Minor Hit-And-Run Reveals "War Of Social Norms."

Photos By John Hoff

As far as crimes go, it was penny-ante stuff: a careless driver sideswiped a parked vehicle in the Hawthorne Neighborhood, then instinctively fled. This is not the kind of thing which even makes the police crime watch blog. But sometimes a very small incident can reveal very large social norms.

It happened a couple days ago, after dark. I was standing in front of my home, talking to a friend through her open car window, when a vehicle came careening down the avenue and sideswiped a parked car. My friend let loose a little screech, apparently thinking...

...her car was the next target, but the vehicle turned left on the avenue and kept going. Without even thinking about it, I pulled out my cell phone and ran in hot pursuit, chasing the vehicle most of a block. The next day I would pay the price in pain--I'm a disabled vet and one leg is shorter than the other, jammed up into my hip--but I was "acting in the moment."

The car didn't stop at first. I'm not sure why I kept chasing, since getting the license plate appeared hopeless. But then, suddenly, the car came to a halt. It was like the driver was waiting for me to come up to the window and ask, "What the hell?"

Well...I'm enthusiastic, but not stupid. I wasn't walking up to the window of a hit-and-run vehicle, alone at night, armed with only a cell phone. I walked close enough to get the license plate, then made a hasty retreat while calling 911. The car took off again.

Meanwhile, unknown to me, my friend still waiting in her vehicle had a conversation with an old woman, apparently a long-time resident of the neighborhood. Walking by, the old woman offered some free advice: 

Sometimes it's better to just "be careful" and "let some things go." 

She then repeated this advice to "be careful" and said something about how she wanted my friend to be "all right."

My friend asked, "Are YOU all right?"

In this brief, odd little exchange, much is revealed. There is a "thug social norm" in North Minneapolis, sometimes, which holds the No. 1 rule of the street is "No Snitching." And then there are other people--"revitalizers," for lack of a better term--who have just the opposite view:

For "revitalizers," the No. 1 rule of the streets is, "This is my city, and I will look out for it."

In this case, that means if I see a hit-and-run happen, I will chase after on foot and get the license plate to la-dee-da-dee turn over to police.

So I ask: who will ultimately win this little "War of Social Norms?"

My money is on the forces of urban revitalization.