So last night at the gas station, my friend David (who lives under the freeway) told me that things were tough right now for him. He said that the cops were really hassling him a lot because of the upcoming elections. I wondered at the accuracy of his observation and considered how incredibly active the police have been in our community of late.
Just last night there was a little rendezvous with a cruiser and two motorcycle cops (who I never see around here) who were discussing a meeting location on 37th. Doug said that they must be getting ready for a bust. Sure enough, less than five minutes later, two helicopters painted an area just south of us (we are on 30th) and were there for most of an hour. This is one of many such busts we have heard about recently.
It is interesting to consider how many factors, seen and unseen, work together to influence how much we see the police and what kind of response is given to gang activity and crime in our community.