This morning’s update needs to be compact. Today is Tipper’s “Match Day” at school, were 8th graders are “matched” with the high school’s they’ll attend in the fall. In Tipper’s case, she already knows that she’s attending Purdue Polytechnic High School’s Englewood Campus. She has, for now, opted for the main campus rather than the micro-school that G is attending. She’s not only excited about going to a new school, but moving away from classmates who’ve been disruptive and disturbing. She’s ready for a new start.
Kat can’t be there because she needs to be at the salon. The reality is that Match Day isn’t that big a deal. This isn’t a bunch of athletes hoping to go to college. Tipper needs some support, though, so I’ll Uber over to the school, watch the brief ceremony, then Uber back. Thankfully, the school is close. But that means I need to take a shower and be publicly presentable and that is not a deed that is performed quickly.
There is a new, long scratch down my forearm this morning. I have no idea how it got there, Belvedere was my closest sleep partner so it doesn’t seem likely that this is a cat scratch. Still, I’m mystified because normally anything like that would wake me up. I’m hopeful that we have a few days of clear weather so that I can get to feeling back to normal.
Today is G’s last full day of school. He feels confident about the biology final he took yesterday. He’s off tomorrow and then only has abbreviated days Monday-Thursday next week. The schedule is convenient since Memorial Day and therefore Race Day are early this year. He’ll be off and running with this summer schedule he’s created for himself.
We’re transitioning away from having “kids.” I’m not sure I’m ready to let go.
Morning Update: 05/14/24
There really is nothing to share about yesterday. The kids went to school. Kat went to work. I went back to bed and stayed there. The most exciting part of the day was the delivery of more cat litter. Most Mondays seem to be this way anymore, especially if we’ve done anything outside the house on Sunday. My body doesn’t seem interested in being active two days in a row. The dogs don’t seem interested in being active on Mondays, either.
It was another violent weekend in Indy and I’m concerned that violence will only increase as it gets warmer. Consider, here are just a few of the local headlines I’m looking at this morning:
There are times I feel as though we’re living in a bad episode of some police procedural television show. Gunning down victims in the street, calling SWAT to a dispute between neighbors, and someone shot to death while sitting in their pickup? Who the fuck does that in real life? Are these cases of, “Oh, I just happen to have this gun handy so I think I’ll use it?” Or is it more “I don’t have any idea how to resolve this conflict so I’m just gonna shoot somebody?” Maybe it’s a case of “I don’t feel that I have any control over the circumstances in my life, so I’m going to make sure someone pays attention to me.”
Overall, nationwide, violent crime has decreased since 2020. Cities significantly larger than Indy have seen violent crime plunge significantly. In cities such as Indy where violence continues to increase, the causes seem to come down to three significant issues:
We can look at these issues because we have data showing the relationship of cause/effect. What we don’t look at, though, is who is behind those causes. Numbers don’t solve problems, people do. If economics is a primary issue in increasing violence, the question needs to be WHO is responsible for that? I can tell you now it’s not a politician. Instead, look at the head of major corporations and retailers in a city. Where are they located? Who are they hiring? How much are they paying? Who is being left out? Start addressing these problems and the economics issue goes away.
The same can be said for education. Why are teachers quitting in frustration? Why are some schools limited in how they can teach while others get to explore new and innovative methods? Why the hell are people with absolutely zero experience in a classroom telling masters-level educators how to teach? Why are students in certain economic zones not getting all the opportunities as students from other areas of town? All these things (and a lot more) factor into failing schools, high drop-out rates, and a large sense of desperation among those who don’t manage to thrive within the system.
Why are some cities unable to recruit new officers? I don’t have information to argue that one. Theoretically, out-of-date policing procedures, low pay, lack of basic safety programs, and insufficient training are what gets called out first. That doesn’t mean those are the only problems. I’m sure there are some who will never consider police work because of its traditional stance against people of color. Complaints of abuse within the ranks are part of what’s keeping more women from both police forces and the military. At the baseline, though, the problems are internal and we have to hold the leaders of those departments responsible for making the necessary changes to both methods and culture.
Brandon’s taking Kat to the rifle range today for her birthday. Kat’s taking her AR15 out for the first time. Her dad gave her the gun when she graduated boot camp and it’s never been fired. She never felt that there was any need or reason to do so. We haven’t even had any ammo for it. But now? I’m glad they’re going. I’m glad she’ll have a response in case things go awry in the neighborhood, and there’s no good reason to think they won’t.
We, you and I, created these problems because we’d rather rally around shallow slogans with no real meaning or understanding the issues, because we try holding politicians responsible for problems that are caused elsewhere, and because, more than anything, all we do is complain rather than become involved in a solution. We are responsible for the society we’ve created. This didn’t happen out of the blue. Aliens are not responsible for this mess. You are. I am. And we’re the only ones who can fix it.
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