The damaged fence. You can see where one plank is missing.

I turned to corner and walked on. Across the street, I noticed a guy crouched down in front of a neighbor’s fence, with a broken-off fence post in his hand. Noticable.

My instant gut-reaction was that he was drunk, completely mad (British), or wicked mad (Bosto-American). I kept my momentum, walking past him instead of doubling back – keeping my eye on him peripherally, but moving like I was ignoring him. Once I got out of his sight range, I stopped behind something that would keep me out of his visual range. He pounded on a truck window with the end of the fence post, yelling gutterally. He was definitely upset – there was a lot of wild-eye looking. He took the fence-post with him and walked up the street (away from me) and around the corner I had come from.

So here’s the thing. Pre-superhero days, I would have gone up to my apartment, and maybe gushed out the the story to a friend later, saying it was sooooo weird.

Now, I feel charged to take action. I don’t mean I’ll go grab my taser and go after the guy – I’m not that kind of RLSH. I decided that because there was a guy wandering around with a sharpened fence-post in his hand, and he had destroyed my neighbor’s property, I should do something.

I was pretty sure the couple on the corner (who were now out of sight) had called the police. I chose to cautiously follow (staying out of the guy’s sight lines, because again, I’m not in it for any sort of encounter with someone who may be dangerous) and when I saw that he had  dropped the spear and was wandering up the street, I did not follow. I noted which direction he had gone.

I knocked on the door to the house with the fence. The man who lives there is physically disabled, and didn’t happen to have his glasses on. I described the damage to his fence. He wasn’t worried about the damage – he indicated that it was old and not in great shape anyway.

The police came. I told them that I had witnessed the guy hitting the truck. They took a statement from the fence owner – and let him know that if he wanted to file an insurance claim, the paperwork would be available at the station.

I and another neighbor picked up the broken-off pieces of fence that were strewn in the street. I felt good about participating in my neighborhood. I met neighbors I wasn’t familiar with, and they now know who I am, and that I’m willing to help.

The only thing I would have done differently, looking in retrospect, is taking out my camera after I was safely out of the guy’s way, and snapping some pictures of him to give to the police. I had my camera with me, it just didn’t occur to me at the time. I’ve absorbed that knowledge, and will hopefully think to use it in the future.