The Tedium of Interesting Times

[akirlu]

So, I'd been pottering at my desk, sitting in my den with the shades drawn. I had heard the PA-like voices down the hill, totally unintelligible the way megaphone amplification usually is, and idly supposed that there was some sort of event going on down at the Kent Historical Museum just a block kitty-corner away down the hill from us. Then the sun came out and I thought I would put the shade up to get the light in.

Turns out there are a couple of Kent PD units outside of Ray's house, across the way. Right by the power pole in front of Ray's house there's a guy in a black leather jacket and a baseball cap, with a Sam Brown belt on, and some sort of long-arm with a big-ass clip slung over his shoulder. He's obviously using the power pole for cover, looking down over the yard of the house on the corner. Judging by the flashing lights below the house on the corner, and the two or so guys in dark clothes and ball caps down there, I'd say the police have the neighbor's house surrounded, and are periodically using a megaphone to try to talk him/her/them out.

A kid walked by on the street not long ago, and was told to go up our neighbor's side driveway to get away from the street. It seems they haven't closed off the street, though, so occasional cars and vans pass. But mostly, a lot of nothing happens. There are long breaks between megaphone attempts.

We don't know the people in the corner house at all. They used to have a big, aggressive intact male dog who would come flying at the fence whenever I walked Sarah by. Kinda spooky, because the dog didn't bark, he just came silently rushing the fence to throw himself up against it. He would run back and forth along whatever section of fence we walked past. One time he muscled past the gate on the alley and rushed us, but I puffed up tall and yelled at him, and he just stopped and let us move on. I haven't seen the dog for weeks, now, though. He's never in the yard. I never see the people. I almost went over to ring the bell and tell them about their dog getting out, but never got around to it. Maybe just as well.

Another guy just walked up to Ray's power pole. This one has a blue windbreaker with a white horizontal stripe and "Police" on the back. He also has a rifle with a scope on it. The two cops spend some time shooting the shit, Leather Cop often facing away from the surrounded house while talking to Sniper Guy. Sniper Guy gestures down the street casually, jokingly, with his rifle. Fuck, don't be pointing that thing down the street unless you're shooting at something. It's loaded. Who taught you arms safety, anyhow?

There are sirens off in the distance, but none seem to come close. The cops seem bored. Cold. Nothing much seems to happen down at the corner house. I thought about turning on the TV news, but the living room has a lot of glass facing the line of fire of the cops below the house. I guess I shouldn't go on with painting the living room either, for the same reason.

Hal's asleep in the bedroom, a pretty good place to be, with the maximum number of thick old walls between him and the corner house, so I think I'll leave him sleep. Because there's nothing much going on, nothing much to do. Maybe I'll go down to the basement and hang out with Lefty for a while. Because honestly, the window in my den is obliquely in the line of fire too, and this might not be the brightest place to sit. And yet I'm curious.

An unmarked silver Police Mustang pulls up. The two inside talk to the two at the pole a bit, then the Mustang does a Y-turn and drives off again. Leather Cop walks over to secure his long arm in his vehicle, then walks away uphill, leaving Sniper Guy watching the house. Leather Guy comes trotting back, pulls out his long arm again, and both cops are watching the house again. Both have their weapons trained on the back of the house now. Nobody's been on the megaphone for a while. Little blats of siren sound down the hill, now and again.

It's a bit like baseball, really. Not much happens, but you feel compelled to keep watching anyhow. But really, not much happens.

They're on the megaphone again. Male voice this time. For a while they were using a woman. The sun's gone back into cloud.

Comments

[holyoutlaw.livejournal.com]

This is the kind of post that I think should be dead-tree published, so that people who don't read LJ can see it, too.

In other words, very interesting, thanks for the story.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I decided to go ahead and post it to seattle as well.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

I feel sorry for the dog--to be trained to be like that means much cruelty, and its reward for being loyal is usually to be killed. Argh.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I hate it when people act out their own power fantasies by abusing animals. Cruelty prosecutions should happen a lot more often than they do against people creathing 'tough' dogs.

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

Michael Vick may still be prosecuted by the county his kennel was in. The big charges went federal, but there are a lot of little ones that may be pressed.

[liveavatar.livejournal.com]

Whoa. I hope everyone involved comes out okay, including the dog.