I walked out of work today at 4:35 pm. I walked south towards Wilshire Bl, and took a position on the southest corner of Westwood Bl and Wilshire Bl.
I stare southbound down Wilshire... I see 4 CHP motorcycles rolling by.
Ordinary people could give a fuck.
My brain, in 0.2 seconds thinks:
"Not their jurisdiction, what are they doing on city streets where it's LAPD jurisdiction?"
2 of them keep heading eastbound on Wilshire. One stops on Glendon, blocks off traffic. One stops at Westwood, and blocks of traffic. "Hmm...must be a motorcade of someone special going by."
A kid was standing next to me.
"The stop lights must not be working."
And of course, in my head, i'm thinking:
"Stop lights not working? this is CHP, not LAPD."
2 seconds later, there is zero traffic going eastbound on Wilshire. 2 minutes later, a caravan of 30 or so SUVs (tinted windows, Secret Service hanging out the side) are moving down Wilshire at about 60 miles an hour. Then a caravan of 20 Lincoln Town Cars are moving at the same speed. Followed by 2 ambulances, and 30 or more SUVs follow that.
"Must have been John Kerry or George W. Bush."
The black kid, no more than 16 years old responds:
"I wish it was Bush. I woulda flipped that motherfucker off."
We both boarded the bus towards the subway station. He was headed towards Silverlake, a 'town' i know so well. He explained how after he moved in, it suddenly got safer.
I explained what gentrification meant.
He seemed to grasp what i was saying. That's why i'm here for. To let people in on what's going on their lives. People being beheaded in Iraq is not what is pertinent in their life. What's happening now and what 's going on in front of their eyes is.
"A few months ago, it wasn't real safe to go outside in the streets."
"Well, that's because a certain class of people hadn't moved in yet. When a certain clss of peope move in, suddenly, the neighborhood is worthy of having law enforcement actually patrol the areas."
Had red hair, freckles. Reminded me of Malcolm. I have seen him a few times around where I work where i catch the bus. There's something about that kid. He's the same kid i gave Che's Motorcyle Diaries to. Hopefully he'll read it.
Hopefully we'll change things.