things

Things I’ve been meaning to blog about but haven’t but I am now okay?:

• I went to the NHPP-sponsored vigil and memorial for Tara Cole, who was murdered at riverfront park (her home) a year ago. It was sad. I thought it was especially poignant to be standing there at this vigil, with the NHPP campaigning for affordable housing, in the shadow of the $250,000 monstrosity across the river. On a related note, some interesting info from the NHPP:

  In the two years prior to Tara Cole’s Killing there were several documented incidents of non-homeless individuals who self-confessed to trying to run over homeless people because they are “lazy and shiftless”, and another who lit a homeless man on fire after leaving a bar. In the last several months there have been several accounts of young people attacking homeless people for fun. At the same time, the Downtown Partnership (business association) and Urban Residents Association (downtown residents) have worked closely with police that has led to a zero tolerance campaign arresting over 80 additional homeless people in the last 4 weeks.

  And then there’s this:

  On the June 13th, 2007 the Metro Police launched the Quality of Life Initiative. It involves undercover officers downtown and along the West End corridor targeting individuals identified as panhandling (not illegal), trespassing, vagrancy, public intoxication and other activities typical of low-income individuals and homeless people struggling to survive as well as many non-homeless Titans fans J. Data shows that officers have arrested 91 unique homeless persons 113 times while working the initiative through Friday, Aug. 3. In their history in Davidson County, these 91 individuals have been arrested 4,397 times on 6,860 charges, and spent a total of 21,339 days in jail since March of 2000. Using a jail cost estimate of $55/day, this adds up to $1.2 million (which is only the Sheriff’s portion of the expense). When reviewing the 4,397 arrests, 2,117 resulted in a conviction.

• I could listen to Say Something by James literally over and over. Until the MP3 wears out. Which can happen, you know.
• I am going up to North Carolina in September for a friend’s wedding (to which I was invited partially to take pictures in exchange for free food, booze, and bridesmaids). I am hoping to extend it into a week or so of vacation and/or working remotely. I am going to drive the Miata and meander through the mountains, and wind up at Aaron’s, and the BEACH.
• I got a cheap RF remote for my camera, but I haven’t been able to do anything good with it. It’s a little hazy around here lately for star trails. It was only $20 on ebay, though. Let’s hear it for cut-rate Chinese knock-off electronics! I think my building manager thinks I’m a drug dealer, though, because I keep getting discreet packages from Hong Kong.