The City on Fire

Quote: AZDuffman

No, low class people who want to steal, smash, and burn started it.

Why are you defending them?

Defending them is saying looting is okay. I'm asking you to stop lying about what I'm saying.

Quote: SOOPOO

I'll fix that. Eh, watching a citizen die at police hands for no obvious reason pretty much (ALLOWED CRIMINALS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW WHO AND WHAT THEY REALLY ARE)

Close enough.

Some people think people spontaneously started looting and burning, and that was the beginning.

Hong Kong protestors over the course of their protests also destroyed many businesses.

One guess as to who China wants to focus on as the real problem and one guess what things they want to minimize.


I'm not going to defend destruction, but if you can't see the big picture, you're not really looking.

Quote: Evenbob

Well, yeah. That's what I already said.
They lay in waiting for an excuse to
go nuts and loot. Look at Chicago.
Blacks every weekend are trying
to wipe out their own race and
nobody lifts an eyebrow in concern.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/short-alarming-stay-home-orders-49-people-shot/story?id=70880531

In Chicago over Memorial day weekend 49 people shot, 10 killed, despite stay at home orders. Nothing to protest.

ORIGINALLY POSTED, BY ME, ON FACEBOOK:

"Calm City "

I had to give someone a ride today to an area of town I usually don't get to, but it just happened to be pretty close to 376 to get Downtown.

I'm one who really loves driving, especially if it's for no good reason, so I decided to poke my nose around Downtown Pittsburgh a bit. (Hey, you try having a nose like mine and not poking it anywhere!)

I somehow made my way to Market Square, normally, I would never even contemplate this by car, but, you know, COVID-Traffic. Plenty of people out and about and who the hell knows what's going to happen, right? I figured it might be a good time to take a walkabout because all of the businesses still have their windows and, for all I know, they won't by tomorrow.

Normally, I would have taken the T if I intended to visit Market Square. It's honestly a little disorienting to drive down there because I can find my way around with reference points on foot, but driving, pretty unfamiliar.

I'm just ambling through Market Square, not sure what for, but there seems to be a few places to park right in the square. I certainly couldn't find one for me. More than anything, I'm just trying to figure out where I can turn and where I can't.

Clearly amused by me looking around, a gentleman called out, "What's up, (inaudible)."

My reply, "Not much. Just looking for somewhere to park, how you doin'?" (I sometimes drop the, 'G,' when I'm not thinkin' about it. Shit, I did it again.)

"I'm good, man, little hungry but good."

He wasn't asking me for anything, just making a statement.

I went on my way and, after ten minutes or so, found a free spot to park. By, "Free spot," I mean that the card meters are stupid, and do not accept Discover, so I'm just going to hope they're not checking today. Yeah, I have other cards, but I'm boycotting the stupid meters until they accept Discover.

I drive a blue Toyota Camry, in case anyone wondered.

So, I finally find a spot and get out to walk around. I decided to go to McDonald's and grab my man who wanted to check on me some grub. Couple Double Cheeseburgers, small fries, large Coke...I don't encourage large Coke...but they're all the same price anyway. Five-something, not bad. I'd have grabbed myself a coffee, but I'm limited to two hands.

I delivered the food to a very surprised, but thrilled, man. He was almost in shock! I held the bag and drink out to him and he asked, "Really!? You just drove by couple minutes ago?"

"Sure, why not? I can't feed the entire Market Square, but I can certainly feed one person."

"My man, you don't even know me."

"Don't worry about it. Next time you've got a few extra bucks, just pass it on."

***And The City...

I spent a good half hour to hour walking around and everyone just seemed sad. It was a strange kind of sadness because it was offset by a little bit of contentment just to have everyone out and around people. What would have been the slowest weekday Downtown (excepting holidays) last year was outright bustling compared to last month.

I've done a few drives in the last month or so and it was just a ghost town. A few weeks ago a saw a couple of squirrels running across the street in the middle of Downtown.

There's definitely a certain tension in the air.

If you've ever blown up a balloon, sometimes you'll put one hand on the outside of it to kind of gauge how much room you've got left for air. It seems like everyone wants to blow it up as big as possible without it exploding. I don't know why that's such a worthy goal, but I'm guilty of it.

There was a gentleman walking around with a stub of a cigarette. You could barely call it a butt. I hate relighting. Ick. I guess there's some good fortune and privilege for me in that, isn't there? Even little enjoyments like never having to relight a cigarette I've put out.

