Thursday, April 19, 2012

Shots Fired

I have been waiting on baited breath for the story on last week's incident with shots fired at my friend's grandson. Yesterday, I finally got the abbreviated details. They were pretty scary, but very much show the workings of life in North Milwaukee (Wisconsin).

For reference and relative anonymity, this is a list of the main characters involved.
My friend: G
Her almost 13 year-old grandson: J
Grandson's 16 year-old cousin (from the other side of the family): Cuz
12 year old boy from the park: Kid

Here is the story:

As mentioned, it was last week -- Thursday, to be exact. I had called my friend, G, in the morning to see if she was still going to come with me to my project house. She was on the other line, so I waited for her to call me back. After a very long time, I got tired of waiting and picked up my phone. G's nephew (I think that is the relation) answered. He told me she was on the other line and would call me back, but I knew that. I could hear G yelling in the background.

Something was up.

Two or three hours passed as I continued to wait. I rang both G's phone and cell a couple of times over that time, but nobody answered. Frustrated, I got in my car and drove out to her house (roughly 30 miles / 48 kilometers) to see what was going on.

Nobody was there.

I waited for a few minutes, ringing both of her phones a few times as I sat outside her door, but nobody answered and nobody came home. I headed back to my own home -- but I did so by way of her uncle's house. (He's not really her uncle, but that is still the claimed relation. It is all cool. Family is family.) When I got there, he was just coming back from helping his brother with some car repairs. We chatted for a few minutes, swapping stories. Then HE called G to see if she was okay. She picked up her phone, saying she had just got back to the house from an emergency with her grandson.

The story I got last night is that G's 12 year-old grandson, J, went to the park with his 16 year-old cousin. (Note: The neighborhood where J lives is pretty far North in Milwaukee and well outside the notoriously dangerous "hood," yet many families still subscribe to "hood" etiquette.) At the park, Cuz decided to pick on another 12 year-old boy. Cuz hit the kid (not sure of that part) and stole his shoes. The kid then hobbled home and tattled to his older brother (like any normal kid would do), who brought a gun to the party. Seeing the older brother barrelling up the street for obvious vengeance, Cuz sent J running in the opposite direction for HELP.

J ran! The older brother opened fire to stop him, but he made it safely into a nearby restaurant where he immediately notified the manager of what was happening. The restaurant's doors were then locked, police were called and J used the restaurant phone to call his dad, my friend's son (also an active Christian).

Believe it or not, J is now receiving death threats (via telephone calls, Facebook, etc.)... from Cuz. Why? When police arrived on the scene and questioned everyone, J told the whole truth like he was supposed to do. Now Cuz is in trouble for bullying the 12 year-old and stealing his shoes, and says that J (who probably saved his life) is a "snitch."

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