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AUGUST 2020 Blues Vol 36 No 8

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AUGUST 2020 Blues Vol 36 No 8

and then from the CP and

and then from the CP and they are reporting over 100 in custody. The Sheriff’s Dept. transport vans are making regular runs from the CP to Central and I hear booking is a war zone. By 0400 hrs. you’d think the crowd would be thinning, but it isn’t. Then again, we have boxed them into an area 1/3 the size as when we arrived so maybe it’s an illusion. But I’m tired, I’m hungry, I’m thirsty and I gotta pee. I’m thinking I’ll never bitch again about it being a boring ass night in South District. At 0445 the sound of gunshots echo throughout the downtown area. It’s impossible to tell from what direction they are coming. People are now running in all directions and cops are screaming in my ear. Reports are that a young girl has been shot on 8th avenue, but no officers are hurt. I grabbed five of my guys and headed in that direction. Literally hundreds of people are running in all directions. My only thoughts. Please, please God let there be no sniper. All throughout this entire ordeal, that’s really what’s been in the back of my mind. We don’t need another Dallas here in my city. I called the SWAT commander and got an update from the rooftop teams. NO evidence of a sniper, just a random shooter. No ID, no description. As I hung up, we arrived at the scene where the victim was supposed to be and all that we found was blood. Lots of blood. As we searched the area, a man armed with a shotgun over his shoulder approached us and advised he was a local merchant who was standing guard inside his store when the shooting occurred. He said the victim was a young white woman and she was carried off by two black men he described as ‘military types.’ “Where did they go,” I asked. And he pointed North. I called SWAT back and they advised a team would search the area and attempt to locate the victim. I gathered my team and headed towards the CP. We needed water and a restroom break. By 05:30 we were back on the active line and I sent my Corporal and the rest of my team to the CP for a break. What was left of the crowd was now just random people milling around. It looked like the bars had just closed and here’s a bunch of young people looking for rides home. I guess UBER doesn’t do riots. At 06:30 the incident commander dismissed our squad and set us home. As we walked back to the CP, I half expected our patrol units to be torched. But nope. All just where we left them. My corporal joked “damn I was hoping this piece of crap would have fallen last night. I really need a new shop Sarge.” Sorry Dan, maybe you’ll get lucky tomorrow. At least there was some humor left in my people. The sun was just starting to come up as we tossed all our gear in the backs of our units. My small little group gathered around as we began our new after-shift tradition. In the past few days, on the nights we had to go to war, we formed a circle and prayed. I usually took the lead and started, but tonight it was my rookie that led us. “Heavenly Father, we thank you for keeping us safe tonight. We thank you for keeping all our brothers and sisters in Blue safe, wherever they might be. We ask that you not only watch over us, but keep everyone safe, even those that would do us harm. Give them guidance and wisdom to know when speak their minds and when to walk away when things turn bad. We also pray Father that the young woman who was injured tonight is safe and in your arms. We ask that you watch over her and heal her wounds. And finally, Father, we pray that someday we all can stand and pray together and that everyone sees that all lives matter regardless of the color of their skin. In God’s name we pray for peace. Amen.” Amen. 26 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 27

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