Fear and #Ferguson

Soooo it is the day after Black Friday, coming close to closing out a week joyously that we might all well just want to forget as we continue our hope that things “just get back to normal”.  We seem to hope that everyone just returns to their place, away from our place and stops complaining and protesting.  Al Sharpton can fly out to Philly where some poor rookie cop made a gruesome mistake and take the tourist protesters with him and we can get back to good old fashion St. Louis segregation (economic and racial) and be safe by empowering an underpaid group of primarily white males (whose lives are at risk every day) to profile and “broken windows” police the rest of us to peace and safety and bliss.

http://www.thenation.com/article/177842/its-time-end-broken-windows-policing

We are so afraid of the questions that have been raised…. again.  Forget about Michael Brown (with my apologies to the Brown family for their loss) and forget Officer Wilson (who whether he knows it or not will be haunted for the rest of his life).  Michael Brown is inevitable in our society.  Over and over again Michael Brown will continue to be gunned down.  Not every day.  Not every week, but certainly every month, year after year and the fact is that we as a society have decided we don't give a shit.  Let our underpaid police worry about it and take of it.  If they make a mistake we can crucify the poor cop and feel better about ourselves  and if they don’t make a mistake then killing people to keep us safe is just their job.

It is 2014 and the “wrong side of the tracks”, or highway still prevails in St. Louis and every adult who pays attention knows where the borderlines are.  We stay on our side of the tracks and the poor and the non assimilated stay on their side. If they kill each other or occasionally one of our policeman kills one of them… it is what Richard Nixon would have called “acceptable losses”.  We pay our police better on our side.  Our kids occasionally take their parents high powered automatic weapons and go on a killing spree. Then and only then our police need to shoot them down but otherwise God and only God can protect the officer that kills one of our fair and precious children.

We self identify as the most Christian nation on earth.  “In God We Trust” emblazoned on our money (think, just for a second how wrong that referencing God on our money should be for a Christian), the Ten Commandments chiseled into our courthouses, but we have totally rationalized the existence of an underclass that lives mired in cycles of poverty, violence and lack of education.  How can this be?  And don’t, PLEASE DON’T, for all that is Sacred quote Matthew 26:11 “The poor will always be with you.” as some kind of justification.  READ YOUR SCRIPTURE IN CONTEXT!  Christ was admonishing the law observes that since they had a brief opportunity to spend some time with their God incarnate, that perhaps they should take an opportunity to do so.

So we are afraid.  We say we are afraid of violence.  We say we are afraid of lawlessness.  We say we are afraid of REVOLUTION!  So we buy guns, we board up windows and we call out the National Guard.  We berate our politicians and leaders for not keeping us safe.  We cancel parades.  We don’t go “downtown” because it might not be safe.  

HOW MANY LIVES HAVE BEEN LOST IN THE FERGUSON RIOTS!?  

I am not perfect about it and I could be wrong but I do read the paper every day and I think a strong case can be made that the number is zero.  I pray for the business owners and people of ferguson who have lost property and might lose their businesses.  It is a tragedy, but no lives have been lost despite all the burning and looting and protesting.  But we, in Clayton are afraid.  There is also no reason that our police should be subjected to bricks, bottles and batteries being thrown and fired at them and I pray for their safety as well because they are our mercenaries in an undeclared war against whomever threatens our status quo.

I think if we would pause and be honest with ourselves we are afraid of the questions raised by the situation.  

Why are we comfortable with an underclass?

Why is it OK when they kill each other as long as they don't do it on our streets?

Why are their deaths only memorialized in the Law and Order section of the Post Dispatch?

Why hasn’t the privileged Christian Community lent their time and attention to their brothers and sisters?

Could the government do things differently to assist the suffering?

Why can’t we change the situation?

Why is it so hard?

Why can’t they just be like us?

Why do we want them to “be like us”?

Why do we need so many guns in so many hands?

What am I supposed to do as a Christian?

Are the government programs making it worse?

Why can’t the black community raise up leaders that are not self promoting?

Why can’t the white community raise up leaders that are not self promoting?

As a Christian, as a human, what am I supposed to do?

Sorry, these are my questions.  I pray that you have your own set and I pray it is not a set of questions about why “those people” are causing so much trouble.  As a Christian I beg you to remember that those people are God’s children and we are called upon not to turn our backs.  I am an old man (in my head I am perhaps an old Jewish man but that is neither here nor there but I am old enough to remember not only when Dan Fogelberg was alive but I remember when he was relevant.

“You better change, before the sun goes down.

You better leave, before you are, the last in town.

You better raise your fortresses, or tear them down,

tear them down.”

What a difference it makes when a community steps up. On South Grand they actually had property damage. They had protesters. They got out of hand and broke windows...a LOT of windows. They didn't board up in the face of loss that never happened, but when it happened they came out and made something beautiful. Something... thoughtful.  

I am not asking for anything other than we not accept a return to the status quo,  Think and pray about what God is calling you to do in response to the pain and suffering that he is showing to us.  Talk with people about it and stop being afraid of violence and looting and burning and property damage and start being afraid of why we cannot seem to work together and pray together to find answers.

PEACE!

The Peacock: Hipster Heaven...with Bacon!

