Protest this.

I've covered a lot of the recent community protests against the LAPD. I've heard directly from people how angry they are about the way police handled their duties. I'm talking loud venomous condemnation (with some spitting) of people who are sworn to serve and protect.

It's really tough for me to want to side with the protestors.



You want to know why? The picture below is why.



Want a closer look?



Yeah, that's exactly what it looks like. I apologize if the picture upsets anyone (I do want to point out that nobody apologizes to me). Hmm, where's the protest today?

Under that sheet is an elderly woman who was simply waiting to catch a bus and caught a bullet in her head. Two young adults, each somewhere about twenty to thirty years old had an argument. One pulled out a gun and one ran. I don't know how many shots were fired. I don't know what happened to the shooter. Right now, I just know the outcome. One elderly woman was struck by a bullet and she was killed. She was waiting for a bus and now she's dead.

Where's the community outrage? Where's the protest? Come on, let's march on City Hall.



We talked to several people who heard the shots fired, but most of them said the same thing. The sounds of gunshots in this neighborhood are so common, nobody paid any attention to it.

Nobody realized there was a death in the neighborhood until the police arrived and started closing off the street.



It had been a pretty easy day for me. I'd picked up some shots of robbery locations in the Torrance/Lomita area and driven the tape to Orange County. I drove back and was in Carson when I got the call to head over to 94th and Western.

I was just happy to not be driving back up to Hollywood during rush hour. I'd have gladly done the drive if I could have avoided another one of these "money" shots.



The body being put into the coroner's van and the doors closing (bonus points for door slamming NAT sound). It's been a while since I last covered a story that involved the coroner. I don't really keep track. Lots of the stories I cover involve death of some type, but the victim's body is usually long gone by the time I get to the scene.



I don't ever want to feel like death is a common aspect of my job. Yeah, it is of course. I just don't want to accept it on that casual of a level. I don't want to be like the people who heard the gunshots that ended a life and did nothing because it just wasn't that unusual of a thing to hear.



It just makes me angry every time I look and think of how accepting people have become.



Maybe it's time to quit reserving all our good protest anger for the police and start directing it at the people in our communities who would pull out a gun to settle an argument. Maybe we need to be more vocal in our condemnation of the person who would shoot a gun on a busy street.

I guess I know how unrealistic what I'm saying actually is. When it comes down to it, everybody in the community knows why it's better to complain about the cops shooting someone. The cops in most circumstances have to play by the rules and follow the law.

You just try to pull that community outrage and protest crap on someone who has a gun and doesn't mind using it.

Yeah, you just do that and you know the next bullet is for you.