JAMES LILEKS: “Absolute evil. I got a text from sister-in-law: ‘Mass shooting at Annunciation.’ It’s the church and school on 54th, across the creek from our place, a mere block away from her house. I went outside and heard every siren in the world converging on our neighborhood:”
At 11 I took Birch for a walk. We crossed the creek and headed up to the area. Everyone walking along has headphones on and everyone is looking down. Get to Nicollet; pass the fire station. Doors open, trucks back in. Nod to the fireman. He nods back. Unspoken communal acknowledgement. Turn on 54th, heading towards the church, run into a neighbor on this bike. Nothing to say but we say it all anyway. I turn to head back, and meet another neighbor, and we go through the same ritual. How’d you hear? He’d heard the shots, then went to Nextdoor, where there was a report on the gunshots a literal minute after he’d heard it. We nod and go our different ways. I turn south to see if I can get to sister-in-law’s house, but halfway up the block, half a block from the scene, Birch stops. Digs in. Tenses. Won’t advance. Will not go another inch.
Agreed, Birch. Back we go.
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