Monday Musings...

Happy President's Day...and welcome to the beginning of a brand-spanking new week here in the Hoosierland.
And if you think we've left the woods when it comes to winter weather...not gonna happen.
The weather today includes a winter weather advisory starting around 1500 hrs today and continuing until 0300 hrs tomorrow morning.
With this warning will come snow accumulation of between 3-5 inches (mixed with sleet further south of Fort Wayne).
A high of around 30 can be expected, so no melting away the previous crap on the streets before we get more crap on TOP of that...
Gonna be a fun drive this evening and tomorrow morning, that's for sure.
So, let's get a refill of that warm morning beverage and see what all has been going on since last we met...
*** First out of the snowdrift today...the Lovely Mrs Bobby G. is feeling a bit under the weather.

It came upon here suddenly last evening, well after dinner.
And, without going into any details, let's just say she's been "busy" at BOTH ends of the human anatomy.
(and cleaning rugs before bedtime for me really sucks).
We had the same dinner and I feel as fine as can be...perhaps a stomach virus?
She's not going into school today, and who can blame her...
I know I don't prefer riding OR driving in ANY vehicle when my stomach is queasy.
And there is only SO much that the body can expel, right?
We'll just take this as it comes, but maintaining fluid intake is a must.
*** Next up, yes, today IS President's Day...and to me it's the "cop-out" version of celebrating both Washington's and Lincoln's birthday (the 22nd and 12th respectively), that, when I was in school, we celebrated each president's birthday SEPARATELY..

Nowadays,. it's more about SALES (isn't every bloody holiday anymore?) than anything else.
Perhaps if we take the time to READ and LEARN about both men, we'll come away with a better understanding of WHO they were in our history, and how pivotal each man was in the building of our nation.
Moving on...
*** It looks like this new 12 member GANG UNIT missed a few of the thugs they were supposed to have know about (according to FWPD chief Garry Hamilton in his speech last week).

Times FIVE...THIS time around.

There were FIVE (count 'em 5) black males shot on the city's...(all together boys and girls)...)...SOUTHEAST SIDE early Sunday
And here's the updated link from WANE to the story:
http://wane.com/news/crime/two-people-seriously-hurt-in-shooting/
Here is the WPTA Story link:
http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/Shooting-Leaves-Five-Men-Wounded-245743561.html
You can read both and pick the one you prefer, but the WANE site has a LOT of comments (including those from yours truly), and overwhelmingly, there are many who are sick and tired of this crap.
I know I am...and have been for OVER TEN YEARS!

The "best" picture from all the media sources.

The five men apparently had an argument in a bar that obviously followed them onto the streets where a car chase erupted with shots exchanged between vehicles (one car was found at Villa Capri Apts with bullet holes in it). The main "shootout" seems to have taken place at the intersection of Lafayette St. and Tillman Rd, as broken glass and spent cartridge casings were found at that scene.
This took place around 0430 hrs Sunday morning (when all NORMAL people are in BED or working THIRD SHIFT).
Police were alerted to this when they were called to the 1800 block of Fox Point Trail (Villa Capri) and found two men suffering from gunshot wounds.
Within ten minutes, two MORE men showed up at a hospital with gunshot wounds, and shortly after that, another man was admitted to another hospital with (you guessed it) a gunshot wound.
That makes a total of FIVE men that this new gang unit didn't seem to be "shadowing" or keeping under surveillance.

What doesn't surprise me is the lack of information from the FWPD on this...
You want the public's help...then provide US with information we might be able to USE to help you...simple as that.
AND...you arm up...just in case!
Naturally, this time of early morning provides little if any witnesses (when damn near everyone's asleep) and apparently the victims are not forthcoming with vehicle descriptions, names, and such...
Oh, and ALL FIVE just happen to be members of RIVAL GANGS...who would have guessed THAT?
Most likely some are with the M.O.B. gang, or as I like to call them - "Morons Over Brains".
Police have yet to determine if THIS "Gunfight At The Tillman Intersection" is connected with the double shooting on Decatur Rd OR the shooting at Serenity Drive last week.

