It Figures

So I've left the house without my camera, oh.... let's say twice in the last four months or so.

Seems a little obsessive, you say? I never know when I'm going to see something that should be captured. So I take it with me. And a lot of times I'm right.

I didn't take it tonight. I was going to see a country/blues concert in the park, and it was about 10 before I was leaving, and too dark to be getting many pictures unless there was really good stage lighting. So, I decided to travel light and leave the camera at home.

Well, I got three blocks from home and saw that there were firetrucks that had just arrived, and a guy getting ready to go up in the cherry-picker. No sign of smoke, but there were a lot of firemen and EMT's around. That put me in a tough spot - do I go home and get the camera, or stay and watch? I like to take pictures, but the experience is worth more than the shot, so I decided to stay.

They inflated a huge airbag, and the guy went up.

And then....

Nothing.

Eventually, I guess the nothing got a little more intense, because the municipal security guys asked me to move to the end of the block. So I moved, and things started to heat up. Regular cops started to show up, then more emergency workers. They had some people out of the building and were interviewing them, which would have been pretty interesting, I bet, if I had had any idea what they were saying. The SWAT team arrived, and started carrying battering rams and compressed air canisters into the apartment.

Before I get to the (inevitably exciting) conclusion, I thought it was really interesting how differently people reacted to the single block or so being shut down. The municipal security guys (more or less meter-maids, as far as I can figure... they don't get to carry guns) were asking people to go around the back of the block. Some people stopped to chat and ask what was happening. Some people thanked them and then wandered away as directed (Canadians?). But there were a few people who really argued. They were really upset at having to go around to the other side of the block, which, I must say, I really didn't understand. I mean, I get lost easily, but even I can muster that one up. Curious.

To their credit, the security guys handled the grumpy pedestrians better than they did people taking pictures with their cell phones... they were actually threatening to confiscate the phones. The principle-guy in me was wishing I would have had my camera with me at that point... I'm pretty sure that they can't legally do that, and it would have been interesting to see what they said, but no one called them on it. Where's the ACLU when you really do need them?

One poor guy had his car parked there... in between the giant air mattress ("jump! jump! jump! it'll be fun!") and the fire truck. He wanted to go get it - which is not really a surprise - and the cop just said, "there's no way". So the guy just shrugged his shoulders, watched with me for a while, then wandered off. I was there for almost an hour and a half, and didn't see him come back.

So after a little longer, the fireman in the crane came down. The other firemen started to pack stuff up. I didn't see the swat guys come out, but things were definitely moving down from code red. Then a real cop came over to where I was and gave the famous line, which is even recognizable in French:

"Move along, there's nothing to see here."

Now, I can deal okay with the "move along" part. If they figure it's important, I'll move along. But nothing to see? Does he think I'm an idiot? Swat team? Battering rams? Bullet-proof vests? That sounds like the very opposite of "nothing to see" to me. But then, I wasn't the one carrying a gun.

So, no concert, and no pictures. I had a nice cigar while I watched, though, and hopefully no one got hurt in the end.

Happy weekend, everybody.