Journal Enty: April 28, 2011

I took the freeway to save time.  The call was simply; "A guy passed out at the rail platform, 44th Street and Washington.  Any unit to assist?" 

"Phoenix PD to OCC, I can respond."  (the OCC is the control center for rail operations.  This was not a dispatch call but rather an administrative call for assistance.)

I had to pull my car up a few hundred yards past the east end of the platform to stay out of traffic.  Kept my lights on, engine running.  A far distance, little farther than I would like but I could keep an eye on it. 

I found him at the far east end.  Slumped over in a half sitting, half prone position.  His head was wrapped with what looked to be a blue pillow case, another around his waist.  He had on a button up shirt, striped with red and white.  Something any business type would wear.  His jeans were tied with a belt, the holes worn out or not enough to cinch tight around his trim waist. 

I kicked at his feet lightly at first then a bit harder when just for a moment I thought he may not actually be breathing.  My brief confirmation that he may quite possibly have left the living, was a fly that sat stationary on his lower lip.  Something about flies, they send a message of end of life, dead things and non-movement.  When things cease to move, flies find safe refuge.
 I have to admit, I had a little adrenalin rush for just a moment.


He finally stirred a few good kicks to his feet later.  His eyes peeled open, light brown and seriously captivating.  Not eyes I would predict for a person of his condition but rather beautiful. 

A stash of folded papers peeked from his shirt pocket and every first form of business for police work is to "know who I am talking to." 

I searched through worn citations from Tempe, court orders, plea agreements and found one I could read with his name.  Theodore, maybe Ted as I would imagine but I referred to him as Theodore. 

"Theodore! Hey partner.  Wake up.  You can't lay here.  Wanna go to LARC? (a rehab clinic for drunkards.)

He mumble something or other. 

He was directly in the sun, heating up with the day and that happens quickly in Arizona. As I filtered through the paperwork and cleared for a wagon to pick him up, I was approached by several rail passengers.

This particular platform is one visited regularly by riders to and from the airport.  Phoenix Sky Harbor is a short few miles from downtown.  One of the few cities with an airport so close to downtown and on this particular day at this particular time, I became not only the "rounder up of homeless intoxicated citizens but also the information police." 

"Is this the way to Phoenix?"  One particularly nicely dressed couple asked.  They appeared to be fresh off of a flight. 

"We have some time to kill before we head to our hotel and we were looking for the Body Works Event at the Museum" 

"Absolutely.  I would love to go to that myself."  I turned from my friend Theodore who reclined silently snoozing in the heat, while I addressed new visitors to the area on the whereabouts to the science museum.

"Yes, take the train and get off at 3rd Street and Washington.  You will then need to double back east to around 7th Street to the museum." 

Another group of about 5 women stood patiently waiting their turn.

"Is this the way to Central and Indian School?"  One woman asked in a bedazzeled denim jacket. 

"Yes, it is and the next train should be here in about 10 minutes."

"See, I told you!!" One of the women announced to the group.  They all had a good chuckle over that and Theodore shifted his weight at the disturbance. 

I had about another 10 minutes to wait for the wagon.  One of my sergeants showed up to keep me company and Theodore decided at that time to relieve himself.  A small circle in the front of his well worn jeans expanded into a flowing pattern of dark blue reaching from front to back.  He asked at that point as he stirred if he could have a seat on the chair at the platform.  I will never sit on another platform seat again..

He proceded to blow excrement from his nose, spit and make any number of gutteral sounds until I finally advised him to save it until he was picked up.  He was polite, repeated he was not violent continually and all in all was cooperative.  His one profound statement as he cleared a brief window of haze and re-entered the land of the living ;

"I've been homeless for 12 years." 

He was a 46 year old male, homeless for 12 years and only recently, so he says, began drinking. 

The wagon showed up shortly after. 

"Teddy!  Hey, how you doin'?"  One of the employees said.  She was a very petite woman, short blonde bob cut who recognized Theodore immediately. 

"Regular, huh?" I said. 

"Oh, yea." 

Teddy had been saying some good things about the people at the drunk tank, how well they took care of him, gave him clothes and so on. 

Too bad Teddy could not accept the one thing that would really help him.

Sobriety. 

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I have my draft done.  Working on revision #2 and will be dropping it off at the post office on Monday.

Journal Entry: April 20, 2011

I parked my patrol car, an unmarked Crown Victoria, just north of the corner store.  Another officer had just gone in before me and was roaming the small, cluttered interior for the suspect.  The store owner gave us a brief glance oblivious to the intrusion of two officers canvasing his shop. 

On the corner, just south of the store, two officers were out with a young black female, a phone pushed flat on her ear.  Her voice was raised and stitched together a tapestry of street profanity. 

"Okay, turn around." The officer said as he reached for his cuffs tucked back on the rear of his gunbelt.  She dropped her purse to the ground and let the phone fall.  Perspiration covered her forehead and between the tightly woven braids in her hair.  Her earings hung heavy and smacked her face as she twisted and turned upset at having to put her hands behind her.  Her agitated state had become her downfall and it was best to control her movements by instituting a detention until we knew what we had. 

"Is he down the street?  Are they out with him?"  I asked the other officer who appeared in a hurry to go assist others out with our suspect.  A black male with a white tank top who was walking with our young female had apparently flashed a gun to another black male walking on the sidewalk.  The victim assumed it was because he "just looked at him wrong".  That was what it was like south of the freeway. 

"You mind staying here with her lieutenant?  I'm just gonna go down there and see what they got."  He said as he sat the girl down. 

"Absolutely.  I'll move her over here."  I made sure her feet were out of the street and his partner and I began questioning her.

We proceded to ask this young lady how it came to be she was with a young man who chose to flash a gun at another man.  We wanted to know what she knew.  What is his name?  How do you know him?  Where does he live?  Where were the two of you going?

"His name is D.C."  She said.

"What's that stand for?"

"I just know D.C. That his name.  I don't know but I tell you, I can't believe he got me mixed up in this!" 

She then continued to tell us that D.C. was her boyfriend, a fiance and they had been dating two months.  She was 19 and he is "around 40." 

"You only know him as D.C., he's "around 40" and you two are engaged?"  I asked clearly bewildered but not surprised.

"Yea." 

"You been arrested before?" The officer asked now seated in the car running her information. 

"Yea." 

"Let me guess, aggravated assault?  Against..... D.C.?"

"Yea."

"Whadyou use?"  I asked since aggravated usually involves a weapon or serious injury.

"A knife."

"So, you are with a man, twice your age, who you know only as D.C. who you have actually stabbed and been to jail for fighting with?  And you're still with him?"

"You have any kids?" I continued.

"No. I go to church, I go to school, I stay out of trouble!  I live with my mom!"  She said elevating her voice clearly attempting to make herself believe her own words.

"Time for you to make a change.."  I hesitated for a bit.  "Why aren't you in school now?"  I asked since it was about 1030 in the morning. 

No answer. 

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So, this was just a small snipit of a conversation I had a week ago on the street with some folks in south Phoenix.  I typed this real fast with no real intent on making it "story worthy" but more of a journal entry.  I plan on putting more journal type entries here as a quick writing exercise and as a street lesson, study in human nature.  Hope you check back for more. 

I am still working on my short story, titled "A Moment for Rosalie".  I will have it done and ready to submit by Monday.  May 2 is the deadline!!!