I followed a trail of blood up the concrete steps as Deja vu overtook my thoughts.
I’d been here before, just a few short months ago, doing the same exact thing, following a trail of blood to an open front door.
As was the case then, on this night there had been another call for shots fired heard coming from the street.
A trail of blood, an open door and no body to be found.
Just like last time, the person was taken to the hospital by a friend, so we wait to hear from the hospital when they make their mandatory call about somebody coming into the emergency room with bullets in their body.
As I was checking the house for another injured or dead person, I couldn’t help but notice that the house was exactly as it had been before.
There was no furniture in the living room and there was trash all over the place. Paper plates with leftover food and cigarette butts littered the kitchen counter. The upstairs was where the televisions and furniture were kept. When you live in fear of drive by shootings, upstairs is the safer place to spend most of your time.
As I was leaving the kitchen, my eyes were drawn to the floor by a cockroach scurrying over a button, the kind that you can pin to your shirt to announce things like, “I voted” or “I gave blood!”
This button had a picture of Michael Brown on it and the words “Justice for Mike Brown” or some similar message around the photo.
There was something queer about the button being on this particular kitchen floor on this particular night, surrounded by roaches and drops of blood and dog shit as well.
I shook my head and left the house satisfied that nobody was dead or injured inside.
Just outside of Ferguson, life is going on.
The shootings and robberies and burglaries and car accidents and domestic incidents are still happening, and people are still calling for the police to come help them.
People still need our help, and we’re still providing it.
I’ve received many messages from people around the world asking me if I’m alright, asking whether or not I’ve been in Ferguson.
I am fine and I was up there for a little bit, yes, though not on the front lines of the chaos.
There seems to be a perception, outside of this area, that it’s a war zone here, that the whole region is in shambles.
I can see how a person might think such a thing. I mean, God forbid the national media folks take their cameras outside of the immediate area where all the trouble is happening to see that life is still being lived by decent folks, even just outside of Ferguson.
Just outside of Ferguson, here in St. Louis, I watched as several black kids played basketball in the street. They were the same kids I had watched playing ball several weeks ago.
The were playing with a basket that had a net attached to it. That’s a novelty in the city.
Several weeks ago, however, long before anyone knew who Mike Brown was, I watched as they bickered and argued and almost got into a fist fight, as young boys sometimes do, over whether or not a shot had gone through the rim or not.
“It went in,” I said from the car.
“Awe, NO WAY!” The defending boys protested.
“You need new glasses,” one of the boys shouted in jest.
He was probably right, but the ball had gone through the hoop, I was sure of it.
“And you boys need a new net,” I replied.
I got a call right about then and had to go. As I drove off, one of the boys asked me if I’d get them a net. I promised I would and left for my call.
A few days went by and I’d forgotten to get the net. I felt bad, so I drove around North St. Louis looking for a basketball net. Unbelievably, it’s difficult to find such an item in the area where I patrol.
Poverty and crime aren’t great assets for areas looking to woo businesses, so I had to venture into the County, towards Ferguson, ironically.
On a Saturday morning, I finally went to a Walmart and bought several nets. I went back to where the boys had been playing and got out of my car and started to walk to the netless rim.
As I was walking towards the rim, a man in a red Camaro parked right in front of the basket put his hands out the window and said, “I ain’t doin’ nothin’ wrong, officer. Just waitin’ on my girl.”
It’s sad that he assumed I was headed to him, but I get why.
“I didn’t say you were doing anything wrong, partner. Carry on with your day,” I told the man.
Thankfully, the rim wasn’t set at the 10 foot regulation height, so I could reach it without having to balance on something.
I started to put the net on the rim and the guy in the Camaro got out and walked over.
“You bought that net?” He asked.
“I certainly didn’t steal it,” I joked. “I told the kids I would bring one a couple of weeks ago, so I’m making good on my promise finally.”
“Awe hell, that’s really cool.” He said.
He came over to the rim, grabbed the other side of the net and helped me put it on. We shook hands, thanked each other and went about our days.
As I watched the kids playing basketball the other day, one of the boys asked me if I was the cop who bought the net.
