New Orleans is a dangerous place--one of the most dangerous places in America. A lot of violent crimes occur, but mostly those crimes are in select areas, areas that are easy to avoid. They are usually related to gangs or drug deals--also easy to avoid.
When I moved down here I was told to stay away from gangs, drugs, and bad neighborhoods and that I would be fine. I was also told never to travel by myself, especially through bad neighborhoods. Most of the time this is impossible to avoid. I go to and from work by myself on public transportation. One of my offices is in Central City, a not-so-nice area of New Orleans. Luckily, when I walk through these neighborhoods, the safety of sunlight accompanies me.
I was warned before I came down here by a co-worker that no matter the neighborhood, there was a high chance that I would get mugged. She said she wasn't trying to scare me, she was just trying to tell me the reality of New Orleans. She said she was mugged once in her own driveway, in a really nice part of town. Naturally, I was terrified, but so far I have been blessed. I have not been mugged nor have I been involved in any sort of crime, knock on wood. I've had a few encounters that have made me uncomfortable, but nothing to phone home about. In fact, when I did phone home about one of them, my dad immediately sent me pepper spray.
I've been living in a bubble. I keep thinking nothing is going to happen to me, I'm just an Americorps VISTA doing my time, serving America, helping New Orleans. However, my outlook has done a drastic 180 since I heard the news about what happened Monday night. A fellow Americorps NCCC member was gunned down and killed.
Joseph Massenburg, 18, just moved here on March 14 from Illinois to complete his service with Green Light New Orleans, an incredible nonprofit here that works to install energy-efficient lighting in low-income housing. He had recently graduated high school.
I remember my first month here. I was still learning my way around--in fact I was still getting lost every day. I was so excited to be here, to do my service, to learn about my agency, to make new friends, to experience the night life, to wander around, etc. It felt surreal--New Orleans is so different from New Jersey and Virginia. I was in the stages of soaking it all in, in fact I'm still in those stages.
Joseph hadn't even been here a month before he was gunned down for reasons unknown. He was a frequent volunteer back home, a very religious man, and so committed to serving that he moved here at the age of 18 to do so. Joseph hadn't been mixed up with the wrong crowds, hadn't been mixed up with drugs, and hadn't been walking in a terrible neighborhood. Granted, he was walking at 11:00 p.m. at night by himself, but I too have been guilty of that a few times.
Coming from a small town in the Midwest, Joseph probably felt invincible like I do sometimes. Crime wouldn't bother you if you didn't bother it--or something like that. Keep your nose out of other peoples' business and they won't bother you, right? I wish. The reality is that if someone wants to kill someone, and you're walking down the street by yourself, you're going to get killed, whether there was a motive or not. A lot of times in gang initiations, the motive is simply being initiated into a gang. You have no control over that. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The really wrong place, at the really wrong time.
My sincere condolences go out to Joseph's family. I can't even imagine, and I know when my parents read this post it will probably hit home for them. My parents remember when I moved down here, and I'm sure their biggest fear was what happened to Joseph. But don't worry, I'm home before 6:00 every night guys, as mom saw during her visit.
This was supposed to be one of the most rewarding, if not the most rewarding, years of Joseph's life. Instead, his life was taken away. As an Americorps member, I feel like we all have some sort of connection. We can all relate to one another--we're all a part of this little Americorps service family. Although I never had the pleasure of meeting Joseph, it pains me to have lost a brother. Rest in peace, I hope God welcomes you with open arms, as I'm sure he did.
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