Sooooo….The Peacock!

it is so rare for me to get to go review a NEW Diner in St. Louis.  Our breakfast scene is at best...sleepy and at worst...boring and unchanging.  Even when new places open like the new Courtesy on Laclede Station, it is just expansion of a proven formula.  So when I read about the Peacock I was elated. Although when I initially posted this review (and in my head) I kept calling the place the Flamingo (dementia) I believe I have it straight now.

Opened by the inimitable Joe Edwards in The Loop!  It is on first floor of a new building that I think is Wash U Student housing.  It is brand spanking new and it is open 24 hours a day which is pretty unusual, especially in that neighborhood.  I very admire Edwards.  I might look askance at his trolley but his unflinching efforts to make U-City a destination have really played out awesomely and along with the Pageant he is a civic treasure for the work he has done and he tends to do it all in a first class way.

Last week I could not sleep due to some issues related to my work and got up at 5:30 and headed over to the Loop.  I always like going there, just to drive up and down and with Mission Tacos and Salt n Smoke on the scene there are now more reasons than just hitting Vintage Vinyl to cruise Delmar.  The Peacock is toward the east end of the strip on the north side of the street.  There is...surprisingly...a  large neon Peacock on the outside of it which makes it hard to miss.  Street parking is ample at 6:00 A.M. and I don't think you need to worry about U City meters until 8 but check before you rely on me.

The place is...retro.  As you walk in they have a full bar which seems decidedly un-dinery but I would guess that in the business plan it will make up a nice little chunk of the revenue.  There is an internet jukebox but on this particular morning I did not check it out. it is all stark white and seafoam green.  There is about 40 stools which run along a snake like river of counter as well as ample booth and table seating.  the decor is a little hard on the eyes for the early riser and full of kitsch from Edwards ample nostalgia collection.  I think it will make for a great place to take people from out of town but the space is a little too big and cold and a little too “retro” and intentionally “cool”. The counters break up into three different areas of different height for counter and stool...gently rising as they move to the rear of the establishment. A light bar that occasionally and randomly changes color runs along the counter.

The wait staff was certainly more of that same theme.  My server was very pleasant and helpful and he was… pierced all over the place.  Just the visible piercings were in the teens and while not off putting it is once again, a lot for breakfast.  I saw two other servers who also both appeared to be typecast for hipster/waiter/waitress positions.  Still, the service was attentive, my iced tea glass was kept full and I have no complaints other than I started to get the feeling that this place was out hipping the pretentiously faux him City Diner which I have slandered in earlier posts.  When i read paragraphs like this I am always amazed that I am such an asshole but...well, there it is.  

The clientele were much more racially diverse than my typical haunts.  Lots of different folks and it skewed younger.  Perhaps some of the hipsters and college students don’t sleep when I sleep.  There was a couple sitting at the bar having cocktails which at 6:00 A.M. is impressive.

The Menu is… interesting.  But mainly because it lists a lot of options with V (vegan) or GF for gluten free.  This would be first 24 hour diner in the city to provide such information.  Among other options they present their version of the slinger “The Loop Sling”.  Although an abomination of a real slinger it is 2 eggs, meat, Waffle, potatoes with chili and cheese.   They also offer a waffle sandwich , chicken fried steak and biscuits and gravy, none of which are gluten free. Other than that it is a pretty standard breakfast menu along with a full dinner menu heavy on soups and salads. The back page gives you an “About Peacock Diner”

http://peacockloopdiner.com/about/

Which tells you everything you need to know.

The Food was really good.  I just had bacon and eggs with breakfast potatoes.  The potatoes were pretty average and offered in an O'brien variety as well.  I am a favor of the hash brown and eschew the “breakfast potato” but these were fine.  The eggs were I am sure free range and from well loved chicken but they tasted fine.  The lighting in the place is a little off for breakfast food but as I said...fine.  On my initial visit I also ordered the sausage which was good and nothing special. But...it was breakfast. On my second trip with my frequent breakfast companion we both ordered the "Sunrise" with bacon and it was excellent and came with a little roasted tomato slice that mixed nicely with my eggs. On the second trip on a Saturday morning at 8:30 they started slow but got pretty crowded by the time we bailed at 9:30. Once again a lot of diversity of clientele, and a VERY high hipster quality to the serving staff.... almost over whelming.  

They also served gluten free toast.  For those of you which have not had the pleasure gluten free toast is...not much.  On the other hand you almost never see it.  It is bland but like I said, a treat...of sorts.  It was not toasted enough but it came with good butter so I liked it.

The bathrooms...although I only visited the mens room it was very clean and family friendly with a changing station and a single handicapped stall that was slightly larger than my first home. No hand towels and a hand drier. As an old man I appreciate the clean bathroom.

The Prices are pricey.  Bowl of Cheerios or Raisin Bran $3.50.  An egg is $2.00.  Potatoes $3.00.  The complete breakfasts $8.50.  So breakfast with a tip for the hipster is 11 to 12 bucks with an iced tea.  All in all this was an interesting trip.  I can see taking out of towers here for a late breakfast and a walk around the loop. On my initial trip I was worried about viability but on my second trip i have concluded that Edwards has another winner.