A nice crowd watched a football game on one of Birminghams finer institutes of learning tonight. I left at halftime to go to my car to transmit the pictures. Leaving the stadium I walked right into the middle of a large pushing and shoving match by about 30 people. A couple of police officers were there screaming for backup. Other cops were running to the scene so I escaped to the shadows and made my way to the car. While working on my pictures and listening to the police scanner I heard cops breaking up numerous fights. I decided it was time to get some gone. As I was leaving the parking lot I heard the police say they were approaching a group of five combatants that was possibly armed heading back to the stadium. Of course the five citizens were right in front of my car. Cops drove in from three directions and two of the gentlemen took off running. One used my car for a pick and left a cop in his wake. He had better moves than any running back in the game. Now seeing my closest escape route through the forward edge of battle was blocked, I was forced to drive through the heart of the occupied territory. There were as many people standing beside and in the street as there were in the stadium. The road was blocked by young scholars. One diva wannabe disrespected another diva right in front of my car so she slapped her so hard she fell to the ground. Then the crowd got angry. I decided it was time to use the most important equipment for all urban news photographers - the reverse gear. It is amazing how fast people will get out of the road when there is a Honda Accord approaching them at 30 mph backwards. I made a reverse Joie Chitwood backward turn down a side street to get out of the way of the approaching horde of blue lights. Finally after three blocks I was able to start driving forward. I got stopped at a red light a few blocks away which gave my smoking transmission a chance to cool off. Unfortunately police reinforcements were approaching at high speed. At such a high speed that one blew the turn and was sliding towards my stopped car sideways. I rolled towards the passenger seat because I knew this was going to hurt. Somehow, and I dont know how because my eyes were shut, he missed me by about a half an inch. Thinking I was safe, I see his buddy do the same thing. He was good. He missed me by a full inch. I decided the red light was now optional and never touched my brakes again on the 40-mile run to the free world. Never a dull moment in the Tragic City. Im now sitting in my home bunker watching the live feed from Ferguson, Mo. I see all of those news photographers wearing helmets and body armor - wimps. Get a Honda Accord with a ramming bars. A few years ago I probably would have jumped out with a camera and gotten into the action. But tonight I was in sports mode and am definitely too old to be doing that stuff. Might be time to see who has the retirement forms.
Posted on: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 04:06:12 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015