While eating our dinner, I heard a strange noise. I asked the girls what the noise was, they both shrugged and looked out the front window. Rebekah anounced that some kids were playing with our bird-bath, in the front yard. It didn't make sence to me. I looked out the front door and saw someone lying in my bushes near the bird bath... Rebekah said that they ran when she looked out. As I opened the door, a Latino man stood up and limped to my front steps and told me six guys jumped him and beat him up. I asked if I should call an ambulance, he said no. I told him he could sit on my steps and that I was going to call the police. He said he didn't want me to call police. I said he could leave if he wanted to, but I was calling anyway. Nearly 20 minutes later the police arived. An officer came up on my lawn and shone his light around, asking me questions. I told him the victim left and I was not an eye witness. He could do nothing. But wait, we found a ball cap in my bushes, and just before the cop arived, a young man dressed in all black came almost into my yard looking in the direction the victim went... when he saw me, he turned and walked quickly away. Unless the victim files a complaint we can't do any thing. (we all know that).

I told him of a vehicle the victim called to as we talked before he left my yard. And as we talked, here came that vehicle... with the victim in it and two other Latinos. (I asume they were looking for the assailants, all six of them.) The police stopped the vehicle and began talking to the victim. The driver thanked me. A lady from across the street called to the police that she knew who the perps were, she would help find them. A third cop car showed up, they began to search the mobile home park across the street. They took one into custody and continued searching. I tried to remind them of the hat in my bushes. I was ignored.

So, after they all go and the area is quiet again, I still have the hat. I might wear it for a week or two and when someone asks for it back, I'll give it as I take his picture.

But now I have a question. If a crime was committed on my property am I not a victim also? And is not the hat in the bushes sufficient evidence of such a crime, coupled with the testimony of my child who saw the end of the scuffle?

So now at almost 10 pm, I am a bit hyper and feeling like I am on high alert status, as if I had fourteen cups of coffee...

I used to like my neighborhood. Then the graphitti showed up at my childs school.

I recognise the hat. It belongs to a young black man who hangs out across from my front door, in the mobile home park entry. He associates with the people who live in the first trailer which has a big sign that we should vote for Obama.

I stood on my front porch and unfurled the American Flag which is flying almost always from my post and anounced that if the police did not arive soon I would probably get my gun and find the perps myself cause I ain't havin it in my front yard.

The cop didn't seem to care a thing about anything I had to say since the victim left, until I began to point out to him the gang tags on the street sign right in front of his car.