On a sunny summer day, I was taking my kids to the nearby grocery store on our way home from school when I started noticing something peculiar. There stood six different black and white SUVs, none of which were even visible on the road when we first arrived. The rest of them weren’t even there to drive through traffic, but it seemed like these vehicles could easily park themselves at their current locations.
One of the drivers was driving by himself, another sat behind the steering wheel, two more parked their cars behind the other, and a third driver was standing next to his vehicle. Another boy sat right next to his father and was staring out the window. What I can’t explain is that I started feeling almost guilty for being such a voyeuristic watcher. It turns out he was driving by herself. Yes, my children know about this incident because they still ask why I have so many cars parked around us! Even though I don’t feel comfortable opening the garage door of my car to walk into the family room, you would think my kids are too young and too curious to hear about what happens outside and inside of my house. However, they do know one thing about me when I tell them, “we live here,” and that is, “you are welcome to come sit with me if you want”.
Now, as much as I love this small community where I live and work, it has become clear to me that if I had not been concerned about it or paid attention to it earlier, then I probably wouldn’t have realized this is what was going on. As you can imagine, having an area as large as this whole neighborhood means there is no place left unsupervised. So, what exactly caused these individuals to begin parking so close together?
The explanation comes down to this; each of these persons are searching for safety, comfort, and security and none of them could be found in any of those things if they were just left alone for 5 minutes. But how long? How long was this individual’s search lasting before deciding that this was a good time to park so close together? I believe it took longer than five minutes to leave my children alone at the supermarket, but it seems longer than five seconds for the entire situation to play out.
While some children may say that the moment your child begins to cry, it means they need your help, well, that is true; however, it does not mean they don’t need your help. They need someone who knows what to do to guide them through a very difficult situation. That stranger that walks past you should never be called a police officer or sheriff’s deputy and should not answer phone calls after asking for directions unless they actually need your assistance. If they call the wrong person, or if they seem scared, then they won’t trust anyone else on the street. And let’s not forget about other situations when they call 911, like they hit the dog walking on the sidewalk. This is often the case because if people call 911 for the same reason, then they would assume others are doing the same and that they are also hurt in some way.
My kids seem to have figured out just what kind of strange behavior they are witnessing as there is nothing odd about sitting on one end of a bus for 30 minutes just looking out the window when everyone is passing by. Everyone passes and nobody speaks to or interacts with each other much in regard to conversation, yet it seems like people are looking for someone or something that will make them feel safer, less nervous, and more secure.
Yet, there are no signs of a man or woman standing in front of their vehicle waiting on them. Instead, they have several empty seats in front of their car. When someone asks if they can get in the back of one of the SUVs, they tell the owner or driver, “Oh, no no it’s ok,” and just keep moving along while continuing to look out their window. There’s no sign of urgency or concern for why this particular passenger has chosen to remain silent while everyone around them does. Maybe that’s because they are worried that they can’t leave without getting spotted by someone else (yes, once again, assuming that is the person who asked them if they needed assistance).
Or maybe they have simply never noticed a black SUV parked so closely together. Regardless, these black SUVs are causing unnecessary traffic and disruption to everyone behind them. We are supposed to feel safe and protected when in public spaces like schools or shopping malls, yet all over the country I see Black SUVs parked in every direction, blocking pathways for pedestrians. Do I really believe this is acceptable? Shouldn’t we all feel that if I am getting ready to move forward towards the exit of my car, then I shouldn’t have the audacity to feel unsafe on the streets of America? Is it possible that these occupants of SUVs are looking at the same information from the grocery store instead of using Google Maps to find alternative routes?
Although, some part of me wonders what they are thinking; for instance, I see no signs of them trying to hide what they are doing. Why is it that their choice to spend 20 minutes watching the school while everyone moves about on the side is so convenient? Surely they understand that other people do not have their best interest in mind. Perhaps they just don’t want to get caught by someone so close that they cannot get away. Some things about humans go ignored until they become problems; however, this isn’t one of them.
These Black SUVs are creating a mess that affects the safety of everyone in this beautiful city in ways the average person may not know of. Just think; what if they were on top of the school building? Would it ever get resolved? Wouldn’t we all be trapped on site for quite some time? Could the parents and students experience serious problems due to this circumstance? Of course, I doubt that they are aware of all of the consequences this might cause them.
Unfortunately, just the thought of what would happen if these SUVs broke down makes me shudder. Because it is obvious to me that no one wants to stop and wonder if the parent’s child is stranded in their car for 50 or 90 minutes, especially when everyone sees them walking past us, but we never see or talk to them. It is easy to just assume that someone has fallen asleep and forgot to turn off the car engine, so I imagine that it must be relatively simple to open the doors and safely get anyone out. Unfortunately, they didn’t consider the risk of bumping them over or their ability to stay upright.
Once they realize that they have been caught completely unaware, they will probably take matters into their own hands and try to do something to save themselves. I can only hope that they can do anything that is necessary to get them out of danger and also that they aren’t injured. For the sake of their health and safety, I guess their choices don’t matter. After all, they are not harming anyone or destroying property. Their decision to ignore the lives of strangers is both selfish and inconsiderate. No one likes to encounter a stranger, and when it comes down to it, it may not be worth giving yourself and another person around for just a single minute. Especially if you can figure out what is happening so fast.
And no, I don’t think this was all some sort of joke. I don’t believe there is enough evidence to support this claim, nor do I expect anyone else to either! Someone definitely needs to be held accountable. Not only did they act irresponsibly and recklessly, but they also violated laws that prevent them from harming anyone or damaging property. At least five times in the last few weeks alone, they intentionally drove their cars into large groups of people. Did anyone think that was OK because they had just driven around for three minutes? Are these people just oblivious to the rules of society? Probably not; unfortunately, this has happened often throughout history, and in many places, it exists legally. If you ask most of us if their actions were acceptable within this specific jurisdiction, we will tell you that yes, this happened within the boundaries of our local regulations. Also, if you ask most of us, they will admit that their actions are absolutely unacceptable to many in this nation. The problem is, they are acting outside of them.
For example, if they were in my kitchen next to me, they probably wouldn’t stand around staring out their windows. They are only interested in what they can get away with, so how do they get away with leaving thousands of innocent bystanders in danger? Isn’t this what they are doing, not caring about the lives of innocent people? How pathetic! You could have been hurt as well and still be wearing a seatbelt. Maybe these individuals don’t realize how dangerous their activities are. It’s amazing to me that anyone could choose to run around, jump around, or otherwise disrupt the peace and order of this wonderful city. And why in God’s name would somebody sit idly and watch a bunch of people go somewhere? Surely they wouldn’t have chosen to park so far apart, even if that means they need to travel quite far from their homes.
So why would they do so? Don’t they realize you are possibly in harm’s way? The fact that they are spending half an hour alone watching a parade is absurd. These individuals are putting themselves and millions more in danger for mere hours while ignoring the warnings of others in similar areas. Can you imagine that an animal could wander around, attack, and kill a passerby when you’re trying to leave for a short.
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