Saturday, Two Murders

There are two worlds in Charleston, and I live caught between them.

As tour books hum a siren song of beauty, grace, plantation tours and southern breezes, the daily dramas of the cities' residents continue, as they have for generations, to play out on Charleston's wrought iron gate lined streets. But what transpires in the daily grind, especially here on the east side will never be found in history or guide books.

There was no gentlemen's duel, no street fight with fists old school style, rather a drive-by last night. It was close enough to hear the gunfire, followed by lots of commotion as family and friends ran toward the scene with the news spreading like a computer virus via cellphone. Knowing the shooters were already long gone, and curious, for some reason, this time, I ventured out into the mayhem, which is not what I normally do when there is restlessness on the city thoroughfares. The police were just arriving, spectators were gathering, and someone was shining a light on a man lying face up on the sidewalk. He was not moving. Well, I picked a great time to be nosy, now didn't I? There is a lot of bliss in ignorance, and death just looks so much more palatable when its on our tv screens, doesn't it? As I stood for a second, stunned, a man shreiked, "Noooooo."

I turned around and walked back down the block thinking about the stillness in the victim. He was gone. I did not know this person, yet I am sure there is a story that led him to this particular sidewalk on the east side on this particular night. Someone else out there in the world obviously knew which sidewalk the man was standing on too. But where does an average white girl living in the hood go with this story? We'd have to dive into drug violence and personal vendettas being carried out the streets of Charleston. We'd have to talk for REAL about vengence, and not cover it up with race or vocabulary stifled by politically correct censorship. We'd have to talk about raising kids. And where do we go with solutions, anyway? Legalize? Declare War? How exactly do you stop, eradicate, distinguish...a mindset, a lifestyle? These boys are horse-traders of a different sort, that's all.

I understand what's going on here. Maybe it's time to get the hell out. Summer always seems to make people ornary "up in here." I love my neighborhood, but this sh*t hits (pardon the pun) too close to home.

Saturday, August 21, one of the drive-by murders occurred very close to this little blog's home-base. May the Universe take in the energy, and God rest the sole of one, Darron Heyward. Our thoughts are with the people that loved him.
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/aug/22/2-men-killed-in-separate-shootings/

Update by Live 5 News: Neighbors React to Deadly Shootings

Big Brother, Where Art Thou

August 29, 2007; A Charlestonian VIEWPOINT. Fox 24 News reported this evening that surveillance cameras are planned to be placed throughout Downtown Charleston to deter crime and target criminals. There are not many better ways to say it than in Incubus’ 1984; “Yeah, 3, 2, 1…Lights, Camera, Trans-action.” Considering the VIEWPOINT is multifarious, we ask you consider the following perspectives on this topic:
You, we, I simply don’t have anything to worry about unless we are committing a crime. Right? And, video cameras will protect us from the apparent criminals hanging out on each and every corner. Two seemingly good points. Neither do we overlook the fact that this is the methodology of Charleston's relatively new Police Chief, Gregory G. Mullen. He used a similar tactic in Virginia Beach, his previous city of employment, installing a system of video cameras based on biometric facial recognition.
Studies show, however, that video cameras do not make a marked difference in the rate of crime. The British government found cameras having little or no effect on crime in a three year study performed by the Center for Criminology on London. London, in fact, is the most surveilled city to date. Yet, a Mercedes was somehow still found parked outside a nightclub full of fuel and shrapnel just several months ago. VIEWPOINT notes it was an alert bodyguard for the club that noticed the car and saved the day (well, night); not the inital use of the cameras.
Here in the U.S., Congress has openly discussed data showing that crime is simply pushed from open areas where the cameras are placed, to unmonitored locations. Hmmmm, Musical Crime.
VIEWPOINT found it rather astonishing that as the story rolled out here in Charleston, the Associated Press reported on August 28, 2007; VIRGINIA BEACH -- The city's $200,000 facial-recognition program was beset by technical problems and has not been used in nearly two years, documents show. The program, which was supposed to help police identify and catch criminals in tourist areas, also did not lead to a single arrest, Police Chief A.M. "Jake" Jacocks Jr. said.
VIEWPOINT wonders if Charlestonians are satisfied with an investment in systems proven less than useful in deterring crime while purchasing only the illusion that future technological innovations will finally provide total security. Or, does the health of a thriving city lie in a more human investment?
We have an idea...how about invest in the children of the East and West Sides of town. Potential reductions in crime rates could be realized within a ten year period. Meanwhile, we'd be building our future workforce, hoping to fulfill initiatives such as the Charleston Digitial Corridoor with our very own residents.
Personally, VIEWPOINT is just not sure investing in a giant fishbowl is really worth while, what, with all the humidity already in the south. Our 1992 publication of Random House Webster’s College Dictionary defines surveillance as “a watch kept over someone or something; esp. a prisoner.” At its best, a surveillance system may help make an identification. At its worst, imagine the 1984ish scenarios you've heard and read about playing out within our lifetimes.
Please share your point of view here. Be kind to each other, but please let us know how you feel about our collective future monitoring. And, thanks for stopping by!