Like a rubber ball it came bouncing back on you!!

[zeitgeist]

Just a little bouncy ball tale for some diversion.  Lots of campers toasting marshmallows while mike_c gets a little burn.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9238311

mike_c  (1000+ posts)        Fri Oct-01-10 06:51 PM
Original message
my partner witnessed something terrible yesterday...
 Edited on Fri Oct-01-10 07:12 PM by mike_c
...and I can't get it out of my head.

There is a homeless encampment in a shallow ravine across the street from her office, with maybe six to ten shelters most of the time. It's on municipal land, and I gather that homeless people often don't feel safe from police harassment there during the day, and indeed, I've witnessed police shaking people down on the street near the encampment. The camp is not very visible from the street and many folks probably pass by without even knowing it's there, or without realizing how many people shelter there each night, especially during the dry season.

So yesterday afternoon, right after school ended for the day, my partner was taking a break on a balcony behind her office-- it's actually the back porch of the converted house her employer uses for office space-- when she saw a group of five young boys arrive at the encampment on bicycles. From that vantage you can see the encampment quite well. At first she thought the boys might be living at the encampment. All five boys were clean cut, riding nice bikes, carrying school books in backpacks. They were about 12 or 13 years old-- not older teens, but not really young children, either. That in-between age.

When they determined that no one was there, the boys proceeded to quickly and methodically destroy everything they could find. My partner says they started by smashing everything made of glass. They destroyed the shelters, sleeping bags, and all personal belongings they found, slitting cloth items and trampling them into the dirt. They threw away or destroyed food. She saw one boy smashing a laptop computer by swinging it against a tree. When he was done, he left it lying on the ground for its owner to find. They left everything. They destroyed as much as they could, then left it for the owners to find.

My GF alerted her office mates and one came out with her to witness the rest of the destruction. They didn't call the police because the police apparently don't respond to reports of crimes against the homeless camp-- although as I said, they certainly do hassle the residents themselves.

{snip}

to save bandwidth and sanity

Now the first dutiful dummy responds

Pirate Smile  (1000+ posts)      Fri Oct-01-10 06:56 PM
Response to Original message
1. Probably the only way that it would get any coverage is if someone had taped it. If they have video
 to show, the media will focus on it. If they don't, it is like it never happened.

then another chimes in with a good suggestion

Occulus  (1000+ posts)        Fri Oct-01-10 07:08 PM
Response to Reply #1
9. I wonder if any security cameras caught any of it n/t

Whoops, we need to block this line of inquiry to keep the bouncy alive

mike_c  (1000+ posts)        Fri Oct-01-10 07:14 PM
Response to Reply #9
11. unlikely, given the location....
 I'd give just about anything for an identifiable photo of just one of the boys.

This is followed by the usual tripe which is sop for dump bouncies.  I swear either this place is infested with the most gullible fools in the world or it is the largest mole hill (in the world).

Then a bolt from the blue takes the wind from beneath Mike_c's feet

NM Independent (731 posts)        Sat Oct-02-10 03:17 PM
Response to Original message
63. I'm sorry, but I just have to say it. Your partner is a coward, and that is your answer.
 "In order for evil to prevail, all that need happen is for good people to do nothing." Edmund Burke

I'll spend the rest of my day in a grumbling mood about cowards that who can't find the most minute amount of courage to defend the defenseless.

You just described exactly what is wrong with this country. It's not those boys, it's cowards like your partner that allowed it to happen without putting the fear of God in those sorry little shits. It doesn't take much to scare the hell out of a tween boy.

She could have yelled and screamed at the top of her lungs BEFORE they destroyed EVERYTHING, and run them off. She could have called the damn police instead of making an assumption. She could have followed the boys, and identified at least one of them that had parents that would DO something about it. She could have taken video, or at least ONE damn picture to identify them (seriously, every phone has a camera). There are MANY things that she could have done. But what did she do? Chastise them as they ride away, and then send them off with the notion that they can do whatever the **** they want, and then talk shit to an adult that says something about it. Here's a clue, their next thought is likely, "hey we can destroy their homes and get away with it, I bet we could have fun killing one and never get caught."

Let me tell you a story, the last time I witnessed an injustice, I DID something about it. A young woman was being forced into a car in a parking lot. I drove by just as I saw her being backhanded across the face. I slammed on my brakes, blocking traffic, and jumped out of my car to run over there. Just the fact that someone was running toward them scared that sorry bastard. I grabbed her by the hand and led her away. When he dared to put his hands on me to stop him, I punched him right in the damn mouth. I got her into my car, took her to a shelter, and made damn sure over the next few weeks that she was okay.

I'm 5'3, and 145 soaking wet. That guy was over 6'. I honestly don't consider that courageous, I consider it a god damn common courtesy to a fellow human being. Remember the golden rule people. In her shoes I would have forever hated people if I had gone through that on a busy street, and nobody came to help me.

I hear stories similar to the OP often, and it makes me so angry that people do NOTHING. Did she try to find someone from the camp to let them know what happened? Did she try to provide some way to help them herself? Did she find them a meal? Find an extra blanket, pillow, tent, sleeping bag, food, or anything else to give them? Don't you realize that if they weren't suicidal before, something like that just might push someone over the edge?

You ask what the **** is wrong with people after describing what the **** is wrong with people.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE! Grow some cojones people. The stakes are the future of the human race.

rant off

Do we have a bouncy within a bouncy?  You be the judge.

Mike_c's  pathetic response

mike_c  (1000+ posts)        Sat Oct-02-10 05:36 PM
Response to Reply #63
75. she's a late middle-aged woman-- sometimes the border between wisdom and cowardice...
 ...is hard to pin down precisely. In any event, no one who witnessed what happened is proud of their response, I can assure you. I also know that she isn't normally a fearful person. As I mentioned up-thread, she was married to a cop for twenty-five years-- maybe something from that experience affected her response.

