and is the single most common excuse for refusing to deal with me as a person. My black neighbors are cool with me, as far as I can tell, so I'm not too worried about it. But I can agree that the local news stations follow the same corporate racist policies as the national news networks that back them. I'm curious to see what follows, Bro.

I stole that from a Paul Joseph Watson video which, had a clip of a 5 or 6 year old child yelling "THAT'S RACIST" pop up multiple times during his commentary. He's a funny guy, for an Englishster. I share your Zedro concern. See what happens, one mention of an Englishman and I poke fun at the way they pronounce Zee and exaggerate it into something that they don't actually say but, sounds funny to me. English Captain Marvel "Shazedam!" 
It used to be understood that the usurpation of the Confederate naval jack/western theater battle flag by Racist organizations and the legitimate use of the battle flags as a symbol of regional pride, honor and tradition were two very different things. The melding of both under the label of Racist Extremism is a deliberate tactic of the Radical Left to eliminate a roadblock in the path of Socialism.

(10-30-2019, 02:58 PM)IainH Wrote:

(10-29-2019, 08:08 PM)Ed Hurst Wrote: Ha! I have zero concern with being called "racist." It means whatever the speaker wants it to mean, and is the single most common excuse for refusing to deal with me as a person. My black neighbors are cool with me, as far as I can tell, so I'm not too worried about it. But I can agree that the local news stations follow the same corporate racist policies as the national news networks that back them. I'm curious to see what follows, Bro.

I stole that from a Paul Joseph Watson video which, had a clip of a 5 or 6 year old child yelling "THAT'S RACIST" pop up multiple times during his commentary. He's a funny guy, for an Englishster. I share your Zedro concern. See what happens, one mention of an Englishman and I poke fun at the way they pronounce Zee and exaggerate it into something that they don't actually say but, sounds funny to me. English Captain Marvel "Shazedam!" 
It used to be understood that the usurpation of the Confederate naval jack/western theater battle flag by Racist organizations and the legitimate use of the battle flags as a symbol of regional pride, honor and tradition were two very different things. The melding of both under the label of Racist Extremism is a deliberate tactic of the Radical Left to eliminate a roadblock in the path of Socialism.

PJW has some funny videos. He pulls no punches.