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East Bluff / Knoxville Noir

“Since 2015, Peoria police have responded to the 2200 block of North Knoxville Avenue 10 times for 11 overdoses.” PJ Star, Opioid series. Second highest incidence in City of Peoria.

Hey, I live & love just a few blocks away. Of course, McDonald’s is the magnet and I walk for exercise (sure) through there all the time.

Tonight it was beautiful & calm weather, and no visible chaos. I did see a very sketchy heroin dude sitting on the curb with smartphone waiting for a fix in the back McD’s lot alongside Arcadia. I walked past him and he repeatedly checked me out as I went on. So obvious.

I talked with the white college looking male clerk behind the bankers glass at the gods-gift-to-the-neighborhood 24-hour Circle K gas & mart stop across and up from MickyD’s. He rapped on the glass with a knuckle and said a worker had been shot dead at the register about 2 years ago. The line behind me grew to a busy handful, and I trundled away.

At Mac’s, the young African-American male clerk said about 6 weeks ago, a male heroin OD stumbled out of the john and died on the floor by the tables.

And I walked and talked with an African-American senior from the market who said he doesn’t see much trouble.

He rightfully looked at me with suspicious eyes just before he started repeating my questions and went on.

All in all, very calm and no surprises.

Man, I can vividly recall parking in the big unfenced back lot of the old McDonald’s near the alley with an wide-open view of Knoxville.

Could easily see the vast terrain before walkups, other cars & any cops came near. Very defensive position.

Be drinking beers or smoking grass & always listening to tunes on the 8-track like Year of ’39 by Queen or Barry Manilow’s greatest hits or Eagles ’71-’75.

Car karaoke on “Trying to get that feeling again, and again! Trying to get that feee-linng aaagain!”

OMG!!

Heaven’s mercy on our East Bluff & its wandering, meandering fools.[]