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There was a riot last night at the local hospital, third shot in an ongoing war that is rapidly heating up.
Third shot? Well, the first shot was a young black man shot to death at a club near downtown a couple of weeks ago. The second was another young black man who was shot in the head last night -- although there's some dispute as to whether it was murder or self-inflicted. No matter, though... that second man's family has made it their mission to stoke the fires. They were very clear on that point last night when about eighty of them gathered at the hospital and, looking about as stereotypically "thug" as possible, rampaged through the lobby and the parking garage.
What set them off? That not all of them, all at once, were allowed to go to the dying man's room and that they were ordered to move their cars from the ambulance bays. In fact, some went out to guard the cars lest a tow truck be called. When it was pointed out that not all could go back to the room and that the cars had to be moved, much vitriol against the hospital was poured out due to its supposed racism. Dark mutterings were heard about this second shooting being retaliation for the first, and dark promises were made about making double damn sure that there would be a third, a fourth, a fifth, and on and on and on until the grievous injustice was rectified.
It took the entire security staff, plus about half the police department to restore order and get them to move their damned cars, but the threats still stand -- and if the threats are to be believed, my city's public housing projects are going to burn, and soon. There will be blood -- lots of it.
And so round and round and round it goes, and where it stops, nobody knows. It's gang warfare at its finest.
Third shot? Well, the first shot was a young black man shot to death at a club near downtown a couple of weeks ago. The second was another young black man who was shot in the head last night -- although there's some dispute as to whether it was murder or self-inflicted. No matter, though... that second man's family has made it their mission to stoke the fires. They were very clear on that point last night when about eighty of them gathered at the hospital and, looking about as stereotypically "thug" as possible, rampaged through the lobby and the parking garage.
What set them off? That not all of them, all at once, were allowed to go to the dying man's room and that they were ordered to move their cars from the ambulance bays. In fact, some went out to guard the cars lest a tow truck be called. When it was pointed out that not all could go back to the room and that the cars had to be moved, much vitriol against the hospital was poured out due to its supposed racism. Dark mutterings were heard about this second shooting being retaliation for the first, and dark promises were made about making double damn sure that there would be a third, a fourth, a fifth, and on and on and on until the grievous injustice was rectified.
It took the entire security staff, plus about half the police department to restore order and get them to move their damned cars, but the threats still stand -- and if the threats are to be believed, my city's public housing projects are going to burn, and soon. There will be blood -- lots of it.
And so round and round and round it goes, and where it stops, nobody knows. It's gang warfare at its finest.
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