outta hand

i'm not much for large crowds. i'm certain there were times in my life when participating in raucous gobs of people was thrilling and terrifyingly fun. but when i scan my brain for snapshots, the gnarled masses where groups begat larger groups were tame, friendly, even. i suppose i choose my crowd experiences carefully, on conditions.

so when we decided to eschew the negative press, the rolled eyes, the bad-mouthing we'd received over and over again about the halloween party in our neighborhood, i planned to keep a cautious distance from the roiling crowds of outsider scamps.

turns out that's easier said than done. the crowds were massive, young, and in the densest vortexes: ugly. an expert in crowd behavior has likely described what my unscientific sample afforded: when we were squashed, people sucked; when we had plenty of space, people were friendly and affable, including me. group behavior 101, i bet.

i imagine the trouble began and ended in a vortex. when we left, the area where the shootings took place was dense and energized--lots of kids waiting for something to happen. and sadly, it did.