Bullets Over Breakfast

The weekend recap . . .

City Council candidate Harry Thomas Jr. hosted a breakfast Saturday morning for all of the ANC and School Board candidates in Ward 5 at Bubba's Muscogee Restaurant (map). Many current and former commissioners attended, and a few spoke as well. Commissioner Marshall R. Phillips, Sr. (5C-08) (he is a reverend) closed out the meeting with a prayer punctuated by the most colorful rendition of the Lord's Prayer that I had ever heard.

Meanwhile, I experienced the most encouraging development yet in the campaign. Three current and former ANC commissioners told me at the breakfast told me that they believe it was time for a change in the ANC membership. A total of six current and former ANC commissioners support me. It is very encouraging to know that should I win this election, individuals stand ready to work with me (even push me) to improve our community.

While I was still at the restaurant, I retrieved a voicemail message from one of my tenants. She said in her message that she had heard rapid gunfire across the street and had called 911. I left the restaurant for Seaton Place to investigate.

Sure enough, two houses on the unit block of Seaton Place N.W. (across the street from 5C-02) had been marked off with yellow tape. I stopped briefly to ask the police officers on the scene whether anyone had been injured, and everyone was fine.

Today, I obtained permission from a resident to take pictures of a glass door with a bullet hole. Someone could have been seriously injured had he/she been standing in the vicinity of the door. No one seems to know what prompted this shooting. Although this is no small matter, the situation is substantially worse in the southern part of the district. More on that matter in the near future.

On Sunday, I attended services again at Zion A.M.E. church. This time a member of the congregation introduced me to the pastor. His sermon focused on the importance of listening before speaking. At least three times during the sermon he asked the congregation to turn to the person sitting to those nearby and say "Lord, help me shut my mouth."

A failure to listen is what this race for ANC is all about. The good pastor also mentioned that there trouble lurks wherever someone speaks for too long, so I'll take that hint . . .