"Somebody got kilt."

Stop me if you heard this one…

I live in a fairly nice area of a city. Like most cities these days this means that you are roughly a quarter to a half mile from dicey areas. I reside at the very top of a great hill. There are no neighbors directly across the street or to the right of the house and but one to the left. The next street down is a fully regular city block but, the two side streets rise to only allow for two properties at the top. There isn’t much traffic up there and it indeed seems like another world. It is only when I climb down the great hills for a block or two that reality slowly sets in.

This morning I walked along enjoying the morning sun and even humidity when I noticed cars parked on both sides of the street a short distance ahead. I first assumed that a nearby church was having yet another bake/garage sale. As I walked I noticed huge numbers of people on foot coming from the other direction as well as people getting out of cars and on bicycles. They appeared to be coming from as far as 3 or 4 blocks ahead. After I passed the church, I noticed its lot almost empty; no sale there. I then concentrated on the other side of the street. The nearest side street had several police cars in front of the Lutheran Church, my polling place. I started to walk faster as the crowd grew and people seemed fixated on that little side street. I overheard a grand woman tell another, “This is the work of the devil.” Experience has taught me that it is never wise to dilly-dally about when the devil has been busy. I walked faster.

As I walked, a kid of maybe 16 rode along side me on a rusty blue bike entirely too small for him. I turned and asked, “What’s going on over there?” “Somebody got kilt,” responded in a tone as if I had asked simply the time. I looked ahead and walked even faster. As I’ve said a couple times here in posts before, I am probably one of the few people around in our voyeuristic culture that turns for the opposite direct when he smells smoke or hears sirens. I have no desire to be an eyewitless (yeah, I meant that). And I have certainly no desire to become another “innocent victim” on the local news.

What is it about people that would make them venture out, most in their night clothes at nine on a Saturday morning to get a glimpse of tragedy? I guess I could go into a rant about instant “news” or reality TV encouraging 15 minute fame mongers but, I won’t because you’ve certainly heard those arguments. I will say that we are horribly desensitized when we have any need at all to be part of such an ordeal. At least a hundred or more people left the safety of their homes to see who got “kilt” and how. They will most likely spend much of the day sharing what they know or think they know about what happened. I wonder how many will use the incident as a spring board to take the details of what happened and use them to create a safer community? Unfortunately, a safe community seldom makes for interesting conversation at the bar or beauty parlor.