CONCIOUS OF CONSCIENCE

 

The real crime is how my
Kindle takes shitty
pictures of my phone.

If you just don't have enough stuff taking up space on your smartphone, there's always Citizen App. This thing alerts you to any police, fire, or crime activity in your neighborhood, whether it's a collapsed ceiling, two drunks fighting, an armed robbery, or a body floating in the East River.

It was the last event that caused Citizen App to beep on New Year's Eve morning. Since I'm a sucker for any drama within shouting distance, I put on my Skechers and braved the 40-degree drizzling rain for a brisk walk to the boardwalk along the river.

There were several vehicles with flashing lights up toward 90th Street, so I knew whatever was happening was due north. With a non-stop symphony of sirens as accompaniment, I went to the boardwalk hoping to see police boats skimming along the river while helicopters hovered overhead.

Instead, the river was rather quiet, as was the boardwalk itself. Apparently nobody else got the word that some 14-karat drama was happening in our neighborhood. Well, all the more chance to get up close to the action. Maybe get in a few good shots with the phone, too.

As you can see, they almost got lost in last
month's snowstorm.

One of those semi-miniature police cars that always make for funny photos made its way along the boardwalk toward the East River ferry landing. Cops, firemen and EMTs were crawling all over the place like ants on a spilled ice cream cone. 

I could have gone to the ferry landing -- none of the cops had roped off the area -- but I stopped, content to watch from several hundred feet away. 

Despite the distance, I could see some definite action on the landing. It would have made for some pretty good video. And again I stopped, this time from pulling my smartphone from my jacket pocket. What was this strange invisible force keeping me from doing my duty as citizen reporter?

A few minutes passed before a group of front-line folks were pushing a gurney with the apparently-alive victim -- a 30ish guy by my sights, with an oxygen mask helping him breathe. And they were coming my way.

There was hardly anyone else there. A few snaps of the camera, and I could have sold a shot to the Daily News or Post. A flick of the video, and WABC-TV News would have had an exclusive.

But it was entirely different if the prez was
taking a drag on a Camel unfiltered.

Instead, like the newspaper photographers who respectfully put their cameras down when President Roosevelt was carried from his train to a waiting car, I did nothing. 

Perhaps I felt bad for a stranger who was clearly in rough psychological and emotional state. How would I have felt if the roles were reversed?

If the incident were to make it to the news, it would do so without my participation. What's becoming of me in my old age?

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