Here's one reason there's so much garbage on the streets
I was out this weekend, thinking about a follow-up post to my last one about food availability in Detroit and realizing it was a bigger story than an occasional slice-of-life blogger could tackle, when something else happened that left me shaken. It was the kind of encounter that made me ask, yet again, what's wrong with this town? Or maybe, what's wrong with me?
I'll try my best to tell it straight and refrain from editorializing, because I'd like to hear some thoughts. I can share my own later.
Walking to a neighborhood fish market, I was disgusted by the amount of trash blowing around. Sometimes I'll bring a bag along and pick up as much as I can, and I hadn't this time, but I could've been out there all day. It was too much for any one person. Besides, I thought, doesn't it feel futile sometimes? Every few months, there are organized cleanups, then the knuckleheads come along and turn the streets into open dumps all over again. Volunteers - or "society," as some would say - pick up the trash, then more appears. Rinse and repeat.
While I was pondering this, two men walked up to a truck parked in front of me, and the one on the passenger side got in, chucked a pop can onto the sidewalk near my feet and closed the door.
No you didn't, I thought.
What happened next was entirely preventable and I'll never do it again.
I picked up the can, went over and tapped on the window, and said, "I think you dropped something."
"Huh?" he said, rolling down the window about six inches.
"I think you dropped something," I said, offering the can back to him through the window.
"Huh?"
"Is this yours?"
"Yeah."
"And you need to throw it away?"
"I did."
"No, you threw it on the sidewalk. You meant to throw it in a trash can, right?"
"Huh?" He made no effort to take the can back though it was well inside the window and in front of his face.
"This is yours and it belongs in a trash can," I said, dropping it into his lap and walking away.
Like a switch had been flipped, he went from dazed to a raging bull. He let out a stream of expletives and threw the can as hard as he could toward my back. It missed and I bent over and picked it up.
"OK, I'll throw it in the trash for you," I said as I turned away while he continued to verbally assault me.
As I walked away, a glass bottle flew by me, shattering on a wall, and the man's yelling became louder and more threatening. I turned around, and, careful not to raise my voice, said, "I said I'd throw it in the trash for you."
He was out of the truck, stomping toward me as the driver warned him to stop.
"Nah, I'm fitting to f*** this b**** up!" the very large, very angry man yelled as he advanced toward me. I kept walking, expecting to be knocked to the ground from behind, wishing I'd worn my ugly sunglasses with the rear-view mirrors, saying my prayers.
For whatever reason - maybe he listened to his friend or maybe he realized an assault on a woman on a busy street was a bad idea - he retreated to the truck. The fish market - where I was headed in the first place - was on the next block and I got inside before I heard the truck starting up.
With my heart beating like a bass drum, I bought some fish and walked back home.
Comments
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The most illogical move ever.
I just came across this entry in your blog and I can not believe the events that caused this ever took place. Simply put...Are you insane?
This frames the lack of logic women constantly put out and place themselves in harms way for no conceivable reason. Are you wishing to become a victim? God, I can only hope there is more logic and reason in my girlfriend's pinkie than in your entire body if this exchange is any judgement to be made of your actions. Women have often spent their lives sheltered from the violence of society by the mores and standards of normal civilization. However, the facts of life is that the world does not always follow those rules. As a man, you learn at a young age that a big mouth just brings big problems. Any man would have assumed that such a confrontation would result in violence. As I am sure that this man and most likely his friend (as he would have little reservation to fight a man most likely) would have beaten a man for being so cocky. This circumstance is much like the loud drunk woman at the bar who gets into the arguement with a random man and slaps him, knowing that he will not strike back. However, sometimes she picks the wrong person and ends up finding the wrong side of his fist.
The absolute worst part of this story is that you provoked this man to the breaking point over such a trival reason and then TURNED YOUR BACK ON HIM! This is outlandish. You should have counted your lucky stars his friend had sense of reason. You would have been very, very lucky to have escaped this situation with a simple assault. A large man could easily beat a woman into hospitalization in a few seconds. Not to mention the risk of angering someone of less than moral judgement who could kidnap, rape or kill. Do you think you are superwoman!?
I can only hope you conpletely saw the error of your ways in this situation. And that your husband explained them as well. I hope and pray that none of your reader found honor in such a dangerous exchange. Regardless of your beliefs, a can is a can, your life is far more important. Please consider your actions before you do them. As the old saying goes, "Don't let your mouth write checks your a** can't cash."
Please be more careful. Both to yourself and in the example you set for your readers. Life is not all gumdrop forests and chocolate streams.
Defense in the D
Well Diana, I think, based on this incident, you found a topic for a future BLOG article: the need for a CPL in Detroit. Frankly, you're lucky that you were able to write this entry. I don't live in Detroit, but I am in the neighborhoods and downtown a lot. But I am also concealed carrying a pistol wherever I go because people are more edgy, irrational, and desperate in the entire area.
However, you broke the first rule of self defense, which is to not put yourself in a situation where you may be in harms way. Provoking a man (who was clearly larger and stronger than you) was not smart. I think it might be a better practice to analyze your situation and surroundings first. Then, you may want to consider a pistol and a concealed carry license.
Here's one reason why there's so much garbage on the streets
I read your story and even though I didn't witness this particular incident I must apologize for that individual's erratic, uncompromising, bi polar behavior. I commend you for at least being socially conscious about the enviroment.
I would like to offer some solid advice. Even though your approach wasn't threatning, you have to consider where your at and it would have probably served you best just to pick the can up and toss it in the garbage can. Lately Detroiters have become more aggressive due to lack of employment associated with political frustration and stagnating services. I'm a native Detroiter but I was taught to respect others (women in gerneral) and the surrounding enviroment that we live in. Basically I have to say is,God bless you and maybe others will learn from this.
You did what was right
And he was wrong, and it was dangerous.
The city is being destroyed by slobs like that. They are worse than pigs. They are the reason we can't have anything decent in the city.
Perhaps you could use your column as a venue and print their license plate numbers and descriptions? I have considered taking photos and posting them to a blog.
Only they don't have enough pride to feel ashamed. He was going to get out of the truck at some point, and could have as easily taken the can in to the trash.
I don't have an answer. Please be careful in the future, because those slobs are very defensive about their right to be pigs.
No offense to pigs.
Trash
The trash is a problem for 2 reasons. 1-people from the burbs feel Detroit is already messed up, so they just toss garbage on the ground (they also dump illegally) and this is something they would never do in their home municipality, but the bigger reason is 2-sadly a large proportion of the people in Detroit are lost. Life has been tragic for them from day one and they don't care about anything other than survival. Why else would someone litter and destroy the very place they must live? Racism created these people and I try to be optimistic, but the ignorance, irrationality, bitterness and racism is so rampant in Detroit and SE MI that I feel I will never see major changes in my lifetime.
It was a bad idea to throw the can in his lap. I would have said, "you dropped something, but I'll throw it away for you" and walked away. I love my people, but the uneducated ones on the low end of the wage scale are not to messed with.
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