Spring has Sprung!

Well, it's been quite a while since I've posted here. My lack of blogging activity has been largely due to the fact that I have been preoccupied with other personal matters. Of course, the bad weather subdued the drug activities to a large degree, but activities have started to pick up again during the past month or so.

There are still several of the regular players hanging around, but they are not the noisy ones. Of the four guys who made the most noise last year, one is in prison (for selling narcotics and assaulting an officer) and another is dead. A third one seems to have left the area shortly after the police questioned him about his possible role in a murder that took place last year. I don't know where the fourth guy is, but I haven't seen him around here for several months.

All four of these guys were relatively young, and that is a big part of the problem. First of all, young people are just more likely to be rude, arrogant and inconsiderate of anybody besides themselves. Granted, this is not always intentional, just the natural result of excess hormones. I have actually had many conversations with some of these young guys over the years and when they actually come to realize how offensive their behavior is they straighten up a bit.

There is another problem that is largely associated with the young guys, although all do not fit into this pattern of behavior. What seems to be the case here is that many of the young guys are too scared to stand on the corners alone. Each year they invite some of their friends to come over and play. Apparently they think this will reduce the possibility of them either getting arrested or of getting attacked by another drug dealer.

Well, it's true that there is strength in numbers, but only until those numbers become so large that a critical mass is acheived. At that point the strength becomes a weakness, and here's how it works. The new guys are not from this neighborhood, so they are at somewhat of a disadvantage. In the beginning, they have to rely quite a bit upon the support of their host drug dealer. After a while though they learn their way around the block, establishing their own independent relations with other dealers and feeling more secure in working outside of the direct guidance of their original host. Eventually, things turn and the new guys actually start competing with their (now) former host. And this is where things get messy.

I have lived here for over thirteen years now and I know most of the established players pretty well. The older guys know what it takes to push me to the point where I'll call the police or take action myself, and they realize that agitating me is a detriment to their economic vitality. Even the younger guys who reside here (and like to press my buttons ocassionally) see that I often have good relations with their parents, grandparents and the older dealers and thus afford me a certain degree of respect because of this.

But the new guys who appear each year are different. First of all, they are usually pretty young, which means they want to test me themselves rather than relying on stories told by others. But an even more important factor is the fact that many of them do not live here or have close family living here. The dealers who live here realize this racket is worth protecting, and they are not above being polite to the grouchy guy who calls the police on them - so long as it furthers their interests. The other guys are just visitors though and they simply don't give a damn.

I have learned from the past that I need to pay close attention early in the year to establish who the new key players will be for the season. I have seen a few unknowns hanging around a bit, but this is usually infrequent and short-lived. I have also noticed that many police officers continue to be very vigilant about patrolling this area, and that is helpful. I have established personal communication with a few officers by now. While the ones at the top (who spend most of their time setting at a desk) still seem oblivious to the problems, at least knowing (and being known by) some of the officers who actually work for a living is a lot better than what I've had in years past.

At this point, it is far too early to speculate about what 2009 will have to offer, either from the drug dealers or from the police. Any time I have offered an optimistic opinion in the past it is quickly proven wrong. All I can do is go about my business and hope that eventually this will be just a neighborhood where a few drugs are sold - rather than a neighborhood that is actually controlled by the drug dealers.

All the drama here has been trying on me at times, and I can sense that it has caused permanent changes to both my mental and physical state of being. I am still firm in my conviction that I will not be forcibly evicted from my home by agressive drug dealers and a reticent police department. However, I am not at all opposed to a negotiated settlement. Late last year, I approached one of the main dealers here and told him that I would be glad to sell my house, if any person(s) were willing to make a decent offer.

This guy knows all the players in this neighborhood, so I thought he might be able to help arrange a deal. I have also have had a lot of interaction with this guy in the past, so I was certain he understood that I was not trying to bargain from a position of weakness. Unfortunately, he never came back with an offer, so I guess I'm here to stay. And if that's the case, I might as well enjoy it.

I have a big slate of projects line up already to keep me busy this summer. I had twenty tons of gravel delivered last week, and I am setting up forms for several concrete projects. I plan to fence in the back yard and maybe get a couple of dogs to run around there. I might buy another gun or two also, and maybe plant a garden.

Of course, if history is any indicator, then what I have planned for this year and what I actually get are two completely different things.