“Yep. It’s been a few weeks now and I’m still waiting to hear somebody say thank you.” I was just being sarcastic, but I’ll be damned if every last one of those little buggers didn’t immediately say thank you right then and there.
I was given the honor of a couple of shots with a ball that had no air in it and proceeded to chuck an air ball and what I believe is still called a brick before hanging my head in shame and leaving the kids to their game. I looked to the porch and got a smile from one of the adults, maybe one of their moms, and I smiled back. Smiles are small victories to me. They probably laughed at me, but if they did, they had the courtesy to wait until I left, at least.
The boys weren’t concerned with what was going on in Ferguson because they were too busy being little boys.
Most of the other people I’ve dealt with aren’t consumed by it either.
The Subway clerk was still friendly and didn’t spit on my sandwich.
An old woman took my hand in a parking lot and asked to pray with me. I’m not normally into such things, but in times of crisis, being open to anything can only help. She asked Jesus to lift me up and help me be just and fair and to remain safe as I do God’s bidding.
I don’t know about all that, but I was glad for the prayer. She was the second person to ask if they could pray with me in a week. It hadn’t happened, that I can remember, in the fifteen years prior I’ve done this job.
I’m still responding for calls about accidents and shootings and assaults and everything we always deal with.
Life goes on, even when there’s chaos.
Crime never takes the day off, and may even become worse when there’s chaos.
Still, I am responding and I am helping and I am hoping, just like I believe the citizens are, that the mess in Ferguson is resolved soon.
We hope all this violence isn’t for nothing.
Something has to change, and change for the better.
Shame on all of us, if we let this pass and we don’t become better people for having endured it.
That’d be a real shitter.
For my part, I’m going to just keep doing the best job I can.
To start, I’m going to buy a basketball and fill it with air.
I’ll bring it to some boys who have a basket with a net, but no air in their ball.
It’s a little thing, but it’s something I hope will help to build trust and healing and keep them from growing up scared of the police.
It’s the least I can do out here, just outside of Ferguson.
don of all trades 
And that’s the way it is all too often, yet not reported by the media.
Retired LEO
Bless you. Be safe. Stay human.
Don, thank you so much for writing this…I assume this is the piece that you referred to the other day as going somewhat viral, because it certainly deserves too. I love what you did for those boys so much and I’m relieved to hear that life just outside of Ferguson is basically as it should be. I too hope that change happens for the better and that it happens soon.
Thank you for watching out for everyone every in your patrol area every day! I am glad there are Police Officers like you and my friends.
Reblogged this on the robot mommy and commented:
Just read it. Trust me.
I am so encouraged by this. There is so much hurt and anger and I know your job is already dangerous and challenging. Thank you for giving a voice of hope and peace, for the LEOs that I know are out there doing good for not much thanks. I thank you!
Reblogged this on The Black Watch.
Keep fighting the good fight. I have to believe there are more good cops than bad.
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A very good read. Thanks for your work.
Very good report. Thanks for the update.
If the lesson from Ferguson is that we all care a little more about each other in the little things like basketball nets, then maybe…
Thanks for doing your job. Thanks for choosing to be fair and compassionate. Thanks for keeping them all safe.
Reblogged this on Apps Lotus's Blog.
Stay safe man, and thanks for giving a damn.
Stay safe 🙂
I think it’s great for people to hear what’s going on outside of Ferguson, but so close. Thank you for being that voice.
Thank you for everything you do. For being the awesome policeman that buys kids basketball nets- for being a hero to those kids.
From one net to one ball to one life, it’s the little things that can make big changes.
Beautiful post…”thank you for the net!!!”
Reblogged this on The Darkness in the Light and commented:
This is kind of amazing.
NO. …it IS amazing. In the middle of all this, in the midst of just trying to make sense of it and how it could still happen in this day and age…I stumbled upon #this.
This is the human spirit. And we ALL have a piece of that great spirit inside.of is….and the great spirit has no color.
Love &Light,
~PW
Posts like this remind me why I always looked up to you growing up and to this day proud to call you my brother. You’re still a dick but I love you nonetheless.
There are so many good people doing good things and so many positive things happening in communities all over the US. It’s a shame the media is in Ferguson stirring the ratings pot and not reporting on the good things. Punch Anderson Cooper in the nuts if you see him.