I want to emphasize that she and her coworker are NOT responsible for what happened. It wasn't their choice to trash a homeless camp. I'm not going to criticize them for the actions of five juvenile delinquents.

Bouncy fail.  Zero bongs.

[VivisMom]

How long until bobbo shows up and berates The Bug Man?

[miskie]

How long until bobbo shows up and berates The Bug Man?

[blitzkrieg_17]

Bouncy fail.  Zero bongs.

Bouncy fail indeed. Zero bongs is right. As I've often said on FR, who writes this BS?

[soleil]

I have to say if this is true, there is no way I would have let this happen with NO response. Wth? NO WAY. I would've called the cops. I would've screamed at them. If she was able to view it within a safe distance, then she could've screamed. Something. But she sat there and watched. Then griped about it. Shameful indeed.

[blitzkrieg_17]

He was just looking for a bouncy to post. Facts don't matter on the DU.

[true_blood]

NM Independent
Let me tell you a story, the last time I witnessed an injustice, I DID something about it. A young woman was being forced into a car in a parking lot. I drove by just as I saw her being backhanded across the face. I slammed on my brakes, blocking traffic, and jumped out of my car to run over there. Just the fact that someone was running toward them scared that sorry bastard. I grabbed her by the hand and led her away. When he dared to put his hands on me to stop him, I punched him right in the damn mouth. I got her into my car, took her to a shelter, and made damn sure over the next few weeks that she was okay.

I'm 5'3, and 145 soaking wet. That guy was over 6'. I honestly don't consider that courageous, I consider it a god damn common courtesy to a fellow human being.

Superman here got his own bouncy going as well!!!
DUmmies sure do love to bounce.

[vesta111]

Superman here got his own bouncy going as well!!!
DUmmies sure do love to bounce.

I kind of enjoyed that story, just for picking out the fact from fiction.

The camp was right in plain sight of everyone that worked in that building, a big encampment at that.  Seems that no one notified the police that the homeless were there and that they felt any fear of being that close to possible problems going and coming from work.

This encampment was totally empty not one passed out drunk or some crazy high on drugs to be seen,  everyone just left at the same time to do what.?

Along came some [between] kids on their bikes in the middle of the
afternoon from school with their school books on the back of their bikes.   These kids had no fear that someone that lived there would take a 2x4 to them, they just marched in and found a lap top to smash against a tree.      Big problem for the police when they run the homeless off city land is what to do with all the lap tops they leave behind.

They found all kinds of food to destroy and glass bottles to break.
Oh those nasty boys, not gang members just kids coming home with their homework on their bikes.

The only wittiness it seems was a middle aged woman and a wimpy one at that.  Poor thing just watched all that distruction for awhile then  went back to work and mentioned casually to a coworker what was going on outside.

Thank you True for sending this one on, I now know that if I become homeless I need not fear the Gangs in the city, it is the [between] kids  coming home from school with their homework that may smash my lap top, my 25 inch TV and dish network.   Darn these kids who throw my Twinkies in the bushes and busted my bottles of booze.

[PatriotGame]

mike_c  (1000+ posts)        Fri Oct-01-10 06:51 PM
Original message
my partner witnessed something terrible yesterday...
 Edited on Fri Oct-01-10 07:12 PM by mike_c
...and I can't get it out of my head.

There is a homeless encampment in a shallow ravine across the street from her office, with maybe six to ten shelters most of the time. blah...blah...blah...


blah...blah...blah...when she saw a group of five young boys arrive at the encampment on bicycles. From that vantage you can see the encampment quite well. At first she thought the boys might be living at the encampment. All five boys were clean cut, riding nice bikes, carrying school books in backpacks. They were about 12 or 13 years old-- not older teens, but not really young children, either. That in-between age.


Of course - most imaginary children are of that "in-between age"...

They threw away or destroyed marijuana plants, jugs of moonshine, and 32 gallon barrels of Thunderbird wine!.

She saw one boy smashing a laptop computer, wireless Internet router, 60" high-def flat screen Plasma TV, Blue-Ray DVD player, Mark Levinson digital Dolby 7.1 surround sound receiver, surround sound 7.1 speaker system, Wolfgang Puck food processor system, automated bread maker, home automated lighting system, electric toothbrush, Tempur-Pedic foam mattress bed, ceiling mirrors, and riding lawn mower by swinging all of it against a tree. When he was done, he left it all lying on the ground for its owner to find. They left everything. They destroyed as much as they could, then left it for the owners to find.

I noticed their "GOBAMA" T-Shirts as they off into the imaginary sunset I was bathed in because of the marijuana spliff I had just indulged in.

f1x0r3d

[AprilRazz]

[franksolich]

What's a laptop computer doing in a homeless camp?

You suppose the lads destroyed big-screen televisions, too?

Yeah, yeah.

[Randy]

What's a laptop computer doing in a homeless camp?

You suppose the lads destroyed big-screen televisions, too?

Yeah, yeah.

Maybe this is why Bobbo missed the call out....

 

[JohnnyReb]

Maybe this is why Bobbo missed the call out....

 

Lap tops, sleeping bags, tents.... hobo-ing just ain't what it used to be.

[zeitgeist]

Best graphic ever; Commissioner Gordon had one for Batman, now, Conservative Cave has an official Bobo the Hobo gobo.  You definitely deserve a high five for this.   Whenever hobos are being dissed flash the gobo to get Bobolink pissed!   

[dutch508]

everyone, and I mean everyone, has cellphone cameras and video capability, no doubt the leftist middle aged office worker had an iPhone- what leftist doesn't?

Yet, no call to police, no photos, no video...


bull ****ing shit.