Sunday night in our creaky old house on West Bijou Street began calmly and hopefully, as do most Sunday evenings. The incessant rain had finally stopped, Monday’s weather was forecast to be sunny and mild, and our three young dogs were behaving reasonably well.
We sat at the dinner table, opened a bottle of wine and enjoyed a light repast. The wine was fabulous (Karen had won it at an event), and the next week seemed promising.
We were about to call it an evening when multiple vehicles with flashing red lights queued up on 21st Street. What was going on? With many of our neighbors, we walked out to see what was going on.
Was it a fire? A horrific accident?
It seemed to be a structure fire, and things quieted down for a little while, but then everything went crazy. Fire engines, cops and then three enormous explosions, apparently very close to our house.
And then a text at 10:49: “This is the Colorado Springs Police Department with an emergency message. There is police activity related to a wanted person search in the vicinity of 2000 W. Bijou St.
“You are asked to stay indoors; please lock and stay out of the immediate area until further notice. CSPD will send an all clear message when appropriate.”
Before that, our across-the-street neighbor Susan had asked a fireman what was going on.
“There’s a guy out there who has a gun,” he replied. “Lock the door and stay away from the windows.”
Shortly afterward, the “shelter in place” mandate was lifted.
Then everything went crazy.
Susan had been watching, though.
“I saw the drone going past our houses,” she said. “It was cool — lots of lights!”
The drone had quickly located the alleged arsonist, who was hiding in the backyard of a house a block from ours. Shortly afterwards, another text: “The shelter in place near 2000 W. Bijou St. has been lifted.”
Early the next morning, Susan walked across the street to see whether she could help our neighbor on Kiowa. His two cars, parked under a wooden canopy, had been torched by the arsonist. The booms came from explosions in the engine compartments.
Susan wasn’t alone — half a dozen neighbors were also there to help. The homeowner was thankful that his house had not caught fire.
“Thank God!” he said. “Just moved here a few months ago — so nice of everybody to come offer to help.”
The next morning, there were plenty of takeaways. Among them:
● Only two officers are assigned to the Westside and OCC. Did understaffing contribute to this? Do we have enough cops?
● Homelessness is epidemic in our neighborhood, so residents are used to seeing marginal characters walking the streets at night. They may be porch thieves, but not arsonists/murderers. Being homeless is not a crime, but a situation.
● Does this puncture our long-held belief that “the Westside is the best side?” Maybe so — is life in suburbia suddenly more attractive? Or do the dozens of helpful neighbors tell us that there will always be a helping hand when we most need it?
Dunno, but I’m staying right here until I can’t get up the stairs.
So let’s move on with our lives, help our neighbors and expect nothing from our elected officials.
