Alleycat's Corner

The life and times of a Washington area citizen.

The Neighborhood


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Thursday, August 01, 2002
 
Just Another Day in the 'Hood
Recently, I visited my nephew at my sister's house near the heart of one of the major east coast cities. It seemed like only a few years ago, this neighborhood of quaint little rowhouses was filled with friendly, hard-working people from all age groups. I remember chatting with them as we all sat on our front steps watching the sunset. Sometimes, we would sit out there late into the evening. On other evenings, we would walk to the nearby subshops, bars, restaurants, or street carnivals. I always enjoyed my visits there! Then the drug dealers starting moving in, and in a matter of 10 years, everything changed dramatically! I still visit there, but only on rare occassions. I still see people sitting out on the front steps, but they aren't very friendly. I pretend not to notice them scowling as they scrutinizing my every movement. Sometimes, they gather on the front steps of my sister's house and move reluctantly when prompted. Often, they leave trash on my sister's porch. Open beer cans, an empty bottle of orange juice, and just about anything that suits their fancy is left for us to dispose of. More than a few times, out of the corner of my eye, I see a car stop in front of them and an exchange I don't want to know about. On other occassions, I see them riding their bicycles up and down the street until a car stops next to them and a little bag is quickly and discreetly moved from one hand to the other. Occassionally, they attempt to solicit my nephew and me. We always politely refuse and quickly go on about our business. Only a few weeks ago, one of my nephew's roomates called the police because she thought she overheard them talking about robbing the house. My nephew scolded her for doing that out of fear they would determine who ratted them out and would retaliate violently. Afterall, there was a drive-by shooting just down the street, and some of these people appear to be members of a gang! Just about a week ago, my nephew opened the door to find a policeman arresting a man on the steps in front of the house. As my nephew stood dumbfounded, the police officer apologized for the inconvenience. Although I like to visit my sister and nephew, and I like parts of this city, I don't like what's happened to their neighborhood. I no longer feel safe enough to sit out on the porch there or walk around in broad daylight! Now, when I visit, I always walk with another person and only from the house to the car and vise versa. I hope my sister sells the house before something tragic happens! She's no longer in control there! The drugs have taken over!