It was as good a time to smoke as any, so I whipped out my relatively fresh pack of Kools and extended it to the two men walking together.

"I didn't ask you for a smoke?", almost like a question.

"I see you've got a partial there," I replied, "Go ahead and grab one, I was just about to have a smoke anyway."

Each of the gentlemen took one, "You're good people, my man!"

He doesn't know me that well, so I'll allow it.

***Introspection in the City:

I'm not that good of a person, let's be honest, are that many of us?

The last couple of days, I've just been angry at everything. Anger is fine enough, except for when it gives way to hate.

Please understand that I'm not bragging about myself above. Quite the opposite, in fact, I felt the need to do those things to find my humanity. To TRY to be good, because I'm not naturally good.

The fact of the matter is that anger comes easily, and is natural, but we always have a choice to let it consume us and develop into hate, or to do something productive with it.

You're goddamn right I'm angry about everything that has gone on the last few days. I'm frustrated and pissed off because I feel like a bunch of shit has already happened, more shit is probably going to happen, and there's nothing I can do about it.

But, maybe there is. Maybe there's something we can all do.

The reality of the situation is that things have taken place because people have not taken the time to think, or care. That's how this all started.

What was done to George Floyd was malicious on the part of the officer who killed him. That was NOT a failure to think. It was an intentionally violent act...though you could maybe argue he didn't intend for George Floyd to die. Still Murder Three (as I understand it) even if not.

But, the other officers there were careless and did not think, at best.

We can take the time to care, though. We shouldn't let one huge step backwards turn into backpedaling. What we should do, if it is within your means, is just do a small kindness for another person---any person---because it lets them know you care about them. You see them. You hear them.

Feeling powerless and as if nobody cares causes anger, which can manifest into hate if we let it. But, hate is so goddamn easy. Do the hard thing. Love. Care.

I wasn't going to post this and there will be no hashtags because shit's real. This isn't a social media popularity contest. This is get out and do just one small thing that's real, if you're able to.

But, I had some time to think as I accidentally drove onto the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway (I swear I am not making this up) where cars aren't supposed to be. And, I thought, "If this causes just one other person to do a kind act for no reason, then it will be a worthy post."

It turns out cars aren't supposed to be there! I wouldn't even have known, except I wondered why nobody else was there and looked it up when I got back. (OOPS!). I went by a few cops, though, so they must have thought I had business there.

Man, Downtown is tough to navigate when you can't play, "Driver see, driver do."

But, should anyone ask, I drive a red Chevy Malibu.

Stay safe and be kind, my friends.

Quote: petroglyph

https://abcnews.go.com/US/short-alarming-stay-home-orders-49-people-shot/story?id=70880531

In Chicago over Memorial day weekend 49 people shot, 10 killed, despite stay at home orders. Nothing to protest.

That's just an average Chicago
weekend, didn't even make
the news. Not a single Target
was looted.

Quote: Mission146

ORIGINALLY POSTED, BY ME

I marked this as 'must read'
someday when I have absolutely
nothing else to do. Right now
I'm staring at the bird feeder,
no time for reading.

They have charged 3rd Degree Murder; Judge Nap thinks that the crime seems to fit 2nd Degree Murder due to an officer taking his pulse, finding none, and the asshat keeping his knee on his neck anyway. I was trying to actually read the statute but the website is busy...go figure...

I hope they upgrade the charge to the highest charge they can find as long as lower/lesser charge can be the one he is convicted of in case the evidence presented does not meet the higher charge.

It does not seem like they can charge 1st Degree Murder.

Quote: RonC

They have charged 3rd Degree Murder; Judge Nap thinks that the crime seems to fit 2nd Degree Murder due to an officer taking his pulse, finding none, and the asshat keeping his knee on his neck anyway. I was trying to actually read the statute but the website is busy...go figure...

I hope they upgrade the charge to the highest charge they can find as long as lower/lesser charge can be the one he is convicted of in case the evidence presented does not meet the higher charge.

It does not seem like they can charge 1st Degree Murder.

I can't see 1st degree. I'd have to read the statute as 2nd might be stretching it. Remember those cops in Baltimore they charged with 1st? That was an either incompetent or clever DA, I am still not sure which.

Quote: rxwine

Defending them is saying looting is okay. I'm asking you to stop lying about what I'm saying.

I am not lying at all. You are not blaming the looters, you are blaming the policing tactics. Thus you are saying they are not at fault because something else started it.