Farewell To The Noiseless Neighbors

Pulling up to my driveway in the foggy night shortly after 2 a.m., it was hard to avoid noticing a half dozen police cars down the alley, just past 'Skunk Corner', next to the big apartment building on Second Avenue. Ah, the cops struck the neighbors with the little 'compound'!

Day and night, there always seemed to be a dozen young men at this compound. The compound had high wooden walls and they would back their large vans right into the compound gate, and they appeared to socialize all night long, with vans pulling in and out at all hours.

Nevertheless, there was never any loud music emanating from the compound: no booming car stereos, or anything. They weren't very outgoing, these anonymous young men, but they never caused any trouble for Sparky or myself. Well-mannered neighbors, but nocturnal neighbors that seemed wedded to big vans.

Sigh. Well, I suppose they had their own free-wheeling agenda that crossed some bright legal lines. Now, I'll bet they put a noisy troublemaker in there - maybe even a percussionist!