I was a freshman in college at the University of Miami and lived in Pearson Hall. One afternoon, I came back from classes to find a note left by Guy, my suitemate. It read that someone broke into my car, a 1966 Mustang, and I should contact campus security. They broke my small triangular window and took my stereo and battery; the latter was especially petty. My family got a new battery and drove it down; I got a replacement window from a second hand shop; I didn’t replace the stereo.
Month: July 2021
This occurred sometime after I arrived here in Washington state. Some local citizens were fascinated by the story of a local black teen, DeShawn Johnson. Truthfully, he fascinated some and irked others.
Over the years he broke into businesses after hours simply to feed and amuse himself. Occasionally, he broke into people’s homes while they were unoccupied, staying there like Goldilocks; this entailed eating food from their refrigerators and soaking in hot baths. He preferred to stay on the run, so he stole vehicles… a lot of them. In fact, he lived here but ‘travelled’ all over the country precisely this way; he maintained this for two years.
Imagine this hypothetical, you and I make plans to play tennis. Initially, we meet at your home and we travel to a tennis court. I have a bag slung over my shoulder and carry a tennis racquet in my hand. We get along well but haven’t seen each other for months. As we walk towards the tennis courts and pass many people, I reach back with my racquet smack someone squarely on the face and continue walking as if nothing occurred. This stuns you. You are shocked; you know me to be a reasonable person. This is not anything you can comprehend. I still have the racquet in my hand, so you’re reluctant to say anything. We continue walking.
As we make our way to the courts, we pass many more people. However, you’re still in stunned by the event that transpired. As your mind is racing and contemplating what you should do, I again reach back and this time I strike someone squarely on the knee. They collapse on the ground and cower in fear. You are still in shock and continue to walk but put more distance between us. This continues.