Last night I was sitting at my computer playing a little on line poker when I thought I heard three rapid shots.After about 10 minutes the police arrived with lights but no sirens and were met with three more.My entire neighborhood was cordoned off for several hours and one of the cop cars,parked right in front of my window,was hit by a motorist who was obviously too mesmerized by the lights to see that he was about to hit a police car.The news said it was some guy just shooting off of his balcony and that the negotiators were talking to him at that time.I have no idea how it turned out or if it was a major or just a drunken incident.I only mention it because sometimes we forget that in spite of living in what is described as a hot zone in the gang war that has ripped Vancouver apart at times.We are pretty lucky here.I see the violence that occurs daily in the United States and can only shake my head that a situation can be allowed to deteriorate to where nightly gun fire is the order of the evening.Most of the working age men are either dead or in prison.The young men hustle for money in the streets because they're young and it takes 10 minutes to make a weeks wages at McDonalds.When you're young,you're arrest and bullet proof.The way the law works,the young men hold while the older guys deal.What a system.I've watched it for over 40 years and it's just gotten more out of control everywhere you look.
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