This evening the tweaked-out next door neighbors decided to build a bonfire. A big one. After 2 hours or so of ripping something lumber related (I’m not sure what – pallets maybe due to the earlier pounding and splintering noises) on a table saw with a dull blade and no safety guard I was getting a bit irritated.
I finally went out onto my patio (10ft. from the fence and the saw just on the other side) I saw a young (very young) woman was playing with the table saw - pushing 5 foot 1x2s into the open blade from about 2 feet from the blade, almost swinging the stick at the blade like a batter at the plate and laughing as chunks of wood went flying. What could go wrong, right? Having taken (and taught) HS woodshop I knew this was probably a dangerous practice.
After she stopped for a while (I didn’t want to distract what limited concentration she had) I called one of her male companions who I was familiar with (son of lady next door, he has a meth problem) over and said that I was concerned how she was “using” the saw, that it might not be safe. The young woman yelled that I had no right to tell her what to do and why was I spying on her, who was I to tell her what to do and on and on. Her companion knew I had no intention of causing trouble and told me, “OK he would take care of it. “ I went back inside, turned out the lights and listened.
Then I heard the young woman demanding they “Take care of him! He disrespected me! He sexually harassed me (presumably for suggesting that she might not be using a table saw properly or something)! Who are you? Are you going to let him get away with this, you coward?” This went on for about another hour but thankfully, the situation defused itself after she wound down.
The fire rose to about 8 ft. - Strictly prohibited in this dense residential neighborhood. I saw their hunched figures slouched around the blaze and I thought. “This is what America burning looks like.”
