I heard the shots last night, 4 of them, so one missed–they sounded so close I hunkered down below window level to reach the phone for 911. Checked the clock, 11:48 or so. Glad to hear our neighbors are going to be okay. Wonder what the apparently “motiveless” shooting was really all about.

First thing Spouse and I grimly said to one another after hanging up with 911? “Ah…just like the good old days.” And: “Ah…the first warm night.” Seriously, it’s scary to think about the crap we endured years ago when we had a spectacularly active crack house on our block, witnessed impromptu lineups in the street by flashlight, and listened to the choppers over in Crown Heights during the riots. I have said all along that, if nothing else does the job, the runup in real estate values (in the 20 years since we bought our poor pile in a then-”dodgy” area) would enforce closer-to-zero tolerance for public danger and disorder; we figured it was our lot in life as refugees priced out of “good” neighborhoods, a fallacy of low expectations that should never reign in any neighborhood of any economic stratum. Let’s not let ourselves and our neighbors be like that proverbial frog that doesn’t jump out of the boiling water because the heat was turned up slowly.
It’s also worth noting that,while the particulars of this Buckingham Road incident are still unknown, crimes where a “motiveless” shooter targets a “random” group of youths are usually neither motiveless nor random; and addressing these incidents means confronting the entire culture of urban violence, poverty, “no snitching,” and educational neglect. Hearing shots in the night is a good reminder that no man, or woman, is an island.
Again, my prayers to our neighbors for a quick recovery and justice.

Anyone know the cross street?

Thanks for reporting on this. I was out walking my dog two blocks away when I heard the shots; quickly got back inside though. Very unnerving. Sad to say though, when I went out back with my dog again (she didn’t even get to pee the first time) I was as nervous about the cops who were zooming around the neighborhood encountering me, a young masculine appearing person of color, in my backyard and confronting me (or worse) as I was nervous about encountering one of the shooters.

Jack, I hear you. You young-masculine-appearing persons of color, out walking dogs and minding your own business, are among the most troubling collateral damage from the demographics of urban crime; the publicized punks and perps smear you with a stereotype at best and put you in harms’ way at worst. As they said in Hill St Blues, “Be careful out there.”

…and for your daily dose of irony, look at the caption on the picture two posts ago…

To the peeps of color out there, do you still worry about how the police will react to you when you encounter cops of color? Or is it only when you see white officers that you feel apprehensive or even fearful?

I hope you don’t mind my asking, and I make no judgment on whatever answer you give. I am just genuinely wondering… Thanks.

This really freaks me out. I want to live in a neighborhood, a city and a world where people don’t shoot people in their driveways (or anywhere else). I’m sure this is not going to help my general paranoia when I’m coming home late from work, and walking to my building. Ugh.