Monday, December 8, 2008

Moving out of City Terrace|Taking City Terrace with me wherever I go

I lived in City Terrace since I was a baby boy.
It was my neighborhood, I knew all the alleyways and shortcuts.
Where to get good food for cheap.
Where to skate when I was happy, Sad and angry.
I knew where to go when I had money and also when I had none.
Where to go with friends and where to go when by myself.
where to go to write and were to go to read.
I knew everything about the place. Everything.

Where to go and where not to go..How to be and how not to be.

I am much older now and you would think different, but I am still the same.

I am just farther away.

I miss the sense of community, the knowing that my neighbors would back me up....
The knowing that I would back them up also.

Reminds me of a story,

When I was a teenager....my neighbors were having fun with guns.

My neighbor happened to look and have the same name as me.

So the Cops came knocking on my door...looking for me.

They put my stepdad in handcuffs and drew their weapons while searching the home for me.

I was at "Phantom of the Opera" in downtown with my girlfriend.

Came home and my mom was freaking out and asked me if I had shot a gun.

I told her I did not have a gun and was at the opera.

Then she told me about what happened and that they needed to take me to the police station.

I had long bangs in the front with the rest of my head shaved and had blue and black streaks in my hair.

I entered the sheriffs station and my stepdad talked to the guy at the counter and he asked me to enter the door ....when I did he threw me up against the wall and tried to handcuff me (he could not get the 1 set of handcuffs so he had to use two) He freaked out when he realized that one was not going to work (It messed up his perfect handcuff manuever) the other cop at the counter realized what was going on (I guess they really can smell fear) so the other cop gave him another pair of cuffs and he was able to complete his awesome handcuff manuever.

I was just up against the wall telling them that I did Not shoot the gun and that they did not need to arrest me...I told them that I was at the "Phantom of the Opera" and I could show them the tickets and I had witnesses.

They told me to be quiet....Be quiet "Blue Streak" I then realized that I should not have blue hair going into jail....Just did not seem like a good idea for being in jail......I told them that I did not know who did the shooting (But I did) I was not a rat.

I had just turned 18 and knew that I would not go to Juvenile hall...so I was not happy about possibly going to Real jail as a youngster.

They kept on bringing in different detectives to "Talk" to me....they did good cop , bad cop.....we are just trying to keep you from going to jail....tell us who did it....my partner wants to just send you to jail...blah...blah...blah..."Bluestreak"

Do you know what happens to blue haired guys in real jail? blah..blah...blah.

My neighbors were not very friendly but they were my people....we all grew up together and even though we took different paths...I knew that I could of easily been them....I could of easily been shooting a gun in the sky to celebrate something.

So I gave the cops the tickets and they made a report....after hours of not getting anything out of me...they let me go.

I came home that night tired, angry, I keep thinking about the person that called the cops....

Next day while me and my brother were trimming the bushes in the front yard and picking up the leaves at our house....My neighbor (Who was making some carne asada) asked us if we wanted some....he hooked us up.

We were tired and dirty and our neighbors never hooked us up....never.

That day they thanked us for not turning in the person that really shot the gun....since that day....everytime they had a bbq we were hooked up....they always said "Hello" to us and showed us respect.

I know that shooting gun up in the air is dangerous, I know I could of turned in my neighbor...but what would of been gained...My neighbor thanked us without thanking us every single time we saw him after that.....

I learned alot in City Terrace...and I miss it everyday...even if City Terrace was not so good to me sometimes....

Evilchavo Out.

4 comments:

pearmama said...

Bluestreak,
My oldest homie lived off of Stone and Wabash. We used to hang out, walk around the corner to the liquor store and buy some hot cheetos and a snapple. She still lives there. I amazed myself a couple of months ago when I drove over there for a birthday party and I got off the freeway on Floral Dr. I found my way to her house through the maze of streets and hills. I remembered that house with the altar on the corner of Gage and that helped me find my way. It felt good to still remember my way through that hood.

Sal said...

Thanks for posting,

I was looking at google maps ....because you mentioned your homie lived off of Stone and Wabash.

That burger stand in the corner of Stone and Wabash was the first job that my mom worked at when she moved here from Mexico as a teenager.

She used to date one of the local Gang leaders in the 60's.Before she met my dad.

It is right down the way from El Tepeyac.....I need one of those huge burritos :)


Thanks for reminding me of that area, I need to dig up some pictures of my mom when she lived there with my aunt.


EvilchaVO Out.

Anonymous said...

I used to live in CT too. Hazard between Woolwine and Ramboz. email me at calaveras@calaverascallejeras.com so I can email you a couple of pics.

Jose

Sal said...

Thanks for posting.

I was looking at your website and you take some great pictures.I have seen some of your pics before and Herron's La Doliente de Hidalgo that your took pictures of at the Mercado Hidalgo is where my dad hangs out daily at the mailbox in front of the store....the owner is my dads compadre...I never knew the Herron signature was in the back of that column that was a new one for me to find out about.

Evilchavo Out.