American Exit Strategy: Book 1 by Mark Goodwin Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Mark Goodwin
Boulevard? It was the location of a very rowdy incident today. Will it reopen tomorrow?"
The mayor chuckled and smiled as he said "A rowdy incident is a very kind description of the event Sam, thank you for that. To answer your question, I do not expect that particular Walmart to open tomorrow. There was some fire damage, Detroit Fire and Rescue did come out to extinguish the fire or fires. It is my understanding that there will be a cleanup effort there for several days. The Detroit Building department will be working with Walmart management to ensure the store is up to code, safe and ready to start meeting the needs of those people in that community that depend on it as soon as possible. Next question."
The next reporter asked "Mayor Jones, the Detroit Police Department has already been severely understaffed since the bankruptcy. How will you be able to effectively enforce a curfew when crime is already tearing this city apart?"
Not quite as amused by this question, Jones said "Our City Law Enforcement Officers have been doing more with less for some time now. They are among the best trained and loyal officers in America. They know what is expected of them and they consistently deliver it. I did not intend to announce this until all the details were ironed out, but to put the residents of Detroit at ease, I will go ahead. We are finalizing an agreement with the National Guard to help us enforce the curfew. If all goes well, they should be here by midnight tonight." The Mayor had already been pushed into saying more than he wanted to say, so he closed the press conference abruptly. "That will be all for tonight. Thank you."
Matt looked over at Karen. "Sounds like Jones just declared martial law in Detroit."
"Martial law is when the military takes over?" Karen asked.
"Yes, it's when the military takes over enforcing the law." Matt answered. "The military is trained to kill people. They lack a certain 'finesse' that one would like to see in a civilian law enforcement effort."
“Doesn't that violate Posse Comitatus?" Karen asked.
"The way the law reads now, Posse Comitatus Act doesn't prohibit the National Guard from stepping into a civilian police function as long as they are acting in their own state or are invited by the Governor of a neighboring state." Matt answered. "I just saw Jack’s van pull in. I’m going to see what he thinks about all this."
Jack Mason was the Bair's next door neighbor. He was a general contractor and liked working with his hands. Jack was a very intelligent guy but paid little attention to news and politics. He was a stocky guy with a beard and very nice. If he saw anyone in the neighborhood working on a project, he would always offer a hand or to lend out a tool.
"Jack" Matt yelled as Jack stepped out of his work van.
"How you doing buddy?" Jack responded.
"I'm good. What do you think about what’s going on."
Jack looked around as he asked "Why, what’s going on?" With the recent string of crime in the neighborhood, he assumed something else had happened in the area.
Matt proceeded to fill him in on the recent news. He had tried to engage in topics of this nature before with Jack, but he showed very little interest. Now that it was happening, Jack listened a bit more intently.
"OK, some of that was a bit over my pay grade, but it sounds bad. Still, I don't think anything like what happened in Detroit will happen here." Jack concluded.
Matt then filled him in on his adventure at the Publix grocery store earlier. He explained the situation with the separate lanes and the fight involving the stock clerks and the manager against the trouble makers.
Jack started to come around to reality at that point. "I still have a week's worth of stuff left over from what we bought when it looked like Hurricane Lucinda was going to hit us."
"That’s a start" Matt said, "but it could get worse than a week."
"Maybe I'll head over to Winn Dixie after dinner." Jack stated.
Blaine Phelps was
The mayor chuckled and smiled as he said "A rowdy incident is a very kind description of the event Sam, thank you for that. To answer your question, I do not expect that particular Walmart to open tomorrow. There was some fire damage, Detroit Fire and Rescue did come out to extinguish the fire or fires. It is my understanding that there will be a cleanup effort there for several days. The Detroit Building department will be working with Walmart management to ensure the store is up to code, safe and ready to start meeting the needs of those people in that community that depend on it as soon as possible. Next question."
The next reporter asked "Mayor Jones, the Detroit Police Department has already been severely understaffed since the bankruptcy. How will you be able to effectively enforce a curfew when crime is already tearing this city apart?"
Not quite as amused by this question, Jones said "Our City Law Enforcement Officers have been doing more with less for some time now. They are among the best trained and loyal officers in America. They know what is expected of them and they consistently deliver it. I did not intend to announce this until all the details were ironed out, but to put the residents of Detroit at ease, I will go ahead. We are finalizing an agreement with the National Guard to help us enforce the curfew. If all goes well, they should be here by midnight tonight." The Mayor had already been pushed into saying more than he wanted to say, so he closed the press conference abruptly. "That will be all for tonight. Thank you."
Matt looked over at Karen. "Sounds like Jones just declared martial law in Detroit."
"Martial law is when the military takes over?" Karen asked.
"Yes, it's when the military takes over enforcing the law." Matt answered. "The military is trained to kill people. They lack a certain 'finesse' that one would like to see in a civilian law enforcement effort."
“Doesn't that violate Posse Comitatus?" Karen asked.
"The way the law reads now, Posse Comitatus Act doesn't prohibit the National Guard from stepping into a civilian police function as long as they are acting in their own state or are invited by the Governor of a neighboring state." Matt answered. "I just saw Jack’s van pull in. I’m going to see what he thinks about all this."
Jack Mason was the Bair's next door neighbor. He was a general contractor and liked working with his hands. Jack was a very intelligent guy but paid little attention to news and politics. He was a stocky guy with a beard and very nice. If he saw anyone in the neighborhood working on a project, he would always offer a hand or to lend out a tool.
"Jack" Matt yelled as Jack stepped out of his work van.
"How you doing buddy?" Jack responded.
"I'm good. What do you think about what’s going on."
Jack looked around as he asked "Why, what’s going on?" With the recent string of crime in the neighborhood, he assumed something else had happened in the area.
Matt proceeded to fill him in on the recent news. He had tried to engage in topics of this nature before with Jack, but he showed very little interest. Now that it was happening, Jack listened a bit more intently.
"OK, some of that was a bit over my pay grade, but it sounds bad. Still, I don't think anything like what happened in Detroit will happen here." Jack concluded.
Matt then filled him in on his adventure at the Publix grocery store earlier. He explained the situation with the separate lanes and the fight involving the stock clerks and the manager against the trouble makers.
Jack started to come around to reality at that point. "I still have a week's worth of stuff left over from what we bought when it looked like Hurricane Lucinda was going to hit us."
"That’s a start" Matt said, "but it could get worse than a week."
"Maybe I'll head over to Winn Dixie after dinner." Jack stated.
Blaine Phelps was
Similar Books
Whippoorwill
Joseph Monninger
In God's Name
David Yallop
Cutlass Sharpened
Jr H. Lee Morgan
Crossfire 03 Entwined with You
Sylvia Day
The Burning Land
Bernard Cornwell
Sea Fury (1971)
James Pattinson
Duty Calls: The Reluctant War God Book 1
Bill D. Allen
Imprisoned
Christine Kersey
Rocky Mountain Rebel
Vivian Arend