I am sick and tired of criminals. I really am. It's one thing when a guy is Austria locks his kid into a room for 24 years and rapes her for years. That guy should be locked in a room in prison with two big, giant men who will rape him for the next 25 years. Every day I turn the news on and crime is happening everywhere. A woman drowns her baby, a man rapes a college girl, a father beats his kid using the family lap dog. It's all disgusting. Even in NYC, with its recent 50 bullet shoot-out at a man on his wedding day, only to have the police officers (who obviously used excessive force) get off with a slap on the hand.
But! It's another thing when its in front of my building. I am no stranger to crime. When I lived in Venice, California, I arrived my first day at my new apartment to find news crews and a candle light vigil in front of the gate to the building. I found out the next morning that the previous night (one, single night before I moved in) two men in a Mercedez were shot to death while they were waiting at the stop sign in front of my building. And here I thought the news and candles was for me from the Venice Beach Community Welcoming Committee.
When we decided to move to New York, I told myself that safety is the most important thing to me. I could care less if my rent ends up being 98% of my monthly paycheck, or if I have to walk for 30 minutes in the snow (I finally get to use that line with my kids one day "When I was your age, I had to walk in snow.." ofcourse, I will add "in bare feet" just like every parent does).
SAFETY! It's important.
It's important when you walk down the street at night. It's important when you drive. It's important when "It's Business Time". That is why we moved to Manhattan and not the Bronx or Spanish Harlem. I wanted to know that if my wife needs to walk the dogs at night, she can without the need of carrying a .22 caliber.
This morning I wake up and walk out the front door with my usual "I-am-still-sleeping-but-you-can't-tell-because-I-used-peanut-butter-to-glue-my-eyelids-open" look on my face. I stroll out with my gross "Strawberry/Banana/Chocolate/Lime/AppleJuice/Yam/GoatCheese Granola Bar" in my hand when I notice the "CRIME SCENE: DO NOT CROSS" yellow tape around the corners of my street. Police cars are spread out and police officers as well as dudes with CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION jackets walking around. Some holding cameras, some are on cell phones. My first thought was "Hey! They are shooting CSI:NY on my street!" but then I realized, they shoot some of that stuff in Los Angeles and also, the fact that the guys walking around in police outfits are absolutely police officers and NOT actors. I was tempted to ask "Excuse me officer, but WTF is going?" but I saw my life flash before my eyes and all I could see is myself in a room that is well lit with multiple colors of light, and with Gary Sinise and the chick from Providence standing over me asking me questions and accusing me of being involved in whatever it is that happened!
So here I am questioning if where I moved is SAFE. Before I moved, a buddy of mine said "This is New York man. Everywhere but nowhere is safe. Crime happens all over this city. Some places more than others, but it happens. It's not Los Angeles, so when something happens down the block, everyone knows and sees it. It's NYC! Get used to it. It's a different world"
I came into this city expecting it. We heard about the guy who got shot five streets up from us when he was mugged at an ATM at 1:00 in the morning. Then again, who the heck goes to pull out cash from an ATM at 1:00 in the morning? We also heard the occasional drunk idiots trying to start fights on Saturday nights when they fall out of the local bar. But to see the yellow tape around the pole where my dogs leave their drug test samples on, is weird. Makes it feel so real suddenly. Like as if, something happened during the night and you were asleep and didn't even know it happened. Gave me a weird feeling.
I couldn't find out what happened, although I am sure the AM paper will have a snippet about it tomorrow. For now, I urged my in-laws and my wife to not take the dogs out on a walk any time after 10:00 p.m. I know that sounds like a bit overboard, but in the words of Jay-Z: "There are a lot of problems in the world, I know! But first I have to take care of the world I know!".
If I can't trust these streets to be safe, I have to make my family safe by staying off the streets when crime is at its peak. After all, Gary Sinise is not going to come rescue my family for anything less than $15,000 an episode.
UPDATE: Apparently the scene around my neighborhood is making the news rounds. To read about what happened, you may click here:http://www.nypost.com/seven/05012008/news/regionalnews/mob_stabbing_108926.htm
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