Could there be a connection? Probably so.

One would "think" that if we have this new unit, and all the PAST information that has (read SHOULD have) been gathered about KNOWN gang members and their affiliations over the years, that these punk-ass thugs and their "associates" would be "under the looking glass" by someone in law-enforcement.
I mean we DID have a "Safe Streets task Force" (back to 2011) that was supposed to be the predecessor TO this combined agency Gang Unit, right?
There has to be a LOT of Intel on these perps, and their actions, as well as who they hang with, where they live, and so on.

Do I LOOK like I know what goes on?

So WHY hasn't anyone concerned for PUBLIC SAFETY (like Rusty York) been the vanguard for getting the job of ridding our streets OF this human refuse that these agencies KNOW operate in the Summit City?
Too many crims falling through the cracks in the system...again? Still?
This is not the first rolling gun battle we've had...remember the AMBULANCE that was shot up along Lafayette in late 2012 (Archive post - 10 September) during broad daylight - 16 holes in the wagon with an EMT hit with shrapnel, along with several HOUSES along that street.

And, by the looks of things, it might not be the LAST such occurrence, either...
There are many of us who are waiting for someone to crawl out from under some rug at City Hall and address this...and maybe some of the black community "leaders" might want to weigh in on this...IF they really give a damn.
*** Last back to the outhouse today...It certainly is no fun seeing all this sh*t go down in areas surrounding where you live.
I didn't leave Philly and all the crime THERE to come here and have to put up with MORE of it...and a lot closer to our "Fortress".

Sure APPEARS that way.

There are those too few in number down here on the SE side that want a stop to this, but to undo what has been allowed to occur over close to TWO DECADES will be a study in frustration.
Whatever tactics are employed to enact any sort of abatement to this "culture" is traditionally met with resistance from the ethnic communities.
It's race-card-mania and lawsuit dollar-signs in their eyes whenever law-enforcement TRIES to put a stop to this crime.
We've seen it before.
And many times, whatever GOOD arrests are made, the prosecutor's office pulls out the plea-deal and the perps get off lightly.
Witnesses fear for their safety, family members cover for the guilty, and actually become a major PART of the crime problem by doing so.

This is NOT in any way the manner that any society moves forward.
I believe it's high time that this city takes the gang-drug-illegal gun problem with AS much seriousness (if not MORE) as it does when it chooses to dumps tens of millions of bucks to redevelop the damn DOWNTOWN area, and perhaps take all this money that is being used for the mayor's (and his cadre) "wish list" and put it ALL into getting rid of the bane that is the criminal element in the city, CONCENTRATING on the SE side of town.
We've lost too much around this area in good neighbors, retail and other businesses in just the short 17 years I've lived here, and it's due to the ethnic criminal element...PERIOD.
Can't blame THAT on "whitey", because the "white-factor" is practically non-existent, and that's due to the fact that whites are practically NON-existent down here...WE are the minority, and therefore not the cause of the vast majority of the crime not only DOWN here, but everywhere else in Ft. Wayne.
It's so sad to think you "take a chance" every time you leave your house...or even if you stay INSIDE.
(bullets are so stupid, they go right through walls, too).
Screw all this being politically-correct, damn those race-baiters and their hackneyed rhetorical bullsh*t, and to hell with anyone that doesn't wish to participate in making this city BETTER, rather than an extreme southern outskirt of Detroit.
Perhaps, it might be time for some NATURAL JUSTICE.
Lord knows that the ONLY reason we don't have HIGHER homicides rates is that many of these punks can't hit a bull in the ass with a bass fiddle....or the broad side of a barn.
Woe to everyone IF they manage to practice (and not just on each other) to hone their "skills"...
Then the city will have even MORE problems on it's hands than it does now...
Those of us not involved with this crime need to speak out, take a stand and DEMAND justice...swift and final.
That, I believe is our right as in the LIFE part of "...life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness".
Have yourselves a good week, in spite of the coming weather.

Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.