Tricked

This is what's left of two of the skulls stolen from our house decorations. I found it 4 blocks away while walking the dogs.


This year's Trick-Or-Treat put a sour taste in my mouth and probably permanently altered how I feel about the holiday, at least in our new neighborhood. I understand Oakland is grittier, and the neighborhood is gentrifying, and, I even kind of expected it... but I was HOPING people could show me my assumptions would be wrong.

For a while things were looking good, we had our decorations up almost all month. Then we came home one night and discovered our really nice plastic skull was gone. Someone had to walk up 2 flights of stairs and come onto our porch to take it. That hurt. Then Halloween Eve our second skull, the foam one, went missing and someone tried to kick in our graves. Hopefully their foot met the bricks under the dirt.

But that's not what bothers me the most. It was the caliber of trick-or-treaters we got. Hood rats and their mothers. I'd say over half just stood there and said "Give us candy." No "thank you," not even a "Trick-Or-Treat!" And their moms... carrying their own bags. Or "Don't forget the baby's bucket! Don't forget the baby!" Yeh, I'm sure that baby will be devouring that peanutbutter cup later.

So, at least in once respect, I'd say South City has something up on Oakland. The people were more trustworthy, courteous, and, shall I say, classier? You just can't take the ghetto out of the ghetto. And, parents, word of advice, your child's name is not "motherfucker."