Sunburnt.

Consider this.

I received an email today.  It’s to promote the one year anniversary of the 500 agent, multi-agency gang sweep that took place in my neighborhood 2 days before I arrived to Los Angeles.  My dad said “hey, why does your apartment have razor wire around it?”  I said, “why is that section of razor wire bent down?”  Welcome to the city of angels.  Scary.

Around this same time, our apartment issued notices not to park on Drew or Estara streets while our garage was being worked on.  No mention of gangs, just “you’ll have to park on the road, don’t park on Estara or Drew streets” in yellow highlighter.  Everyone knew.  Still scary.  

Months later, there was a big ceremony, and this happened, which was a big deal.  Less scary.  

A month later, the matriarch of the gang was sentenced to 100 months in prison for drug trafficking, etc.  Even less scary.  

Time passes, and Paul and I think we hear gun shots occasionally.  Most of the time its probably fireworks, but at least once it had to be gunshots.  I’ve killed two delicious deer in my life, I know what a gun sounds like vs. a black cat.

A few months later, in my LAPD neighborhood updates, the police chief says he “drove down Drew Street, no visible signs of gang activity or graffiti.”  Meanwhile, there is periodic graffiti.  I will pass some on Fletcher when I drive home today.  But it’s not as frequent, the neighborhood is better.   Uh oh, scary again?  Are the police falling behind?  

This Spring, it became apparent that the show Southland modeled it’s first season story arc after this entire situation.  Not scary, just incredibly interesting.  

So today, I get this in my email:

From: Captain Bill Murphy

Subject: Invite to Drew/Estara Neighborhood Block Party

Hello everyone:

Just want to invite all of you to come by the Drew/Estara Neighborhood Block Party tomorrow (Saturday June 27, 2009, between 10 AM through 2 PM, intersection of Drew Street and Estara Street, Glassell Park). There will be free food, entertainment, and various activities for kids

(face painters, clown, large jumper tent, etc.), free raffles for a limited number of bikes and IPODS, as well was free give a-ways (showerheads and possible car seats). Come and celebrate the one-year anniversary of the transformation of this neighborhood!

IPODS?  I love it.  The LAPD has turned a gangland into a college-radio station for a day.  I will wander down and get my free hot dogs and look down at the pavement I was never supposed to park on.  But, I will also be wondering if a car of gang bangers is going to come spray the face painters.  It’s just interesting y’know?  Growing up in Michigan, my friends and I were the gang, and the most we ever did was shit on our neighbors porches and run away.  But we did it a lot.  The end.  

I can't decide which social networking site should debut my Michael Jackson comment.

Twitter? Facebook? Tumblr? Fuck! Which one will my ex-girlfriends look at? We are the greatest generation.

For the record, it was “This Michael Jackson situation really puts that Iran mess into perspective.”