Fast Eddie Friday.......Hey Baby.....

Funny how we pick and choose who our hero of the week is. There is no shortage of people who believe the doofus that chased a guy through the streets of Kansas City is a hero. Or a villain, depending on who you ask. Of course I'm talking about the guy who has helped to widen the racial divide in KC, by chasing a guy he thought was the Waldo Rapist. He wasn't. I can't help but think that maybe if this clown had just stepped up, made an apology, said he was wrong, we could have put this baby to bed. As it stands, he has given credence to fears and allegations of racially charged shenanigans. People I've never heard of or seen in front of cameras when it comes to the ongoing war zone that is the east side, have latched on to this incident like pit bulls. Flames are being fanned. Let's hope things don't get out of hand. It's been decades since Kansas City has seen a riot, but the longer this Waldo Rapist soup pot boils, the better the chance it will spill over. Frankly, the media hype, the overzealous reactions of people on the web, people calling for the Rapists head, and activists calling for the chaser to be charged, the long running racial divide in this city, all make for the perfect storm. If this shit keeps up into the summer, the end result won't be good.


With the media being so preoccupied in milking the waldo story, they didn't give much time to what I believe is the best bit of news to come out of this city in a while. Royce Monroe and his wife were driving around 9th and Woodland early Thursday morning, a little before 1 AM, when they saw a toddler in a gray hoodie being led by a small dog. Monroe pulled over, his wife draped her coat over the child, they called the police and waited for them to arrive. Three year old kids wandering the streets of the city are thankfully not a common occurrence, but you have to wonder how many people might have just kept on driving, either not noticing the little guy and his dog, or worse, not really giving a rats ass.


In a world that has no shortage of bad guys, doing bad shit, to innocent people, it's easy to become jaded, to wallow in pessimism, to believe that people have taken a turn for the worse. You have to ask yourself, how fucked up are our priorities when we give round the clock incessant coverage to news that shocks the senses, yet we see only a 30 second spot over a child being rescued from a city street, in the dark of night. So consider this a break from the norm. Let's give a little credit and Props to a couple of people who cared enough to stop and help. No ulterior motive, no personal gain, hidden agenda free. They just did the right thing, because it was the right thing. Royce and his wife are heroes in my mind. It almost gives me hope that this city isn't just one piece of bad news after another.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.

The mother hasn't been charged with anything, and she called the police looking for the little guy after her other kids noticed their dog on the news. I won't beat her up too bad, as I'm still in caught up in the whole Good Samaritan thing. That said, this isn't the first time a baby has been found wandering the streets of Kansas City. What was it, last summer? A child was found wandering around Linwood and Troost. There have been others, though I can't recall the specifics. Not for nothin, but if your 3 or 4 year old can walk freely out of your house in the middle of the night, you might want to re think your parenting skills. Tragic, unspeakable things happen to our most vulnerable, our young. That's no big secret. So parents, you know who you are, here is my PSA of the week.
Make sure it's as hard for your baby to get out of the house as it is for someone to get in.

Since this incident turned out okay, and to lighten the heavy gloomy mood that has covered this city in recent weeks, I leave you with the rare video posted on this blog. Not suitable for work, church, or the easily offended.

Have a safe weekend.