Back to Bed, Back to Reality

The title comes from one of The Beautiful South's songs, can't remember which one though.

A couple of days ago, as I was relaxing after the Maundy Thursday service, I heard a series of pops coming from the street. It startled me - my first thought was, "gunshots?" It seems unusual - Trinity Park is generally a quiet neighbourhood. I thought of calling 911, but didn't - all was quiet after the pops.

And then with the rush of getting ready for services and the like, I forgot about the pops I heard Thursday evening. As I returned from the service at St. Joseph's, I chatted with my next door neighbour, and the topic of the gunshots came up. She admitted she did not hear them as she was asleep. But all the neighbours were talking about it. Apparently, there was a swarm of police who descended onto the street, trying to gather information from any witnesses. The house across the street sustained damage - some of the bullets went through an upstairs window where a small child lives. You can only imagine how shaken people were here. Apparently, there were forensics crews present yesterday morning as well, looking for shell casings and any other evidence.

It is a good reminder that, although I live less than a block away from Duke University's East Campus, crime may still touch the area. Occasional perusal of Duke University's student newspaper, The Chronicle reveals that students living off-campus have concerns about crime in neighbourhoods adjacent to campus. Of course, there is the reputation of Durham being a crime-riddled city, which I think is sad - it seems there are lots of crimes that the media pick up on, and point out that it's Durham residents who are carrying out those crimes.

It's a good argument for ensuring constant vigilance. I know I've a tendency to go off after dark to do grocery shopping, or even to go off and practice at an organ near me (well, actually, more like Chapel Hill as I've got 24/7 access to a couple of churches on Franklin Street), and really, I would put myself at risk, just in case someone decided to attack me late at night. Of late, I haven't been so inclined toward wandering outside of the house after dark unless absolutely necessary (case in point, tonight, with an Easter Vigil service that will begin at 7.30 pm).

So back to the shooting. I don't know many details - I've generally kept to myself, and the only thing I could offer is that I heard a series of pops outside, which could very well belong to gunshots. I just hope no one got hurt.