Its hard for me to put into words what i'm thinking and feeling this afternoon.

for the past two weeks, all that has been popping up and in my face is the raging crime in my neighborhood and those of my friends and co-workers who live in Memphis and Shelby County.

Last night I stood in my front yard as a police helicopter made at least 1 dozen aerial rounds over my house and in a circular pattern around my stomping ground. Other neighbors came out and all the recent developments and crime incidents were hashed and rehashed.

We made the promise (once again) to all look out for each other, but we all admitted that we were seeing the beginning of the end of peace as we have relatively known it in our hood.

It will be easy to predict the future now, one by one we'll all bite the bullet and put our homes up for sale, we'll promise to keep in touch, and we'll find out what we already know. First of all, if we move we are trading the illusion of safety for the realness of knowing who is sleeping in the bed just yards from your window and who you could run to or call in the night should evil or danger attack. This scenario has happened about every couple of years since we moved in
the area in 1984.....twenty two years is a long time to stay and stand your ground. We know the script, you stay on guard and are vigilant and with time things simmer down and a calmness
returns and you develop a level of trust and assuredness that you and your neighbors will weather all kind of storms together....even the nature made ones.....the ice storm of 91...... hurricane elvis......and several other assorted disasters.

But this storm is different.......its larger and looming and it has an oppressive air about it......we all know that our time is running out and no amount of preparedness on our part is going to save our way of life.

So when I heard of the fires in downtown this morning and alarm went off in my heart and I had to go and see for myself the level of destruction. I parked on Jefferson just outside of Neely's and sat in my car watching the plumes of water being being shot at the building in front of me. I watched the red, white, and blue flashing lights of the fire and police department vehicles blocking the street and some how it just hit me that these flames were merciful in that the damage is done and the fire is going to be put out.........but a slow, smoldering, flame of a society crumbling in a city torn apart by drugs, crime, and indifference is what we have been witnessing and we feel so helpless in any attempt to stop it and yet because its home we have to stand by and watch it hoping that something will save it.