Big trouble, right here in peaceful Avalonne

[miladycarol]

Okay, consider me weirded out. The morning started out pleasant enough… sunny day, warm, beautiful spring flowers… As I was picking some fresh flowers from the yard to put in the offices, I was planning on all the yard work I could do once the grass dried, all the prep work I’d be doing for the camping weekend, yadda yadda.

We were expecting a real estate agent to show up at 10 to evaluate our home (we’re refinancing). He rings the bell and comments on all the cops hanging around the house. Hmmm… what cops? As he was doing his survey, I looked out the windows and noticed that there were indeed a half dozen cops in surveillance mode. This was strange. As the agent was going into the backyard to finish his job, the cops called me over to the fence. Apparently the house kitty-corner to my backyard was their target. There is a suicidal Veitnam Vet with guns in the house and they were staking it out.

As the agent left, we asked if he was going to value the house less for being in a bad neighborhood, he never did give me an answer. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cop around our neighborhood before, go fig. We live in a quiet, peaceful area with a Catholic grammar school next door. I’m really glad it is Spring Break for them.

So, here we sit, in our house. I’ve had the dogs locked in all day, there are men with very large, very scary automatic weapons staked out in my backyard not 3 feet from my window as I type this. They have barricaded the street, half the Eugene police force must be right here. I’m a little freaked out. This has been going on for 3 hours now and the precautions seem to be intensifying. I’d like to go grocery shopping, but I’m not sure if I can leave. Even if I could leave, I don’t think I should. If something goes horribly wrong, I want to be here to protect my family. I have some rather staunch, dog-like qualities that force me to protect and guard.

It’s just too strange having camouflaged men surrounding me with weapons of destruction and hurting sitting beside me. I’m disquieted, unsettled, and disturbed. I really hope that whoever is working directly with the suicidal man manages to take care of things well at that angle. I would definitely appreciate this not escalating any more than it already has. The boys with the guns are very young, only in their 20’s, I’d say. I don’t want to see them hurt. I want the troubled man to find resolution and peace. I want the violence to end, I want the world safe and sane, I want… I want to scream and cry until someone sees sense! I don’t understand. I don’t want to understand, I just want to make it better.

*wipes tear from cheek*

Comments

[wyliekat.livejournal.com]

This is not at all the same thing, but it reminded me of the flood we had in 1997, where we called in the military. For the better part of three months or so, I saw more military vehicles than regular traffic in my city. It's amazing how easy it is to rip the veil of off normalcy and turn your everyday sights into something out of a warzone. I hope everything turns out okay for you.