"RELIANT CITY"
Third Posting.
Third to Last.
Hey everyone,
I know it’s been a few days since I last reported on how things are going, and I apologize for keeping you waiting. Day 7 is actually my day off. It's the only day off I've had since it started and I could have worked it anyway, but I needed it. But there were reasons to go ahead and work, as I'll explain as I go.
I think I last posted about days 2 and 3, so 4, 5, and 6 have yet to be shown the light of day. While it's been a bit difficult to get used to being up all night, and sleeping during the day again, after many, many years of regular day shift, it is already becoming second nature once again, just like before. As you can see by the time this post goes up, I'm up pretty late, even on my day off. It's now 0445 hours on Sunday morning, the 11th of September, 2005. It is also the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
A lot to think about, a lot to report, yet it is all jumbled up in my mind. So many good things, so many tragic things, and so many things that just make you want to choke somebody clean smooth out. In the performance of my duties at the dome I walk around. I walk around a LOT. I meet people from all over the country in the volunteers and medical personnel. I meet the people of New Orleans that are shining examples of how people should be. But I also meet the people who are nothing but oxygen thieves, and should probably just be put out of their misery, for they are nothing but predators on other people, they contribute NOTHING.
Obviously, I've been moved by a few things, lol. On the one hand I've met some people who don't have a clue. Night before last we got a call from one of the representatives of a volunteer assistance agency (unnamed for a reason) who was struggling to handle two very little girls, probably ages 4 and 5, while trying to find their 8 and 9 year old brother and sister. This was because their grandmother, who was the only relative there, and since she'd been raising all the kids while their mother was God knows where well before the flood, had gone to Wal-Mart. The grandmother had requested one of her neighbors (in other words, a lady who had a cot near theirs) to watch the kids while she went. Well, to put as nice a spin on it as possible, the kids were so terrible, and difficult to handle, this lady finally gave up and just left! Quit!! Vanished.
So, here this volunteer is trying to gather these kids up and find something to do with them since Grandma can't be found, and I get involved. Never one to hesitate to make a decision, I told the rep to gather them up and I'd drive them all over to the Reliant Center where the lost children center is and let them rejoin them with their grandmother when she returned, if she returned. She agreed, as she was having almost as hard a time controlling the children as the other had, and we prepared to get going. But before we had even left the Dome floor, here comes Grandma.
I read her the riot act on leaving the kids with people she doesn't know, for an unknown length of time, and informed her of the actions that could be taken against her if it happened again. She was very apologetic and assured us it wouldn't happen again. Yeah, right.
Anyway, on the flip side, while I was waiting for the volunteers to get an announcement made trying to find grandma, before we were going to leave with the kids, ANOTHER kid came up to us and began talking to us. By "us" I mean myself, and two other sergeants, and about three other deputies that had filtered over to see if I needed any help, or just to watch what was going on as it was late and they were bored.
This kid was in the 8th grade, and was an absolute wonder. He was black as well, just like every one else in this story except the volunteer and me, but was as impressive a kid as I've come across outside my own kids...lol. He spoke in a very literate fashion, very articulate, clever, well thought out ideas and expressions. This kid made my night. It was an absolute pleasure to talk to him, even for just a little while. I wish I could keep track of him after all this is over to watch what he does with his life, because as long as he stays away from the wrong elements he could go anywhere, and do anything he has a mind to, I have NO doubt.
Later on that same night I was patrolling the 9th floor of the Astrodome, as there is not supposed to be anybody up there but there are ways to get up there anyway if you can figure them out. So, I make sure no one has dragged some little kid up there, or a woman, to do things that should not be done to them, as my greatest nightmare up there is to find some small battered and abused body in some dark corner and know I wasn't there when they needed me. I walk that building with a vengeance, all night long, checking every door, every dark corner, every little closet, restroom, you name it, it gets checked on my watch.
But anyway, I was on the 9th floor and I found a group of 6 college age kids, 2 girls, and 4 guys, just sitting up in the stands up there and being very quiet, and just praying. They had a movie camera with them and were filming down onto the floor as well, which is definitely not allowed at that time of night. I think it was about 0100 at that time. Since they weren't supposed to be up there, no matter what, I went over to talk to them. They all turned out to be volunteers who had just gotten off duty and had come up there to just relax and reflect on their day, and pray together. They were from a Christian group out of the L A area of California and all went to the same college out there, but for the life of me I can't remember which one.
I got to talking to these young kids and found I didn't want them to leave just yet. They were so down to earth, so mature for their age, and obviously very giving as they'd all driven over from California together, in one car, and were staying over in the Reliant Center in the area for volunteers. In other words, they were sleeping on cots, using the same showers, and eating the same food as those they had volunteered to help, they were not living in luxury or anything, they were sharing the same conditions. They so had their stuff together that we got to talking and I must have spent nearly an hour up there just talking and sharing stories with them about what they'd gone through since they got here, what I'd been doing, what we'd each seen and felt. It was an amazing thing in my life.
Eventually, as much as I hated to, I had to run them off though. I was supremely complimented by them when they said I was the "coolest cop they'd ever talked to" and I was brought to tears when they asked if they could pray over me, and then proceeded to do so. I'm tearing up again as I type it. I was so moved by these young people that I was able to forget about my own troubles, sore feet, tired eyes, and aching back and just get on with what needed to be done. It made my night go by so much easier.
Early, early this morning I met another person I feel extremely blessed to have met. Her name is Dorothy Weathers. She is a Red Cross Volunteer who has been working for them for decades. Many of the politicians, of every stripe, who come to these things, know her by name. She started out in the Civil Rights movement back in the 60's when she left home for the march on Washington D. C. at the ripe old age of 14. She impressed me so much that I gave her my card, with my cell phone number on the back, and told her if she needed anything while she is in Houston, or just wanted to chat any old time, she could call me. She is a dear lady and as dedicated an individual as I've ever met. We'd bumped into each other a day or two before, but it was just a momentary thing, and she didn't remember, but I remembered her just from her manner and appearance, the kindly old black grandmother type with a spine of steel, and a heart of gold. I hope to see her when I get back tomorrow and talk to her some more.
So as you can see, it's not all just walking around and looking into dark corners. It's not all just waiting for the worst thing that can happen, to happen. It's not all tailing the obvious gang bangers when we get intel they're trying to sneak in a pistol, in pieces, in order to stage a disturbance in a restroom to lure one of us in to shoot us. It's not all about running people off from the phone banks late at night, where they are sitting and intimidating others to pay them money in order to use the FREE phones. It's not all transporting the drug overdoses over to the Reliant Arena, where the medical holding area is. It's not all settling the "neighborly spats" that occur between the people on that set of cots and the people on these. It truly is like a small city unto itself, and we are the police department, just like in any small town. We mostly have foot patrol, but I also have a patrol unit (a golf cart) in which I do a perimeter patrol from time to time as well.
I hate not being there tonight. I know I'm not the only one doing what I do. I know there are 60 other deputies out there on each shift, I know I needed a day off, I know, I know, I know.
And I still hate not being out there tonight.
Mac