expect the unexpected
A couple weeks ago I was a block from my garage and saw a fight outside what used to be Maxine’s Chicken and Waffles. Somebody got disrespected. Punches were being thrown and a shirt came off, but it broke up before I had to call 911. Not the welcome back from the weekend I was expecting.
I never know what’s going to greet me when driving into downtown Indy. Could be a traffic jam, perhaps a funeral procession, or an auto accident. New road closures cutting off alternative escape routes seem to pop up daily. There are trains and ambulances, police activities, and drugged out zombies walking out into traffic, protestors. Over the years, I’ve seen it all. Even a parade of elephants walking down Pennsylvania Street.
INDIANAPOLIS WELCOMES BACK THE ffa
I skated over to Cups, grabbed a coffee, and then decided to do a lap around the Circle. On my way there, I could hear someone talking on a sound system. It was the welcoming committee for the FFA.
As I was shooting video, I realized that the Mayor and the Governor were both in my shot. I climbed a few steps on the monument to grab a better shot from behind the press box. Nobody seemed to care that I was there.
Shortly after the FFA event, around the corner, I saw a man who looked dead laying on the side of the cultural trail. I stopped to check on him and he started crying. He said he was suffering side effects from a stroke and was having trouble getting around. Before I could get him help, he pulled out a bottle of clear alcohol and started drinking it. I saw a safety officer nearby and sent him over to check on him. On my way to the parking garage a few hours later, he was still sitting in the same spot.
I wish I could take the Mayor and Governor around with me and show them the guts of downtown. It wouldn’t be all bad. Between the sleepers and those high out of their minds, there’s almost always some bright points. For instance, we might catch some skateboarders over at Pan Am Plaza or run into one of my friends like wheelchair Tony or Back on the Streets Enrique. Over at the bus stop, the Hebrew Israelites might be running down mega church ministers and white folks. Across the street at Lugar Plaza, there may be a jazz band playing while the homeless get fed.
Now for the Global peace initiative
On the Circle later that day, I ran into Zeus working outreach with the Global Peace Project. He took time to chat with me about being in the present and living in the now, something I’d been doing a lot of since cancer and more cancer.
Downtown’s a real crapshoot every day, but so is life. At least so far, I haven’t rolled snake eyes.