What is happening to this world?

Our neighborhood is a quiet one for the most part. We all know one another and although we are not real close, in need, everyone pitches in. We stop and chat when out walking the dogs, lean over the fence when out doing yard work, shovel each other's sidewalks in the snow. Everyone keeps their yard and houses nice. We have our own parties but we are respectful of each other. If we know it is a real special occasion, we tolerate it being a little nosier or later than usual. Generally just a nice neighborhood...or it was.

Several houses on the street have been sold and have been turned into rental properties and have not attracted the most desirable people. Today, being a holiday weekend there were 2 big parties going on...no biggie...it's a holiday...celebrate! Have some fun! But, I live on a one way street, parking on one side only. Not today...people were parked like it was a parking lot. Still no biggie... a car could squeeze through carefully. The neighbors we know were all outside, chatting...lots to catch up on since we tend to hibernate when its cold. Towards evening we were getting a little tired of all the motorcycles and cars pulling holeshots down the street and the noise but it was still early so not much we could do about it. The cops had already been called several times during the day about it. The later it got, the worse it got. It was like we were having a block party that none of us had been invited to! Very drunk people walking all over the place, in every one's yards, foul language (and I am not a prude but it was even repulsive to me!), speeding cars and very loud chopper type bikes! Around 11:30 we heard someone really burning some rubber and then a lot of screaming and shouting. One of our neighbors was being attacked by 3 guys and a girl with a baseball bat! He had asked this group who was walking in front of his house if they knew who's car that was and apparently, they didn't think he had a right to know, words were exchanged and then they jumped him and his sister. When other neighbors started to come out, they ran off leaving him there.

We do not know if he is going to make it. His head was swollen almost immediately to twice its size, a portion of his skull was missing. They took him to Yale Trauma Center and the last word we had was that they had given him last rites and were talking to the family.

There were about 6 police cars that responded and they could get through the street but the ambulance could not. The people from theses parties were all milling around wondering what was going on but not doing anything about moving cars so that the ambulance could get down to where our neighbor was and then gave the cops a hard time when they were told to move the cars! Even with all the cops there, the parties went on in full volume and recklessness. I could not believe how callous and STUPID these people were! It was well after 1AM when the cops went to the 2 houses and told them to break it up. They were still talking to the people who had witnessed the attack...the parties never even paused! They went back to the houses after 2AM and told them again to break it up and then the "fun" really started. One after another the cars and bikes have been screeching down the street (still are as I type this) and all we have heard for over an hour is sirens!

What is wrong with people? When did we get so inconsiderate and self absorbed? We have little kids on this street and it is nothing to have cars going 50mph down it and a lot of the time..going the wrong way at that speed. There is no respect for each other, no respect for someone who is injured, no respect for the police or paramedics...I just could not believe what I was hearing coming out of these people's mouths! One guy actually told the cop that if he wanted the car moved to move it himself. He changed his mind when the cop turned to another cop and told him to get the car and ram it out of the way! Then this moron asked..."well, where can I park it? There aren't any spaces?" I give theses cops tonight a lot of credit...I think I would have taken my gun out and shot a few people! The whole scene was surreal!

The police thought they know who the girl was and someone said that they already had arrested her. From what the sister said she weighed about 400 lbs. so apparently she could not run very fast! I hope the get them all and lock them up until they are too old and senile to be a danger to anyone! Our neighbor is a "kid" about 27 years old who has turned his life around. He had just been in our garage earlier in the evening talking to my DH about his 2 little kids and how things were going good. He is one of the people that you just can't help liking. It is just unbelievable that in just a few moments something like this can happen in a "quiet" neighborhood. His parents were not even home when this all happened. My husband called them and told them to get right to Yale. Please, take a minute and say a prayer for him and his family.