Stabbed....
It is quiet now. The swings hang empty. The park empty. Only a dark stain on the ground stands as a testimony of what happened in the park opposite this morning. There is no shouting. No screaming. No violence.
As I worked on our PC my attention was caught. Young women screaming. Men shouting. I glance and two gangs of youths are standing off. Taunting. One group leaves. Swaggering, their business done. It is not finished, the screams get worse. The activity gets frantic. I don’t notice at first but then I do. Someone is down. Motionless.
I run down the stairs four five at a time. Stumble out of the door onto the street. I run breathless from fear of the worse to the railings of the park. "Is he ok?" I’m met with a barrage of emotion. "Has he been stabbed?" I get a response. I run back into the house and grab some towels and the phone. Back in the street a crowd is developing. I jump the railings and start applying pressure to the wound on his head. I get his mates to continue while I call the police and ambulance. As we wait I look at the anger on these young men’s faces. I look at them and offer some words of wisdom "guys you know violence will only breed violence…?" Revenge is written all over their faces.
The wound on his head is nasty but he’ll be ok. He is in shock and so we wrap him up. I look at my hands … blood. The girls are covered too. The ambulance arrives and take him away. "Do you girls want to clean up?" The four of them come back and wash their hands, their coats. The fear among them was tangible as they incessantly sniff.
Fifteen minutes it is all over. It is quiet now. The swings hang empty. The park empty. Only a dark stain on the floor stands as a testimony of what happened in the park opposite this morning. There is no shouting now. No screaming. No violence.
This community needs to see grace in action, not quick fix, self absorbed hit and run mission weeks. I pray we do our bit.
As I worked on our PC my attention was caught. Young women screaming. Men shouting. I glance and two gangs of youths are standing off. Taunting. One group leaves. Swaggering, their business done. It is not finished, the screams get worse. The activity gets frantic. I don’t notice at first but then I do. Someone is down. Motionless.
I run down the stairs four five at a time. Stumble out of the door onto the street. I run breathless from fear of the worse to the railings of the park. "Is he ok?" I’m met with a barrage of emotion. "Has he been stabbed?" I get a response. I run back into the house and grab some towels and the phone. Back in the street a crowd is developing. I jump the railings and start applying pressure to the wound on his head. I get his mates to continue while I call the police and ambulance. As we wait I look at the anger on these young men’s faces. I look at them and offer some words of wisdom "guys you know violence will only breed violence…?" Revenge is written all over their faces.
The wound on his head is nasty but he’ll be ok. He is in shock and so we wrap him up. I look at my hands … blood. The girls are covered too. The ambulance arrives and take him away. "Do you girls want to clean up?" The four of them come back and wash their hands, their coats. The fear among them was tangible as they incessantly sniff.
Fifteen minutes it is all over. It is quiet now. The swings hang empty. The park empty. Only a dark stain on the floor stands as a testimony of what happened in the park opposite this morning. There is no shouting now. No screaming. No violence.
This community needs to see grace in action, not quick fix, self absorbed hit and run mission weeks. I pray we do our bit.
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