The world is a scary place.

I got to work the other morning to find news media all over the neighborhood where the transportation dept. is located. There had been an armed robbery at the little convenient store just around the block from the bus garage. All of us bus drivers watched the news on the TV in our lounge and found out no one had been hurt, but it still was scary.

This morning, it was almost the same scenario. News media swarmed the neighborhood again and we were all glued to the TV.

Last night, after an informant told police who was behind all the armed robberies happening in the neighborhood, the police were trying to serve a warrant on the guys who did it. The police officer, Tom Peterson, got shot. Officer Tom used to be the police liaison at our junior high and everyone loves him. He's been upgraded from critical to stable condition, last we heard. Thank God he was wearing a bullet proof vest and they say that's what saved his life. His name had not been released yet, but so many of us knew him when he worked at the schools and a few of our drivers were personal friends of his, so we knew.

The young man who shot Officer Tom and who was supposedly the master-mind behind a lot of armed robberies was shot and killed by the police. The young man was 21 years old and had almost 50 priors. There have been other shootings in our area lately too. Young men are dying and for no good reason. Why don't they see this? They say to be a young black man has the biggest risk factor of any other age or race in the US. I believe it. Young black men are being killed off in great numbers, either by gangs, or by police due to crimes they have committed. It's sad that they live their lives in such a way to be in such peril. I pray for their moms and dads and for their children. And I pray for our policemen who are doing a tough job. More tough than any of us will ever know.

I hate seeing police tape on my bus route.