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Cracking up about crack!

sixcolors — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:18:45 -0800

Why do many people in American society find crack funny? Crack.
Crackpipe.
Crackhead.
Crackwhore.

*giggle*

Any mention of the above words usually bring people to laughter. Something about crack just makes us laugh. Not meth, not pills, not heroin, not ecstasy, not shrooms, not roofies (well, every now and then), not weed (sometimes, but not as much as crack). Not even cocaine that much.

Looking on a deeper level, what is it about crack that so many of us find funny?

The Crack Is Thisaway. Deals!

radgardener — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 07:02:29 -0800

I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Very recently, this week or so, a crackhouse moved in next door to my apartment. My neighbourhood is otherwise quite nice. I have nice neighbours. All the houses are well-kept. It's a lower-middle class neighbourhood. We live in an apartment in the top floor of a two-story home. What should we do? I'm wondering what kind of things I can do besides call the cops? Last night some pimp-looking guy got his head bashed on the curb multiple times. I'm wondering if some sort of neighbourhood response is in order? When something like that happens, try and get as many people out of their houses watching it and yelling stop, or something like that.

But, I don't want to be a target.

Help.

Who Are The People In Your Neighborhood?

salvia — Sun, 19 Mar 2006 22:47:02 -0800

I just moved down the street from a crack house... Safety tips? I just moved to north Oakland. Turns out there is a crack / pimp house three doors to the south, across the street (we're right on the corner). To the east, the corner at the end of the block is apparently "owned" by some gang, so a male housemate (who's big and completely laid-back) never goes that way because two SUVs can come from either side and "pinch" you. There have been five murders on my corner in the last six years, all drug-related (someone selling on someone's turf, not paying what they owed). There's this 11 PM - 2 AM rush hour when people gather in the street and yell about things (last night's refrain: "I'm the best ho I know!") Of course, there are car break-ins, and this house's owner had his car stolen a few years ago.

Enter me. White female, just under thirty. Last night I went running at 10:30 PM, so I'm not the paranoid type. I've always considered fear of crime to be a waste, I don't want it cramp my style more than absolutely necessary, and it's kind of impossible to never walk home late. There are people outside, so it's not like some deadly chemical fallout is occurring -- I just have to figure out how not to be a target.

So, I'd like tips for making smart decisions and behaving in a way that keeps me as safe as possible. How can I tell who's just hanging out and who's actually dealing drugs? Under what circumstances would dealers treat me as a problem? Do I really need to completely avoid this "gang-owned" corner (it's the fastest route many places and I've gone through there a lot without even noticing anyone)? What kinds of drug users are dangerous, how can you tell? Walking down the street, should I generally greet people respectfully or have closed-off body language? Look around openly or mind my own business? (I'd like to maximize "don’t mess with her, that’s the girl who lives on the corner" or even "she's a cool girl" without triggering "what are you looking at??" or "I think that girl is watching us.") How to react if someone were to get hostile? Anyone had to go into dangerous neighborhoods for work and learned to be part of the landscape rather than a potential target?

Thoughts? Resources?

P.S. I read this thread, so the few suggestions relevant have been absorbed.