With Our New Reality, New Suspicions

Our subscribers are aware of recent, local skullduggeries, chronicled as they happen and intended to inform – not paralyze everyone with fear.

We’re certainly not fearful, meeting very cool, very intelligent folks around the 24/680 every day. But stuff is happening we feel compelled to write about, as we believe forewarned is forearmed. Cervantes was right, of course: knowing what others don’t gives you a tactical advantage. And, being small in number, we’re all about getting – and sharing – whatever tactical advantage we can get when we can get it.

It should be said here that we can and will remain protective of our sources, not seeing any advantage in giving them up despite demands by some that we do so. “Why should we believe/trust/read you?” is the common refrain. “In my day a police story had the name of the police source attached to it.”

The answer to that is simple: those days are behind us.

Unable to get what we need from Sarge McCreary and the morning sheet we’ve built and turned to a citizen network of police and fire people, teachers, nurses, CEOs and day traders to fill us in on things like this morning’s “buckwheats” (baseball bat) beating in Martinez, recent robberies and burglaries in Lafayette, a new one this morning in Pleasanton, and more catalytic converter mining in Moraga.

We’re also learning of a disturbing new trend on our roads, with an upraised firearm replacing the upraised middle-digit as the preferred “Fluff YOU! And have a REALLY good day!” message of choice – at least once yesterday in San Ramon and again this morning on Highway 24 in Orinda.

Be careful who you choose to challenge on our roadways.

Along with more guns, more drugs and the loss of a few prized possessions we’re learning that it’s no longer cool and that people will look upon you with suspicion for: playing “Army” or “assassin” with anything resembling a real weapon; taking pictures of children at the local park or of someone’s home; and seeming “out of place” for an area at any given time.

One poor fellow was stopped by police (not their fault, a civilian called down the thunder) on a person who seemed “suspicious” because he was “smiling a lot.” And, yes, there’s Dark Irony in being suspicious of someone because they appear happy.

Get out there. Go to a nice restaurant for a meal. Tip well. Be nice. And if you’re tailgated by a road-rager on the way home… move over and let them pass.