Wish a cop in my city could write something like this. plus, justice for Brown
hi
Reblogged this on A Good One and commented:
Don is one of my favorite bloggers. He’s got a real gift for looking at complicated situations in a simple way, and for focusing on what really matters in life.
Thank you. I needed to read this today. May you be blessed. : )
There are police like this in every city. While in Knoxville TN. over Easter, (seeing our son) I witnessed a girl with her dog at a gas station talking to an officer. This duo was hiking back to another state. She had on shabby cloths, unkept hair and her dog tied to a post next to the front door. I went in to pay my gas bill and the officer & girl were in line ahead of me. The policemen took out his wallet swiped his debit card and bought her water, soda, cookies, candy bars, chips and asked if she wanted anything else. I don’t know if anyone had seen him do this but me and the clerk. She took her gifts and went outside to share with the dog. Officer wished her a safe journey and walked back to his patrol car. I happened to catch him saying I saw what you did and thanked him for the act of kindness He said thanks and went on about his business, like this is what we do. Don’t know his name or car #, but I sleep better knowing him and his kind are out there EVERYWHERE.
Don, this was fantastic. YOU are fantastic. Thank you for being the change. You do your badge – and humanity as a whole – proud.
Great Post .. Doin the great job ..
Lightning Code
We needed this, Don. All of us. Thank you.
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Reblogged this on disturbeddeputy and commented:
A good day is when you get to make someone happy.
Reblogged this on Georgia Watchdog Macon Aware Citizens and commented:
Excellent Story
Well done sir, well done.
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Reblogged this on chronicles.
As a fellow St. Louisan, thank you. As the niece of an officer, thank you. As a fellow blogger, thank you. As a human being, thank you.
This is brilliant!!! I spent Monday in Ferguson registering voters and will head back tomorrow and this weekend. I was shocked at what I found after being immersed in violent images for over a week of news coverage. It is NOTHING like what they are reporting and so many wonderful things are happening in the community. I am appalled by the majority of the national news outlets lack of reporting on the good happening. Chris Hayes at MSNBC has finally started showing the positive side of this story and Capt. Johnson has done a great job getting it out there as well… but his briefings are at 1:30am and no one sees that 😦 The national news cuts off his positive comments and instead highlights the number of arrests, etc. It’s so frustrating!
Thank you for staying the course and being a positive influence on those boys and I’m confident everyone you protect. You are a shining example of what we look to those that protect for each and every day!
This man isn’t just a Law Enforcement Officer.. He is much more than that!
This MAN is a true PEACE OFFICER!
Well done Sir!
It’s good to know there are good guys out there. The media does fixate on the salacious but over here in the UK I guess we take it with a pinch of salt. Keep up the good work and I hope those boys love their air-filled ball. Sheila .
Great piece. Good for you. I was losing hope, but maybe there is some.
Keep the faith, remember the Peelian principles, and maybe find an easy way to remind that kid you know who is a little badge-heavy.
Thank you for sharing the truth. My nieces and nephews were freaking out and I can reassure them that the media is once AGAIN focusing on the worst.
Reblogged this on Dak's Bays.
God Bless you and all the men and women like you for doing your job. You don’t get the recognition or appreciation you deserve.
Either CNN is talking about you, or buying basketball nets for neighborhood kids is now a department-wide fad 🙂
“…But Wednesday was so peaceful, that state troopers had time to go buy a basketball for neighborhood youth and a net for their goal, which they installed, Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson told reporters…”
http://m.cnn.com/primary/wk_article?articleId=cnn/2014/08/21/us/missouri-teen-shooting&category=cnnd_latest&cookieFlag=COOKIE_SET
Hey, Send me an address and I’ll contribute a $5.00 toward the cost of a new basketball that will hold air.
I got a pair of boys with an older sister and We did put up a basketball goal for them on the garage (PO’d the HOA, BUT there was NO RULE against it !!)
it gives me hope to know there are good guys out there.
Reblogged this on New girl. New lanes. and commented:
This was a good read. I enjoy going through the freshly pressed every now and then. I stumbled across a good read.
Loved this piece. Thank you for not just doing your job but for giving hope to those in your area.