I am driving east on Calder today and stopped for the light at Lucas. I engaged my signal for a right turn, ready to make a right on red. This, Yuppie, for lack of a better description, stopped in the southbound lane on Lucas. He made about a half turn into the westbound lane on Lucas, adjacent to me, then straightened up and drove south, passing in front of me. Doesn’t sound too bad, right?
The driver — in an SUV — didn’t signal when he was about to turn left. I mouthed some words like “WTF” with a look of puzzlement on my face because he narrowly missed hitting my work car. The guy couldn’t have heard me, of course, since our windows were up. More importantly, he couldn’t hear me because HE WAS TALKING ON HIS FREAKING CELL PHONE!
Adding insult with no physical injury, the guy FLIPPED ME OFF!
Talk about your gall. There it was. As the departed Richard Pryor might have said: “All unmitigated and s**t.”
Think about this.
The guy was talking on his cell phone and shoots me the finger with the hand that was on the steering wheel. How is that for driver agility?
I didn’t do anything wrong except staying put as one obeying traffic laws might do.
It isn’t like I flipped him off. I just kept my comments to myself.
Yet, Mr. Big Shot unleashes his anger toward me.
It leaves me stunned, astonished, dumbfounded, dumbstruck, flabbergasted, stupefied and so forth.
A man was shot and killed by police here in Beaumont (Texas) this morning after what appears to be some form of “suicide by cop.” Lee Adam Dixon, 37, of Beaumont, was shot multiple times by police after he began firing at officers following a standoff, according to a Beaumont Police Department press release.
Officers responded to a call of a “suspicious person” shortly before 8 a.m. in the 1500 block of Elgie Street in the South Park section of Beaumont. Dixon was sitting, dressed in all black, at the end of a cul-de-sac with his hands in the pocket of a heavy jacket. The temperature this morning was in the 50s. It certainly wasn’t cold enough for a heavy jacket.
Beaumont police shot and killed Lee Adam Dixon, 37, after a stand-off in which he said "I'm going to die today!"
“He was asked to remove his hands from his pocket but he refused to comply, said the release, posted by Beaumont PD Sgt. Rob Flores. “Because of the subject’s failure to comply with the officer’s instructions, they feared that he was armed. They continued to tell him to remove his hands from his pocket but he refused. The man then stood up and began to walk away.
“As Officers followed, the man pulled a revolver from his pocket. Officers attempted to contain the subject who continued to walk away as he was heard saying, “I’m going to die today!” Officers followed the subject who continued to walk away with the gun now back in his pocket. The man walked two blocks west and north of his original location and ended up in front of a residence located in the 1700 block of Harriot Street. Officers were able to contain the man at that location and Crisis Negotiators were on scene to attempt to persuade him to surrender peacefully.”
Unfortunately, that peaceful ending didn’t happen. Negotiators talked to Dixon over a patrol car loudspeaker, but the man only mumbled unintelligibly, said police. At one point Dixon got down on his hands and knees and began walking back and forth on them in the yard, his hands remaining in his pockets. Dixon then pulled the gun from his pocket and began shooting multiple rounds at the officer. That is when police officers fatally shot Dixon.
“The officers, fearing for their lives as well as the lives of innocent neighbors in adjoining houses, had no alternative but to return fire,” said the statement posted by Flores.
After the scene was deemed safe, paramedics began treating Dixon at the scene although he was pronounced dead on arrival at Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital emergency room.
It is hard to know all the specifics from the press release, as well-written and informative as it was. For instance, was there any opportunity for the officers to use non-lethal force such as Tasers? It must be a very difficult call to make, however. Once someone aims and begins shooting at the police things are pretty much over. You might realize the guy has a revolver and has only so many rounds in the gun. But then does he have a speed-loader or an automatic or even a hand grenade in the other pocket?
Once again, this is the kind of incident most of us don’t think much of if it happens in the really large cities. But, thankfully, it doesn’t happen all that often in this city of about 115,000.
Right now we seem to have a couple of armed robberies — both of businesses and individuals — every day. It’s just life in the big city, right? Yeah, in the big city, not here.
Yes, I will bitch about things the police do when they are wrong. But I have to give them the benefit of the doubt here. I have covered incidents such as this as a reporter. Fortunately, each time the cops used extreme restraint just as they appeared to do here. But sometimes there is nothing someone can do when an individual wants to die.
Today I ended up doing squat. That kind of made me feel bad since I had intended to do more than squat. I even thought about going to the beach but I was concerned about smoke.
