Oh Jesus!

I live in a "questionable" neighborhood. One of my friends refers to it as the "ghetto" which frustrates me. It's not that bad, I say. It's just not that bad. Besides, I'm a city girl.

I had to answer these constant questions again yesterday as a church member asked me if I felt safe. And I do. I like coming home to a place with real people (not that church people are not real, mind you). But, I do like my little neighborhood.

Now, I'm waiting for my phone to ring. I'm waiting for the series of concerned congregants that might call to see if I'm OK. To see if I survived. To see if I'm safe and alive. Because last night, apparently, there was a shooting on my street. Three blocks from my home. The route I often take to my gym. Are you kidding? It was in the police blotter even. See for yourself:

Police probe shooting in Parkside neighborhood

Police were investigating a shooting on Lee Street late Sunday.

Few details were available by press time because police were investigating at the scene. The shooting was reported around 10 p.m.

There are safe houses on that side of the street. And I don't really want to draw conclusions about the people involved in the shooting. I don't want to assume that there were issues with drugs or alcohol or other complicated matters. But, I worry about them. I was thinking about this as I was watching Law & Order last night. Must all of these complicated matters be settled with guns? It would be nice if it were not on my street. But, perhaps this is an opportunity to talk about larger justice issues. Hm.

And then, I lament again. Oh Jesus!