2 SEP 07: GANGS OF THE BRAD
The Labor Day weekend apparently came just in time for some people. After a scare at perhaps the wealthiest school in Columbus, we need to regroup and find something else to panic about during September....
School lockdowns aren't really that unusual anymore. But when it happens at Brookstone School, it seems downright bizarre. And when it has nothing to do with an angry laid-off worker at the Columbus Foundry, it makes no sense at all.
A lockdown was ordered and classes were dismissed early at Brookstone School Friday, after rumors spread about some sort of "gang initiation" there. At this school, the rumor sounds absurd on its face. High school girls starting a "preppy club" seems more likely....
The rumor about a "gang initiation weekend" spread via e-mail. Your blog has obtained a copy of the rumor, which claimed "a mother of a child" would be shot in a department store parking lot. After the violent summer Columbus has had, this might sound logical - except there's no real department store near the Booker T. Washington apartments.
The rumor claimed one possible location for the "gang initiation weekend" shooting would be a Target store. Target is right down Bradley Park Drive from Brookstone School - but there's a PetSmart store next door, so plenty of dogs could be waiting to sniff out clues.
(Come to think of it, isn't Target asking for some kind of trouble like this? It's a wonder local hunters haven't shot out the center of the store logo.)
Columbus Police Chief Ricky Boren tried to put out the online fire quickly. He told WRBL the e-mail rumor was an "urban legend." Of course, that may explain part of what happened - many people consider Columbus a town, and not an "urban" place.
As of Saturday night, no such shooting had been reported in any Columbus department store parking lot. In fact, there was no word of any weekend shootings at all. Maybe all the thugs were busy making plans to watch their heroes play college football.
But this whole incident raises an interesting question - could gang activities develop at a "preppy" private school like Brookstone? I suppose smarter students could be better at keeping secrets, or hiding their Myspace pages. But using a fine-tipped oil brush to leave graffiti on a bridge might give them away.
(I suppose Brookstone students could call it the "Brad Park" gang - and identify each other with pictures of that Hall of Fame hockey player.)
Is it a mere coincidence that the scare involving Brookstone School and gangs occurred two years to the day after the Great Columbus Gas Panic? That rush to the pumps also was sparked by unsubstantiated rumors [1 Sep 05] - and to this day, no one's tracked down where that rumor started. It didn't even start at that BP station which jacked its price up to five dollars a gallon.
BIG PREDICTION UPDATE: Matt Dupriest proved to be half-right Saturday night. Auburn beat Kansas State 23-13 - but Kansas State scored more than ten points, and came close to knocking off the Tigers. So the opening game was more offensive fr Auburn fans than they expected, in a couple of ways....
(But did you see Kansas clobbered Central Michigan 52-7? For Kansas to be a game ahead of Kansas State in football feels good. And for Kansas to be a game ahead of Michigan seems almost miraculous.)
Meanwhile, Georgia made the Southeastern Conference 2-0 against the Big 12, by outscoring Oklahoma State 35-14. But the Sin City Inquisition and Bar-B-Q blog reports Cable TV of East Alabama didn't show the first several minutes of the game. At least the cable system topped "Bulldog Radio" WRCG -- which didn't bother to broadcast the game at all.
How about Georgia Tech grinding up Notre Dame 33-3 at South Bend? Chan Gailey called it "just another football field" -- but knowing the Notre Dame fans, they may start hollering for him to coach there every week next season.
Troy tried hard on opening night, but lost at Arkansas 46-26. Instant Message to the Troy announcer who compared the Arkansas defense to "a pack of wild dogs" -- after what happened to Michael Vick, you need to change your animal cliches for awhile.
Arkansas may have made Southeastern Conference broadcasting history in its win over Troy. It started presenting college football games in Spanish, as well as English. If Auburn started doing that, the "Tiger Walk" might be rivaled by picket lines from protesters.
We shouldn't forget the start of the high school football season. Carver beat arch-rival Spencer 34-0, in what the Ledger-Enquirer's front page called a "win or go home" game. So what do the Spencer players do for the next nine weeks - try out for the girls' softball squad?
Chattahoochee County High School played its first game on its brand-new home field, meeting Marion County. The newspaper showed someone shoveling away concrete in the stands, only 20 minutes before kickoff. Being on the junior varsity team has its disadvantages....
Now other quick items from the holiday weekend:
+ My Saturday night run was one of the best this year, at 3.2 miles non-stop. I made it three-and-a-half laps around the Idle Hour Park lake - and thankfully none of the ducks grew tired of seeing me, and flew across my path.
+ Local veterans' advocate Jim Rhodes marked his 85th birthday, receiving a tribute at the Government Center. It would be only fitting if Rhodes received a gift of 85 new hats, to wear all over town.
+ The Courier's "Street Committee" claimed either WAGH "Magic 98.3" or WBFA "101.3 The Beat" will change formats in the coming weeks. But then again, that Street Committee once declared Reginald Pugh was a Columbus Councilor - so I won't be shocked if WFXE "Foxie 105" suddenly switches to country music.
(The Street Committee also suggested Archway Broadcasting may be interested in "purchasing a Hip Hop station." Why not turn WRCG into one -- with a good chance to double its number of listeners overnight?)
+ Georgia Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine accused Progressive Insurance of sending spies into a Henry County church, to watch a couple which had filed a lawsuit. The spies probably gave themselves away by being the only people to jot down notes during the sermons.
(The Progressive "private eyes" also reportedly went into church members' homes, and recorded people's private confessions. So THAT'S how tabloids always know what the friends of Britney Spears are saying....)
+ The Columbus Catfish sat through their second rainout in a row in Savannah, and remain one win away from clinching a playoff spot. At least they're in a city where the Riverwalk actually has some places to shop and eat.
COMING MONDAY: An e-mail from a Hollywood movie director....
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