life in the warzone
2022-Feb-25, Friday 10:40 amNo, not Ukraine. Minneapolis, in particular what is known locally as "north Minneapolis". I hear a lot of gunfire. Just assume that I hear gunfire at least once per day, because that's the reality. 2021 was worse than usual. Now, 2022 is shaping up to be just as bad.
I have a rule that I don't call 911 unless the gunfire is within 2 city blocks of me. That restriction filters out a lot of my involvement. I called 911 again yesterday, though, for the 2nd time in 2022 already in spite of the far-below-freezing weather. I heard fully automatic gunfire a block or less away. It was while I watched the breaking news on television of the guilty verdicts of all 3 assisting officers in the murder of George Floyd. In hindsight, maybe it was just "celebratory gunfire"? Even so, I do not like knowing that my neighbors have fully automatic weapons at the ready.
Today, I found a twitter post (local archive) with a recording of that fully automatic gunfire, said to be at 26th and Newton. I live on the block next to it.
So, while everyone is sending good vibes this week to Ukraine in their hardship, keep in mind that not everyone in the USA lives in the same USA. We need policy changes and on-the-ground help for our ongoing humanitarian crises here too.
I have a rule that I don't call 911 unless the gunfire is within 2 city blocks of me. That restriction filters out a lot of my involvement. I called 911 again yesterday, though, for the 2nd time in 2022 already in spite of the far-below-freezing weather. I heard fully automatic gunfire a block or less away. It was while I watched the breaking news on television of the guilty verdicts of all 3 assisting officers in the murder of George Floyd. In hindsight, maybe it was just "celebratory gunfire"? Even so, I do not like knowing that my neighbors have fully automatic weapons at the ready.
Today, I found a twitter post (local archive) with a recording of that fully automatic gunfire, said to be at 26th and Newton. I live on the block next to it.
So, while everyone is sending good vibes this week to Ukraine in their hardship, keep in mind that not everyone in the USA lives in the same USA. We need policy changes and on-the-ground help for our ongoing humanitarian crises here too.