Support Tuckers in the Wake of the Violence: Tweetup Saturday

Jan 18, 2011 by Loki

I was sitting on my couch trying to put together a belated post for MLK Day when the news rocketed across Twitter and Facebook: two people were shot in broad daylight at Tuckers in the OTR. My jaw dropped. Even by the standards of someone like myself, who grew up in a much more violent city, this was horrific.

I watched as waves of fear and remorse rippled through our local online community, made even worse by the fact that flying bullets are so rare here by comparison to what I’m used to (one of the reasons we ended up here). Then I started to see the type of reaction that warms my heart. In short order a Tweetup was conceived by Kate the Great (details below), a show of support for both this historic eatery and the neighborhood in which it resides. Let’s pack the house this coming Saturday, shall we?

You see this incident, while hideous, is colorful enough that detractors of the urban core will immediately rally around it. Residents of the area will be justifiably freaked out, and the reputation of this rebounding neighborhood will suffer a blow. While this incident is high profile, and injured people beloved by the community, it is not indicative of the OTR as a whole. If it were no one would be shocked by this outburst of violence. An outburst, I might add, that while uncommon could happen in any densely populated urban area.

Rather than allow this to strike a blow against the burgeoning Renaissance of the OTR let us instead stand up for our home and our fellows. This should become a rallying point for people to come together and enact a change for the better. Residents should look out for each other more and begin neighborhood watch groups. Bloggers and journalists need to ask “cui bono?” and track where our law enforcement budget is being deployed and with what results. It is a call to action, one I hope is heeded.

In the meantime a show of community, a show of faith, and a damn good meal are in order. Join us at Tucker’s on Saturday. We cannot let fear, violence and cynicism win out over intellect, community, and hope.

-Loki, Founder and Curator