Calling 911

On my way home yesterday I had to stop and call 911. There was a large fight just a few feet away from my car.

I was talking to Mr. Husband on the phone. (Gasp! Talking and driving!) I noticed a group of teenage type people in a large group on the sidewalk. I am always nervous when so many teens are just all standing together and a school bus is not involved. I was really hoping that the bus had just let them off but that prediction couldn't be true because there was no bus in sight.

Before I was fully there a car had stopped and a man had gotten out and was pointing and yelling. It seemed like he had just been driving by and pulled over to stop the fight. The teens started moving in different directions and I was a relieved that things seemed to have worked out with little injury.

As I drove by I told Mr. Husband how one of the teens was bleeding from the mouth. There was a lot of blood but kept on driving because he seemed to have friends with him and the danger was over. I continued to talk to Mr. Husband and drive down the road when I glanced in the rear view mirror. I could see that they were beating on this same kid again.

I hate the decisions like this in life. It's so much easier to just shake your head and keep driving. To pretend that nothing is happening. I just can't do that. I turned the car around and talked to Mr. Husband as I drove back.

As I got there I noticed that the teens were now squared off and it seems like this would be a gang style fight. They started punching. I got off the phone with Mr. Husband and called 911. I didn't attempt to get out of the car because I didn't want to have the same fate as the bloody teenager. I heard one of the kids yell, "She's calling 911." None of them stopped fighting so I don't think that they cared.

As I was talking to the emergency operator a white truck pulled into the middle of the fight. A woman got out and started yelling at all of the kids. Half of the kids got in the truck and it drove away. The kid that was bleeding heavily went with the truck.

I let the operator know this and she told me that she would let the police know that the fight was over but that they would be in the area soon and would look around and patrol the area.

I had answered many questions for the operator. "Yes, they are young. late teens/early twenties. Yes, half of them are white and the other half are black. No, I do not know if it was racially motivated. Yes, I did hear a racial slur but I did not hear who said it. 16. There are 16 of them fighting. You can't find this on the map. We are 2 blocks east of so and so elementary school. Yes, there is a day care directly across the street and the kids are outside. Yes, you can call me at this number. "

This is the same neighborhood that my students live in. This is just one of the examples of violence that they see around them. Is it really any wonder that it is a struggle in the classroom when this is what they see?

I was sorry that there was a fight. I was not sorry that I called 911 about it. I truly believe that more people need to stand up and say that things are wrong. Even if we have to do it from the inside of our car, the window rolled up and the doors locked.

I was glad that I was driving away from it. I'm glad that my children do not see this behavior in the neighborhood where we live. I know that violence can find you whereever you live but I'm glad that here is outside of the everday experience.

I don't want fights like this to be the norm for my children. I want them to be shocked and appalled that these things happen. I want them to stand up and say enough. I want them to be safe while they do it.