https://www.yahoo.com/news/white-police-officer-illinois-threatens-105125678.html
This makes me wonder what led up to this. Did he confront them and they refuse to move on? Most folks don't go immediately to take down when a kid walks on their grass.
I lived in a neighborhood in Colorado Springs. There was minimal gang activity, but it was getting closer. Some teens in our neighborhood were "Wannabees". They weren't in a gang, but dressed like it, roved in groups and started causing trouble in the neighborhood. If any adult confronted them, there home was vandalized soon after the incident. We can take the race part of this out, because in our neighborhood, these kids were white.
I was reassigned to Germany, so had to sell the house. Part of that was getting the front yard looking good. We lived on a corner lot, and the Wannabees started cutting the corner and wearing a path through the front yard. One day while working in the yard, three of them followed their well worn path. I always initially treat folks nicely, so I asked, "Hey, guys, I'm trying to get the house ready for sale, so I need the yard to look good. Could you please use the sidewalk?"
The top dog responded, "F#@k you, Old Man." I was in my early thirties, so Old Man was not my usual moniker. I tried a new tack. I walked up to the speaker and explained to him that I was not afraid of him and his buddies. I then explained that since he spoke up, I would direct all future action to him. I told him that I saw they were on the street late at night and I could deal with them any time. I saidn I knew what they did to other homes when folks confronted them.
"Here's the deal," I stepped closer, "If I see any of your buddies walk in my front yard, I will come find you and I will beat your @ss. Not theirs. Yours. If someone messes with my family, I will beat your @ss. If anything happens to my dog, my house or my yard, I will beat your @ss." He asked me what if someone does it and its not them. "That will suck for you, because if anything happens, I will come for you." His response was that he would call the police which made me start laughing. "Let me spell this out for you. You do something to me, I beat your @ss and you call the COPS. When they get here, they see you, a gangbanger wannabee and me, an officer in the US Army. Who's story are they gonna believe?"
I had the best lawn in the neighborhood after that and my neighbors who witnessed it thanked me for dealing with those kids. They took their trouble elsewhere. It may have been different had they had cameras back then...
This makes me wonder what led up to this. Did he confront them and they refuse to move on? Most folks don't go immediately to take down when a kid walks on their grass.
I lived in a neighborhood in Colorado Springs. There was minimal gang activity, but it was getting closer. Some teens in our neighborhood were "Wannabees". They weren't in a gang, but dressed like it, roved in groups and started causing trouble in the neighborhood. If any adult confronted them, there home was vandalized soon after the incident. We can take the race part of this out, because in our neighborhood, these kids were white.
I was reassigned to Germany, so had to sell the house. Part of that was getting the front yard looking good. We lived on a corner lot, and the Wannabees started cutting the corner and wearing a path through the front yard. One day while working in the yard, three of them followed their well worn path. I always initially treat folks nicely, so I asked, "Hey, guys, I'm trying to get the house ready for sale, so I need the yard to look good. Could you please use the sidewalk?"
The top dog responded, "F#@k you, Old Man." I was in my early thirties, so Old Man was not my usual moniker. I tried a new tack. I walked up to the speaker and explained to him that I was not afraid of him and his buddies. I then explained that since he spoke up, I would direct all future action to him. I told him that I saw they were on the street late at night and I could deal with them any time. I saidn I knew what they did to other homes when folks confronted them.
"Here's the deal," I stepped closer, "If I see any of your buddies walk in my front yard, I will come find you and I will beat your @ss. Not theirs. Yours. If someone messes with my family, I will beat your @ss. If anything happens to my dog, my house or my yard, I will beat your @ss." He asked me what if someone does it and its not them. "That will suck for you, because if anything happens, I will come for you." His response was that he would call the police which made me start laughing. "Let me spell this out for you. You do something to me, I beat your @ss and you call the COPS. When they get here, they see you, a gangbanger wannabee and me, an officer in the US Army. Who's story are they gonna believe?"
I had the best lawn in the neighborhood after that and my neighbors who witnessed it thanked me for dealing with those kids. They took their trouble elsewhere. It may have been different had they had cameras back then...