Too close for comfort

The other night, we noticed a fire truck going down our street. We would not have noticed the siren-less truck if it hadn't been for our truck obsessed son who heard the distinctive rumble of the engine and ran to the door. We looked down the street and saw a couple of police cars in addition to the fire truck. Wanting to stay out of the way, we stayed indoors.

I opened up our local paper today and discovered what the commotion was. Apparently, there was a home invasion. This happened in the early evening hours, pre-dinner maybe. Two guys kicked in someone's door, told them to get on the floor, and stole a few small items. Luckily for the victim, there was someone in another room who called the police. The two bad guys were caught.

I am not one to frighten easily. I have, unfortunately, been close to some very violent fights at my school. I usually feel more frustration and anger than fear. This little event down the street doesn't frighten me, but it does have me feeling a little wary. The town in which I live is probably on the verge of an economic depression, as is Michigan just across the river. As more people fall into poverty due to a loss of jobs, I do worry about an increase in crime. I realize that the community needs people who are more economically secure to do more to mitigate some of the hurt for the poor. My husband and I, while we don't have a lot, do have fairly secure jobs. It is time for us to step up somehow.