It was a little past four in the morning when my brain yet again, started up unexpectedly, before the sun signaled it was a new day. In the darkened silence I could hear Rashid's infectious laugh and see his broad white smile bursting out in contrast to his dark brown skin. He was holding his calloused thumb and index finger only a few inches from his face as he told me in his strong West African accent, "Yes, Lieutenant, 90%. She is 90% perfect."
As much as I tried not to think of Rashid's smile or his family's little apartment in East San Diego, I could not evict him from my mind. I wondered why Rashid and his wife, Nasra, were in my thoughts on this particular night, when Theresa and I have been so incredibly busy this past week, trying to explain to people why our Community Hub (TM) concept is working.
It's funny. In a strange way, Rashid was an important part of my inspiration to build the
Community Hub. Though he and I are so different and from opposite sides of this enormous planet, we are the same in so many ways.
Rashid, like many of the people I served as a police officer, is an immigrant from a far away land. He grew up in war- torn Somalia. I still recall being a freshly-assigned Police Lieutenant at "Mid City" Division with San Diego Police Department.
At the time, Mid-City was a very violent land, where over 53 different languages were spoken. In fact, the first week I was assigned there we had both a triple and a double. And I am not referring to the number of round ice cream scoops placed snugly on top of a sugar cone. The double was at a taco shop and the triple was a few blocks away in a run-down apartment complex where rock cocaine was smoked, late into the night. Both the area morticians and our homicide investigators had a very busy week.
While at "Mid City" I still recall SDPD Captain John Madigan passing on a complaint from Southland Corporation (parent company of 7-11), about elderly Somalian males loitering in a vacant lot next to the 7-11 on University Ave. Later in the day, I walked across that dusty, trash-strewn lot with the low brick wall that, like many walls in poor communities, just goes nowhere. It makes you wonder why it was ever built.
The Somolian elders looked at me with suspicion, but did not appear fearful as I approached. It was probably more a sense of curiosity wondering why I would get out of a perfectly fine police car, in full uniform and get my black shiny, tactical boots covered with the fine brown dust from the unpaved lot to speak with them. After all, none of them spoke a bit of English.
It was the first time I saw Rasheed's smile. It only took a few minutes to come to the conclusion that Rashid and his fellow Somalian immigrants were no different than you, me or anyone else. Humans have always demonstrated a primal need to gather, to share their dreams, aspirations and their fears.
At the core, that is what the Community Hub is all about. Supporting freedom of speech and a safe place for the community to meet. That is why a community hub can work anywhere the government will support people's rights to gather and speak freely without fear of reprisal.
When I walked back into Captain Madigan's office I explained the people gathering in the dirt lot were not doing anything wrong, and they have the right to peacefully gather. I also suggested we pass on to Southland Corporation officials that the men gathering were also drinking 7-11 coffee.
That was the end of that complaint as Captain Madigan smiled as he often did and said, "fair enough, where's lunch?"
As for the 90% that Rashid often talked about, it was in reference to a decision he had nothing to do with. In his culture, a man's father selects his son's wife. Rashid's dad selected Nasra to be his life long companion. Even in her presence, he would say she was 90% perfect. Nasra would get that same amazing and beautiful smile on her face as she cared for their three children.
As I walked down the stairs of their apartment to my patrol car I thought 90% perfect is pretty darn good. If only all relationships had that success rate, there would be a lot less police work to do...
Have a great week and thanks for all the feedback last week on my Mayor Filner article.
Click here if you missed it and want to read why he should resign today.
Ray and Theresa Shay
2013 - All Rights Reserved
