Espanola is .... special

One of the positive - and potentially negative - parts of living in Japan is that you become somewhat sheltered from all the daily screwed up things that happen in places where people are less law abiding and more prone to violence (usually a bad combo). For instance, northern New Mexico, particularly the town of Espanola which is down the road from where I grew up. Espanola is not a big town, probably half the size of Tokamachi, but I would say it has 5000% the crime and drug rate (probably less alchohol though). I was checking out our old local paper, The Rio Grande Sun. Occasionally I read the depressing and equally amusing random police blotter. Some excerpts from this week:


• 12:47 a.m. - A Las Lomas Apartments resident said some children he did not know were getting drunk in his apartment and he was just trying to sleep.

• 10:58 a.m. - A very delusional bearded man wearing a blue sweater and blue pants was talking to the robotic horse in front of Center Market, a caller reported. The man was starting to scare customers, the caller said.

• 6:30 p.m. - A man said a couple of guys pulled their guns on someone at Wal-Mart. The gun-wielding men were driving a jeep, the man said.

• 6:41 p.m. - Two drunks were sitting near Calle Redondo with an 18-pack of Bud, according to the dispatch log. They were trying to stop vehicles and get inside, according to the dispatch log.

• 6:45 p.m. - A West Bond Street woman called dispatch to say she was bleeding from the head.

• 6:48 p.m. - A Calle Redondo resident said her neighbor stole $30 from her friend and threatened her friend with a crowbar. The victim said he had just wanted his money back, and he got it back.

• 7:06 p.m. - A Calle del Pajarito woman said her neighbors were sexually harassing her. She told dispatch "they want to sex their women."

• 7:37 p.m. - A woman at the Dollar Store reported another woman was calling her bad names and trying to start a fight.


I mean, huhhh? This is just daily stuff. I think I had erased all that kinda stuff from my memory. The Japanese are occasionally criticized for being afraid to travel to or live in foreign places, but sometimes I can definitely empathize...It's such a far cry from the coccoon of safety that is rural Japan (don't get me wrong though, Japan has its fair share of social problems, which I won't get into now. But never once have I had to worry about getting a gun pulled on me at Jusco).