The Latest in the Unfolding Saga
Subtitled: Movie Rights for Sale. Inquire Within.
Yesterday’s sonic booms–that from south Tacoma sounded like (and shook the house like) explosions-brought everyone who was home at the time out into the neighborhood. Including the guy, who decided to come across the street to chat, or in his words, “confront” us.
He denied that he’s selling drugs, but admitted to using. He said the visit from the Community Liaison Officer has been stressing him out and creating drama that he doesn’t need…yet he admitted that he understood how the things we’ve seen could be interpreted the way they have been, but that with teenage kids in the house, people are always dropping by, even for just a couple of minutes. He talked about his past and some trouble he got into when he was 17, but that he’d grown up, learned from his mistakes, and that he’d paid his debt to society. He said he wouldn’t be selling dope because he wouldn’t risk losing custody of his daughter. He said he was in Idaho fishing when the attack on the van took place, so he has no knowledge of it or of who the two people from his house were that were in the backyard area when the attack took place. There were even tears, which he made a point (one too many times) of pointing out how big of a man it takes to do in front of two strangers. Told him I appreciated him coming over, but that we’re still going to be watching…and that we are not the only ones doing so, and told him about the neighborhood groups on our side of the street and his.
My heart wants to believe him. But as I’ve thought about it since, I am resolute in what I have seen. Here’s what I believe to be the whole truth, but I would be ecstatic to be wrong: He was selling…or perhaps his definition of selling isn’t ours, but he was exchanging dope for cash. The Thursday before the attack on the van there was a particular event that disturbed me enough that I emailed the CLO directly from my phone. It was a sell where a vehicle pulled up to the house, the guy came out of the house, but rather than greeting the guest, went around to the driver’s side of his car, did a dead stare at me (I was on the porch holding Maddie who’d fallen asleep from one of our backpacking walks), then opened the door, grabbed something from the center console or near it, and then went to greet the person, who by that time had gotten out of the vehicle. They met at the front of the other vehicle, which also happened to be right where the tree on our property blocked the view. However….the lower branches split right at the area where the hand exchange took place, so I saw it.
This particular episode is important because of the timing (late afternoon on the Thursday before the van got smashed) but also because he specifically saw me, and saw that I was watching. I think he then arranged for the attack, and if he truly was out of town, made that happen so that he had a solid alibi. The attack was to intimidate and silence us. But when the CLO came to have a talk with him a few days after that, he realized that things were far more advanced than he thought. I think he was scared for all the reason he told us, and I do believe he wants the drama to end. But I think his talk yesterday was a cover.
Subtitled: Movie Rights for Sale. Inquire Within. Yesterday’s sonic booms–that from south Tacoma sounded like (and shook the house like) explosions-brought everyone who was home at the time out into the neighborhood. Including the guy, who decided to come across the street to chat, or in his words, “confront” us. He denied that he’s selling…