I'll be right back.

Funny how going-out for a gallon of milk can change your perceptions.

I have lived in the Central District neighborhood of Seattle for over two years now. And for most of the time that I have lived there I have felt perfectly safe.

That changed recently.

As I headed-out to Safeway to grab some groceries, I thought nothing of it. I rolled north on 23^rd Ave S, past landmarks like Garfield High School and Ezell’s Fried Chicken. After two years, I tend to pay such landmarks no mind.

It was on my way back home that I took note…

On my way back to my condo, I saw a cop roll-up behind me, lights-ablaze. Not an uncommon occurrence on 23^rd, so I paid it no mind. Though as I approached 23^rd & Cherry I saw a fire truck, ambulance and yellow police tape running the length of the thoroughfare. Now this…was an uncommon occurrence.

I ducked onto a back road and made my way home.

Little did I know, that what had just taken place at this intersection would profoundly change how I perceived the place I have called home for the past few years.

I hopped online to get the down-low on what had happened and found-out that two people were dead, victims of a drive-by shooting.

Normally such news would roll off my back. But the folks were alive as I rolled-by on my way to the store. And now, 30 minutes later, they weren’t.

That realization blew my mind.

I grew-up in South Seattle, a place with an undeservedly bad reputation. I was a fat, white, nerd who managed to get-by just fine. So when I hear that Seattle is ‘Ghetto,’ I beg to differ.

I’ve been to Chicago. I’ve been to LA. I’ve been to NY/Brooklyn…

Those are ghettos.

Seattle, by comparison, is a joke.

I live in the CD, grew-up in the South End and kick-it in South Park/White Center/Burien. All of which pale in comparison to the destitution of a real ghetto.

Which is why seeing such violence outrages me.

The CD, short for Central District for those not in-the-know, has seen quite an upswing in the past few years. Some call it gentrification, I call it not fearing being jacked as you walk to your car. (Which is not to say that jackings/break-ins don’t occur anymore.)

Some folks see gentrification as a horrible thing, but I venture to say that most decent folks (regardless of race) like to see a community that takes pride in itself.

Sadly, I have seen signs of a backslide in the CD lately. Drug dealers have been openly operating on busy street corners. I am also seeing more and more kids rocking red clothing…when I was a youngster, the CD was Crip territory. Oh, how times have changed.

Every time I see signs of the ‘Hood, I find myself asking the same question, Why?

Again, Seattle is not ghetto. And it really pisses me off that a couple knuckleheads, who have visions of 50-Cent dancing in their heads, can undo 10 years of redevelopment.

It’s not just white-folk who enjoy walking the streets without fear.

And now, with one action, one knucklehead, has undone all of that.

They say ‘One bad apple ruins the bushel.’ I say ‘A fuckin’ loser hoses a neighborhood.’

I was raised in a less-than-stellar area and have always minded my surroundings…being a cracka in the ‘hood, you learn to read the angles.

But I never felt I HAD to so in the CD, until now.

So while I normally don’t condone violence. I’d like to find the reject who lacked the testicular fortitude to face a foe straight-up and beat the living shit out of them.

Though knowing the ‘code of the street’ (as laid-out in various gangsta movies where I am sure this gutless shooter picked-up their code of ethics) I know retaliation would be necessary. So that is just a dumb road to venture down.

Instead, I’ll just say, remember the CD before Sunday afternoon. It’s still the same people. It’s still safe.

Don’t let the ball-less minority rule the good and decent majority.

Take control of your neighborhood.

We’ve done it before and we can sure as hell do it again.

Is this a coffee shop or a kennel?

So what is the deal with dogs?

More and more I am seeing dog-friendly places.

Which is fine, unless it’s somewhere:
- Enclosed- meaning I have to smell the mutt(s).
- I eat- meaning I have to watch my plate and eat around a damn animal.
- I just feel imposed upon.

I had a dog as a kid. He was a Cocker Spaniel named Tiny. Looking back on it, I was a bad dog owner. Tiny was untrained, barked at anything and was pretty dirty.

I still look back fondly on him. He was a great dog, but I don’t remember the family ever taking him to the grocery store or to dinner at a restaurant.

Maybe my family and I were the odd ones.

Perhaps we were cruel and unusual owners. For most families, a pet is like another member of the family. I’m sure if my parents had left my infant brother at home because he wasn’t potty-trained, more than a few eyebrows would have been raised.

So why leave your dog at home (or at least tied-up outside) when going out for a fine meal? Mostly because my infant brother didn’t lick himself at the table.

There are places and times for pets. I am not saying banish pets from any public space. I am just saying pet owners: GET A CLUE. Though it may feel like a part of the family, it’s not a person.

For example, pets aren’t allowed in hospitals. They are unsanitary. So why should I be subjected to eating around your dog?

Side note: Dog-people seem to be the biggest offenders, though I’ve seen some odd bird people, too,

Anyway, I am not saying I hate pets. I have had my fair share in the past.

I am just saying that in much the same way you are agreeing to a moral contract to take care of the animal you are purchasing/adopting, you too are agreeing to a social contract that you that you will respect others when out and about with your animal.

If that means you can’t get your morning cup of coffee, so be it. You knew what you were getting into when you got your animal.