You Will Not Hurt My People

These are my people. This is my watch. You will not hurt my people.

You never even slowed down today. You never even looked. You never saw the four people you almost killed today. Heaven only knows how this tragedy did not happen. Perhaps you should go back and re-read last week's news story. Oh you heard the one. The one from Denver, the family of four hit by a drunk as they stepped into the crosswalk. The father lived, the rest of his family did not. His wife, and the two children they were pushing in their stroller, ages two and four, both wearing their Halloween costumes just for fun. Dead. The news showed pictures of the mangled stroller, and a child's shoe laying in the gutter. Another picture on the front page of today's paper showed the little boy's casket, over it was draped his SuperMan cape. Perhaps you should study these pictures. Take a real good look. Think this couldn't happen to you? You are wrong!

There is no good reason for what you did today, none. This corner is a four-way stop, always has been. Today the crossing guard stood where the sidewalks converge. She had three kids with her. Did you see them? The hell you did! You came racing into that four-way doing at least 45. You raced right thru that school zone and that construction zone, all of which are a speed limit of 20. Your car was moving so goddamn fast it was just a white blur. When you hit that intersection you never even touched your fucking brakes. I know. I saw you. I watched.

Ten seconds before that corner was at a standstill. It was my turn to go thru but I waited for the crossing guard. She knows me. I catch her eye telling her I will wait for her and the kiddos to go on thru. Behind her one last kid is running up the sidewalk. She looks at him and nods at me to go ahead while she waits for the late kid. I pull out. Thats when you come sailing thru.

I was half way thru that intersection when I stopped, managing to see you at the last minute. Had I turned the corner your car would have bounced off me like a goddamn hockey puck. In that moment I felt my blood run cold. I prayed for that one second that the guard had not just held up her stop sign and begun her move. When I look back at her I see her, she is about a foot off the curb, the kids still behind her. I heard her scream. She saw you at the last second just as I did, and you flew right on by her, missing her by two feet. You never even saw her. You never saw those kids either.

I held my position right smack in the middle of that intersection, holding up traffic as I opened my door and looked back to make sure everyone was alright behind me. The guard is visibly shaken, and she has sheparded everyone back onto a lawn for the moment so she can regroup herself before trying again. She looks at me. I lift up my head, silently asking, she nods her head, silently replying. They are okay, she is okay, it will be alright. She needs a minute, hands are still shaking.

Your worst nightmare would have come true. Today was your lucky day. God only knows what prompted you to be such a jackass. You were too busy yapping into that fucking cell phone of yours to care. I ever catch you and that cell you will never see that phone again. There is not one damn reason on this Earth for what you did. Not one. I won't hear all this bullshit about being late for work, or your own kid is home hacking up hairballs or whatever. You don't risk everyone else's life. Nothing is worth that. Nothing. Even if your husband is home lying in the front yard with a broken leg, you don't run over four people just to get there to help him.

So think about this you fucking idiot. Pay attention. I never got your plate number, but I have no qualms about reporting your ass. Takes me three seconds to switch my radio to the Police frequency. I've done it before with others, I will do it again. Think I would not turn infront of you and use my vehicle as a shield if it meant protecting others? Think again. I would not think twice. You have an airbag. Those pedestrians do not. You were lucky this morning. The construction zone workers, and the guard and her kids were even luckier. Had that kid not been late, those people would have been dead.

Remember that next time, think long and hard about it. No excuse, no "I was distracted on the phone" makes up for any of this. I will have none of it. This is my community and I will not tolerate shitheads like you endangering people with your careless, reckless behavior. Period.

These are my people. This is my watch. You WILL NOT hurt my people!