updates from the warzone

[mellowtigger]

A few weeks ago, houses for blocks around my home each had a small collection of flyers attached to every front door or fence gate. It includes notices about Mpox (the disease formerly known as monkeypox) vaccines, free STI tests, cheap health services (safer sex supplies, HIV testing, narcan), and a September calendar of other local Jordan neighborhood events. I'm guessing that other people don't get flyers like these from their local community council, like the page in this photo, announcing a "Safe Syringe Program"?

Click to read more stories and see another photo...

On the plus side, I'm pretty sure I've had fewer notices that sex offenders are moving nearby. I think I only had 1 of them this year? Maybe 2, depending on if the other one was December or January. I only remember that it was cold weather for anyone to be walking around leaving these notices.

Also relatively good news is that I think I've called 911 fewer times this year than usual. I did call again on on September 23rd. I was woken at 2am by several gunshots. They were barely within the 2-block radius that I use to determine if I call to report them. Still, though, I'm sure there are fewer of these events this year, rather than it just being that my bedroom has better sound insulation thanks to window frames that no longer have big holes in them. It's objectively different too, since a south Minneapolis neighborhood seems to be leading my neighborhood in shootings this year. As I've mentioned before, the RICO arrests seemed to help here. Their trial is ongoing. It included its own drama with accusations that one of our violence interrupter groups (supposedly helping to bring peace to the warzone) was paying money to these criminals.

I haven't been to the dentist in a while, but one woman my age was killed near that medical center I use for the dentist. It's sad to think about. This story mentions that her body was left at a church nearby, which is probably the church (just a few houses from that medical center) that I went to once by invitation from the old lady across the street from me. She was one of the two "instigators" of our neighborhood block parties once a year. We always held them in her yard. After she died, I think we've never had another one.

An official walk/bike path leads westward from my house towards a large park system. It's generally safer walking west than any other direction from my home, but it still has some hazards. About two weeks ago, I noticed a big memorial along the park path, with a name that I didn't remember hearing about. The memorial was beginning to show signs of wear. Last week, it was fixed up and looking very nice again. With this new photo, it is obvious why. She died on September 22nd last year, and somebody fixed up the memorial for the anniversary of her death. It turns out that maybe she wasn't killed. According to this GoFundMe page, she was found "in a tree kicked back peacefully resting on branch in Theodore Wirth Park".

I hope I die as peacefully someday... minus the likely self-medicating drug overdose.

In the news recently, north Minneapolis healthcare services have been in danger. Rainbow Health closed suddenly about 2 months ago. They were involved in the service where I got the monkeypox vaccine and I think a COVID vaccine too. I mentioned them in both 2021 and 2023 as services that I approved but didn't have money to spare to donate to them. *heavy sigh* Afterwards, the North Memorial hospital near me announced its own funding problems. We've lost pharmacies and grocery stores here already. It'd be a shame to lose a hospital too.

Hopefully the environment is more peaceful in your part of the world.