A massive – or so I was led to believe — wildfire had been burning in the area of the McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge. The beach I go to is McFaddin Beach, a part of this U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service area. I stuck my head out the door last night to check the temperature and I detected the rich, though not totally unpleasant, odor of smoke from burnt organic material. How do I know all that? Well, for one thing I grew up in the Pineywoods of East Texas where one could tell the smell of lingering woods fires from all else. Secondly, I’ve now lived here in Beaumont, about 45 miles from the uppermost Texas Coast, for awhile now and likewise recognize the distinct smell of burning coastal prairie.
This morning I woke up to a story that had gone, well, worldwide from what I’ve seen. A more than massive car pileup occurred near Port Arthur that was purportedly caused by a mixture of smoke and fog. The mess involved between 50 and 200 cars. That particular area is probably 20 miles South of where I live and about an equal distance from near where the marsh fire has been burning. It was pretty much a mess with 54 people injured, four critically. Helicopters, ambulances and buses took the injured to, I suppose, all the area hospitals.
I was kind of confused this afternoon when I read an article on the AP wire, quoting our county’s emergency management director saying the large marsh fire which I had heard so much about, was now out. I sent the EM coordinator an e-mail, asking how long these fires continue to smolder, because I took it that the smoke involved in the pileup was from the large fire I had been reading about. So far, I’ve not heard from him. I would be surprised if he does write me back.
A spark from welding was what was said to have caused the marsh fire which burned, according to at least one story, 10 acres. I think I’ve seen other stories indicating more acreage than that have been charred. But sometimes the fires on the wildlife refuge in Southeast Texas and as well in the federal area across Sabine Lake in Cameron Parish, La., are set in so-called “prescribed burns.” This is how it works, the US F&WS says:
“Burning, if done at the right time of the year, will reduce the amount of dead marsh hay present and allow other species to grow. If fire is suppressed, several years of dense marsh vegetation will shade the surface, preventing other seeds from germinating or surviving. A productive burn removes vegetation that is just above ground and is usually conducted while there is still some surface water. Water acts as a barrier for the soil, preventing it from getting “cooked” while removing the vegetation. After a fire, most vegetation sprouts from the roots and the marsh is quickly covered with new growth. In addition, many other species of plants will sprout from seed as the sunlight warms the soil. “
Okay, well we’re getting out past the oil platforms. I talked to a nice lady at Sea Rim State Park, next door to McFaddin Beach, this afternoon and they reported no smoke at all. As a matter, she didn’t even see any fog coming to work this morning. However, she said perhaps several other marsh fires had also been burning in addition to the larger one.
I suppose that is the spotty nature of coastal weather and marsh fires. If I get my butt in gear and try to actually do something, such as go to the beach, I will make sure the fog is sufficiently “burned off” (no pun intended — at all.)
My friend, Paul, called via Skype from Tokyo last night. I had just finished dinner and he was eating breakfast. Sometimes I think Paul keeps up more with what is happening here in the U.S. than I do. That said, he raised an interesting concept that I will try to write about, perhaps, when I am off work Friday or Saturday.
Paul said it is difficult to tell what is real and what is not in our stateside political world these days. He was mostly speaking, of course, of the race for the Republican presidential nomination. I agree and only have to point at Herman Cain’s ill-fated candidacy. Cain said his farewell address was from the “Pokeman” movie but it actually was from a song from the hot stuff disco lady Donna Summer who wrote the song for “Pokeman.” Too weird. Paul has called for some comments on his concept on his Facebook page. I will wait and see what kind of comments he gets to add these into the mix.
20 questions
A former co-worker with whom I keep up through Facebook has asked some strange “20 Questions” of her friends. Most are really interesting, thought-provoking questions such as what religion do you find interesting besides your own or if you have none and another, which tech innovation that has become mainstream do you most like. I put Catholicism for the first. I find it fascinating for many reasons. As for the latter, I wrote the PC with the cell phone camera No. 2. I added that I remember my family’s first TV.
A Who-Done-It Needs Solving
I live in a city of about 115,000 people and metro area of nearly 380,000. Although we are only 80 miles from Houston, I still live in a relatively small city. When a murder takes place in a city of Houston’s size, it being the nation’s fourth-largest city, it usually doesn’t make the front page of the Houston Chronicle unless it is a very out-of-the-ordinary type killing. It’s a little different here in Beaumont, for the most part and especially so when the case when it is something more than a domestic or a fight that got out of hand (cops sometime refer to these derogatorily as “misdemeanor murders.) I think I can also say a murder that stands out here as well is a who-done-it in which the victim is a white person, especially an elderly white woman. Is that racist? I don’t know, but such a murder generates a lot of interest if only because blacks make up a majority in this city.
One story that has received “front-page,” a.k.a. prominent media play, is the homicide of 72-year-old Robbie Rae Allen, who was found dead Dec. 16 in her West Beaumont apartment in the 6700 block of Prutzman Road. Relatives and neighbors described her as outgoing and even sort of the spunky type. She did have meals brought to her and received home health care. It has only been revealed recently that she was smothered to death.
