See You In Hell!

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Hammer time

Last night just after 4 am, I heard what I thought was somebody hammering loudly.....like construction noise. It was loud enough to wake me up, and I tried to think of which jackass in the neighborhood was doing renovation work in the middle of the goddamn night. It didn't sound close enough to be the dude across the street who is demolishing an old house single-handedly with a hammer and crowbar (he started in October). I got up, got a drink of water, and then the cop cars started flying down the street, sirens blaring. They sounded like they were stopping a few blocks away, but I couldn't be sure. I wasn't too worried, since cop cars and emergency vehicles like to use our street while en route to the crappy part of town.
This morning, I discovered the following on our local news website. This is about 3 blocks away from us, kiddycorner from our backyard and over a couple of blocks:


Several injured in early morning shooting

11:02 AM PST on Saturday, December 22, 2007

By ADRIANE HORNER, kgw.com Staff

An early morning shooting left several people injured in NE Portland.
Several people were injured in the shooting at an after-hours club on NE Emerson St.
The shooting happened just after 4 a.m. Saturday at an after-hours club at NE 42nd and Emerson.

Portland Police said that all of the victims involved in the shooting have non-life threatening injuries and were being treated at area hospitals.
Detectives were investigating the three-block crime scene and interviewing witnesses.

The Gang Enforcement Team was also called to the scene.
No arrests had been made.



I must admit that I am a little surprised; this part of 42nd has a big old catholic church, and several restaurants....even a popular bakery and fancy Montessori school a couple blocks down. I have driven on this street many times, and I have never ever seen an "after hours club". There are a couple of taverns that cater exclusively to the 60+ year old pensioner crowd, but I seriously doubt that they are open "after-hours", as their patrons are probably snoozing soundly after hitting the early bird special. But as my husband pointed out, on the other side of the street there is a holdout from when the neighborhood used to be a shithole many years ago. A strange storefront with a couple of rusted-out cars and a weird old dude that apparently likes to collect large piles of wooden pallets.
Wonderful. Now my friend Lisa has more ammo (no pun intended) for her claims that I live in "The Hood".

5 Comments:

Blogger kari said...

we also used to live in what some called "the hood," when we had our house in east st. paul. our house was surrounded pretty much by elderly people's homes, but every so often i'd have to take a detour getting home b/c there would be police barricades around the vicinity. i think that unless you live in the sanitized suburbs. there is a "hood" within a six to 12-block radius of any city neighborhood. plus, bad people have cars, so i don't think it matters where you live anymore.

Sunday, December 23, 2007 at 12:24:00 PM PST

 
Blogger Lisa said...

OMG Jege! A shooting! How can you deny the Hood now! What exactly is an "after hours club"? That is police-speak if I have ever heard it. I for one am freaking out for you! But then I am and emotional freak lately, so disregard this.
work verification: dnuny i.e. deny - Yep, I'm all for it! How else can we get through our lives.

Sunday, December 23, 2007 at 11:37:00 PM PST

 
Blogger Jege (Jen) said...

I am soooo NOT freaked out. I used to live in ALBUQUERQUE, you remember. This aint nuthin'. I'm really in no danger unless I decide to join a gang.
This is actually a good thing; police attention was drawn to an otherwise unknown after-hours spot (an old unmarked warehouse) where they busted a bunch of gang members. This neighborhood takes its gentrification very seriously, so I fully expect the place to be shut down, arrests to be made, and continued police presence until the undesirables move on.

Monday, December 24, 2007 at 8:49:00 AM PST

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ok I am the sister of lisa, I visited last summer and remember walking the scary block to the corner store for beer, as we returned we were harrassed... you better get moving girls. Yes, I confirm you live in the hood!
Sincerely, sister of lisa

Thursday, December 27, 2007 at 8:15:00 PM PST

 
Blogger Jege (Jen) said...

karla, I have it on good authority that you and lisa were being very very loud, and were therefore the cause of the harassment.

Sorry to sell you out, dawn. But here in the hood it's every chick for herself, 'aight?

Friday, December 28, 2007 at 8:08:00 AM PST

 

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