Mickey D's

Everyone should have heard the story of McDonald's employee Nigel Haskett
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=6958997 by now.
But that the kid reacted in a desirable manner is what's important.

I sometimes wonder if my seemingly instinctive reactions will someday cause me to be harmed.
A couple of years ago, I stopped by a corner store to get a Coke and some Cheetos.
When I stepped through the door, I saw two guys (abound 6'4" - 6'5" and 270lbs) on the ground squabbin'.
A smallish Asian owner was having trouble separating the two men.
His daughters and wife were screaming.
I asked the old man (owner) if he needed help.
When he said that he did, I picked up one of the guys by his belt and pushed him against the door.
I held the other guy down until the first guy left the parking lot.
When I let the second guy up, he just looked at me as though one of us were crazy.
He then bought some cigarettes and left the store.

But when I went back to that neighborhood the next day, some of my tenants told me that I could have been shot by one of the guys.

Mickie D's seems to be where I often run into some type of drama.
I once walked past some type of robbery/drug deal in Colton (I told the guys that I couldn't be late for work) and the subsequent police response (When a shotgun wielding police officer asked "Where the eff do you think you're going" - I just said that "I gotta' go to work", got in my car and drove away. Confused, they just let me go).

I was at a bank when I saw a guy (a pimp that I had previously met) with a gun.
I asked the guy if I could get my money out of the bank first.
When I came outside, I pointed out the two security guards, three uniformed police officers, the plain clothes cops in a nearby car and the nearby police sub station.
"Maybe I should pick another bank", he said.
"Maybe you should stick to drugs and pimpin'", I said.
He laughed and rode away.

It seems that I'm always trying to create peace.
But sometimes I wonder - what if I had gotten shot?