Police have just released a video from a Fast Lane convenience store at Major Drive and Phelan Boulevard in West Beaumont — slightly more than a mile from Allen’s apartment. The video was taken about 48 hours before Allen was discovered dead and shows a woman wearing a red coat and blue jeans and a white hat who used the victim’s credit card. I initially thought this might be the victim herself but it is an unknown black woman.
All murders, for the most part, need solving but especially so this type of homicide. This type of killing is a source of dysfunction for a community. Sure, this thing happens all the time but thankfully not here. I have mentioned before that I don’t think a majority of our area’s news media is particularly adept at “investigating.” There are various reasons for this that I won’t get into. I only say that because, often, we don’t know a lot and some of what we do not know, just maybe, we should. Some police, in my experience and I do have some experience as a police reporter, sometimes feel as if information they glean is theirs and the public has no business knowing anything whatsoever. This is especially true when a murder is involved. That isn’t to say police shouldn’t keep some investigative information close to the (bulletproof) vest. I’m just saying, more details may often be told and it can even be in the interest of the cops to release it.
I do give props to Beaumont police since new Chief Jimmy Singletary has taken charge in the area of public information. They seem to be making a good effort to help both the public and their agency with respect to crime information.
Now I hope cops and citizens can do their thing to help solve this crime. It sure as hell needs solving.
The title of The Atlantic’s Top 10 piece “The Geography of the Year in Music” sounded like a good idea at the time. I envisioned, perhaps, a top 10 of cities mentioned in popular music for the year or something of the sort. Instead, it was kind of, how can I say this, boring as hell. Essentially, the piece uses information which a doctoral student in urban planning gathered through a database of hit songs or hit-making acts per city. The result was how many singles were produced per 100,000 for a specific city. Just trying to explain it here has already taken more out of me than was intended.
Look, I know the writer wants to write a piece and the doctoral student in urban planning wants to play with data. I am sure a large number of people will read the article because The Atlantic is bordering on the kitten’s PJs as far as I am concerned. I just found the article left me feeling as if I was in the Recovery Room after major surgery.
But I feel as if I too can write an article that combines what are, to me, the interesting topics of geography and music. Furthermore, I believe that I can bore the hell out of you as well if you are so disposed. Otherwise you might find some redeeming quality or, God forbid, learn something in my little Internet list, which examines:
The Top 5 East Texas Towns in Song
There is no hocus-pocus-focus with statistics here. Believe me, I work with stats part-time and sometimes even that is too much. These towns are picked as favorites of mine and mine alone because of the song, the town or the combination thereof. Purists might argue the tie for No. 5 are not really East Texas and perhaps they aren’t in soul. I say: “Get a map.”
1. “Rock and Roll Doctor” — Sung by the late, great Lowell George with Little Feat. “It’s just a country town but patients come/from Mobile to Moline from all around/Nacogdoches to New Orleans/in beat-up old cars or in limousines/To meet the doctor of soul, he’s got everything.”
2. “She’s Crazy For Leaving” — The No. 1 country single for Houston native and great songwriter Rodney Crowell. Crowell attended my alma mater, Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches. “So I punched out my truck on a telephone pole/No she never looked back she just said “go driver go.” Well I know I could a caught her/But I ran out of luck/She was long gone to Lufkinby the time they cut me out of my truck.”
3. “Stars on the Water” — Another, older Rodney Crowell tune. “Beaumont to Biloxi/Sea breeze at your door/Gypsy rains, dang hurricanes/White silver sandy shore/Blue Light lounge is shinin’/Way out on the view.”
4. “Teneha, Timpson, Bobo and Blair” — A real oldie by East Texas singing cowboy Tex Ritter. The song refers to communities in Shelby County, to which I know I have been to the first two. Perhaps it was an Army cadence call and for sure something called out in a crap game, Tex explains all in his song.
5. (Tie) “Midnight Special”— A traditional folk song made famous by blues legend Huddie Ledbetter a.k.a. Leadbelly. My favorite version is, of course, by Creedence Clearwater Revival on their “Willie and the Poor Boys” LP recorded in 1969. “If you’re ever in Houston/Boy you better do right/You better not gamble/And you better not fight/Cause the sheriff will grab you/And the boys will bring you down/The next thing you know boy, you’ll be prison bound.” I don’t know if those are the exact words. It’s one of those songs meant to be sung in the way you feel. ‘Cept you best sing Houston. Leadbelly’s words likely doesn’t portray the image that the Houston visitors bureau would like you to visualize. Still, Huddie Ledbetter’s words about Houston law enforcement remains fairly accurate.
