The Chess Chronicles 04/03/14 pt 1: Today I performed on the street as a part of the Flux McTell project. It was a blast! Afterwards I figured Id head down to Woodruff Park and get a few games of chess in with that insane cast of characters that pepper the park no matter the season. Upon entering the park I could feel that the energy was high, it was palpable. The whole park felt charged, felt electric. Today was one of the more pleasant days in recent Atlanta history, as the ATL weather slowed its vacillation between hot and cold and began to settle into all that is spring in the south. Hair was being braided in the park, pollen was aggravating allergies, cigarettes were being bought, sold and smoked, the older men talked about the relative nakedness of the younger GA State students that cut through the park on their way to class and the older women talked about how the older men aint $#!t for looking at the relatively naked younger GA State students that cut through the park on their way to class. Gold teeth seemed to shine even brighter as the sun played off of wide mouthed grins and gap toothed smiles. Some teeth present during the winter had proven missing by spring, the cause unknown and undiscussed. The music from passing cars bounced off of the phalanx of buildings surrounding the park, reverberating back aggressive and amplified along the warm currents of the new spring breeze. Laughter comes easy on a day like today in the park... and so does violence. There was a gentleman in the chess park, shouting at the top of his lungs and waving a metal pipe wildly about while ranting and raving about only God knows what. The prevailing ethos of the park is and I quote “Them muthaf#$kahs just want attention. Ignore that crazy $#!t and theyll stop!” True to that train of thought no one paid him any attention and in time he stopped ranting, stopped waving the metal metal pipe around and walked quietly away. Just as the gentleman wielding the pipe was leaving the park three young men in a Camaro were stopped at the light at the corner of Edgewood and Pryor. Inexplicably the pipe wielding gentleman ran into the street and smashed the windshield of the Camaro with the pipe! Everyone was stunned by the suddenness and unprovoked nature of the action. The awe was amplified when the driver of the Camero, a thin, young, heavily tattooed, sagging pants, white wife beater and oversized Braves cap wearing man emerged from the car holding a pistol. Someone yelled “Gun!” and people on both sides of the street scrambled for cover. The pipe wielding gentleman threw the pipe at the gun toting young man, he missed but did manage to yet again strike the car. The other two occupants of the car then emerged, their look and attire mirroring the driver. The former pipe wielding gentleman began running away with the other three close on his heels. The young man with the gun quickly came to the conclusion that he couldnt be downtown at five points, just off of Peachtree, running through the streets with a pistol. He ran back, jumped in the car and took off. What happened when the other two men ran down the street in pursuit of the former lead pipe wielder is unknown to me. Soon after attempting to speed away the driver/gun wielder was pulled over. The police questioned him and seemed ready to let him go when a gentleman (lets call him Sam) that plays chess in the park shouted “Hes got a gun! Hes got that thang on him officer!” The other guys (many former felons) in the park instantly told him to “Shut the f#$k up!” The officers asked the young man if he had a gun, to which is said “Yeah I got a gun, and its mine and its registered!” The police officers took him with them. Many in the park felt that the youngsters anger was justified, that theyd have probably done the same. Others said he went too far in pulling out the pistol. A debate instantly began to rage in the park about whether one should get involved or stay out of it; about whether one should aid in the possible incarceration of another black man or not lend words that could see someones son, brother, nephew, etc behind bars. Where do you land on the issue?
Posted on: Thu, 03 Apr 2014 22:51:11 +0000
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