For Those Still Standing: Episode 3

We're proud to bring you the third column from Mike Hale. Mike just packed up all his belongings and headed out on the road with no plans to return.You can click Read More to read For Those Still Standing.

I'm lost in "gang land"

I'm lost in "gang land"
I wish I were a more educated man, one who could speak intelligently about subjects such as the separation of classes, politics, health care and other shit of importance like that. Unfortunately for me, I just never fucking cared. I don't mean I don't care about the well-being of other people. I mean I just never cared enough to burden myself with the responsibilities that come with knowing. That sounds really selfish I know, and makes me look like a total dick. But like I said, I don't care.

Until recently I don't think I've ever seen such drastic difference between two cultures living literally side-by-side. As previously stated, I'm on tour right now with my band In The Red. I said that I would write about the things that I see and experience on this new journey to live on the road as a full time musician. Well I've seen something that is bugging the hell out of me and I want to share it.

We were getting ready to cross the boarder into Canada for a few shows with our friend Colin Moore. Everything was working like clock-work until we got to Detroit.

The night before last we had an all night drive so we were pretty busted up and tired. Stopped to get a cheap hotel room. Sit back with a couple of beers and relaxe for a little bit. There was a show on TV called Gang Land. That nights episode was about the gangs and drug lords in Detroit. I think they called it the most dangerous city in the world. Murder capitol of the US or some shit like that. So imagine my surprise when we took the wrong exit and found ourselves right in the middle of the "worst suburb in the city." When I say surprised, I don't mean like happy birthday type of surprise. I mean like "holy shit this isn't good type of surprise."

I grew up in a little town in the deep south, like many places, there were plenty of bad neighborhoods you didn't want to be caught in. But this was different. This was a desolate suburb in ruins. Every home, building, and store was boarded up. Bars on empty windows, cars overturned, a burned school bus, more than obvious men selling whatever on street corners. Homeless men and women sitting against abandoned red brick buildings, trash everywhere, no street signs, no cops, and certainly no safe place to just stop and figure out where we were. I stopped and went into a convenience store where the clerks sat very impatiently behind four inches of bullet-proof glass. Why do I say "sat impatiently"? because it was very obvious that they thought it would be in my best interest to get the fuck out of there as soon as possible.

I know, I know, I'm exaggerating right? Well, fuck that! This was the worse type of shit I’ve ever seen. And I’ve been around, understand? I mean, when you’re in a city and everyone has to watch out the windows to make sure no one is approaching the vehicle, safe to say, you're not in a good spot.
This was the real shit that we had watched on the television just two nights ago. Lost, in gang land.

Well, obviously nothing terrible happened. We found our way after a couple of hours.

In light of recent world events, I'm very thankful for the added security at the boarder! Even now, the added pressure of the boarder patrol being complete dicks was welcomed. We went through a tunnel. Just a simple fucking tunnel. Like hundreds, thousands across the world. Except on the other end of this one, Canada.

The streets here are clean. Houses and yards kept immaculate, no bars on the windows, hell there's glass in each window opening. A little old lady walking her dog without a care in the world. No threat of a violent encounter. No reason to suspect that just on the other side of that tunnel lies a barren wasteland where people like you and I are living in fear. If "fear "is even the word to use.

Try to imagine a family living in complete harmony just outside the gates of a prison, safe from the violence on the the inside. separated,, by only a wall. that's how this felt to me.

Here in Canada, everything seems a so different. The people seem more friendly, more educated, maybe not necessarily school educated, but more intellectually stimulated I guess. And in my experience people here a totally abreast of what's going in the political arena as well, which is something I'm certainly not use to.

Did you know that the Canadian government gives grants to artists/musicians in excess of hundreds and thousands of dollars? Get that? Their government, gives bands money to make records and go on tour! In Canada, you can just go to the doctor and get shit taken care of, even the prescriptions. Until you're 18 dentistry type shit too,,,, taken care of! Can you imagine, living in a society where if you're sick you just go to the doctor and they fix it. Regardless of if you're rich or poor. If you crack a tooth, they just take care of it. Nation… Wide… Health…. Care….!!!

Here's an interesting fact: my drummer Matt and I are incredibly ill right now as I'm writing this. We actually had to spend the evening in the emergency room. Anyone want to guess why we had to go to an emergency room at a hospital to get treated? Because we were denied medical attention at a doctors office today. And we both pay out the ass for medical insurance! it just wasn't the type of insurance they wanted. Does that make sense to anyone? We both have insurance, and they still wouldn't take us. Unless we were willing to pay the way over priced charges in cash (which of course we don't have). That's Fucked up!

I just don't get it. Can anyone explain this in a way that I can understand? I've become desperate to know why my government, the US government, the leaders of the "most powerful nation in the world" don't give a shit about its citizens. The 99% of us with no money anyway.
I want to understand how life for millions of people could be so drastically different when living side by side.

There are people dying on the streets of a city. Living in unimaginably poor conditions, barely survivable conditions, where in contrast, just a few city blocks away the citizens of a different city are taken care of by their government. Given a clean and peaceful environment to live in.

Safe from gang land,
thanks to a stupid fucking tunnel!