I wonder how long we’re going to act as if most shootings are some kind of random, isolated events. We look at these things in such a vacuum. Sure, they’re frequently related to drugs, but what are drug wars if not turf wars over such limited economic opportunities in the inner city? And what are shootings if not an attempt to assert domination and power in a world where so few opportunities exist?
(CNN) — Abdul Aziz believes he was standing right next to a shooter Sunday when gunmen opened fire at a Mother’s Day parade in New Orleans, injuring 19 people.
“Everyone around me, except me, was shot,” he said. “I was pretty fortunate to get away.”
Aziz, 33, a photojournalist, was at the second-line parade when gunfire broke out at the corner of Frenchman Street and North Villere Street.
Second-line parades, which involve dancing and brass bands, are a New Orleans tradition. They happen most every Sunday, except during the hottest months in summer, according to Aziz.
“We turned off of a main thoroughfare to a smaller residential street, and that’s when the shots rang out. I was standing, I believe, right next to the shooter. I saw muzzle flash, but unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to see who the shooter was,” he said.
When will they trot out the CCTV?
Fourth graf translation: We are too lazy to check what second-line parades are and when they are held, so we just took someone’s word for it.