So Close

This has not happened before - a guest writer on my blog. Stevo of Stevo Images was so quick off the mark to describe the craziness of Sunday night, I got him to agree to share his piece right here. Stevo is also of course the intrepid photographer who documents my every misstep out on the waves...

8pm Sunday September 11 and the silence in our sleepy crescent is shattered by a single gunshot.

I pause the surf DVD I'm watching, cock my ear, raised voices, 2 more shots ring out!

I open the front door, the sound of my neighbour racking his 9mm punctuates the still air; I step out to see what's going on - it seems a moonlit night's skate mission may have disturbed guys who had another agenda. 

Within seconds armed response vehicles screech to a halt - "shots fired man down send for #@! backup now... over" - my eyes follow the beam of torchlight, the same direction the guns are pointed, and see a body, motionless, half on the grassy verge our gardener has manicured only the day before. 

The radio crackles, calls for backup now needed down the road; cars screech off, replaced by more emergency vehicles. 



I get told to move inside (and promptly return armed with my Canon) - crime tape now blocks the road.

Neighbours stand around in groups discussing what has just unfolded as police comb the area marking spent shell cases, gathering evidence. 

It seems the gang shot one of their own in a case of mistaken identity! Awesome!

I get called over by a police colonel and get told to stop taking photos of his crime scene.

Many hours later, I eventually drift off to sleep to the sounds of vehicles, voices and barking dogs . . .

This morning there is no sign of any of last night’s drama in the flowerbed . . .

More to come...

 

The Ugly Side of Life

Reality is that life outside of my little bubble is incredibly tough. We talk about drugs and crime but there are people who have to live with this stuff every day. They get to walk past known drug dens, see youngsters with things that do not belong to them, and know that they will soon be selling them to fuel their habit. For some people these youngsters are their own children! They understand that these youngsters are on a path to destruction, not only of their own life, but the lives of all around them. And they are completely helpless to change a thing!

Last night I was at one of my monthly meetings and listened in dismay to the stories of one of the men there. The meeting was a pre-school management team meeting and he is one of the members of the team. He was retrenched just over a year ago and has not been able to find work in all that time. He still serves on our team even though his children have all left the school. A desperate man, yet a man with an incredibly positive attitude and a life full of integrity.

His story must mirror that of millions the world over. I can’t help feeling terrible that I cannot do more to help him. Or can I?

He shared a story about meeting someone who is trying to help others break the cycle of drug addiction, crime, and prison that the youth of area seem destined to share. He spoke of this person with amazement and awe. Somebody who has given up their own comforts to try and make a real difference in the lives of others!

I drove home asking myself many questions. Mainly, why am I living such a comfortable life? Is there not something more that I can do to help?