those community members

She said 'community members' like it was a bad thing.  Like the people of Parkland are the vermin of the Earth and she definitely couldn't trust them with her $15 CD player under the Christmas Tree.  My church sets up the tree every year and the gifts go to kids who probably wouldn't get gifts on Christmas morning otherwise.  I happened to be standing by the tree and so her question was directed at me.  "Do you think it's safe to leave my gifts here?"  "Ummmm;" pretty much my response to any question.  Seeing as my answer wasn't a word in the English dictionary, she decided it was better not to with the comment, "There are a lot of community members here."  Community members, as in not church members.  As in, these people are bad because they aren't dressed up enough to be classified as part of our church.  These people are bad because they don't know Jesus.  These people are bad cause they live in Parkland and it is GHETTO(this is normally how I hear people say it.)  I've lived in Parkland for over 10 years now.  I am honestly proud of it.  There have been things that have happened in my community that I'm not proud of.  A boy shot his mom a few miles up the road; a man named Maurice Clemmons shot 4 cops 3 streets away from my house.  Yes, 3.  There are 22 sex offenders in a 2 mile radius of my house.  Even with all this included, I love Parkland.  Granted, I'm excited to leave it, but it won't be forever.  I'll return whether it be my high school reunion and everyone that was a jerk to me will look at me in wonder cause I'll be a famous model(haaaaaa, that was definitely a joke,) or if I return to be a teacher at my Alma mater. I'm proud of my 'hood.  So run and tell that, homeboy home-home-homeboy.